Astyanax's Makes, Builds and Acquisitions: 2024

[Astyanax]

Lol thanks! Yes, I and ZRE1990 have both spent lots of font research hours on The Substance stuff!

More details here:

Props from THE SUBSTANCE

Well, wow. Quite a film. Not for the faint of heart, but IMO definitely the best body horror since The Thing. Sorry Cronenberg, but I like this better! And there are definitely a few prop replicas I think that are worth trying to put together from this film! First off, this Flash Drive. It...

www.therpf.com

 

[Astyanax]

November 23, 2024

I received this Excelsior Tea Set from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), purchased from DB537 here on the RPF.



My goodness, this set is truly first class. The teacup and saucer are genuine matched Pfaltzgraff, and I find no evidence of paint or decal residue. So I honestly have no clue how it was made! Looks 110% professional to me!



(Excited to add this to my other Star Trek dishware: Picard's Tea Glass and Klingon Blood Wine Goblet. I'm coming for you, Romulan Ale Bottle!)

 

[Astyanax]

November 30, 2024

Time to start wearing some prop replicas!

I received these three Hawaiian Shirts from multiple films/TV, purchased from a seller on Etsy.

1. Brett from Alien (1979)
   ...
   
   
2. Wash from Firefly (TV)
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3. Henry from 50 First Dates (2004)
   ...

The designs are printed on polyester shirts. The prints are neither perfectly accurate nor razor sharp, but they still look really nice, and almost authentic!

I think I'll be getting a few more!

 

[greenmachines]

November 30, 2024

Time to start wearing some prop replicas!

I received these three Hawaiian Shirts from multiple films/TV, purchased from a seller on Etsy.

1. Brett from Alien (1979)
   View attachment 1884559 ... View attachment 1884562
   
   
2. Wash from Firefly (TV)
   View attachment 1884560 ... View attachment 1884563
   
   
3. Henry from 50 First Dates (2004)
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The designs are printed on polyester shirts. The prints are neither perfectly accurate nor razor sharp, but they still look really nice, and almost authentic!

I think I'll be getting a few more!

Dude, where is your Magnum PI?

 

[Astyanax]

December 2, 2024

I received this Daily Bugle Front Page from Spider-Man (2002), purchased from the MoviePropCorn online store.



The newspaper front page is printed on newsprint paper at tabloid size, and I'm using it to add some background flavor to the Marvel section of my collection!

 

[Astyanax]

December 5, 2024

I received this Darth Sidious' Lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005), purchased from Disney's Online Store. This is the Disney Parks version.



Although it's a little large and not 100% accurate, I love the all-metal construction in an affordable hilt! At some point I'd like to mask off and darken the metal finish in key parts.

 

[greenmachines]

December 5, 2024

I received this Darth Sidious' Lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005), purchased from Disney's Online Store. This is the Disney Parks version.

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Although it's a little large and not 100% accurate, I love the all-metal construction in an affordable hilt! At some point I'd like to mask off and darken the metal finish in key parts.

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I never could figure out how he could have such terrible teeth after the chancelor seemed to have a great smile. Maybe if Palpatine had to enter the secret cave on Degoba, to face his greatest fear, maybe he would confront his dentist.

 

[Astyanax]

December 11, 2024

Picked up a couple more Hawaiian Shirts from multiple films/TV, purchased from a seller on Etsy.

1. Dale from from Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV & 2022 movie)
   ...
   
   
2. Dracula from Hotel Translyvania 3 (2018)
   ...

The designs are printed on polyester shirts. The prints are neither perfectly accurate nor razor sharp, but they still look really nice, and close enough to be recognized!

 

[Astyanax]

December 14, 2024:

I received this Fantastic Beasts Book from Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them (2016), purchased from a member here on the RPF. This is Nowonder's version of the book.



I believe what we have here is a re-covering of the regular book that was originally available. The hard cover is gold-stamped embossed on shiny black material. The internal cover leafing is green, and the page edges are gold! It's a little small to match the film too well, but just about the best copy one can get, especially considering the content is so good!

 

[greenmachines]

December 14, 2024:

I received this Fantastic Beasts Book from Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them (2016), purchased from a member here on the RPF. This is Nowonder's version of the book.

View attachment 1888574 View attachment 1888577 View attachment 1888576 View attachment 1888575

I believe what we have here is a re-covering of the regular book that was originally available. The hard cover is gold-stamped embossed on shiny black material. The internal cover leafing is green, and the page edges are gold! It's a little small to match the film too well, but just about the best copy one can get, especially considering the content is so good!

View attachment 1888578

OK, this one I need.

 

[Astyanax]

December 15, 2024:

Having received my Haslab Plasma Series Two-in-the-Box PKE Meter and Ghost Trap from the Ghostbusters franchise, I proceeded to dirty them up a bit and get them ready for display:

PKE Meter:


Ghost Trap:


Ghost Trap Pedal and cable:


Carrying gear:


I applied a 50-50 black acrylic wash on everything, blotting it up with big cotton balls. The handle had a spot where a piece of real electrical tape was placed over the fake molded one.

The hose got the biggest updates, as I added a split-loom tube over the cable, and some red electrical tape and cable ties on the ends.

So happy with this collection now!

 

[Astyanax]

December 15, 2024:

The one other jewel in the crown of the Haslab Plasma Series Two-in-the-Box set is this Key Card Badge from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).



It's nicely laminated, with a gloss front and a matte back. I put a badge clip on it to help differentiate other "card" style props in my Ghostbusters collection.

 

[Astyanax]

December 16, 2024:

I received this "One Big Unicorn" Children's Book from Despicable Me (2010 - the only good one), purchased from a seller on eBay.



