Getting the Idea
So, the other day, I was just chilling, right? And E.T. was on TV. You know, the classic. That scene with the bike flying across the moon, man, it just hit me. I thought, “I gotta make that!” Not, like, a movie, but, you know, something cool, a little scene. Just for kicks.
Starting the Build – The Bike and Rider
First thing, the bike. I went digging through my shed, hoping to find something. And bingo! Found this tiny old toy bicycle, perfect size! It was a bit dusty, covered in cobwebs actually, but hey, that’s what you call ‘vintage character’, right? Gave it a good clean-up as best I could.
Then for Elliott. Well, I didn’t have a tiny Elliott figure just lying around, surprise surprise. So I grabbed one of those generic kid action figures I had from ages ago. Its clothes were all wrong, so I had to get out my paints. Tried to give him that red hoodie. His face was a bit too stern, like he was about to fight a bad guy, so I attempted to make him look a bit more, you know, amazed. He ended up looking slightly dazed, which, honestly, probably fits if you’re flying with an alien in your basket.
E.T. – The Special Guest
Now for the star of the show, E.T. himself. Or, more accurately, E.T. all wrapped up in a blanket. This part was actually easier than I thought. I didn’t have a miniature E.T. figure, and wasn’t about to sculpt a masterpiece. So, I just grabbed some old modeling clay I had lying around. Squished it into a sort of lumpy, alien-ish shape. Didn’t fuss too much, ’cause he’s gonna be mostly hidden. Then I found an old white sock that was destined for the bin, snipped a piece off. Wrapped up my clay E.T., popped him in the bike’s basket. Looked pretty good, if I do say so myself! Almost like the real deal… if the real deal was a lump of clay in a sock.
The Moon – Big and Bright (ish)
The moon! This was a biggie. Had to get this right. I found a massive piece of cardboard in the garage, leftover from some package. Drew a big circle, cut it out. Then came the painting. You’d think painting a moon would be straightforward, but getting that nice, cratery, glowy effect? Man, that took a couple of attempts. My first go was way too yellow, looked like a giant slice of pineapple. Scrapped that. Second try was much better, used a mix of whites and greys, dabbed it on with a sponge. Not bad, not bad at all.
I even got ambitious and tried to backlight it. Found some cheap battery-powered fairy lights. Taped them all over the back of the cardboard moon. That was a proper fiddle, let me tell you. Wires everywhere, tape sticking to everything but the cardboard. And in the end, it wasn’t super bright, more like a subtly illuminated pineapple slice. But hey, effort points!
Putting It All Together – The Flying Part
Okay, moment of truth. Bike, Elliott, E.T., moon. Time to make them fly. This was the bit I was dreading. I decided on fishing line. It’s strong and pretty much invisible. Carefully, I tied one end to the bike’s handlebars. The other end… well, that required some creative engineering. I ended up stringing it over a picture hook on the wall and anchoring it with a heavy book on a shelf. It was a bit precarious, to be honest. One wrong move and Elliott would be taking a nosedive.
And, of course, my dog, Buster, decided this was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. Kept sniffing around, wagging his tail like a maniac, nearly knocked the whole thing over twice. I had to bribe him with a treat and shut him out of the room. He wasn’t happy, sat outside whining. Sorry, mate, this is serious business.
The Final Scene
So, I propped the moon up against the wall. Dangled the bike just so, fiddling with the fishing line until it looked about right. I even grabbed a black marker and quickly drew some jagged tree silhouettes on a strip of dark paper and stuck it at the bottom for a bit of foreground. Super basic stuff.
And there it was. My very own “et bicycle scene.” It wasn’t exactly a Hollywood prop, you know? Definitely had that homemade, slightly wobbly charm. But when I stood back, and dimmed the lights a bit, it really did have that magic. Made me grin like an idiot. Totally worth the hassle and Buster’s temporary sulk. I left it set up on my shelf for a good week, just ’cause.
- Finding a usable bike was a stroke of luck.
- Painting a decent moon is harder than it looks.
- Pets and delicate projects don’t mix well.
- Fishing line is a test of patience.
So yeah, that was my little weekend project, bringing a bit of movie magic to life, sort of. Good fun. Might try and build something else next. Or maybe just stick to watching the movies.
