Nice Bit of Feedback

Yesterday a long time friend and repeat Combat Garden Gnome customer posted this picture.  He purchased both of these gnomes in the same week and set them out in his yard two years ago:

So this is what one of my gnomes looks like after two years worth of New Mexico sun and snow* and whatnot.  I'm pretty damned proud of my paintjob.  

Combat Garden Gnomes: much more resilient than those other garden gnomes.

In other news, I've posted up another handful of Flamethrower Gnomes in my Etsy shop: http://etsy.com/shop/thorssoli if you've been waiting for one.

*yes, apparently it snows in New Mexico.

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Allow Me to Waste a Bit of Your Time...

I haven't made a lot of progress on any projects I'm allowed to talk about lately, so here's a couple of entertaining videos I've come across this morning.  

First up is an Omnicorp promotional video: This is the first viral video promoting the upcoming Robocop reboot. It's got me really thinking I need to get to work on a lifesize replica of the original ED-209. 

Next, ever wonder why you never saw any Biker Scouts on Tatooine? They were elsewhere:  

The same group of guys also put together a video showing an X-wing pilot on a snowboard being chased downhill by snowtroopers on skis:  

Now I'm just waiting for them to post Darth Vader Skydiving and Princess Leia surfing in her metal bikini. It's only a matter of time...

Victory is Mine!

Last month I sat down and wrote out a tutorial article describing the construction of the Space Marine costumes on Instructables.com and entered it in their "Make it Real" challenge. 

You can read the whole tutorial HERE.

The contest guidelines: take something that started out as something on the computer (a 3D model, CAD drawing, or even a Photoshop sketch) and make it into a tangible, real-life something. I figured the Space Marine project really fit the bill. It turns out the contest judges agreed with me and I was selected to win their grand prize:  

I'll admit that I was more than a bit surprised.

The prize in question is a very impressive 3D printer.  This is a device that will take a 3D object file from the computer and actually build it out of seven different materials in real life.

So now I'm dreaming up all sorts of frivolous uses for it. First I'll be printing 3D models of my own head in various sizes to replace the heads on action figures to match costumes I've built. Then I'll need an MRI so I can get a 3D model of my own skull to print out and set on the shelf. I think my skull would make a great bookend.  I may also make a mold of it so I can cast copies in flexible foam.  Then I can throw my skull at passers-by without harming them.

Somewhere along the way I'll be doing more practical things with this new toy as well.  Any suggestions?  Feel free to leave them in the comments.