Astyanax's Makes, Builds and Acquisitions: 2024

[Astyanax]

July 9, 2024

I finished this collection of LEGO Minifigs from The LEGO Movie (2014). These are real LEGO minifigs mostly acquired from my local "Bricks & Minifigs" store, with some fills from eBay.



Each of the characters was given a prop to hold; that's a real Krazy Glue lid glued to Emmet's back. The Vitruvius figure was tied up with fishing line and given fishing weights to help him "float" properly. The stand was built from leftover pieces in my kids' collections.



(This follows my rule that I can include "characters" in a "prop" collection IF AND ONLY IF they are at 1:1 scale like the rest of the props. And of course in the live-action scenes of the movie, Emmet is very much a prop in Will Ferrell's hands anyway!)

 

[Astyanax]

July 10, 2024

I received this Wooden Horse from Blade Runner: 2049 (2017) from a seller on eBay. This is the officially licensed NECA release from a few years back.



The horse is actually made of resin, and painted to look like wood. I feel this is the most accurate version that can be found today, short of carving one from wood!

 

[Astyanax]

July 12, 2024

Okay, I'm excited about this one. I finally finished this P-Sherman-42-Wallaby-Way-Sydney Diving Mask from Finding Nemo (2003). This is a base mask with a bunch of modifications made to look like the mask in the movie.



I started with an all-black Promate Eagle diving mask found quite cheaply on eBay. I spent many, many long hours looking at masks, and this one came closest by far.

I masked off the front, and sprayed Rustoleum Neon Green on top of flat white to make sure it would be nice and bright. On the inside of the lens, I added the "double-layer" effect by painting a piece of vinyl sheet green, and cutting out strips of "tape" from it using the Cricut cutter. The tape along the inside makes it all look thicker.

The back-of-the-head strap cover was purchased separately, and then masked and painted with the same paints as well. Once the strap was fed through the cover, I used a few acrylic Chicago screws to simulate the attachment.

And then it was all dirtied up with a black acrylic wash.



(I'm really happy with how it looks with some of my other Pixar and animated replicas. And you can read the address through the lens!)

 

[Astyanax]

July 12, 2024

I added a vintage Green Toy Soldier from Toy Story (1995) to the animation section for flavor.



'Nuff said!

 

[Astyanax]

July 12, 2024

I received this Manhattan Adventurers Society Lighter from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), purchased from GBFans.



It's moderately accurate. This genuine Zippo lighter is made of brass, and appears to be laser etched to give it a more antique style texture. The MAS logo is painted on, although an all-metal seal or emboss would be more authentic.



(Glad I have it! Now to get to fire-mastering...)

 

[Astyanax]

July 12, 2024

I received this Ant-Man Figure from Ant-Man (2015), purchased from a seller on eBay.



Again, in keeping with my rule that 1:1 characters count as props in my collection, Ant-Man can come in at any size! So I dug up the very smallest figure I could find...he's about a half-inch tall!



(Guess I should get that Russian Army tank keychain finished one of these days...)

UPDATE JULY 24, 2024:

I like this figure better. It's about 1-1/2" tall, but much more detailed.

 

[Astyanax]

July 15, 2024

I finished this Temple Dart from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), partly resin 3D-printed and partly combined with other materials.



The arrowhead is my own design, and after being printed and connected to a 3/16" dowel, it was given a string wrap (I also experimented with wire).

The arrowhead was finished in bronze metallic paint and then given a patina with "activator" solution. The string was painted in browns and oranges, and the shaft was given a streaked brown coating to simulate wood grain. After this, the whole dart was weathered in a heavy black acrylic, and dusted with some Fuller's Earth. The underlying colors are now very subtle, but visible under various lighting.



(I'm making more. Check the Project Runs forum to get in on the action.)

 

[stussy]

That looks great Bill. Love your Indy display.

 

[Astyanax]

July 16, 2024

I finished this Davy Jones' Key from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), purchased from a seller on Etsy and then completely refinished.



The key is 3D printed in PLA, but printed in a style where the layer lines actually work to enhance the texture of the object. I repainted it in metallic bronze, then HEAVILY applied a patina activator to give it the greenish-black cast. Then, I gave it a heavy black wash and a dusting of Fuller's Earth.

The leather cord I had from a previous project.

 

[Astyanax]

July 17, 2024

I received this Stick Figure from The Blair Witch Project (1999), purchased from a seller on Etsy.



It's just a few sticks wrapped up in twine. Nicely made, compact size. It's a monument to a pop-culture event that fooled a lot of people.

