Astyanax's Makes, Builds and Acquisitions: 2024

[Astyanax]

January 13, 2024

REAL PROP ALERT!

These Bellagio Poker Chips from Ocean's Eleven (2001) are some of many thousands of stunt chips made for the film.



I picked up the four chips from Propabilia on eBay, with COA.



(My chips' stickers are only on one side and not centered very well, so these were clearly for background viewing purposes in probably just the one scene. Although these are genuine production-used items, there's no way to know if they actually made it on screen.)

 

[Astyanax]

January 13, 2024

I made this Cleopatra Hotel Matchbox from Constantine (2005), by simply adjusting and printing artwork made by breen2057 in the Paper Props forum, to the sizing of a spare Diamond brand matchbox that I had. I preserved the original strike surface as well.



It might be a little smaller than the actual movie prop, but I wanted to go with a more standard size.



(I researched screech beetles, and it turns out they are real! The loudest one is a kind of diving beetle. I had hoped to 3D print one and put it in the matchbox, but it's a small beetle and their legs are too fine. Haven't found any preserved ones, except for some edible ones on Amazon! Should ?)

 

[Astyanax]

January 16, 2024

I picked up this discontinued Bodum Tea Glass from a thrift seller on eBay. It is one of the very same styles of teacup used by Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV).



I couldn't bring myself to sand off the etched "Bodum" logo on the bottom. But it's otherwise a perfect match!



(Picard does drink from other teacup styles throughout the show, but this was one of the most repeated and recognizable. And this brand and style was available to the production team when the series was made.)

 

[Astyanax]

January 22, 2024

I received this Grogu's Macaron (cookie) from The Mandalorian (TV), from "TheSpatCave" on Etsy.



It was resin cast in two pieces and pre-painted. After gluing them together I applied a bit of a dark wash to the interior of the bite marks, and used a thin Sharpie to better outline the sandwich slice separations within the bite.




(Crazy for a prop, right? But it looks so good next to a block of Beskar!)

 

[Media Man]

I love these kinds of threads! All super cool stuff! Great collection and photos!

 

[Astyanax]

January 30, 2024

I received this amazing Clark Kent's Necktie from Superman: The Movie (1978), from Indy Magnoli's clothing store.



It is full-length, made of high-quality material, and so very beautiful in person. Believe it or not, this is one of Magnoli's factory seconds!



(The tie was so nice it made me go hunting for Clark's glasses right away!)

 

[Astyanax]

January 31, 2024

I finished this Yavin Ceremony Medal from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). The medal was resin 3D printed from s2jesse's Puzzlebox Patreon account. The strap material is a near-perfect match purchased at Psab keel's "Thread Lair" shop.



I modified the model slightly by cutting a rectangular hole out of the top so that the strap could be tucked in.

After much sanding and filling, the resin was sprayed in Rustoleum Gold Metallic over black gloss, and weathered with a very light brown acrylic wash. The strap was simply tucked in the hole, and the friction holds it tight; no glue!



(This model is technically the version from TLJ, but I liked the physical wear and tear provided in Puzzlebox's version.)

 

[Astyanax]

January 31, 2024

I finished these Colonial Marines M-40 Grenades from Aliens (1986). The grenades were resin 3D printed in pieces from a model downloaded at Thingiverse.



I made a couple small modifications for accuracy, and then printed several. After spraying them in black gloss, I lightly scratched them with #0000 steel wool to create the "brushed aluminum" scratches, and then airbrushed Alclad II Polished Aluminum on top..

The red caps were purchased from the "MOCAP" online store. The white strip 1/16" pin striping tape.



(The original prop came in two sizes: 12-gauge and 20-gauge, matching their shotgun counterparts. The larger 12-gauge size were used on the straps and in hands, but the ammo box could only fit the smaller 20-gauge. I plan to make a bunch more, because I want to replicate the box and mini bandoliers.)

 

[Astyanax]

January 31, 2024

I received this completely average looking Black Skinny Silk Tie from John Wick (2014), from Amazon.



There is nothing special to it at all, but it looks great as an accent piece in a display of John Wick props!



(Best eight-dollar prop replica in my collection!)

 

[Astyanax]

January 31, 2024

I received these Isolinear Chips from Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV), from Kokanee's "Black Sea Props" store.



They are very nice looking etched acrylic, and there were several stickers provided for the numbering. The stand was included.



