LEGO Dune - Baron Harkonnen Throne Automata

Introduction

The LEGO Harkonnen Throne is a custom-built LEGO automata set based on the Harkonnen throne room from Denis Villeneuve's DUNE adaptation. When the button is pressed, it triggers a kinetic recreation of the iconic throne room scene from the movie, complete with audio and movement.

Dune: Part One (2021) vs my LEGO Recreation (click & drag the slider to compare)

Background

harkobaby

Inspiration

Prior to the premiere of Dune: Part Two last March, LEGO unveiled the 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter in a presentation led by Mike Psiaki. It featured functional blades that flap and retract like a dragonfly, and included 8 minifigures: Paul Atreides, Lady Jessica, Gurney Halleck, Chani, Leto Atreides, Liet Kynes, Duncan Idaho, and Baron Harkonnen.

I purchased the set as soon as it became available in my country. It was super fun to build, and despite being an Icons set, it included creative mechanics like a Technics set, which I appreciated. I also liked the included minifigures, though I felt that one of them, Baron Harkonnen, did not quite fit with the rest. So, I decided to build a LEGO throne based on the movie for the Baron and design a display case to showcase it like an actual set!

source: Official LEGO Dune Set
source: Official LEGO Dune Set
LEGO Star Wars interactive store display, one of the inspirations for this project

Supplies

Parts List

Arduino Nano
28byj-48 stepper and ULN Driver
16mm LED Momentary Push Button
220 x 500 x 1mm Clear PETG Sheet
75mm Speaker - 4Ω 3W
DFPlayer mini MP3 module
white LED Strip
Glossy A4 Photo Paper

Tools

3D printer
Soldering Iron, Solder & Flux
16mm Drill bit
Multitool

Lego Parts

Full Instruction Guide PDF

3D parts

I printed the parts on a FDM 3D printer with a .4 nozzle and 40% infill.

Complete Render	Part Name	Download
	`Base.stl`, `BaseBack.stl`, `BaseRail.stl`, `BaseRoof.stl`, `SpeakerMount.stl`
	`LiftMotorMount.stl`, `LiftGuide.stl`, `LiftLeftLego.stl`, `LiftRightLego.stl`, `LiftRack.stl`, `LiftSpurGear.stl`

Design and build

The Throne

I couldn’t find any reference materials of the throne. There are no behind-the-scenes footage or pictures of the throne room set available online. So, my only source was to take screenshots from the movie and zoom in to get the details I needed.

Throne Room Scene 300% Zoomed in
First prototype
First prototype using Technic bricks

After having a clear picture of what I wanted in my mind, I began creating the build using BrickLink Studio. Studio allows you to render your build, which was extremely helpful for me as I wanted to compare it with references from the movie.

BrickLink Studio 2.0
Initial render

LEGO Instructions

I created step-by-step LEGO style instructions with a full list of parts needed for the build, you can download the PDF here:
Link to PDF

Enclosure: Inspiration

My main inspiration for the display came from official LEGO Store displays, which are often built for third-party stores like Target and Walmart. These displays typically feature a combination of light and sound effects triggered by a button. Although they're designed to be destroyed after their set shelf life, you can find them in flea markets or on auction sites like eBay.

Official LEGO store display sold on eBay
A set of store displays found on Reddit
Instructions to destroy the display

Enclosure: My Build

Rather than building a high-end plexiglass collector's case I wanted to create a display case similar to the official display cases, as if it were an actual moviee tie-in lego set you would see in a third party store.

I designed the case in Fusion 360 and printed it on my 3D Printer, I used a hairdryer to bend a PET-G sheet around the enclosure, marked the holes and drilled them.

Wiring

28BYJ-48 Stepper: The stepper motor pins IN1, IN2, IN3, IN4 are connected to pins 9, 10, 11, 12 on the Arduino.
DFplayer mini: RX is connected to D4 with a 10K resistor, and TX is connected to D3. SPK1 and SPK2 are connected to a speaker less than 3W.
Push Button: The LED on the push button is connected to D5 and NO is connected to D6 with a 10K resistor in parallel.

Firmware

I simply programmed the arduino to closely match the speed of the motor to the movement of the Baron in the movie. The motor and sound are triggered by the button press, the program is reset after the animation is complete.

Complete source code for this project is available on the project’s GitHub page.

Assembly and Demo

I forgot to get detailed still images of the project while I was working on it. However I have a video in the works, will share it here once it's done!

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