My early disasters

[Dtrasler]

Rogue Trooper - oh man...Gunnar, Helm and Bagman... There's a challenge.
Like I said on my other thread, I don't set out to make crap. I'm really trying to do a good job. No, I don't have a bunch of skills, but I'm getting better all the time. I hope it helps other noobs like me to see that not everyone turns out perfect projects right out of the gate. It's a hobby, and I enjoy it. I really appreciate seeing the amazing things the other folks on the rpf produce, and I hope that I'll pick up enough experience to do justice to the things I want to make. Eventually.

Meanwhile, I'm happy if I give people a laugh along the way. Oh, and incidentally, I picked up the Rogue Trooper pc game on Steam today - it was in the sale. Hoping it's at least half as good as the stories were.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[bdgr]

Dtrasler,

Thanks for the humor and sharing some of your earlier disasters. Your comments really made my day

 

[Dtrasler]

My pleasure, bdgr! Thanks for dropping in. More to come soon.

 

[Dtrasler]

Recently found pictures of one of my earliest prop disasters.
For my 35th birthday, I had a Star Wars themed party. Everyone had to dress up. I bought an Obi Wan Kenobi outfit online (since I didn't build back then) but we happened to be throwing out an old bin (garbage can, to you North Americans...) I reckoned I had enough time before the party to turn it into an R2D2 drinks cooler.

I used a punchball balloon as a base for the dome, with the top of a kid's plastic drum at the apex. The holoprojector was a yoghurt pot. I duct-taped my old rollerblades to the side of the can, then made up the legs from scrap cardboard. My intention was not, at this point, to make a screen-accurate prop....

Inevitably, the body gets sprayed and called good. I lashed out on some chrome spray for the dome, and highlighted parts in a nice metallic blue. Speed was essential, not detail or longevity.

The only tech I've ever incorporated in a build, ever. The rest of that kid's drum was canniballised because this circle lit up and made beeping noises. I rigged the switch to operate from the pad on the top of the dome. Tap the droid on the head, the "eye" lights up and it beeps at you. Genius. And it worked nearly all of the time. Nearly.

Aren't you a little short for an astromech? I was going for life size, but was limited by the size of the bin, but he was big enough to hold a bunch of ice and some beer bottles. The Jedi here isn't me, it's my friend Paul who made his own robes and boots, and already had the beard (so he doesn't get extra points for that.)
Lessons learned....None! Haven't you seen my other stuff?

 

[Gixxerfool]

I love this. It's great for a rush build AND you added electronics. There's still hope. You need to take a step back and focus your patience.

 

[Dtrasler]

Just finished my other thread - the Stormtrooper helmet is finished at last!

 

[Dtrasler]

Hey Folks - this is entirely the wrong place, but... Value Village here in Canada is selling Halloween costumes by a company called Alter Ego. They include a visor for $8.99 which looks like it would work well in a Halo Spartan helmet. I bought myself one, since I have coveted a Spartan Helm for years, but could never figure out how to manage the visor with my limited budget and abilities.

 

[Dtrasler]

Things are going so slowly with the Clone Trooper helmet (see my other thread) that I'm filling in time making a Harley Quinn Hammer. Not that anyone in the family is planning to cosplay as Harley, but we all like her, and who doesn't need a damn big hammer now and then? PVC pipe, three folgers tins and a lot of duct tape, followed by paper mache.

 

[Mike J.]

Just answer the door holding that and watch the solicitors disappear. Annoying neighbors, too, if you play your cards right...

Speaking of early disasters: 2002 (or earlier) Lego Obi-wan saber. Very flimsy. Not my first saber, which was prequel style and built from a gutted pool thermometer...

 

[Dtrasler]

Well that's pretty damn awesome Mike J. ! I'm guessing it's pretty small, if those are regular lego tyres, but I've heard "size matters not..."
Although this does not apply to birthday presents or inheritances.

 

[Strongbow]

Recently found pictures of one of my earliest prop disasters.
For my 35th birthday, I had a Star Wars themed party. Everyone had to dress up. I bought an Obi Wan Kenobi outfit online (since I didn't build back then) but we happened to be throwing out an old bin (garbage can, to you North Americans...) I reckoned I had enough time before the party to turn it into an R2D2 drinks cooler.
View attachment 494010View attachment 494011
I used a punchball balloon as a base for the dome, with the top of a kid's plastic drum at the apex. The holoprojector was a yoghurt pot. I duct-taped my old rollerblades to the side of the can, then made up the legs from scrap cardboard. My intention was not, at this point, to make a screen-accurate prop....
View attachment 494013View attachment 494014
Inevitably, the body gets sprayed and called good. I lashed out on some chrome spray for the dome, and highlighted parts in a nice metallic blue. Speed was essential, not detail or longevity.
View attachment 494015
The only tech I've ever incorporated in a build, ever. The rest of that kid's drum was canniballised because this circle lit up and made beeping noises. I rigged the switch to operate from the pad on the top of the dome. Tap the droid on the head, the "eye" lights up and it beeps at you. Genius. And it worked nearly all of the time. Nearly.
View attachment 494016View attachment 494017
Aren't you a little short for an astromech? I was going for life size, but was limited by the size of the bin, but he was big enough to hold a bunch of ice and some beer bottles. The Jedi here isn't me, it's my friend Paul who made his own robes and boots, and already had the beard (so he doesn't get extra points for that.)
Lessons learned....None! Haven't you seen my other stuff?

