While at Sideshow Collectible's headquarters for their SideshowCon event, we check out the new premium format quarter-scale statues unveiled for 2020, including a striking Superman, enchanting Dr. Strange, and stoic Silver Surfer. These statues showcase the latest improvements to Sideshow's sculpting, use of mixed media, and paint finishes.
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We wrap up this week with a fun project, as Norm puts on a topical cosplay to build his new editing, gaming, and VR PC. Follow along the assembly as we talk through the component choices, order of operations, and what we liked about this configuration of parts. How would you spec out a new PC today?
Darrell's latest prop replica project allows him to combine 3d printing clear resin with LED illumination and some intricate paint masking. He models and prints the King Atlan message recorder artifact as seen in Aquaman, and then applies a series of paint applications to give it an ancient and otherworldly finish. We check in with Darrell to talk through the challenges of the build and how he approached each step of the process!
The protective glass is off for our visit to Sideshow Con's showroom to check out the newest Hot Toys figures from Avengers: Endgame, Marvel's Spider-Man, and Star Wars. It's our first chance to get a close-up look at anticipated figures like the sixth-scale battle damaged Thanos, Mandalorian and The Child, and convention exclusives like Spider-Man 2099!
We visit Sideshow Collectibles’ headquarters to get a close-up look at their prototype of The Child life-size figure from Star Wars The Mandalorian! This casting comes directly from Legacy Effects’ molds that were used for the making of the baby Yoda puppet used for production--the closest we'll get to seeing the real prop!
Architect-turned-modelmaker Larry Srinivasan designs and builds elegant scale models of famous architectural landmarks like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Seattle's Space Needle. We visit his workshop to learn how he captures the essence of these structures in his laser-cut model kits and experiments with joinery at miniature scale. Find his model kits here!
Our next laser cutter project is an exercise of designing with slot joints to piece together a clear acrylic display stand that houses LED lights for underlighting. Norm walks through his design process and prototyping for this action figure platform, the lessons learned in vector design, and completes the build with a collectibles photo shoot. Download the vector files for this project to make your own!
How do you achieve the (flawless) aesthetics of science fiction with limited budget, space and time? Adam Savage speaks to production designer Tony Ianni about how he and his team of hundreds create The Expanse's many otherworldly -- and very convincing -- sets with a TV budget and timeline.
We wrap this week up with some light crafting, putting together a beautiful laser-cut vintage billboard scale model kit from Studio for Metropolitan Craft, and then adding to it with our own laser-cut typography (SVG here). It's a exercise in designing type to be used as vectors for laser or vinyl cutting, and the result looks pretty good!
We spotlight the wonderfully detailed figures from toymaker ThreeZero, including their licensed lineup of Transformers posable die-cast characters. Check out the meticulous engineering and paint finish of these collectibles, and Norm shows how he applies oil paint to add an extra layer of weathering and grime to the Blitzwing DLX figure. Don't be afraid of painting your toys!
During Adam Savage's visit to the Expanse set, writer and executive producer Ty Franck gives him a very special gift: a Savage Industries jumpsuit of his very own!
This laser-cut riser for desktop cutting mats is inspired by Adam's Die Filer platform that he made in a recent One Day Build. Norm talks through his design process for making this tray for small modelmaking projects, which can also be used as a custom jigsaw puzzle platform or LED-lit soft box for displaying and photographing tabletop figures. Download the vector file to make your own!
We spend a week with the new Nreal Light developer kit to get a sense of how this lightweight pair of augmented reality glasses works in the real world. While we've yet to see the final consumer version's software, the optics, image quality, and ergonomics of the developer kit give us optimism for the type of content we're hoping to see shine in this generation of mixed reality hardware.
Jeremy checks in from home to show what projects he's been working on during lockdown, including repairing an RC car, large LEGO build, and upgrading the code on his Game Frame LED display. We also dive into Jeremy's Pinball obsession, with a quick look at his Pinball machine collection, wall-mounted playfield, and laser-cut PinSim virtual pinball controller design that you can make at home! Two of these controllers are up for auction with all the proceeds going to charity!
Fabricator Jen Schachter walks us through her latest project: refurbishing and customizing lights for home studio and cosplay displays! Using a combination of off-the-shelf spotlights and found lamp hardware, Jen combines customizable smart bulbs with vintage spotlight looks, showing how she goes from sketched concept to prototype to finished build.
While on the set of the Expanse, Adam Savage stops to examine the blast doors of the spaceship Rocinante. The doors look like thick metal, but they're actually made of light material and operate like your window curtains at home. Ah, the magic of film!
We go hands-on with an experimental virtual reality demo from Holonautics that taps into the controller-free hand tracking abilities of the Oculus Quest! Hand Physics Lab gives us an idea of how hands-only controls could work in future VR experiences and games, and the challenges in user interface design and interaction models that will need to be tackled before hands replace tracked controllers. Developers Dennys Kuhnert and Roger Kung from Holonautic joins us for a discussion about the making of Hand Physics Lab and what they've learned so far!
Our resident modelmaker and fabricator Kayte Sabicer checks in from home to update us on the projects that's been keeping her busy the past month, including painting a watercolor postcard every day, making small laser-cut goodies, repurposing cardboard, and working on repairs. There's no project too small to keep your hands busy and creativity at work! What projects have you been working on lately?
Jen shares her latest project: a laser-cut book nook template and kit that allows you to build a miniature diorama to live on your bookshelf. We're inspired by the creativity we've seen in book nook designs, and this template allows you to laser cut and assemble your own, with room for lighting and other electronics. Jen walks us through her many prototypes and the design considerations that got her to this lovely kit! Find Jen's designs and kits here!
Bill from Punished Props Academy checks in with suggestions for foam and 3D printing projects to work on while we're sheltering-in-place at home. These range from easy-to-make hand props to elaborate prop replicas from some of our favorite movies and video games. And best of all, Bill has made the blueprints and files for these free to download on the Punished Props site!