(Really nice accent piece to add to the "flavor" of my Star Trek display!)

 

[Astyanax]

February 3, 2024

I received this Daniel's Hachimaki (headband) from The Karate Kid (1984) and Cobra Kai (TV) franchises, shipped from Amazon.



When it arrived, it was a little wide, and too new-looking. I folded the edges in and ironed them down, to make the strap thinner. Then crunched it up with some Fuller's earth, blew it all off and laid it flat again. Looks more authentic now!



(Needs a Cobra Kai snake patch to go along with it, right? Keep reading!)

 

[Astyanax]

February 3, 2024

I received this fantastic Marty Jr.'s Holographic Cap from Back to the Future Part II (1989), from Indy Magnoli's prop store.



I believe this is just about the best quality version of this cap out there!

 

[Astyanax]

February 4, 2024

I received this Cobra Kai Gi Patch from The Karate Kid (1984) and Cobra Kai (TV) franchises, from a seller on Amazon.



There are subtle differences between the Karate Kid versions and the Cobra Kai versions. This patch is a little bit of a hybrid in that it is the color scheme of the former, but the more modern production style and quality of the latter.

 

[Psab keel]

January 31, 2024

I finished this Yavin Ceremony Medal from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). The medal was resin 3D printed from s2jesse's Puzzlebox Patreon account. The strap is a near-perfect match provide by Psab keel's "Thread Lair" shop.

View attachment 1812291

I modified the model slightly by cutting a rectangular hole out of the top so that the strap could be tucked in.

After much sanding and filling, the resin was sprayed in Rustoleum Gold Metallic over black gloss, and weathered with a very light brown acrylic wash. The strap was simply tucked in the hole, and the friction holds it tight; no glue!

View attachment 1812292 View attachment 1812290

(This model is technically the version from TLJ, but I liked the physical wear and tear provided in Puzzlebox's version.)

WOW! Your Yavin medal turned out incredible! The detail of the sculpt and paint work are flawless! Thank you so very much for your purchase and for being so kind to tell others about my shop. I'm truly humbled. Knowing I can supply my peers with items to help them with their projects and then seeing the incredible results they get with them is the best part of my job. Thank you, Astyanax !

 

[Astyanax]

February 5, 2024

I received this vintage 1978 Speak & Spell from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), from its previous owner on eBay.



The Speak & Spell was produced for many years and went through several iterations. This is the only model to have physical buttons, as the later models had a kind of touchpad. Needless to say, my Speak & Spell is broken, but it's a perfect match for the one in the movie!

 

[Astyanax]

February 6, 2024

I received these Clark Kent Glasses from Superman: The Movie (1978), from a seller on Etsy.



I was blown away by the fact that these were very low cost, yet the match is very, very close! Most of the costumers or toy versions of the glasses are either not big enough or are for a different portrayal of Clark Kent.



(I had never realized before that Reeve's Kent glasses had a tortoiseshell finish. They go great with the necktie!

 

[Astyanax]

February 8, 2024

I picked up this Hermione's Time Turner from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) at a local Barnes & Noble store. This is one of the versions from the Noble Collection.



while there are many different versions of the Time Turner out there, most of them fail in one key area: the actual hourglass is shaped inaccurately to the movie. Even Noble's more expensive Time Turner has a bad hourglass shape!



(This item helped inspire me to start hanging things in my display from the upper shelf.)

 

[Astyanax]

February 8, 2024

I received this Ghostbusters Engineering Corps Patch from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), from the GBFans store.



In my opinion it's one of the more accurate representations of the patch, although there are many being produced now.

 

[Astyanax]

February 8, 2024

I received this Ghostbusters Black "No Ghost" Patch from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), from the GBFans store.



The patch is larger than the others, as intended for the big red parkas used (barely) in the movie. I like that it also reproduces the erroneous "thumb" from the regular patches.



(Having this patch would have been a lot more exciting if the parka had more than a few seconds of screen time, and if the photo above from the trailer had really happened in the movie. Hoping there's a Director's Cut to come...)

 

[Astyanax]

February 8, 2024

I received this Zeddemore Industries Business Card intended to be from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), as a freebie in my order from the GBFans store.



While it looks good as an accent item to my collection, it's not really a movie prop replica; I didn't see it appear in the movie at all. But still kinda cool.

(Again, wonder if it might appear in a Director's Cut?)