GuardianGryphon
New Member
Finished-product phase-1 images:
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Original Post:
Well ever since I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, you better believe I wanted to do a Star-Lord build. I loved the movie, loved the character, and I can play a reasonable facsimile of him without having to shave, or dye my hair/beard, which is a big win in my books.
I've been collecting bits and pieces for almost a year, but with Halloween coming, I've decided to kick it into high gear, and do a build-log thread as well.
Having seen some of the other threads here, I can assure you I have nowhere near the level of skill that most of the other builders here have, so don't expect miracles, and please be gentle.
I'm also going to lead by saying that I tend to like to balance cost, durability, and accuracy, rather than taking the John Hammond 'Spare no Expense' mentality. I wish I had the budget for that, but since I don't, I take the MacGyver route instead.
I also tend to balance buy vs. build; I like to scavenge ready made, or almost ready made components in 60-70% of cases, then do small alterations, and small builds to round out the whole effect.
Without further ado; Here's what I have at present (I'll be posting better photos when doing closeup build work, and when showing off the final results):
1: Long-coat
This was bought from an ebay seller about nine months ago. The fit is good (though the sleeves can be a bit tight if you're wearing anything bulky underneath).
The texture isn't as weathered as I'd consider to be ideal, but the color is spot on, and its a durable flexible synthetic leather material that I like. The pauldron is a bit boxy, so I'm debating whether or not I have time/budget to make a better replica. Attaching a new one would be easy, since the current one attaches via velcro.
I intend to make the rank baubles/little metal devices seen on the brown segmented part of the lower left side using balsa wood, and possibly magnets for attachment. Failing that, fabric tape.
2: Blasters (Unpainted as-yet)
I was lucky enough to get these back when each was about $10 on Amazon, so I got the brace of them for 20, and free shipping to boot. I intend to paint them, as others have, but I have no plans to modify the structure for added accuracy as some do. I'd like to preserve the nerf functionality, because it's a lot of fun (and my cat goes nuts for chasing the darts).
3: Shirt
I already owned this. In fact, I've had it almost three years. My cousin passed it on to me in a box of spare clothes. Free is fun!
4: Misc Items (Gloves, Headphones, Boot Rocket Controls)
Staar Lord Maan discovered the gloves I eventually settled on in this thread (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=222616) I found some at my local Lowe's. I plan minimal alterations to them, mainly to cover up the brand logos.
I discovered the carabiner lights while at Lowe's; They were $1.50 a pop, and are almost exactly the right shape and size to be the boot rocket controls. I plan to use either modelling clay, or a cut & painted balsa wood insert to fill in the center of the carabiner. I may then make some subtle alterations to the light's faceplate to remove the brand logo, and give it a color closer to the one in the movie.
The headphones were super-cheap knockoffs found on Amazon. They work fine for the price.
The Plan:
Components I am missing currently:
Belt - In the mail, possibly arriving today. I purchased a basic replica from Amazon.
Pants - I plan a shopping trip sometime in the next couple of weeks to get these from a local store.
Boots & Spats - I intend to use my existing durable workboots as footwear. The spats will have to be made, or modified from something bought locally.
Rockets - I have purchased some cheap plumbing components that account for the rocket tubes themselves, still working on the body parts, and mounting system. It's tough to find something to start with that's shaped like the center piece of the rockets.
Bag - I'll likely do a modification on something store-bought.
Vambrace & Pauldron - I may or may not do a better pauldron and get a vambrace/arm guard, depending on what materials or stand-ins I can find. I'll be searching some local Halloween shops first, then looking into eva foam.
Blaster painting, and Holstering - The painting should be relatively easy; That's a known quantity with many great guides and logs. The holster system will be the tricky bit. Any suggestions for something that'd work well & not break the bank would be most welcome.
Misc Props - Any miscellaneous props like the orb, or map device, or plasma ball, would only be something I'd attempt if I found a cheap object while shopping to work as a good modifiable base.
And finally, the big issue:
Walkman - I still haven't decided what to do about this. I am hoping against all hope to find one for less than an arm and a leg at a yardsale, or something similar, but I have no delusions. That's a highly unlikely eventuality. I'm still trying to decide what the next best alternative is. I don't like a lot of the mass produced acrylic/3D printed replicas, they definitely don't feel substantial enough.
I am aware there were TPS-L2 knockoffs, and successors, that go for much less, and could theoretically be painted. That's probably my favorite course of action currently.
I do have a couple of blank black cassette tapes, and a tape deck with a line-in jack, so transferring my copy of the soundtrack to tape will be easy, as will making a label.
Currently, I do not plan to do the helmet. I'm stoked that I have finally found a Marvel character I really like, whom I can cosplay without shaving/dyeing my hair/beard, so I don't want to cover up my face. It can also hot-snap pretty painfully around here this time of year, so the breathing situation would get really unpleasant really fast if the weather didn't co-operate.
