Star-Lord Boombox tee

The Star-Lord Boombox tee is now available in the shop. It features a custom 9-color screen printed design from NOPAL Art. Limited run, so get yours soon.

The Boombox Collection

Happy New Year! A while back I had the idea to turn a Stormtrooper bucket into a boombox. The result was the illustration below. It has since been turned into a well received t-shirt design. But that got me thinking about other Star Wars boomboxes. In addition to the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett Boombox sticker designs, I finally finished the X-Wing and Rebel Hoth Boombox designs. Not to be left out, I created the Star-Lord Boombox design. With music such a huge part of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it seemed a natural mashup. Look for the X-Wing, Rebel Hoth, and Star-Lord designs in the shop soon.

Little Star Lord

Guardians of the Galaxy was an unexpected treat for my son and I. He enjoyed the action and I enjoyed the nostalgia and humor (and the action too, I'll admit). What stood out most was the blend of old school storytelling and futuristic technology. Star Lord technology most of all was the highlight.

When the time to talk Halloween costumes came, there was no question what my son wanted to be. The question above all, was what to do about the helmet. I purchased a Nerf Star-Lord Battle Gear set with a simple mask. I figured I could modify it a bit to make it look better. Maybe some paint and some lenses. I found a great example in Jill Sowell's blog, who had already tackled this exact same problem. Her project was a great inspiration in its simplicity.

I started by researching different foams and ended up getting 6mm and 4mm EVA foam. I made a simple paper template and kept adapting it to fit my son's head.

Pretty soon I had enough of a foundation to start adding details. A quick coat of primer and a base coat of metallic silver and it was starting to come together.

After hand-painted coats of silver and some Rub 'n Buff for a sheen, the painting phase was complete.

After a few options for lighting I ended up using what I already had - a strip of micro LED lights powered by a 12V battery. It provided some nice even lighting and was easy to install. I then found some low-cost plastic glasses lenses on Amazon. They were the perfect size and mounted easily with hot glue.

  

The mask came out better than I had expected and honestly, I figured it would be a good match with the store bought costume we had ordered. But unfortunately, the costume was delayed and the likelihood of it coming on time was unlikely. I started thinking of alternatives to finish his costume.

First was the red leather or faux-leather coat. A quick trip to downtown LA and we found the coat (good enough for an 8 year old's cosplay costume). It was easier to find once we decided we were replicating the short jacket and not the duster. I then ordered some retro-headphones and orange foam covers and eventually found a resin-cast Sony Walkman replica. What's a Star Lord costume without his tunes? After paint and detailing, the Walkman was complete. I then decided to make a budget build version of the Orb out of Styrofoam and hot glue (and finishing with some metallic paint). The last pieces to complete his costume were a small messenger bag to hold the Orb and a stock Nerf Star Lord Blaster.

With all the bits and pieces complete, I finally had my son try it all on. And lo and behold, Little Star Lord was born!

 The cost of everything turned out to be a little more than the store-bought costume would have been, but it has much more to it and seeing the look on my son's face as he donned his gear was priceless.

I have another Nerf blaster primed and ready to customize and have an adult-size resin Star Lord helmet coming from the RPF so I can match Little Star Lord's. Stay tuned for the next episode.