Props – Page 3 – Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy

Project: B1 battle droid arm (part 2)

Just in time for Halloween, I’m proud to finally be able to show off a project that’s downright skeletal!:

When we last checked in, my battle droid arm project had been printed, resin-filled, cleaned up and given a base coat of paint. Next came the fun part: assembly! To allow them the proper range of motion, the hand and forearm joints were articulated with turned pins and set screws, as it appears the original was made (although I have not yet added the tiny set screws in the fingers; my thumb can do more than just rotate in a circle, as it has an actual captive ball-and-socket):

As you can see, I really need to add some extra-grungy finger grime!

To really sell the artifact as a battlefield relic, I originally wanted to include some cables or wires poking out of the top of the shoulder, but my research turned up the surprising conclusion that such details wouldn’t be necessary.

Project: Jedi ‘SCUBA tank’

This project has spent far too much time in the WIP drawer, but I’m happy to say that after a recent bit of prime scavenging, it’s finally finished up!
After assembling my first functional kit (Silo, washout Jedi from the Agricultural Corps) for Star Wars living history purposes in 2016, I first got the idea to add some Jedi accoutrements about two years ago. I was using the impression to teach mini survival workshops, and since Silo didn’t have a lightsaber, I figured he should at least have some recognizable Jedi gear in his belt pouches to help sell the impression. I reckoned the Aquata A99 breather would be a good fit, since I could use it as a prop to underline the first element of the Rule of Threes—you can’t last three minutes without breathable air.
I couldn’t wait to get started on a new project, so I pulled out my reference books and…immediately ran into a roadblock. Continue reading “Project: Jedi ‘SCUBA tank’”

Project: B1 battle droid arm (part 1)

In the last several years of browsing Star Wars crafting topics on social media, I’ve determined that about 95% of replicas (especially 3D-printed ones) I’ve seen are of weapons, helmets, and armor associated with a tiny range of recognizable-to-the-public Face Characters or nameless Troopers. You will almost never see mundane artifacts replicated in the prop-building community…as one RPF user asked while seeking info on how to replicate a Kloo horn, “Anyone have any ideas or did nobody ever care because it’s not a lightsaber?”

As I was brainstorming my NRAC (New Republic Archeological Corps) persona last year, I began thinking about what kinds of artifacts I could potentially show off at a convention booth, hands-on interpretive historical talk, or similar venue/event. With Naboo’s focus on arts and learning, and the presence of a notable institution of higher education (Theed University—which coincidentally has the same initials as my alma mater), I felt confident in basing my NRAC impression on a Naboo background. I then began thinking what kinds of items would likely be collected or excavated by a Naboo archeological student, or possibly artifacts that could’ve been passed down through the family.
Around the same time, I saw someone online post pictures of a 1:1 3D-printed B1 battle droid: B1 il_794xN1521245503_mg8s.jpg ‘Wow!’ I thought, ‘that would be amazing to display!’ Unfortunately, I was also living in a very small apartment at the time, and there was no way I had the space to store an almost-2-meter-tall figure I might use for a handful of events each year (if I was lucky!). Also, in terms of realism, what are the odds that my archeologist persona would have a complete B1 droid?
‘Okay’, I said. ‘How about just, like, an…arm?’ Continue reading “Project: B1 battle droid arm (part 1)”

A295 rifle conversion update 2

Quarantine projects continue! It took a while to figure out and execute, but after my usual lull, I again have something worth sharing! While molding and casting the familiar V8 greeblies on the front of the receiver was pretty straightforward, these side greeblies on the rear receiver were another story.
a295sidegreebs Continue reading “A295 rifle conversion update 2”

Galactic Style Guide – Comm badges

Welcome back to the Galactic Style Guide, the monthly series where we take a close look at the elements that make up the ‘Star Wars aesthetic’ to help you build a more accurate ‘outer persona’!
In this installment, we’re focusing on the little doodads that everyone seems to have on their vests and jackets nowadays. Official sources can’t agree on what they are—the Complete Visual Dictionary refers to them as a ‘rank plaque’, ‘rank insignia’, ‘communications badge’, or ‘command insignia’, while I believe the RougeOne reference guide calls them ‘personal transponders’, so who knows? Despite not appearing in the original Star Wars ’77, these devices have gained in popularity (especially among the ‘Batuu-bounding’ crowd) after frequent inclusion in many post-Disney materials. Since 9 times out of 10 they’re worn by Rebel Alliance characters, we didn’t see Any in the Prequel era (I could be wrong, though; leave a comment below if you know otherwise!)

Only two styles of badge are seen in Episode V. These use easily-castable or vacuformable shapes and components with brightly colored buttons. The first (we’ll call it Hoth #1) is worn by our three lead characters and the hangar technicians, suggesting they are transponders and not related to rank.

Hoth #1: worn around Echo Base by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and hangar technicians

Continue reading “Galactic Style Guide – Comm badges”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi Field Gear

If you’re tired of having empty resin boxes on your Prequel Jedi utility belt, I guess this is the package for you. This set sells for $30 and contains a Qui-Gon style Imagecaster, Hush 98-style comlink, and Jedi macrobinoculars. Having seen some unboxing reviews, I think 2 of the 3 might make this worth buying. Which ones?
SWGE Jedigear1 Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi Field Gear”

Project: vintage thermos facelift

Greetings from quarantine!
thermal b4 While the world may presently find itself in the grip of a pandemic, one silver lining does exist. While it can be stressful in other ways, a month-long quarantine lockdown has the unexpected benefit of suddenly giving crafty-minded folks a lot of time with which to finish ‘backburner’ projects, and so—as several of my other WIP projects are currently stalled due to quarantine-created supply-bottlenecks—I thought I would share one item I have been able to finish up during the current situation.
Back in December or January(?) I snagged the above gaudy orange thermos from the thrift shop for (I think) $2. It didn’t look especially Star Wars-y at first, but my ‘propmaking eye’ saw that it had definite potential, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out! Continue reading “Project: vintage thermos facelift”

Artifact ID: Greef Karga’s cup

Thus far I haven’t posted anything related to The Mandalorian, but this one was “all too easy”.
copper-india Too often, Star Wars prop collectors fixate on weapons, armor, and vehicles. But we—who are engaged in Star Wars living history—know there’s more to life in the Galaxy Far, Far Away than fighting: there’s also…DRINKING! Continue reading “Artifact ID: Greef Karga’s cup”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: Yoda Illuminator

yodas-l400 Disney decided to market this item as Yoda’s illuminator, but it would be more accurately called ‘Luke’s flashlight’, and we can assume that Luke brought his to Dagobah as part of standard-issue Rebel survival gear. While maybe not recognizable to the casual fan, once you know the scene, the item springs to mind pretty easily.
yodalamp5627
It’s not surprising that Disney went to the trouble of producing this lamp, but for $30, is it worth buying? Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Yoda Illuminator”

An authentic Medpac at long last!

In the spirit of my New Year, New Gear tradition, I recently finished up an essential piece of my in-universe survival/hiking kit. Some 20 months ago, I made a discovery – I noticed that the health powerups in Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy were essentially the same design as one from an early SWRPG sourcebook:

a bit of digging turned up similar designs in the Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology and the more recent SWRPG Revised Core Rulebook (2002):

As my backpack’s current first aid kit has been stashed in a repurposed extension cord waterproof safety box, I’ve been thinking about what I could use as a container for my medical supplies that would better fit the in-universe aesthetic. Continue reading “An authentic Medpac at long last!”