This is a how to on how I made this light up Stargate model for use with 3 3/4 inch figures.

First of all, I know that this is a smaller scale than the real one, but in this case the limit in size was determined by the size of the printer. Standard printer= 8.5 by 11 so this Stargate is 8.5 inches across. And 8.5 is close enough for diorama use for 3 3/4 inch figures.

Step 1: Supplies Needed

First of all, I looked up Print-out-and-assemble-Paper-Stargate and I found one. The stargate ring and the brick base are printouts from this. The lights are a string of battery powered mini LEDs I bought from Dollar Tree. And foam core board will be needed for the core of the stargate ring. Also the best glue to use for this project is Tacky Glue because it will not soak into the posterboard and wrinkle it.

Step 2: Printouts First.

Printouts are printed out not onto paper or cardstock, but onto posterboard cut to fit in the printer; 8.5 by 11 inches.

The Stargate Ring I turned over and coated the back with Tacky Glue: Tacky Glue does not wet the posterboard like water based white glue does, leaving wrinkles in the posterboard itself. After it dried I peeled the facing paper off one side of a piece of Foam Board, also coated it with tacky glue, then set that aside to dry as well.

Afterwards, I applied another coat of tacky glue to the back of the posterboard, then put it onto the foam board and put it under a stack of heavy books on a table so it would dry flat. I let it dry for two days.

The base I cut and assembled into a raised platform. it folds into a raised middle with flat areas on either side. I glued it together, using tacky glue, then I cut pieces of foam core to fit inside the middle raised area and glued them in with tacky glue then set it aside to dry.

After I had reinforced the middle I coated the two flat areas with tacky glue and set it onto a single piece of posterboard to make a sturdy base. After it dried I created a posterboard triangle- The gray one seen here- as a way to mount the finished ring. It has tabs on the bottom that fit into slots I cut into the top with an exacto knife.

Step 3: Adding LEDS to the Ring

The first pic is the prepared ring. First of all I carefully cut away the inside circle and trimmed away the white areas outside the ring, leaving only the ring itself. I then peeled away the paper coating on the back of the ring. On the front I used a sharp bamboo skewer to punch through the orange "Lights" spots on the front, in order to mount the LEDs.

I turned the ring over and gently pushed a single LED into each hole. It made a depression in the foam. I then put a drop of tacky glue over the LED, put a tiny piece of posterboard on top, then used clothespins to clamp it in place until it dried.

I did this to all of the LEDs in all of the chevrons on the ring, but there were three left over. Those I glued into the bottom of the Ring to shine upward.

After all of the LEDs were glued in, I twisted the wires so they would sit inside the body of the ring. I then coated the back with more tacky glue, let it dry, then added another coat of glue and glued it onto a large piece of poster board. After it dried I trimmed away the excess posterboard.

Step 4: Finishing the Ring.

After the Ring was done, I mixed up gray acrylic paint to more or less match the base color of the face of the ring, then spent the next few days painting the back and both edges of the ring. After the first coat was dry I turned on the LEDS and kept on repainting the areas the LEDS shone through until they no longer shone through.

Step 5: Preparing the Base.

To mount the ring on top of the base, I made a posterboard wedge and cut slots into the top of the base to mount it. The bottom of the ring would fit with the LEDs on either side of the wedge. Afterwards I used the exacto knife to cut a door in the back of the raised base to put the battery pack in. The battery pack has its own on/off switch.

Step 6: Mounting the Ring on the Base.

The ring is tacky glued to the front wedge, then a second wedge is glued in behind it. The three extra LEDs go on the bottom, shining upwards. Once the glue sets it is finished: The wire for the LEDs and battery pack fit through the door cut into the back of the base.

And that is it. This is a desktop display OR for display use with figures. The LEDs can be found at Dollar Tree stores nowadays. OR the LEDS can be omitted if the maker wants.