Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Stormtrooper helmet

A project that I've been waiting for a few months has finally shown up. Oz from theRPF has hand-crafted an Episode VII Stormtrooper helmet and it looks awesome. As a reminder, he's the one who made the Rocketeer helmet and the Supernatural Colt kits. I'll be updating progress here on the finishing, but I can see it's going to take a lot of patience to make it look good. Stay tuned.

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.

Hellboy Gun - Comic Book version

I've been on a Hellboy kick for the 20th Anniversary and I'm still not tired of it. I decided after the 3D printed Samaritan project, I'd try adding the comic book version of Hellboy's gun to the collection.

I found Blind Squirrel Props while doing a search for Hellboy props and the owner, Mike Iverson, has done some amazing prop work and  luckily for me he had a comic book version Samaritan kit he was selling. Even though rgriesbeck on the Replica Prop Forum was offering a 3D printed version, I opted for this version as the kit was built over an airsoft pistol and kept the action functioning. So I promptly ordered the airsoft pistol from Speedy Toys and the kit from Blind Squirrel Props.

I have to admit I was a bit intimidated when I got everything in and realized how much work was involved. This wasn't going to be a straight trim and paint job.

Mike provided very good instructions for the teardown and removal of the airsoft components. After some fussing, I got it all back together and proceeded to modify the pistol to accept the kit parts.

With a Dremel, some files, and a lot of elbow grease, the pistol was ready. I next proceeded to trim and clean the resin parts. The only challenge was getting the barrel to fit snug enough, but with some extra sanding, it all came together.

Next I patched some of the resin kit's air bubbles and filled extra gaps between the resin parts and the pistol.

After sanding, it was ready for a coat of primer.

After some more finessing and filling, I gave it an undercoat of gunmetal.

I picked up a Paasche airbrush and compressor and it made the next paint steps so much easier. I wish I had bought the airbrush for the Colt and movie Samaritan projects. Next, I gave the recesses a coat of flat black and everything else one more coat of gunmetal. (It looks darker in the photos than it actually is. It's also much more metallic looking).

I then gave the grips a coat of brown and then used burnt umber to simulate woodgrain. (I dropped the cold cast BRPD medallion in there to test).

Last was weathering with strategic placement of silver flecks and dry brushing, permanently attaching the BRPD medallions and voila, it was done.

 

For a comparison of size, I placed it next to the Sideshow Collectibles Hellboy II Samaritan. It's definitely Hellboy size!

Hope you enjoyed the process. Til the next project!

Hellboy Samaritan Prop Replica (3D Printed) - Movie Version

Hellboy Samaritan

There's always something amazingly cool being crafted on the RPF. I stumbled across a build of a 3D printed Samaritan gun from the Hellboy movie series. I'd always been a fan of that gun and seeing as how the Sideshow Collectibles version was so expensive, this seemed like a reasonable substitute. When RPF member rgriesbeck offered a kit for sale, I jumped at the chance.

The kit arrived, as they always do, in lots of pieces - like the old model airplanes I used to build.

The first thing to do was clean up the flash and fill any gaps. The print was pretty clean and needed minimal cleanup. The biggest challenge was getting the action to crack open. Once that was done, a dry fit was done.

Once all the fit was tested, and gaps were filled, a coat of grey primer was given to check the work. The grip was still not glued permanently at this point.

A coat of gunmetal was given as an undercoat for the gun, and a coat of red primer for the undercoat of the grip.

From that point, a coat of black and dark grey metallic were given. The grip was hand painted to resemble wood. The shells were painted a coat of brass and gold and the bullets were painted metallic silver. Then the fun part - weathering. A light dry brushing of silver on the edges that would have chipped/been rubbed added to the metal effect.

The BPRD symbol and final weathering of the gun and grip completed the project.

All told, it took about 15 hours of work. Easy and very satisfying. Coincidentally, a Sideshow Collectible Samaritan was for sale on the RPF for such a good price, I couldn't help myself.

Sideshow Collectibles Hellboy II Samaritan (top) 3D Printed Hellboy Samaritan (bottom)

 So who's the lucky dude who has a 3D printed AND high quality replica?? THIS guy!

Blade Runner - Large Scale Spinner

Roswell of Japan has released a 1/10 scale resin kit of the Blade Runner Future Police Car (aka The Spinner). The detail is amazing, with working police lights and lit console. The video below will knock your socks off.

For more details, you can visit their site: Roswell Japan. While you're at it, check out all their other amazingly detailed products. If you're still jonesing for more Blade Runner, then check out The Prop Summit, a forum dedicated to all things Blade Runner.

Hellboy turns 20

It's hard to believe that Big Red is 20 years old this year. I've always loved Mike Mignola's story of the son of Satan working for a secret organization taking down paranormal foes. Recently, I was able to acquire a prop replica kit of the Samaritan used in the movie series. I have my eyes on the comic version, but I'll save that for a future post. Holding the Samaritan makes me feel like lighting up a stogie and nailing something undead.

If you're hankering for more Hellboy, then get ready. The Hero Complex Gallery has a tribute show coming May 2nd. The HCG has a history of putting on great shows and this one promises not to disappoint.