tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2739889552178461642024-03-16T11:10:37.807-07:00When My Brain Leaks, the Drops Drip Here.The tireless tinkerings, rampant ramblings and odd observations of Shawn Thorsson, eponymous founder of Thorsson & Associates Workshop.THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.comBlogger759125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-8164852498671857802024-03-13T12:06:00.000-07:002024-03-13T12:29:43.666-07:00Genestealer Update 8: Vacuum-Forming the Arms So as of my last update, Jeff had done the digital modeling to get us to this point:I had 3D printed the chest and back and started making molds to lay up copies of those parts in fiberglass. It was important to make the back out of something that would have significant structure to it since there will be a lot of things that get attached to it later.The arms do not have that problem.THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-71252569932763332142024-03-01T10:44:00.000-08:002024-03-09T21:51:47.699-08:00Genestealer Update 7: Carapace Molding Completed and a New Approach for the StiltsI have to admit, I haven't done much on this project since my last update. I've been distracted with working on some other projects and have mostly been off site and working out of the shop, but I did manage to finish laying up the mold sections for this side of the carapace:Then I cleaned off the clay parting wall that ran down the length of the spine:
And repeated the layup for the moldTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-74232559266427324892024-02-20T10:11:00.000-08:002024-02-20T10:11:57.617-08:00Genestealer Build Update 6: Face Sculpting BeginsWhen we last looked at this project, the armature for the head was printed, hardcoated, and layered over with a 1/8" thick skin of Chavant NSP oil-based clay. It looked about like so:
The first problem was the big, empty, soulless eye sockets. So I found some hollow acrylic Christmas ornaments (you can order them here: LINK), painted them red on the inside, and glued them in place:
THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-36741632008800848002024-02-11T23:28:00.000-08:002024-02-13T23:57:44.172-08:00Genestealer Build Update 5: Prepping the Carapace for MoldingI'm a bit late with this update on the Genestealer build. Last week's stormy weather and a couple of days sick in bed hit me with a one-two punch combination that completely knocked out my productivity.
This week will be different.Regardless, last week Jeff stopped by and did a bit more cleanup sanding and polishing on the carapace and we sprayed on one more coat of greay primer. THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-61132106395441359432024-01-30T03:36:00.000-08:002024-01-30T03:42:46.566-08:00Genestealer Build Update 4: Mounting the Head, Re-Splitting the Torso, and Starting on the ArmsSo this beastie has a big ribcage arrangement that will contain the wearer's head and shoulders. Since the waist end of the ribcage is too small to squeeze in and out of, we'll have to make it able to open in some way in order to get it on and off. So when Jeff sculpted out the digital model, it had break points separating the chest and back:
Here's what they look like in real life:THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-88790250302767242792024-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:002024-01-25T15:45:52.071-08:00Late Post: My Shredder Costume from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Halloween 2023I almost completely forgot to blog about this because, frankly, 3D printing has made projects like this way too easy and I actually forgot I was building it several times in the middle of the surprisingly quick project. But it's a done thing, so I suppose I might as well brag about it.A while back I acquired this helmet kit in a trade from a maker called "Portugeek" on the Replica Prop THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-76421861110196890162024-01-18T22:51:00.000-08:002024-01-18T23:25:04.271-08:00Genestealer Build Update 3: the Beginning of the HeadAt the end of the last update, we'd managed to print, smooth, and hardcoat the chest and back shells. Since then, Jeff finalized the digital sculpt of the arm shells:Meanwhile, I've hacked up his digital head armature and made the jaw separate:
The hinge arrangement allows for a full range of motion:
Once I was happy that I wasn't making more work for us, I went ahead and set up the parts forTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-85367741910662589992024-01-11T01:14:00.000-08:002024-01-11T01:14:12.708-08:00Genestealer Build Update 2: Back and Chest AssemblyWhen I last updated this project, we had the chest assembled and it looked about this goofy:
Then overnight we had the last part come off the printer and added it to the pile:
