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Some time last year, I got the itch to build
stuff again and I browsed around the web for interesting
sites and came across many sites I bookmarked for
future reference. When I say, build stuff, I mean
stuff like the Green Lantern rings I made a few
years back or the Lantern I'm working on, right
now. But, also Star Wars and Star Trek type stuff,
too.
As I browsed, I could feel the itch growing and
pretty soon, I was out at the local camera shop
looking for a Graflex or Heiland flash gun that
somebody didn't know the value of. You see, back
in the 1970s, when he was stuck with a mere $10
million dollar budget, George Lucas's prop people
were forced to use found objects for the
lightsaber props in Star Wars (Ep4:ANH). Luke's
saber (his father's) was a dressed up Graflex
3-cell flash gun, minus the big dish reflector.
Vader's was a MPP Micro-Flash flash gun, with very
little dressing and Obi-Wan's was constructed from
stove and sink parts, an old British incendiary
grenade, parts from another camera flash gun and
the pommel is an old faucet handle.
I'm something of a kit-basher, so the idea of
cobbling together odds and ends from hardware
stores and junk to make a cool toy is right up my
street. I found sources for some of the harder to
find parts, and I found sources for custom
machined parts, which is very cool. I bought a
saber hilt from one guy online, that I recently
sold on Ebay. One of this guy's G-Style hilts:
http://www.rlsasabers.com/
I had fun with my saber and would buy from him again.
But that's not enough for me. I wanted to do more, so
I kept look for ideas, inspiration and stuff. One
of the best resources I found is called, simply "A
Site About Props." Dewback's Wing:A Site About
Props http://p082.ezboard.com/bpropreplicas
Unfortunately, you do have to register to view
the site, but it's worth it. Get a global account and
you can access other forums like the League of
Heroes. More about them, later.
ASAP is excellent. There's such a wealth of
Talent and information that I find something new to read,
every day. From dressing up cheap toys to building
full suits of Stormtrooper armor, or Klingon
uniforms, or SG-1 gear, they cover most every
major TV and movie series you can think of. The
Star Wars, Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Battlestar
Galactica, Stargate, and Lord of the Rings
sections are broken down into sub-categories,
which helps you focus your search a bit. There's
also a Movie Props section to cover other movies
and series that don't have quite to following of
the others. There's even one on Superheroes that
has some excellent stuff on building costumes and
lots of pics, including my own Green Lantern
Project.
One bad thing on ASAP. Some time back, there was
A hacker attack on the boards and they lost quite a
few posts. There's still lots of good info, so
don't let that scare you away.
Along with ASAP, there's the Replica Prop
Forum . . . http://www.rpf.invisionzone.com/index.php?showforum=6
RPF is pretty general, but there is also a wealth
Of information available. You can view the site
without registering, but cannot post. Check it
out.
For those who just can't resist the urge to dress
up as our favorite flying rodent . . . Brotherhood of
the Bat http://com1.runboard.com/bbrotherhoodofthebat
Strictly Batman, and an amazing variety of
bat-suits with tons of pics. You do have to register to
read, though.
The League of Heroes
http://p086.ezboard.com/btheleagueofheroes
Mentioned earlier, The League of Heroes site is a
ton of fun. The also have one of the coolest logos
I've ever seen. You can read without registering,
on this site, but you KNOW you're gonna want to
ask questions, so don't be afraid to register.
This is a site for the super-hero, or villain
costumer. If you want to dress up in tights and
beat the crap out of bad guys, this is your first
stop. Links abound, to users' sites and sites
where you can find the things you need.
Among the sites on building Star Wars props I
found in my quest, this one has some of the best info on
specific uniforms, Sand Troopers, the Fetts, etc.
And I love the site design, it's got good graphics
and good design. Do-It-Yourself Star Wars props
http://www.tk409.com/tk409.html
Also, TK-409 has some awesome links, down at the
bottom of the page.
I hope that you find something of interest, here.
I've spent countless hours reading these sites and
marveling at the photos. Once you're done with to
reading and marveling, get out the tools and build
something!
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