Stunt choreographer and performer Shane Rangi designs the fight sequence and Adam rehearses it for the first time. We also learn about the design of the creature and its video game origins. Just one more day until the film shoot!
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This week, Ariel is joined by Dr. Christianna Taylor and science youtuber Scott Manley to talk about the movie Gravity! While the 2013 film has been picked apart in popular media, we focus on the topic of orbital debris and how real astronauts and the ISS grapple with its presence in Earth orbit.
We're trilled to welcome a new member of the Tested family: 3D modeler and prop maker Darrell Maloney (aka the Broken Nerd)! We're big fans of Darrell's work and YouTube videos, and are starting a new series of collaborations between him and Adam. In this first video, Darrell goes over his process adapting a model made for vfx work to be 3D printable, and the 100+ hours of printing needed to have it come out right!
The big practical effect in the film is a blood spurt, and to achieve that, we learn about the various kinds of blood rigs that Weta can attach to Adam’s arm. Things get a bit messy with testing the rigs. Joey goes on a location scouting trip and gives Adam some options for the shoot, which is coming up fast!
We review and recommend two VR games this week: Pixel Ripped 1989 and Star Trek: Bridge Crew's TNG expansion. The first is a nostalgia-rich tribute to the handheld consoles of the late 80s and early 90s, while Bridge Crew's first DLC puts us on the bridge of the Enterprise from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is what VR was made for! Plus, a sneak peak at our Magic Leap episode coming next week.
The best custom LEGO sculpture we saw at this year's Bricks by the Bay was this animated MOC called "Treasure of the Snake Queen". Essentially a Disney dark ride made in mini-fig scale, this towering build depicts a band of adventurers as they embark on a journey through different lands to face the Snake Queen. We chat with builder Flynn de Marco about the concept, layout, and lighting of this incredible build!
At Comic-Con 2018, Magic Wheelchair and a group of dedicated builders (including Adam Savage) made the dreams of seven kids come true.
While in New Zealand, Adam is able to visit the extraordinary exhibition "The Scale of Our War" at the Te Papa museum. Featuring truly larger-than-life sculptures by Weta Workshop, the exhibition tells the story of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. Join Adam for a tour of the exhibit as we get up close to these remarkable figures.
One of our favorite LEGO builds from this year's Bricks by the Bay convention was this massive dystopian cityscape connected by a working monorail system (with six trains!). The mother and son team of Pamela and Austen show us the details of their build, which is inspired by science fiction films like Blade Runner and Ready Player One.
Adam Savage could not be more excited for this meetup of Totoro cosplayers at this year's Comic-Con! Almost a dozen furry friends got together at the Nerdist House this year to share their stories of how they made their own Totoro costumes. And once all the costumes are on, it's time to dance!
The creature’s foam latex face is ready to be pulled from its mold, and we take a look at Adam’s fake arm prosthetic to figure out how it’ll be torn off in the fight. For the armor of the ravaged soldier character, we head to the costume shop to wet mold and paint a chest plate. The pieces are coming together!
We're always impressed by the new statues and figures Sideshow Collectibles brings to Comic-Con, and this year, they've brought over 250 new products. We take a close look at a few of these as we tour the booth to see some standout examples of quarter-scale, sixth-scale, and even half-scale sculpts.
In anticipation of the upcoming Prop Store live auction, we check out some of the best pieces of movie costuming, hand props, and memorabilia from films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Men in Black. This is a rare chance to see in person iconic pieces like Indiana Jones' fedora and bullwhip, stop-motion puppets from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the actual Noisy Cricket!
We thought we had seen the ultimate 2001: A Space Odyssey Discovery model with the Moebius kit, but here's an upcoming model kit that takes things up a notch. This is a prototype 1/10th studio scale model of the Discovery from Kaiyodo, with an insane amount of detail that we can't wait to build!
We check in with Steve Neisen of eFX Collectibles to see what's up with his AT-ST studio scale model replica, as well as check out a massive Star Destroyer prototype he's put together as a made-to-order collectible. We learn how the surface details of the Star Destroyer were enhanced by the modelmaker who worked on the original filming miniature!
Adam spends the day in master swordsmith Peter Lyon’s shop, making a steel dagger that will be the hero prop for the film. While Adam gets to grinding the blade, we also visit Weta’s props department to cast a few different rubber stunt daggers for the action sequence. Adam then heads to the paint shop to get the hero and stunt props painted to match!
We take a look at a few high-end collectibles from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World at this year's Comic-Con. Chroncicle Collectibles shows us their life-size Baby Blue replica made from ILM's digital files, as well as a prototype for their official Barbasol can replica that's officially licensed and made in partnership wtih Barbasol!
In our first look at the new LEGO Voltron set, we chat with one of the set's designers who adapted the winning LEGO Ideas submission to a buildable Voltron model that meets LEGO's rigorous build and play standards. We also take a look at some of the early prototypes for this set that help prove the design was viable. Let's watch Voltron assemble!
Adam goes on his annual incognito walk through San Diego Comic-Con, this time on the 49th anniversary of the Moon landing! His costume this year is a replica of the first high-altitude pressure suit, made in 1935 for famed aviator Wiley Post. While on the floor, Adam takes photos with attendees and even meets a No Face cosplayer!
We play and review Marvel Powers United VR, the new superhero brawler from Oculus and Sanzaru Games. Jeremy and Norm talk about why this game reminds us of the 4-player arcade brawlers of the 90s, and whether the game succeeds in making us feel like Marvel superheroes. Plus, two recommendations for mobile VR games!