The pile was going to be a major headache to puzzle together into a complete piece. Fortunately, Jeff showed up to do the assembly:
Jeff did all of the 3D modeling, so he had a bit of an advantage when it comes THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-73236660330939751602024-01-08T20:11:00.000-08:002024-01-08T20:11:48.527-08:00Genestealer Build Part One: Planning and ModelingI don't blog enough. Most of this is because I don't like to post anything that isn't a complete packaged project from beginning to end, soup to nuts, cradle to the grave. This usually ends up meaning that I wait until the months-long build is complete, I'm exhausted, and I've forgotten half of the details of how I did a thing.So to avoid that problem, and give me more frequent thingsTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-42868380038407258342023-12-10T16:24:00.000-08:002023-12-10T16:24:13.629-08:002023 Bay Area Maker FaireBack in 2019, as the Bay Area Maker Faire was wrapping up, word got around that the event would be no more. It was a sad time, but I suppose even the best things must come to an end.Fast forward to 2023. I'm sitting in my shop, minding my own business when I get a surprise email asking me if I'd be willing to bring my display to the new and improved Bay Area Maker Faire taking place THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-64437810812432986802023-11-01T22:15:00.001-07:002023-11-01T22:15:39.679-07:00November UFO Sightings in the Workshop Forgive me readers for I have sinned. It has been eight weeks since my last blog entry.A lot has happened in that time. Most of it in my personal life and world travels. But that's not what you're here for. Instead, let me present to you a series of UnFinished Objects that are currently scattered around the shop. I've been on a bit of a Star Wars kick THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-16910155179960844652023-08-07T22:07:00.001-07:002023-08-08T09:02:41.255-07:00Sideshow Skeletor Costume Build The other day I published a post about the construction of Skeletor's Havoc staff based on this statue:
I started with the staff first, but the main goal all along was to build the entire outfit. It turns out I pulled it off:To see how the whole thing was made, read on...For the longest time, this project was on my to-do list, but I never got it onto the "started" list for a variety THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-31675951776397845962023-07-27T23:02:00.003-07:002023-08-08T09:03:14.462-07:00Building Skeletor's Havoc StaffWhen I was a kid I like He-Man as much as anybody, but wasn't really a huge fan. In more recent years, I've chuckled at all of the Skeletor memes, but didn't give it much more thought. Then Sideshow went and released this statue:
Wow.
It's what you'd expect Skeletor to look like if Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop decided to make Masters of the Universe instead of Lord of the Rings. I love THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-27668139754654073432023-06-11T08:48:00.004-07:002023-08-08T09:04:01.157-07:00Phase One Clonetrooper Build As a young Navy lieutenant station in Newport, Rhode Island back in 2004 I had just started getting into cosplay and prop replica building. I'd made a passable set of stormtrooper armor from scratch and was looking really excited about the new clone troopers that had appeared in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. I spent a lot of time looking for whatever referenceTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-86772652568635902092023-05-27T13:30:00.002-07:002023-05-27T13:30:44.797-07:00Ivy's Hideout, a Retail Theming Project A while back the local comic store, Brian's Comics, announced that they'd be going out of business. Then shortly after that, I get a call from my friend Mike of Batcave Comics and Toys who tells me that he and his partner Amanda are opening another brick and mortar location in Brian's former space.This time, they've decided to class it up a bit and hire my crew and me to dress the newTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-26504101295407350982023-04-28T08:50:00.001-07:002023-04-28T08:50:33.815-07:00Quick and Dirty Cosplay Build: NCR Ranger from Fallout New VegasI try to avoid letting my 3D printers sit idle. By my reasoning, there's all kinds of things on my wish list that I'd like to print and I'd hate to find myself waiting on the machines. Instead, whenever they're not working on a custom project for a client, they're building me a backlog of hobby projects that I can smooth out and finish at a later date.Usually it's not a serious THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-59850393146551709672023-04-25T21:39:00.001-07:002023-04-25T21:42:37.487-07:00Funbot's Neighborhood: a Set Building Project Over the past few years, I've built a handful