Astyanax's Makes, Builds and Acquisitions: 2023

[LeoCor Replicas]

May 4, 2023

I received this Leia's Lightsaber from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), from a seller on the RPF. This is an Anakin Starkiller "At Stars' End" brand saber, and it is exquisite!

View attachment 1814904

The copper metal coloring is perfect, it has a soft metal shiny finish, and it is inlaid with mother of pearl.

View attachment 1814905 View attachment 1814906

(Say what you will about the film, it's a beautiful saber!)

Agreed. I even enjoy the film, but I love this saber.

 

[Astyanax]

May 24, 2023

I received this Extra Life Token Coin from Ready Player One (2018), from a seller on Amazon.



One side is a shiny gold "Extra Life" token, and the other side is a shiny old-style quarter!



(This coin doesn't have the flat finish and shaded "Extra Life" in the movie, but the realistic quarter side sells it for me! It's a virtual world, after all.)

 

[Astyanax]

June 3, 2023

I finished this Red Swingline Stapler from Office Space (1996), a conversion of a vintage Swingline 646 stapler.



I started by disassembling a Swingline 646 model stapler (on which the movie version is based), and sanded all the plastic parts. Then I masked and sprayed them with Rustoleum High Performance Enamel in "Safety Red." For shine, I used Quick Shine Floor Wax (green label) as a clear-coat. And finally, the white logo and "racing stripes" were stickers purchased from RPF user ssdesigner.



(The official stapler releases from Swingline are not as accurate as this. The one currently available is not even close!)

 

[Astyanax]

June 3, 2023

I received this Marquis Pin from John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), from a The Lionsgate official merchandise shop.



Looks to be made out of pewter. Accuracy is close, but not perfect.

 

[Astyanax]

June 7, 2023

I finished these Pym Discs from Ant-Man (2015), 3D printed in resin from a file downloaded on Thingiverse.



I modified the downloaded files so that I could print the central "cap" separately in clear red and blue resin. I reinforced the color by gluing a piece of blue/red colored paper to their undersides. Metallic paint is Alclad II Polished Aluminum over black gloss.



(I wasn't yet producing the shiniest of chrome; one day I might re-do them.)

 

[Astyanax]

June 9, 2023

I received this Origami Unicorn from Blade Runner (1984), from a seller on Etsy.



Love the quality of this real folded silver paper icon!

 

[Astyanax]

June 9, 2023

BOOK PROP ALERT!

I sourced this Black Elfstone from "The Druid of Shannara" by Terry Brooks, from sellers on Etsy.



The stone is a 20 mm diameter finely facet-cut piece of genuine obsidian. The stand is simply a small gold-plated sphere stand.

"It was a perfectly formed gemstone, its center as black and impenetrable as night. The stone glittered as it reflected the thin streamers of gray daylight and let not even the smallest trace pass within. It looked tiny cradled in Uhl Belk's massive stone palm, but the darkness it cast stretched away into the farthest comers of the dome, into the deepest recesses, seeking out and enveloping the whole of Walker's scattered luminescence so that in a matter of seconds the only light remaining came from the rent in the dome's stone skin."



(Like the Blue Elfstones, I managed to track down every single reference to the Black Elfstone in all of Brooks' Shannara novels!)

 

[Astyanax]

June 12, 2023

I finished this Everlasting Gobstopper from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), 3D printed in resin from a file downloaded on Thingiverse.



After sanding and priming, I hand-painted the gobstopper in several coats of acrylic, and then sprayed a thick gloss clearcoat to make it look more like candy.

 

[Astyanax]

June 15, 2023

I received this Wonka Chocolate Bar from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), from a private seller on the RPF.



I believe the candy bar is cast in resin, but I have not opened the packaging. It is wrapped in a label and silver wrap.



(I can feel the Wonka logo on the bar underneath!)

 

[Astyanax]

June 15, 2023

I received this Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), from a private seller on the RPF.



It's printed on high quality shiny gold metallic stock.



(And yes, a proper Willy Wonka golden ticket should have creases from being wrapped around the chocolate bar!)

 

[Astyanax]

June 15, 2023

I received this Golden Ticket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), from a private seller on the RPF.



It's printed on thick, high quality shiny gold metallic stock.

 

[Astyanax]

June 20, 2023

I received this Red and Blue Pills with Box from The Matrix (1999), from a seller on Etsy.



The highly reflective screen-accurate box holds two pills.



(While there are some boxes out there that can hold more than two pills, we see in the film that Morpheus empties the box into his hand, and opens them to show only two pills.)

 

[Astyanax]

June 24, 2023

I bent this Bent Spoon from The Matrix (1999).



As it appears, I simply purchased as close a match as I could find from a thrift store, and bent it myself!



(It is not a perfect match for the film prop--which is partly CGI. Lazy prop, you say? Its presence in the collection is to add "flavor" to the Matrix items I have, not for any real value. I have found when guests come over and look at the collection, they sometimes recite movie quotes when they see something they recognize. So hearing, "there is no spoon," when they spot it makes it all worthwhile!)

 

[Astyanax]

June 29, 2023

I received this Mondoshawan Key from The Fifth Element (1997), from a seller on Etsy.



It's made out of nice cut brass. The stand is not a prop replica, and is resin cast.



(Unlike the film prop, there is no soldering on this replica to hold the fins together...I preferred the idealized style!)

 

[Astyanax]

July 30, 2023

I printed this John & Helen Black & White Photo from John Wick: Chapter Three - Parabellum (2019), from art found online and in the RPF Paper Props forum.



I simply sent this to Walmart for printing at 4" x 6".

 

[Astyanax]

July 30, 2023

I finished this Helen's Dog Card from John Wick (2014), from art found online, at PropStore, and in the RPF Paper Props forum.



The flower art required significant Photoshop work in order to print nicely. The cream color was printed onto watercolor stock. The edges were torn and then lightly stained with tea.



(I have soiled my copy a bit, but that gives it some character!)

 

[Astyanax]

July 30, 2023

I made and sent off these John Wick Paper Props from John Wick (2014) to a couple RPF members. They were produced from art found online, at PropStore, and in the RPF Paper Props forum.



Much of the art required significant Photoshop work in order to print nicely. The cards were made with the utmost care to match color, spacing and alignment. The photos were professionally printed.

Film references:

 

[Astyanax]

August 11, 2023

I received this Bloody Captain America Trading Card from The Avengers (2012), from a seller on Etsy.



This card came as part of a larger selection of trading cards from the film. This is the main one I choose to display.



(The blood spatters are printed in, so they're not as stark as in the prop from the film. Probably worth re-doing at some point, as the set came with unspattered versions of the cards as well!)

 

[Astyanax]

August 24, 2023

I received this Roy Hobbs Rookie Card from The Natural (1984), from a seller on eBay.



While it's simply an aged print on heavy cardstock, I was very pleased with the quality, considering the low cost. The card also came with a soft plastic sleeve and a "Rookie Card" hard plastic outer sleeve. I decided to keep those, because they make it look more collectible.

 

[Astyanax]

August 26, 2023

I printed this Diva Plavalaguna Flyer from The Fifth Element (1997), found in the RPF Paper Props forum.



The quality was excellent when printed on photo printer paper.



(Not that exciting, I know, but it serves to add color as a background to my Fifth Element prop replicas.)