TwoLuckyFish
New Member
Wow. OK, you guys have been so helpful! In a future post, I'll provide some pictures of my "build".
First, my inspiration: My dad passed away earlier this year, and one of the items I inherited was his Smith & Wesson Model 66, stainless, 4-inch barrel. The next time I watched Stranger Things, I realized..."Hey, I have that gun!" It's an odd way to start a costume project, but there it is.
Second, my costuming history and approach: Back in high school (class of 1983; I was a total nerd, including D&D), a friend and I built Star Trek: Wrath of Khan uniforms. This was when you had to craft and fabricate things like rank pins, Starfleet belt buckles, and of course the uniforms themselves. We were perfectionists. It was painstaking work to make them look EXACTLY like they did on screen. I'm amazed our seamstress didn't fire us, but she was the mom of a classmate. After that, I did a few other costumes back in my 20s, but stopped doing any serious costuming (we didn't call it "cosplay") by 1990 or so.
So now, here I am, with a job, a family, leadership roles at two nonprofits, etc. I'm definitely NOT aiming at a "screen-perfect" presentation. I want it to look "good enough" and be recognizable to people familiar with the show. Oh yeah...without spending too much.
Even trying to keep it simple, I thought about giving up several times. But I got lucky in one or two critical areas, so here I am, definitely doing it, and in the home stretch. And of course, the reality is that my dad's Model 66 will stay at home.
More later! Thanks again...
First, my inspiration: My dad passed away earlier this year, and one of the items I inherited was his Smith & Wesson Model 66, stainless, 4-inch barrel. The next time I watched Stranger Things, I realized..."Hey, I have that gun!" It's an odd way to start a costume project, but there it is.
Second, my costuming history and approach: Back in high school (class of 1983; I was a total nerd, including D&D), a friend and I built Star Trek: Wrath of Khan uniforms. This was when you had to craft and fabricate things like rank pins, Starfleet belt buckles, and of course the uniforms themselves. We were perfectionists. It was painstaking work to make them look EXACTLY like they did on screen. I'm amazed our seamstress didn't fire us, but she was the mom of a classmate. After that, I did a few other costumes back in my 20s, but stopped doing any serious costuming (we didn't call it "cosplay") by 1990 or so.
So now, here I am, with a job, a family, leadership roles at two nonprofits, etc. I'm definitely NOT aiming at a "screen-perfect" presentation. I want it to look "good enough" and be recognizable to people familiar with the show. Oh yeah...without spending too much.
Even trying to keep it simple, I thought about giving up several times. But I got lucky in one or two critical areas, so here I am, definitely doing it, and in the home stretch. And of course, the reality is that my dad's Model 66 will stay at home.
More later! Thanks again...