LOL... remind me of one I made in 1979 out of an ice cream buck and my mom's collander! EPIC DISASTER! Still, fun is fun. And R2 is fun even in a failed effort!

 

[Dtrasler]

While I still haven't finished the Harley Hammer, or the Captain Rex bucket on my other thread (Still working on that rangefinder!) I did take ten minutes to start work on a Harley Pop Gun, for no better reason than Tiny Weasel got a lot of Harley Merch for Chrimbo and with the Hammer around it might be needed for Halloween or FanExpo Vancouver 2016.

Started with an old water pistol from the summer.

Reckoned this 2L Coke bottle might be the right diameter, but the end would need beefing up. Hence the foam floor tile offcut...

With a ring of floor tile in place to hold the shape and provide an illusion of thickness, I sealed it in with duct tape. And then went nuts with it, covering almost the whole thing.

Next I cut the pistol down to the essential parts.

Add the bit of bottle (minus the cap end - cut off earlier) and a lot more duct tape.

I sprayed the whole thing black for completeness, but it may end up as silver. Next comes some detailing - the hammer, the bullet chambers on the cylinder, making the cork for the end and adding the string. Trouble is, I'm out of free time for the next couple of days. Fortunately, school will start again in the New Year, and Mrs Dim will go back to work. I will also go back to work, but not as much as she does. I think even my butterfly brain will have enough of an attention span to get this done.

 

[Dtrasler]

So, a trip away aborted due to a sick dog, and I get more time to ruin my Pop Gun....


Adding the hammer is a simple first step - just cut out of foam and hot glue it on. And then back on. Hot glue and duct tape aren't a brilliant combination.

Looking at some reference photos, I realise this would look cooler with actual bullet chambers. Immediately cut some more stuff out of foam and glue them on.



Now I need to paper mache over those....


Then I spot that I should have connected the tops of those foam strips with curves if I was doing the thing properly. Now, because I'm so impatient, I'm going to have to build the things using paper mache. This will not end well.



Sigh. There's going to be a helluva mess, and it's going to be a long while before I can spray this again and see if it looks halfway decent.
Remember the four P's, people - planning prevents poor performance!

 

[Tom Sheldon]

This is hilarious! subscribed

 

[Dtrasler]

Thanks Tom. Wander through my other thread for further hilarity but no increase in quality. Or buy my book for even more disappointment.

 

[Dtrasler]

Two episodes of "The Expanse" later, and I've run out of glue and patience. I'll just leave this on the coffee table to dry. And probably stick to the coffee table.

 

[Dtrasler]

Lucky for me, Mrs Dim hadn't finished tidying up after the Christmas present-opening frenzy. I found a gift bag with a bunch of white tissue paper in it, and gave the gun another coat or two of tissue paper. Regular readers of this and my other thread will know this is a step I often skip, due to a lack of dedication and resources, but today, I was lucky.

 

[Dtrasler]

Well, it's the right colour, but the surface finish is terrible. As usual. I might get round to that in a bit, but I think I still have some building to do to make sure people realise the weird shapes are actually the cylinder of the revolver and not some sci-fi gun sculpting. Anyway, I'm going to start making the cork too. because I can't do anything in the right order, that's why.

Look, I planned ahead - I kept the disc of foam I cut out of the bit I used to brace the muzzle of the gun. Now I have a piece exactly the right size to fit inside the barrel. Smart or what?
(Yes, ok, it was a complete coincidence that I hadn't thrown it away. It's still gonna work.)

 

[Dtrasler]

Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. Finally got some time today to cut the cork out of the packing foam I found.



I cut the rough shape out with a saw, then shaped the contours with a thing called a shaper. I promise I'm not making this up. That's what it is. Like a cheesegrater for wood.

Then I looked at, and decided it needed a layer or two of paper mache. Trouble is, the foam isn't a great surface to put paper mache ONTO. After the first few pieces of newspaper started lifting, I resorted to kleenex. Sounded like a stupid idea, but actually the final surface may look ok for cork.



Next step, working on the surface of the gun, adding the string, painting the cork and deciding on the final colours. Ok, that's a few steps. And I'm busy with actual work for a while. Bother.

 

[Dtrasler]

Waiting for the right time to finish the gun properly, and spraying the cork with various colours to try and get something that looks cork-like.


Obviously, no luck yet....