"Traitor's Race: A Han Solo Adventure"- Full fan film build log (Pic Heavy)

[Gearhead]

Hey gang! Long time, no speak on the actual forum here, although I've been posting on the official Facebook page.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that I, along with many of the most talented people I know, have embarked on the sort of project that every kid who grew up watching Star Wars dreamed of, but very few have actually attempted- making a full-scale, high-quality fan film!

Our Indiegogo page went live just the other day, and I encourage everyone to follow the link and see what we're looking to accomplish with our original story, "Traitor's Race: A Han Solo Adventure."
This isn't a pitch for the crowdfunding campaign, though. That's all on the indiegogo page. This thread will encompass all the practical effects, costumes, props and physical sets that are being produced for the film itself!

Having been in that awkward limbo state of "pre-pre-production" for a while, It's given me time to focus on some of the more fiddly props. Since the film is as much a tribute the the art direction and style of the 1977 "Star Wars" as it is a fan film, our team was adamant that all the props must abide by the "see the rivets" approach exhibited in ANH. That means lots recycling parts, a minimum of specialized pieces bought/brought in, and lots and LOTS of kitbashing.

First off... is it *really* a Star Wars fan film if you don't have at least one Rubbermaid Gonk droid?

 

[Gearhead]

Some more of Gordy the Gonk Droid. The Bins themselves were $4 a piece, everything else was sourced from either the dollar store or the parts box. Total cost was $18!

 

[NakedMoleRat]

How can you get crowd funding when you don’t own the rights to what you’re doing?

 

[Gearhead]

How can you get crowd funding when you don’t own the rights to what you’re doing?

Great question, NMR. Prior to the Mouse acquiring the IP, the fan film scene was pretty much wide open provided you didn't try to claim any ownership of the IP as a whole, but as many of us remember, there was a fairly severe clamp-down on fan content from 2015 onwards. The Mouse has since course-corrected, due largely to the controversy surrounding their suppression of StarWarsTheory's "Shards of the Past" fan project. George Lucas himself got involved, and now the fan community is in a pretty good place again when it comes to fan films. You can fund/produce whatever you choose, provided that any music featured therein is an original composition, you don't try to pass your project off as official, and you don't garner any monetary profit off the project.
It's all strictly for the love of the story and Lucas' original vision for the galaxy far, far away.
Hope that answers your question!

 

[Gearhead]

Starting in on the first of two DH-17 Blaster pistols. These will be constructed on the ANH model, borrowing heavily from the "Obey Juan" method of blaster construction

 

[Gearhead]

Initial test fitting with the table leg barrel shroud.

Basic upper taking shape.

Greeblies ahoy! Upholstery tacks, 9 and 2mm EVA foam and a section of battery cover have been applied, along with a generous amount of Bondo glazing putty. Time to add the trigger!

Trigger well dremeled out, and the trigger itself fresh off the bandsaw.

Acting on a whim, I dremeled a strip out of a tuna can to serve as the internal trigger guard.

Trigger guard bent into the proper shape.

With further detailing, it's starting to look like something!

Adhesive-backed brushed silver mylar for the bolt carrier inserts.

The mylar wrapped around a section of scrap tubing.

A few seconds on the bandsaw later, and they are ready to be attached behind the mag well and ejector port.

First coat of Plasti-Dip applied.

Basic upper completed.

Test fitting the improved barrel shroud.

A cheap automotive funnel which will become the emitter on the new barrel shroud.

A few minutes later, the barrel shroud is ready for paint.

Not too bad for zero dollars out of pocket, but the estimated cost is about $7.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

It’s refreshing to see something built piece by piece with passion and ingenuity, rather than the usual, “Look what I just 3D printed!”

 

[Gearhead]

Starting on the first A-295 Blaster Rifle. Treated cedar base, chosen for sturdiness. It will be embellished with 2 and 6mm EVA foam, sheet metal screws, steel pipe and PVC.

Lenses for scopes can be the most cost-prohibitive part of a blaster build, so I thought I'd see what could be done with some dollar store sunglasses. A Rubies E-11 stood in as a willing test platform. Doesn't look too bad!

 

[Gearhead]

It’s refreshing to see something built piece by piece with passion and ingenuity, rather than the usual, “Look what I just 3D printed!”

Thanks very much for saying that, NMR. While 3D printing is a fantastic resource and it's wonderful that the technology has become so accessible, it has (in my opinion, anyway) cheapened the prop/costume scene by removing a good deal of the need for skill and ingenuity.
I can only speak for myself, but if I have to wait hours (and sometimes days) for a prop to print and then have to fill, sand and finish it anyway... I'd much rather just spend that time making something myself.

 

[Gearhead]

The obligatory "Poor Man's Bapty" Rubies conversion:

Not as detailed as some conversions, but these blasters will mostly be relegated to mid/wide shots, so they only need to pass the "twenty foot test".

 

[Gearhead]

Rough test fitting of the main body of the first A-295 Scope.

 

[Gearhead]

Test/promo shot of the ANH-style costume. While a simple costuming choice and an iconic look, we're still not entirely convinced that we want Han to look exactly as he does in ANH, since "Traitor's Race" takes place a full four years prior while Han is still running with the Hutt Syndicate. At present though, it's what we're working with until/unless we develop an alternative wardrobe.

 

[Gearhead]

A sequence in the film involves a cache of blasters, so I needed to make a handful of disparate-looking specimens. This is one thrown together out of scrap tubing, flashlight parts, a small piece of scrap poplar and a $9 Airsoft I picked up a while back.

I found out only after I had made this prop that a blaster based on the BM12 platform has appeared in "The Mandalorian." Oh well, at least I can say it has an in-universe counterpart!

 

[Gearhead]

Did some promotional shooting in Studio B today. Things are moving along.

 

[Gearhead]

A lightsaber that features briefly into the storyline. Meant to look tarnished and weathered from years of disuse.
I enjoyed doing the pitting and rust texture on this one.

 

[Gearhead]

Concept renderings of our cast/crew shirts, featuring the Film's leterhead and our McQuarrie-inspired artwork.

 

[JonnieLP]

Hey, really cool project. Funny enough, I'm also planning on doing a Han Solo Fan Film in the future, but probably/realisticly not before 2021 because of several reasons. I'd love to know, once your Indiegogo Campaign is finished and so on, how your experiences were, working on the Fan Film. Really looking forward to seeing your Film come to life. Good luck and may the Force be with you

 

[stussy]

you've got some talent there mate.your props look really great,do you make props for a living?good luck with the film.

 

[JamesM242]

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to watching this progress!

 

[Gearhead]

Hey, really cool project. Funny enough, I'm also planning on doing a Han Solo Fan Film in the future, but probably/realisticly not before 2021 because of several reasons. I'd love to know, once your Indiegogo Campaign is finished and so on, how your experiences were, working on the Fan Film. Really looking forward to seeing your Film come to life. Good luck and may the Force be with you

Thanks much, Jonnie! It's a bold step forward for our little production crew, and we'll be documenting everything from start to finish. Not just for our own post-release enjoyment, but for the potential edification of folks like yourself who might be embarking on similar projects!