View attachment 548717 View attachment 548719
View attachment 548718
-----------------------------------------------------------
Original Post:
Well ever since I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, you better believe I wanted to do a Star-Lord build. I loved the movie, loved the character, and I can play a reasonable facsimile of him without having to shave, or dye my hair/beard, which is a big win in my books.
I've been collecting bits and pieces for almost a year, but with Halloween coming, I've decided to kick it into high gear, and do a build-log thread as well.
Having seen some of the other threads here, I can assure you I have nowhere near the level of skill that most of the other builders here have, so don't expect miracles, and please be gentle.
I'm also going to lead by saying that I tend to like to balance cost, durability, and accuracy, rather than taking the John Hammond 'Spare no Expense' mentality. I wish I had the budget for that, but since I don't, I take the MacGyver route instead.
I also tend to balance buy vs. build; I like to scavenge ready made, or almost ready made components in 60-70% of cases, then do small alterations, and small builds to round out the whole effect.
Without further ado; Here's what I have at present (I'll be posting better photos when doing closeup build work, and when showing off the final results):
1: Long-coat
This was bought from an ebay seller about nine months ago. The fit is good (though the sleeves can be a bit tight if you're wearing anything bulky underneath).
The texture isn't as weathered as I'd consider to be ideal, but the color is spot on, and its a durable flexible synthetic leather material that I like. The pauldron is a bit boxy, so I'm debating whether or not I have time/budget to make a better replica. Attaching a new one would be easy, since the current one attaches via velcro.
I intend to make the rank baubles/little metal devices seen on the brown segmented part of the lower left side using balsa wood, and possibly magnets for attachment. Failing that, fabric tape.
2: Blasters (Unpainted as-yet)
I was lucky enough to get these back when each was about $10 on Amazon, so I got the brace of them for 20, and free shipping to boot. I intend to paint them, as others have, but I have no plans to modify the structure for added accuracy as some do. I'd like to preserve the nerf functionality, because it's a lot of fun (and my cat goes nuts for chasing the darts).
3: Shirt
I already owned this. In fact, I've had it almost three years. My cousin passed it on to me in a box of spare clothes. Free is fun!
4: Misc Items (Gloves, Headphones, Boot Rocket Controls)
Staar Lord Maan discovered the gloves I eventually settled on in this thread (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=222616) I found some at my local Lowe's. I plan minimal alterations to them, mainly to cover up the brand logos.
I discovered the carabiner lights while at Lowe's; They were $1.50 a pop, and are almost exactly the right shape and size to be the boot rocket controls. I plan to use either modelling clay, or a cut & painted balsa wood insert to fill in the center of the carabiner. I may then make some subtle alterations to the light's faceplate to remove the brand logo, and give it a color closer to the one in the movie.
The headphones were super-cheap knockoffs found on Amazon. They work fine for the price.
The Plan:
Components I am missing currently:
Belt - In the mail, possibly arriving today. I purchased a basic replica from Amazon.
Pants - I plan a shopping trip sometime in the next couple of weeks to get these from a local store.
Boots & Spats - I intend to use my existing durable workboots as footwear. The spats will have to be made, or modified from something bought locally.
Rockets - I have purchased some cheap plumbing components that account for the rocket tubes themselves, still working on the body parts, and mounting system. It's tough to find something to start with that's shaped like the center piece of the rockets.
Bag - I'll likely do a modification on something store-bought.
Vambrace & Pauldron - I may or may not do a better pauldron and get a vambrace/arm guard, depending on what materials or stand-ins I can find. I'll be searching some local Halloween shops first, then looking into eva foam.
Blaster painting, and Holstering - The painting should be relatively easy; That's a known quantity with many great guides and logs. The holster system will be the tricky bit. Any suggestions for something that'd work well & not break the bank would be most welcome.
Misc Props - Any miscellaneous props like the orb, or map device, or plasma ball, would only be something I'd attempt if I found a cheap object while shopping to work as a good modifiable base.
And finally, the big issue:
Walkman - I still haven't decided what to do about this. I am hoping against all hope to find one for less than an arm and a leg at a yardsale, or something similar, but I have no delusions. That's a highly unlikely eventuality. I'm still trying to decide what the next best alternative is. I don't like a lot of the mass produced acrylic/3D printed replicas, they definitely don't feel substantial enough.
I am aware there were TPS-L2 knockoffs, and successors, that go for much less, and could theoretically be painted. That's probably my favorite course of action currently.
I do have a couple of blank black cassette tapes, and a tape deck with a line-in jack, so transferring my copy of the soundtrack to tape will be easy, as will making a label.
Currently, I do not plan to do the helmet. I'm stoked that I have finally found a Marvel character I really like, whom I can cosplay without shaving/dyeing my hair/beard, so I don't want to cover up my face. It can also hot-snap pretty painfully around here this time of year, so the breathing situation would get really unpleasant really fast if the weather didn't co-operate.
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