The links from my prop panel & Tracon VII

Here's the links I promised at Tracon:

•Replica Props Forum (therpf.com)

•Different propblogs

  -Volpinprops (volpinprops.blogspot.com)

  -Blind Squirrel Props   (blindsquirrelprops.blogspot.com)

  -Evil FX (bioweapons.wordpress.com)

  -Zprops (zprops.blogspot.com)

  -Backyard FX (indymogul.com/backyardfx)

(I'm aware that BFX is not really a propblog, but it has some good stuff in it)

I removed the few obvious ones for varying reasons, but here they be.

Thanks for reading!

Naruto: Kisame's Samehada

 I was commisioned to make Kisame's Samehada greatsword(Don't ask me how that's supposed to be a sword, I have no idea.)

So far propably the most challenging prop I have made because of the organic shapes.

I cut the general shape out of insulation foam, and sketched the initial shape of the "tip".

The pieces laid paraller to the main slate were cut to form the two biggest topmost scales. (I took a little bit of an artistic liberty here and upscaled them abit. Looks more menacing, methinks.)

Two skulls were sculpted out of the same foam for the pommel and one for the lanyard.

The scales were attached to the main body wit wooden pegs(for stability).

Scales attached and shape refined.

Handle was made from a lenght of PVC pipe. A slot was cut on the main body to fit the handle.
(also worth spotting is Serenity running on the background-I have all possible recommendations for that film)

But I digress.

Humongous pile of scales were cut out of craft foam to save in weight.

I found a piece of (fan?)art showing a lanyard with beads and the smaller skull. Not sure if it' anime/manga accurate, so I made it removable if the client wishes so. Also pictured is the painted&installed pommel skull and wrapped handle. I found wool fabric with the correct color for the job.

Painted scales attached to the frame. I have no photos of the painting process, but you can figure a room with every possible flat space filled with painted scales dtying. The experience was pretty....blue.

The last thing to do after paint was to attach&paint the teeth in the mouth on the "tip". These were made from the same craft foam as the scales,only painted white.

... And finally a shot of the finished product resting against a photogenic doorframe. Clearly visible is that it'sa big thingy, about 170cm in lenght.

A shot down the handle.

There's approx. three different sizes of scales I used. Also pretty visible is the point where I ran out of the craft foam I was using and switced brands. Luckily not disrupting the overall looks of the prop.

One last shot of the mouth with the painted teeth.



Tools used:
-Coping saw
-scissors
-superglue
-PVA glue
-paint
-X-acto knife
-hotglue


Thanks for watching!

Mukuro Rokudo's Trident, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

I was commisioned to make Mukuro Rokudo's trident from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.

Fairly simple and straightforward project, for a change.

I began by taking a scrap wooden rod and sanding one end into a point.

The various bands along the lenght of the shaft were made by heatforming pieces of PVC pipe to fit snug with the shaft. Details were added by heatforming more pipe and gluing on some wooden rods. Also visible is the hole for the crossbar.

The prongs were made similarly to the main shaft, sanded to a point, bu on both ends. Some PVC was heatformed to fabricate some more detail bands. Also pictured is the chromed copper pipe I used for the crossbar.

Fits together like so.

I cut a pile of triangles out of camping mat for the laurel leaves on the crossbar.

Laurels glued in place. I also glued two wooden rods on the shaft to separate the rune strip. After I sanded all the superglue residue off my fingers, that is.

The runes themselves were made by tracing shapes on the strip with a hot glue gun. Not as precise as I'd hope them to be, but they look reasonably cool. (Wish I had puffy paint)

...And the finished piece, resting against a doorframe(not a part of the commision. On the same note, please ignore my messy kitchen). This thing is nearly two meters long!

Detail shot of the tip. The runes look so much better once painted. I tend to not take pictures along the painting process.

One last artsy angle shot!


Tools used:
-beltsander
-heat gun
-hot glue
-x-acto
-superglue
-masking tape
-coping saw


Thanks for reading!

Galen Marek's lightsaber

 I've been quiet for a few months, so I decided to shed light more on my previous projects to entertain you people. Now I have three commisions on the burner, and I'll have them finished by the turn of the month, provided that international shipping doesn't screw anything up. Before I start rambling, onto the post proper.

Everybody who knows Star Wars knows what lightsabers are. Everybody who knows something about lightsabers knows that each hilt is unique. The hilt in question on this post is Galen Marek's, who is/was Darth Vader's apperentice in The Force Unleashed. I fell figuratively in love with the character the first time I played the game, and decided to build his lightsaber one day. Turns out the day was somewhere in December 2011, can't recall the exact date.