of things for a local toy and hobby store called Fundemonium in Rohnert Park, CA. It started with making glowing signs to hang from their ceilings and then desktop models of their "Funbot" mascot character, but none of the various projects I've built for them has been quite as big as the Funbot Neighborhood, a series of miniature houses THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-36713264720961845852023-03-15T10:22:00.001-07:002023-08-08T09:10:51.264-07:00Quick and Dirty Prop Build: Jawa Ion Blaster ReplicaA while back I was suffering with a rare bit of free time and decided I needed to build myself a Jawa. I figured it'd be a fun costume for one of my nephews to wear and pretty easy to throw together.I also needed to make sure that the small child would be appropriately armed. Because, shockingly enough, I'm the responsible adult in this situation.Jawas in the original trilogy are seenTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-74153824588110455862022-11-22T07:29:00.000-08:002022-11-22T07:29:20.982-08:00XMLR Laser RiflesSome time ago I made a couple of Cobra Infantry trooper costumes. I ran out of momentum on that project when it turned out that the only model I had available at the time was my assistant Rachel. Somehow she didn't quite look the part: The other problem was the rifle. This was an airsoft AK74 from Lancer Tactical. It looks good, has a folding stock and plenty of THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-59848445094997366252022-10-29T13:51:00.000-07:002022-10-29T13:51:01.014-07:00Mouser Bots from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
A few years back I began contemplating building myself one of these guys:
For those of you who don't recognize them, these are the vicious, ankle-biting little robots developed by the mad scientist Baxter Stockman* in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, cartoons, video games, and so on. &THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-40632469904332796092022-09-10T09:21:00.003-07:002022-09-10T09:21:34.997-07:00Major Vonreg: a Quick Cosplay Build that Took Years to FinishA while back I was working on my girlfriend's Captain Phasma costume and decided I'd like to have something appropriate to wear alongside her. Since we'd probably be going around without another person to act as handler, it was important to make sure that I'd be able to use my hands and be more mobile in order to help her with any issues she might have in her very movement restricting THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-85315697857910685282022-06-14T00:19:00.001-07:002022-06-14T00:19:34.073-07:00Making the Rest of the Costume for the Mandalorian ArmorsmithBack in what seems like forever ago, I made the helmet for the Armorer as seen in the first season of "the Mandalorian:"
Read about that build here: LINKSince I can't just leave well enough alone and I have a thing for strong, capable women, I had to build the rest of her ensemble. Here's the end result:
To see how it was made, read on...The chest and back armor were THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-27571082056699612492022-06-07T16:55:00.001-07:002022-06-07T16:55:41.268-07:00Updated Captain Phasma Build Years ago I made my first replica of the Captain Phasma helmet from Star Wars Episode VII: the Force Awakens. It came out pretty good given the reference images that were available at the time and it managed to get around quite a bit. Here's a winning shot of one of my Phasma helmets being worn at the world premiere of Episode VII:
I was very proud of the build, but since thenTHORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-41232774454907130812022-04-29T08:29:00.000-07:002022-04-29T08:29:17.102-07:00Building a New Display Booth Part 1: FlatsBack in 2011, I set up my display at the Bay Area Maker Faire for the first time. Starting from scratch in a bit of a rush, we made this nifty little setup:
Twenty feet wide with display racks on either side and a small, private changing room in the middle, it proved to be all sorts of useful. Still, I quickly outgrew it.Over the years, this humble bit of wall with a tiny little THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273988955217846164.post-21852459229999295652022-04-13T23:53:00.001-07:002022-04-16T09:35:11.353-07:00Revisiting an Old Project: Mjolnir MkVI Armor from HALO 3 A while back I was asked by a local HALO fan named Bill if I could still make another suit of the HALO 3 armor that my crew and I made way back in the day. You can read about that project here: LINK.
I was a bit leery about saying yes. Some of those molds were over ten years old and they'd been buried in storage for so long I hadn't laid eyes on most of them in probably five THORSSOLIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05516438163774818381noreply@blogger.com2