News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

[Ismael Flores]

Wow I wonder if they want to get the upper parts of the rockwork done so that the sitelines are taken care off way before the rest of the land opens in 2019.
Hopefully we start seeing more and more rock shapes take place to get an idea of how the mountain range will look.

So far the parking structure and all the air equipment on the roofs of the show buildings are quite visible from anywhere within the outer edges of the river

 

[shortstop]

Wow I wonder if they want to get the upper parts of the rockwork done so that the sitelines are taken care off way before the rest of the land opens in 2019.
Hopefully we start seeing more and more rock shapes take place to get an idea of how the mountain range will look.

So far the parking structure and all the air equipment on the roofs of the show buildings are quite visible from anywhere within the outer edges of the river

I'm trying to find pictures of Carsland construction for comparison but I can't find shots of the rockwork in-progress over the RSR show building. But in any case, I'm guessing they need to start from the top down on the rockwork due to the fact that work is still being done on the Falcon show building.

 

[Curious Constance]

I'm trying to find pictures of Carsland construction for comparison but I can't find shots of the rockwork in-progress over the RSR show building. But in any case, I'm guessing they need to start from the top down on the rockwork due to the fact that work is still being done on the Falcon show building.

Look here:

https://disneygeek.com/construction/dca_carsland

 

[TP2000]

Wow I wonder if they want to get the upper parts of the rockwork done so that the sitelines are taken care off way before the rest of the land opens in 2019.
Hopefully we start seeing more and more rock shapes take place to get an idea of how the mountain range will look.

So far the parking structure and all the air equipment on the roofs of the show buildings are quite visible from anywhere within the outer edges of the river

I'm trying to find pictures of Carsland construction for comparison but I can't find shots of the rockwork in-progress over the RSR show building. But in any case, I'm guessing they need to start from the top down on the rockwork due to the fact that work is still being done on the Falcon show building.

They always start from the top and work down through all phases, from the ironworkers all the way through the final painting touch ups. Here's Cars Land in Fall, 2011 about 9 months before opening. The tops of the tailfins are now complete.

 

[TP2000]

As for the view of Mickey & Friends from the river, this entire structure to the south of the Battle ride warehouse has not yet begun construction but will shield that view.

 

[shortstop]

Look here:

https://disneygeek.com/construction/dca_carsland

They always start from the top and work down through all phases, from the ironworkers all the way through the final painting touch ups. Here's Cars Land in Fall, 2011 about 9 months before opening. The tops of the tailfins are now complete.

I'm not surprised that you two came through with those photos! Yes, this is basically what I was hoping to find. And this makes total sense.

As for the view of Mickey & Friends from the river, this entire structure to the south of the Battle ride warehouse has not yet begun construction but will shield that view.

Which structure are you referring to? I have a hard time making out individuals structures in photos of this model.

 

[TP2000]

I'm not surprised that you two came through with those photos! Yes, this is basically what I was hoping to find. And this makes total sense.


Which structure are you referring to? I have a hard time making out individuals structures in photos of this model.

The sloping hill that begins behind the barrel structure.

 

[TP2000]

From the Sunday OC Register comes these photos, taken from the top of Tarzan's Treehouse.

Mickey & Friends is still visible beyond the new berm from this height...

And the tallest spires of Star Wars Land, on top of the Millenium Falcon ride warehouse, are also visible from Tarzan's Treehouse...

Meanwhile, in Critter Country, the parking structure is still visible over the berm a bit...

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

They always start from the top and work down through all phases, from the ironworkers all the way through the final painting touch ups. Here's Cars Land in Fall, 2011 about 9 months before opening. The tops of the tailfins are now complete.

They have to work from the top down because when the top layer is finally painted like the Carsland example, they remove the wood floor and railing from that tier of internally supported scaffolding and, working from the tier below, cut off the horizontal steel "toothpicks" sticking out and patch and paint over them. They repeat this tier-by-tier. I have seen this referred to as toothpick scaffolding or toothpick construction.

