Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Build Part 5: Helmets

Back in ancient history, I built some 40K helmets:

In order to have the kind of variety I wanted for my full-sized Space Marine build, I needed to make one more, the Mark VII version seen in the latest incarnation of the games.

Here's the finished product:


For details of how it was made (and more pictures) read on...

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Build Part 4: the Rubber Bits

The Devil is in the details.

Someone else building this armor costume might be satisfied to just insert some black fabric around the joints and call it good enough.  I am not someone else.  I'm someone who has to be able to say it was done and done well.

It needed the spaces between the armor parts to show an "undersuit" that looked ribbed and heavy while still being flexible and inexpensive.  This was a job for slipcast latex.

If you'd like to see pictures and an in-depth description of the latex slipcasting process, read on...

Burn, Baby, Burn!

Some lawn and garden pests are tougher to get rid of than others. When you've got an insect or rodent infestation that's really dug in well, and you don't want to put your family and pets through the potential health risks of using poisonous chemicals, there's no better organic pest removal solution than FIRE! 

This is a job for the flamethrower gnome:

Gophers can hole up all they want, but when you fill their little burrows with 1200 degrees of soul-searing flame, they'll quit eating your plants in a hurry.

The flamethrower gnome is armed with the M2A1 flamethrower popular among US Marines in the Pacific Theater of World War II.  Complete with its twin gasoline tanks and center tank of compressed nitrogen propellant:

These guys will be making their debut next weekend at my Combat Garden Gnome booth at the Bay Area Maker Faire.  Be sure to stop by and pick one up.  Better yet, come early and buy yourself the whole set!

After that, they'll be available in my Etsy shop: http://etsy.com/shop/thorssoli 

Next up: Minesweeper Gnome!

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines Part 3: Boots

When last I wrote about this project, I had a fully-assembled backpack.  Working on the other end of things, it was time to make some boots.

Here's one of them:


For assembly details and a quick video of them in action (with my new, huge legs) read on...

Happy Star Wars Day

Today is Star Wars Day, so here's a bellydancing Princess Leia:

May the Fourth be with you.

Lifesaving Workshop Canaries

The other day an old friend visited the workshop whilst I was in the middle of mixing or melting something that was letting off a hint of noxious fumes.  I keep the shop well-ventilated and usually have a fan set up to extract fumes from where I'm working.  When I'm using things that are particularly likely to shuffle off my mortal coil, I have a variety of exotic and expensive respirators to choose from.  Still he posed the question: "Aren't you worried about what all of these fumes are doing to you?"

In answer, I explained that there's a pair of swallows that have a nest in the rafters and I use them like canaries in a coal mine.  As long as they continue to chirp, I figure I'm okay.  When they fall over dead, I need to relocate to fresh air on the way to seeking medical attention.  It was all chuckleworthy until he asked the next question with a hint of concern: "Where are they?"

A cursory search of the workshop revealed no bird carcasses and later I found a long-abandoned nest.  Initially I was worried, but after a bit more discussion, we figured the missing swallows were not a cause for concern.

Note to self: next time I'm picking sacrificial birds, I need to choose a non-migratory species.