2000 Light Years From Home

This is a large animated mechanical diorama paying homage to the psychedelic Rolling Stones classic "2000 Light Years From Home". As referencing the song's lyrics about space travel, loneliness, alien planets, green deserts, and stars with fiery oceans, my diorama depicts each of these in a colorful manner. The spaceman stands alone on the green desert sands, as the scenery changes from day to night.

Inside the model is an elaborate system of Technic gears, axles, and pins to allow two different animated portions to move at the turn of a crank. The crank changes the backdrop from night to day whilst simultaneously it makes the flames dance around in the volcanic pit. This is achieved through a complicated network of parts in unison. The main crank controls a central camshaft attached to the lunar/solar disc, which connects to other camshafts via gears and axles, and eventually controls a crude crankshaft mechanism underneath the flames that pushes them up and down erratically.