I started off by printing out Pepper Monster's templates which can be found here:
Only the truly worthy can wield the power of a god. That definitely includes award-winning cosplayer Pepper Monster, a.k.a. Sarah Maefs. For our latest episode of Cos/Play, Maefs breaks down how to build the newest iconic weapon from Avengers: Infinity War, Thor’s Stormbreaker. We also learn how...
io9.gizmodo.com
Now, Pepper's build was from before more screen references were available, but her build withstands the test of time, so I used her designs with just a few tweaks.
I started off by acquiring some supplies. Most other builders used thick HD Foam from cosplay supply stores (which I would recommend), but I was building on a shoe-string budget and making due with some supplies I had laying around. Knowing the foam I had access to was just some cheap anti-fatigue mats I knew that I would want to fill in the inside portion of the axe to give it some more durability. So, I bought this small swim board from Five Below for $5USD.
Spoiler Alert: In Endgame Thor uses Stormbreaker at one point in the film as a bottle opener. with this is in mind I knew that a built-in bottle opener was a must for my design. I had this bottle opener laying around my worshop, and it would be perfect.
I printed out Pepper's designs on paper, and then cut out the templates.
Next I stripped the cover off of the swim board and trimmed the entire thing down to a more manageable size.
Next I traced the axe template onto the foam.
Next I started trimming down the foam with a big serated kitchen knife. Then I marked the approximate shape of the blade to start finding the 3d shape I wanted. Careful if you choose to trim using a kitchen knife... it was the best tool I could think of on the spot.
I ended up using a Medium Grit Sanding Sponge to complete shaping the axe head.
With the interior foam finished I started tracing the templates onto the EVA Mats. These mats are pretty thin. Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 5mm.
I also marked the mats where I wanted to beveled edge to begin.
Next I started assembling the foam pieces using contact cement. As you can I added a pool noodle inside the hammer end to help with the rigidity.
The pool noodle was cut down to about 8" total.
Next I started lining up my PVC pipe connectors. The main PVC pipe is 3/4". The "T" connector was then reduced down to 1/2" on either side of the connector that will remain inside the hammer and axe.
Next I trimmed the 1/2" PVC pipe down to end where the beveled shape begins on the axehead.
Then I hollowed out the foam with a 3/4" drill bit. Be very, very careful doing this!!!
Once I was satisfied with the installation of the pipe into the foam interior piece I started assembling the EVA foam skin.
Once I was happy with the overall shape I started to figure out how I would install the bottle opener. I started by making a posterboard template of the opener that could be easily folded-bent to align with the shape of the axehead.
When the shape looked correct I put the stainless steel bottle opener in the vice and started bashing away at it until the shape looked correct.
Getting the bottle opener to fit over the PVC "T" connector proved to be the most difficult step. There was a lot of filing, sanding, bashing, and cursing. But, eventually I got it on there. I used zip ties to secure it in place.
I dry-fit the entire assembly together to ensure that the fit was good. Then I glued the PVC pipes that would all be contained inside the axe/hammer together with regular plumbing cleaner and glue.
Now this is where my build really differs from Pepper's... I made new templates the hammer and axe that seemed to correctly reflect the size proportions from screen captures from Infinity War. I found that a standard size tissue box was a good size for the base of the hammer.
Screen captures... It looks to me like the base of the axe and the base of the hammer are not actually the same size or shape...
I didn't make the axe and hammer bases perfect, but they are mostly covered by Groot's hand/fingers/vines so I didn't spend too much time fiddling with my designs...
I also used a flexible ruler to make templates to cover both the top and bottom of the axehead (sorry no photos)...
My next post will cover the construction of the handle...