(Mine doesn't disassemble like that, maybe in a future revision?)

Again, I have no photos of the build phase, but I'll try to explain the construction to my best capability. The hilt can be roughly divided into two; the emitter/crystal chamber and the handle/pommel sections. Majority of both are made of steel tube, which forms the outermost casing of the saber. The crystal chaber chassis is made of a smaller steel pipe that fits inside the casing.

The crystal chamber and the emitter are illuminated with red LEDs. Simple, cheap, yet effective.
Most of the wiring is hidden in the chamber chassis.

The iconic "bunny ears" are made of a piece of aluminum hammered into a U-shape. The tooling was intentionally rough. The knob next to it is just something I had lying around and it's almost if not identical to the in-game model. The activator box is one of the places where I took artistic liberties and made it to look more like the activator box from Luke's ESB* hilt.

Side view. There originally was a screw to fill the empty hole, but it has fallen off somewhere. Kinda adds to the cobbled-together feel of the entire hilt. The control box is actually a slide switch that ignites the saber.

People are accusing me of lying when I claim that no parts were machined for this project. Technically they are correct, as the pommel and the brass piece on top of it have been lathed at some point of their lives, but the were not made for this project specifically, I was just darn lucky to find pieces that fit. Looting industrial trash is useful sometimes always. The pile of washers screwed to the side are for mounting the hilt on a belt. A corresponding piece with a slot that it fits is attached onto a belt. The black grip rods are ABS plastic. They are abit uneven, but that too just adds to the spirit of the hilt. Or that I just suck at making stuff straight.

Starkiller's hilt is an interesting one in the sense that the crystal chamber is exposed. The brass crystal mount is a piece from a shower head. The crystal itself is a clear amethyst. There actually is three "pylons", which support the crystal, but they are hard to photograph. The brass guard rods were originally an antenna of an RC-remote, with the chroming sanded off.

Same chamber with the LEDs off. The knob above the chamber is again just some knob I had in my screw can.

The emitter is also made from showerhead and plumbing parts attached to the crystal chamber. The hole you see above the emitter in the shell was originally drilled for mounting the bunny ears, but proved unneccessary. Another revision to make.

One more view with the saber ignited. In the end I had a full-metal, heavy saber hilt that cost me nohing but time.


Tools used:
-Pipe cutter
-drill press
-hacksaw
-various files
-Dremel
-various screwdrivers
-epoxy glue
-more Dremel
-black paint
-electrical tape
-soldering equipment

Thanks for reading!

Colt Single Action Army's

I built a pair of Colt SAA revolvers with 5½inch barrels for my Revolver Ocelot Cosplay. This was also a "proof of theory" project to show, that quality work doesn't always involve expensive machinery and materials. These were made completely without power tools and from scrap that I had lying around.

The original looks like this, if you were not familiar with it already. (That's an airsoft copy though)I'm a quick worker, so I don't have many pictures of the very beginning of the project, but I managed to slow myself to take some.

Here's a compare picture of  a shaped and unshaped front of the gun's frame. Awful lotta sanding involved. (Sorry for the gloomy picture, my cellar is dark). The frames were constructed by laminating three layers of wood(pine, my favourite) together.

An almost finished frame with the barrel band, trigger and hammer in place.

Roughcut barrel mocked in place. Barrels are made of ABS rod.

I split a wooden ball in two to form the back of the frame. The second half provided the same piece for the other gun.

Frame top was made of scrap pine. Almost finished(sight groove missing) piece up front, rough in the back, and behind it the dust from the shaping.

Frame finished&extractor tube mocked in place. Triggerguard yet to be installed.

the cylinders were made from ABS pipe and cardboard. The cutouts were made by slipping a conveniently sized toilet paper roll over the pipe and holes cut onto them. Cheap, yet effective.

Grip plates, too, were crafted out of pine. Shown stained to a beautiful walnut color.

I also made  horde of fake ammunition to go with the guns out of brass tubing and wooden rod. The bullets are still unpainted.

The first complete painted piece! Something's wrong though. Looks too.....new. Too shiny.....

Little bit of black ink washed on the surface.....

...Wipe off, and Bazinga! That's alot better!

Comparation of a weathered and unweathered piece. The ink wash gives the metal effect alot more depth.

OK, I admit, I lied to you a bit. I used a drill press to bore out the barrel. It extends about 1½ inches inside the barrel, and the bottom is clearly visible when examined.

A picture of the pair. A classy choice of weapons indeed.

Tools used:
-coping saw
-sandpaper
-metal file
-drillbits
-x-acto knife
-wood glue
-super glue
-wood filler


Thanks for watching!