This method is far more efficient for an irregular type of facade like the rockwork of Carsland and SWGE. Conventional scaffolding would slow things down because it would require a very large level or semi-level footprint on the ground preventing the development of that base level of build-out and decoration, as well as horizontal anchor points all the way up the facade, almost as numerous as the toothpicks themselves. Contrast this with the relative ease with which they built the vertical rented scaffolding up the facade of Tower/Guardians.

 

[Practical Pig]

They have to work from the top down because when the top layer is finally painted like the Carsland example, they remove the wood floor and railing from that tier of internally supported scaffolding and, working from the tier below, cut off the horizontal steel "toothpicks" sticking out and patch and paint over them. They repeat this tier-by-tier. I have seen this referred to as toothpick scaffolding or toothpick construction.

This method is far more efficient for an irregular type of facade like the rockwork of Carsland and SWGE. Conventional scaffolding would slow things down because it would require a very large level or semi-level footprint on the ground preventing the development of that base level of build-out and decoration, as well as horizontal anchor points all the way up the facade, almost as numerous as the toothpicks themselves. Contrast this with the relative ease with which they built the vertical rented scaffolding up the facade of Tower/Guardians.

Very interesting. When looking at various rockwork construction photos I've noted that the scaffolding wasn't the traditional model, but hadn't sussed out what the actual engineering was. Thanks for that.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Very interesting. When looking at various rockwork construction photos I've noted that the scaffolding wasn't the traditional model, but hadn't sussed out what the actual engineering was. Thanks for that.

It was exactly the same for me. But as I saw the progression at Carsland and someone on one of the Disney Fan boards ID'd it as toothpick construction, it all clicked and I could infer the various benefits from a lay perspective. Perhaps some of our more knowledgeable contributors can enlighten us further.

 

[alias8703]

It was exactly the same for me. But as I saw the progression at Carsland and someone on one of the Disney Fan boards ID'd it as toothpick construction, it all clicked and I could infer the various benefits from a lay perspective. Perhaps some of our more knowledgeable contributors can enlighten us further.

Yes I believe Joe Rhode and the Imagineers invented this type of scaffolding construction when creating Everest! I watched a making of Everest recently and they discussed this exactly! Way easier for them then setting up regular scaffolding!

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Yes I believe Joe Rhode and the Imagineers invented this type of scaffolding construction when creating Everest! I watched a making of Everest recently and they discussed this exactly! Way easier for them then setting up regular scaffolding!

Very interesting! A cursory google search yielded nothing close to this. Perhaps our members familiar with Disney's patent applications might know something. In the meantime, I did find this on Wikipedia:

"The expeditions and the making of the attraction were chronicled in three documentaries broadcast on Discovery's cable television channels in April 2006.[8] The first was Expedition Everest: Journey to Sacred Lands, broadcast on the Travel Channel on April 9 to coincide with the attraction's grand opening.[8] The second, Building A Thrill Ride: Expedition Everest, was aired on April 10[8] and detailed the planning and construction of the ride, along with some of the ideas that made it possible. (During construction, for example, instead of traditional scaffolding the Imagineers used interior poles that poked through the outside of the mountain and were connected by wooden platforms.)[4]"​

 

[alias8703]

Here's the video!


starts @ 13 mins!

 

[Practical Pig]

Here's the video!


starts @ 13 mins!

Good work!

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Here's the video!


starts @ 13 mins!

Oh, you're VERY good. I salute your superior acquisition skills (It's late and I'm being lazy). Thanks!

If I hear the audio correctly (and the closed captioning didn't really help) it appears that they call the "toothpicks" they referred to "tab arms" or "tabs" for short, and the mesh panels we see going up on the towers now, "chips". This is new to me.

You don't want me to tell you what the [cc] app did with "crevasses" on one occasion.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

New rock work is looking pretty prettttty pretttttttyyy good!

 

[TP2000]

And even more from our favorite lady blogger, taken Tuesday the 12th...

 

[Phroobar]

I wonder if the rock work on the spires will go all the way around them.

 

[Mouse3268]

And even more from our favorite lady blogger, taken Tuesday the 12th...

Why is the Slinky Dog Roller Coaster train at Disneyland? Toy Story Land to Disneyland confirmed!?