Although it does not appear at this specific size in the movie, we see it at multiple sizes and made of multiple combinations of sticks and wraps. So it stands to reason there would be smaller ones around, and that it's close enough to add a little "mood" to my "scary props" shelf.



(Yes, I could have and should have made my own...impulse buy that was cheap!)

 

[Astyanax]

July 19, 2024

I received this Lumon Pin from Severance (TV), purchased from a seller on Etsy.



The pin is all metal and has two mounting posts on the back.

 

[Astyanax]

July 20, 2024

I finished this Helmet Camera from Aliens (1986), purchased and remade from multiple sources.



The camera body was resin 3D-printed by a seller on Etsy; it was the highest quality I could find. Although I don't have any Brown Bess, I painted it with Premium "Blaster Brown" from SMS (which is supposed to be very close to Brown Bess). It was darkened quite a bit with a black acrylic wash. The highlights are silver acrylic drybrushing.

The lens is the same as was used in the original prop: a Pentax-110 18mm lens found on eBay. The quality of the print of the camera body was so high that the lens literally fastened to the fake cam the same way it attaches to a real one: a simple pop-in and twist!

Since I don't have room to display a full helmet, I thought it might be cool to attach the camera to a helmet "fragment" instead. The fragment is floor mat foam (painted closest to Hudson's camo pattern), and then drybrushed and washed for some heavy weathering.

The camera is attached to the foam with some hot glue. This forced the foam to bend to the curvature of the mounting side of the cam.

Wasn't sure how it would look when I pictured it in my head, but I'm really happy with how it came out!

 

[Astyanax]

July 20, 2024

I received this Glass Slipper from Cinderella (1950), purchased on Amazon.



It's glass, it's a little small, but it was affordable! Besides, look how small it is in that guy's hands! Perhaps the official expensive Disney one is too big?

 

[Jintosh]

Definitely small in the cartoon.

 

[greenmachines]

July 20, 2024

I received this Glass Slipper from Cinderella (1950), purchased on Amazon.

View attachment 1841966

It's glass, it's a little small, but it was affordable! Besides, look how small it is in that guy's hands! Perhaps the official expensive Disney one is too big?

View attachment 1841967 View attachment 1841968 View attachment 1841969

That foot is, at most, 4 inches from heel to toe.

But notice his pitching the "horns" hand sign while putting on her shoe. That's a bit odd, and/or dainty.

 

[Jintosh]

That foot is, at most, 4 inches from heel to toe.

But notice his pitching the "horns" hand sign while putting on her shoe. That's a bit odd, and/or dainty.

The "horns" sign came later. Remember, this is a 1950 movie. The hand sign in 1950 mean "LOVE". Or maybe even "I love you".

 

[greenmachines]

The "horns" sign came later. Remember, this is a 1950 movie. The hand sign in 1950 mean "LOVE". Or maybe even "I love you".

I was thinking the same after I posted.

 

[randydanser]

Hi all:

Decided I needed an excuse to do some photography (got a super cheap photo box) and document the prop replicas I've been buying, making, assembling, and/or modding. Kind of an inventory of sorts. The vast majority of these replicas are NOT my own design, so I'll be sure to try to credit where I can!

There are over 100 prop replicas I've had the chance to acquire or work on this year alone, so this will take awhile. But I'm nothing if not persistent. I hope you enjoy!

Just so we're clear, THESE PROP REPLICAS ARE NOT FOR SALE.

So I'll start with 2024, as there are too many to go back farther (for now). Maybe once I've caught up I will think about 2023...please let me know if you find this interesting, and feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, or drive-by with insults!

Here's a view of the entire collection (as of April 2024):

View attachment 1812974

---

January 2, 2024

First in 2024, I received this Aztec Death Whistle from Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021).

It was made by Ghost2108, and I believe it is resin cast.

View attachment 1811883

I made no changes to it; it's beautiful as-is!

View attachment 1811884

(My whistle is darker in person, so it's closer to screen accurate than you see above.)

Very cool!!!

 

[Jintosh]

I was thinking the same after I posted.

But, this is not the prince. Does this servant saying "I love you" mean that he accepts her now as a Princess? Because the Price accepts you, I accept you? Is this meaning intentional and only talked about after all this time has passed? Good catch.

 

[Astyanax]

I don't think the meaning was intentional. Watching the animation sequence, the two inner fingers move to grip the glass slipper, arguably because there's barely any room for him to use more than two fingers.

I think it's really just an extended pinky meant to indicate daintiness and delicacy of the glass slipper. And there's not really any room for more than two fingers on the back end.