Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/24/2018

[SKS Props]

Hey everyone Steve here at SKS Props and I'm building as fast as I can to have a completed Tech Priest for DragonCon. I have painted miniatures for years so it is only fitting to bring a 40K character to life. I picked a Tech Priest because I always loved how much detail and individuality the Priests can have. For those not familiar with the lore here are a few example pics of approx what I will create...but with my own personal adaptations and style.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

For those that have been following me online you know that I am already quite a ways into the build so I'm trying to play catch up on this build thread. This is one of the first builds that I videoed a bunch of the process as well as took tons of pics. So first off we are going to start with the Tech Priest's Power Axe. I already have 2 videos of the creation up on YouTube that you can see here:

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

First off I templated the axe head out of Bristol Board, then transferred that to 2" thick high density foam from TNT Cosplay Supply. This half circle as well as the cogs were glued into place. Then beveled on the belt sander and cleaned up with a Dremel sanding drum.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

The Mars skull logo was drawn freehand to scale and transferred to 6mm foam. I used a sanding drum and wood burner to smooth and detail the skull. It was glued into place with Barge cement and Bob Smith super glue. Furniture tack were used to simulate rivets. The handle was made out of 1" PVC pipe and is designed to break down into 4 pieces to easily fit into a suite case for travel.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

Next I started construction on the vice and screw on the back of the axe head. The main screw body was a TNT Cosplay Supply foam dowel wrapped in thinner foam. The vice head ans teeth were once again cut from 2" thick foam. I really wanted the vice and cogs to look as though everything had a purpose and you can see how one part turning would activate the other.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

A bunch of resin cast odds and ends were added to the Warhammer 40K Power Axe axe as well as some basic LEDs. All of the wires were cut from various scrap I had picked up from a local salvage shop. The handle was wrapped with additional 8mm foam and detailed by slicing into the foam and hitting it with a heat gun allowing the seam to expand. The entire axe weighs about 4 pounds and breaks down into a small stack not bad for cosplay.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

Next up on my Warhammer 40K Tech Priest cosplay I wanted to start the back pack with the servo arm. I knew that was going to be a little challenging because it had to hold a large arm on one side but not be completely off balance. The main back board was cut from 1/4" sintra I picked up at work (they were throwing out some old signs). I measured out where the straps should go to be help balance the pack. Nylon straps were glued into place and reinforced with barge cement and superglue. Parachute clips were used on the ends so that the pack could easily be taken on and off.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

I built some walls out of foam to hold the PVC pipe in place. I figured that it would be a lot more stable if the pipe ran all the way through the pack and was glued to the opposite side. The additional bulky sections of the pack was built up using various thicknesses of foam. The logo was cut out and etched on my glowforge laser cutter

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

The Tech Priest servo arm was based out of PVC pipes and couplers. The arm was glued together but not at the lowest junction so that it could be taken off of the pack for transport. The pipes were then wrapped or blocked out in foam. I felt this would give it more of the big bulky feel warhammer tends to have. The front grip was also blocked out and resin cast parts were added for additional detail. The claw and teeth were cut from 2" thick blocks and glued into place. Again I wanted it to at least look as though it was a functional arm. Hydraulic pipes (foam dowels from TNT Cosplay Supply) were added to make it look as though the arm could easily raise and lower.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

Additional layers of foam were built up to give the impression of a mechanical monstrosity. Some smooth on 325 was colored and placed in a plastic bottle top. This will be attached to the stack on the right side as an additional detail.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

I recently finished a Warhammer 40K servo skull and posted the video for that build today on YouTube.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

I decided I wanted a mask for my Tech Priest because then I won't have to deal with any prosthetics and I can add some really cool lighting effects for the eyes. Luckily for this build I have an old BioShock motorized patriot mask mold that I am going to re purpose for my priest. I add some additional resin cast bits and flush them out with some appoxi sculpt. These will be ports for LEDs later in the build.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

The Tech Priest robes I put off as long as I could. I hate sewing. I can make just about anything out of foam, mdf, or styrene but for some reason my sewing machine and I just usually don't get along. I bought a bunch of fabric from the upholstery section at Joann's that was a really good weight and texture. I didn't have a pattern but looked at some pics on google and thought I got the general shape of what everything should be. Then I painstakingly went through and cut out all of the cog detail and sewed all of that onto the garments hood, sleeves, and robe. Honestly this is probably the best sewing I have ever done. To bad i'm making it pretty just to tear it up in the weathering phase

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

Some glamour shots of the robe with the power pack and servo arm...so far

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/20/2018

Servo Skull!!! I have wanted to make a servo skull for a long time, even before I knew I was going to make this costume. While I was at Joann's I stopped by the Halloween section and found a perfect skull with a detachable jaw. No need to build a skull, work smarter not harder, especially on a deadline as tight as this one. I bent some PCV pipe so that it would look as though my servo skull was floating off of the pack. I then covered the pipe with some corrugated dishwasher drain hose and cut it to length. Once the size was good I drilled a hole in the base of the skull and glued it in place. Random pvc pipes and various foam bit were used to detail the skull with some metal augmentations. I made sure to include my LEDs in the build before it got to far. These are 3v 5mm LEDs that have a basic on off switch and a coin battery to run everything. More and more pipes and hoses were added until I got the look I wanted.

 

[gothic]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/21/2018

wow, loving all the build videos

 

[fraterd]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/21/2018

Great build to follow.

 

[SofaKing01]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/21/2018

Unbelievable! Amazing attention to detail!

 

[equib]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/21/2018

Another spectacular foam build.

 

[SKS Props]

Re: Warhammer 40K Tech Priest Cosplay - SKS Props Updated 8/21/2018

Because I am building a half robot human hybrid, I couldn't just have a normal voice So I purchased a cheap voice changer off of amazon, took it apart, and rewired it to work for my needs. First off I removed the trigger and wired in an on/off switch so that it could be continuously on. Next I lengthened the leads of the mic so that the speaker could be in the chest box and the mic would be up around my mouth. The box was constructed out of 1" thick high density foam.

Once I had the inner working of the voice changer where they needed to be, it was just a matter of adding additional details to the box to make it look more interesting. I placed some random wires and hoses on the box, so I could get a sense of what the finished product to look like.

- - - Updated - - -

The belt was pretty straight forward. 10mm foam was cut to length and glued to the back of a Mars logo medallion I laser cut. A foam dowel was cut in half on the band saw and glued around the logo. These same strips were glued down the length of the belt for additional detail. Nylon straps and parachute clips were added so the belt could easily be put on and taken off.