Been eyeing this one for awhile. The quality is truly excellent! It's a heavy duty board book, and the art is vibrant, sharp, and on point! It has a hole in the front for someone with a really long nose to simulate a unicorn's horn. Really happy to add this one to the "Animation" shelf!

 

[Astyanax]

December 18, 2024:

I finished this Russian Pineapple Vodka bottle from Bad Santa (2003), assembled locally and printed from label art provided by a friend.



The bottle is a 375 mL Smirnoff "Red" plastic bottle. The white cap comes from a regular bottle of soda.

The label was designed by Earl Hayes Press, and shared in low-ish resolution online. I cleaned it up and modded it a little to match the the film more accurately, and then printed it on satin sticker paper. Printable art is available here on the RPF.

The red bow is NOT accurate to the film, but I added it for context in the display.

I filled it with about two inches of isopropyl alcohol.



(Big thanks to Kypropguy for the image and for the steering!)

 

[Kypropguy]

December 18, 2024:

I finished this Russian Pineapple Vodka bottle from Bad Santa (2003), assembled locally and printed from label art provided by a friend.

View attachment 1889611

The bottle is a 375 mL Smirnoff "Red" plastic bottle. The white cap comes from a regular bottle of soda.

The label was designed by Earl Hayes Press, and shared in low-ish resolution online. I cleaned it up and modded it a little to match the the film more accurately, and then printed it on satin sticker paper. Printable art is available here on the RPF.

The red bow is NOT accurate to the film, but I added it for context in the display.

I filled it with about two inches of isopropyl alcohol.

View attachment 1889612 View attachment 1889613

(Big thanks to Kypropguy for the image and for the steering!)

Looks awesome!

 

[Astyanax]

December 23, 2024:

I received this Irving's Painting of the Elevator to the Testing Floor from Severance (TV), hand-painted by a friend as a gift for Christmas!



The painting is heavily textured in acrylic like the ones in the show, and sized to fit my display shelf quite nicely.



(Any size is accurate, as Irving painted dozens in different shapes and sizes.)

 

[Astyanax]

December 24, 2024

I finished these upgraded M-40 Grenades, Ammo Box, and 4-Round Strap from Aliens (1986), all hand-made.



Each grenade was 3D printed in resin at 8K resolution (very high), in four parts. They are sized to match the film versions with accuracy, equivalent to a 12-gauge shotgun shell.

The buttons are spring-loaded with a ballpoint pen spring inside, and glued closed with high-strength epoxy.

Before assembly, each grenade’s parts were sanded, washed, and primed with a high-gloss black paint. They were then scratched with steel wool to provide a subtle “brushed metal” texture. After this, they were airbrushed with a polished aluminum metallic coat, and then clear-coated with a gloss acrylic for protection.

The caps were purchased from Mocap. The white vinyl stripe on each cap was cut on my Cricut vinyl cutter, and carefully positioned with spacer tape for consistency.

The brass primer in the base is actually half of a real brass Chicago screw, for realism.



The box is a REAL VINTAGE MTM Case-Gard S25 12-gauge shotgun case. This is exactly the same box that was used in the production of the film, down to the original red color!

I primed and painted the box in SMS Blaster Brown via airbrush, which is the closest you can get to Brown Bess these days. It’s very, very close. I clear-coated the box in Satin acrylic. I then cut out the vinyl letters on my Cricut cutter, and applied them to match the screen-used prop as closely as I could. The box was weathered using three colors of acrylic paint.



This is a genuine military ammo strap, made for carrying 12-gauge shotgun shells. Straps similar to these were used in multiple scenes in the film, and at least one was sold at auction.

Reference screenshots:



Auction photos:



(If these seem to bear a striking resemblance to a certain recent gift exchange, it's because I made an extra set for myself!)

 

[Astyanax]

December 25, 2024

I received this awesome Follower Tracker from Logan's Run (1976), gifted from an RPF member in the Secret Santa exchange. This is the Devlin and Associates model.



The casing appears to be cast resin, with pushbuttons on the side, a small clear screen, and a metal speaker screen for the lower section. It has lights and sounds, with the screen and top acrylic block lighting up in green. Several sounds and quotes from the movie can be triggered.



I converted it from battery to USB power with a "USB PowerConnect+" kit, so that I could plug it in and keep it lit up in my display shelf.

 

[Astyanax]

December 25, 2024

I received this truly mind-blowing Dex's Diner Neon Sign from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002), gifted from an RPF member in the High-Roller Secret Santa exchange.



The sign is hand-made by Laser Brain Studio as follows:

"It’s referred to as a separated neon diffuser. I generate the line art in Illustrator then import the art into Fusion 360. From Fusion I engrave the channel using a CNC router with a specialized bit that helps lock the silicone diffuser in place. The holes for the standoffs and the outside profile are laser cut. All of the LEDs strips are laid in the channel and soldered, including the power supply."

I put a hole in the wall to hide the power cord, and now it looks really good mounted on the wall in my office/man-cave!



Screenshots from the film:

 

[greenmachines]

December 25, 2024

I received this truly mind-blowing Dex's Diner Neon Sign from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002), gifted from an RPF member in the High-Roller Secret Santa exchange.

View attachment 1891246 View attachment 1891245 View attachment 1891244

The sign is hand-made by Laser Brain Studio as follows:

"It’s referred to as a separated neon diffuser. I generate the line art in Illustrator then import the art into Fusion 360. From Fusion I engrave the channel using a CNC router with a specialized bit that helps lock the silicone diffuser in place. The holes for the standoffs and the outside profile are laser cut. All of the LEDs strips are laid in the channel and soldered, including the power supply."

I put a hole in the wall to hide the power cord, and now it looks really good mounted on the wall in my office/man-cave!

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Screenshots from the film:

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Top ten, def top ten