23.11.2016

23.11.2016

Another splendid day, where even more progress was made. If yu look away from the pesky fact that my rotary tool just died. I’m not sure how that even happened. It was fine perfectly fine yesterday. I even dismantled it to see if any thing was disconnected or if clogged. But no, there was nothing, sero, silch, NOTHING! Luckily I have a spare one,which also died to mysterious circumstances. At least the warranty was not void and I had the receipt. Rotary tools are just too fickle, they're made to do many things, yet they break down on me at the drop of a hat. Anyhow, I decided to remake the gas canister, by recycling an old spent deodorant bottle. Due to a hard angle on the edge, I carefully trimmed the middle ring and the top edge. Useful items can be found all over the place. Which is an art form on its own. Scrounging is the art of utilizing useful doodads, as project parts. Which means that the whole blaster is made from spare part, store bought evafoam and buckets of paint.

The only major setback I had today, was the pesky Chinese letters on Meis gun. Writing them is the easy part. Actually deciphering the strokes and the symbol, not so much. Despite the high resolution picture, the texture turned out to be quite crap. But fortune favours the bold and the patients, and a lovely viewer actually had a copy of the exact letters. The only wrong symbol I could ind, is the one on the canister. These seemingly pointless stickers is what separate good from mediocre. After all I am a trained professional. An airbrush would be super handy to have, but those are way too expensive. Which forces me to go with a simple sponge, it’s a much faster and infinitely more rough way to apply color. I suppose it should be possible to polish off the brush strokes, before going for shiny plastic gloss.

#overwatch #cosplay #mei #zaceron #blaster

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

Njål Sand

22.11.2016

22.11.2016

A fantastic day where a lot was done and several goals was achieved. Amongst those was the successful assembly of several important pieces. Not to mention the lovely but time consuming painting process. Foam has a quite terrible surface for anything spray paint related. In essence the surface becomes dull, drab and very rough. This is due to evafoam being a very spongy material that absorbs paint. Which is why I had to add a coat of black primer to the surface of various pieces. Even though I have gone with a very glossy metallic Finnish. The pieces on the 3d model seems to be a bit toned down. However that is something weathering can fix. One thing I did invest in was extra expandable nozzle for the spray can. They seem to have a thing for getting clogged after a while, without a cap on top.

That being said, there a numerous details on the gun, such as stickers, markings and Chinese symbols. I did one for the gas canister and it turned out okay. Felt markers are awesome for such details it seems. I’m still going to give a old dederant bottle some attention and see if that will work better as a gas canister. By now I’ve also assembled several of the pieces and found a decorative lense to have in front. Some cardboard was sacrificed in a futile attempt at making the front ring.

#mei #zaceron #overwatch #blaster #gun

twitch.tv/zaceron

Njål Sand

18.11.2016

18.11.2016

An okay day with a late start. I’ve decided to adjust my schedule. Due to the time people are online in the world. In other words, these changes are a smashing success. Not to mention the actual progress being made. Sure some of the pieces are a bit inaccurate. But that is the main issue with foam. Any mound of pressure will make it compress. Which in turn means that small edges and minor details are almost impossible to do. Yes Vorbla is a possibility, but I find it a bit too expensive. However all of the pieces are coming together nicely. Quality and price go hand in hand. In this case I’m trying to merge both, without using too many exotic materials. That being said the sphere cup with it’s fancy curves and glossy finish; Is close to being accurate, yet it is not.

Where the gas canister goes, there is a hinge, to keep it in place. The blue wedge on the back is apparently meant to keep the ball in place. It was a tricky one, but the rotaru tool got the job done. There is also an arch on top of the sphere. I first thought of cutting it out from cardboard, but eventually I went with craft foam.On the flip side I found a better substitute for the gas canister .

#zaceron #cosplay #overwatch #blizzard

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

17.11.2016

17.11.2016

Today started with a food and store run. Which means that I started a lot later than I intended. But with the current state of my schedule. I might just make it later and longer. Due to most people being online in the afternoon. Which in turn will lead to more traffic and terrific interactions.

Regardless today was fantastic. At one point the cat was about to puke. I managed to catch him in time and toss him outside by the scruff of his neck. It was glorious. Anyhow, I did some fine tuning and had to redo several of the parts. For one reason or another the glue is not acting like it should when I try to seal two edges. Though it seems like using the heat gun on the adhesive first adds some interesting properties.

Apparently the hardest thing ever to do with foam is to make circles and round shapes. Since the sphere cup on the back is rounded and made of several round shapes. It was a real nightmare to seal the seam, when uniting the two sides. I eventually succeeded. So for now enjoy the glory of the bubble glass bauble ball.

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#zaceron #sphere #overwatch #mei #ball #blaster #cosplay

16.11.2016

16.11.2016

A rather eventful day where, a lot of progress was made. Not only did I find a very appropriately sized sphere of glass, I also fine tuned and fixed a lot of the smaller details. Essentially I found out that the handle and everything else had to be remade. Ironically enough there is a very real problem with the original design. It’s not meant to be held a normal human hand. There is no room for the fingers and the trigger digs into the middle finger. Which means I had to exaggerate the size of certain pieces. Though that being said, the biggest hurdle was to make the cup for the sphere.

My first idea was simple and made a lot of sense. By covering the ball in masking tape and plastic wrap. With this method I can draw on the lines I have to cut. It’s easy and very simple to do. Yet screwing up I did indeed. I just had to compensate for the foam being ten time thinker than paper. Never the less I did eventually succeed. The process once the shape is cut out is simple. Heat up the foam, press it up against the sphere and then add glue to each. After the adhesive has been applied, just squeeze the ends shut with duct tape. At some point in the near future I will receive some transparent balls to put at the back.

#blizzard #zaceron #mei #blaster #overwatch #cospaly #diy

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

Njål Sand

15.11.2016

16.11.2016

Behold my newest and greatest project as of yet. I’m Trying to recreate the endothermic blaster from Overwatch, That pesky icicle gun Mei uses. On it’s own it is a fairly simple project that makes a lot of sense. Since the gun is clearly designed to look like it belong in our world. Despite the ability to spew frost. Technical I started on Sunday, however I dedicated that post to something else entirely. The blaster itself is essentially a bottle of liquid gas, held in place with some clamps. Next to the handle. The sphere in the back is most likely filled with coolant. Other than that, it is a fairly standard weapon. But a lot of the details will be a real pain to do. Since not everything can be done with foam. Not to mention that many of these parts are not commonly found in any hardware store I know about. However I've yet to fin transparent plastic balls in any Norwegian store. One will be the outer shell, while the inner one will be filled with some blue liquid. The tricky part will be to make everything look the part and imitate the material in question. Such as dull polished metal and shiny metal coating. But fret not, I shall overcome.
https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#oeverwathc #mei #blaster #cosplay #zaceron #blizzard

Njål Sand

Project Synopsis 2

Project Synopsis 2

Photo by Yngve Hegreberg

http://www.photo.yngvehegreberg.com/Archive/Cosplay/Raptus-2015/i-FXmpX4G/A

Don’t you think I look fancy in my little hat? Here is an odd one I made for my inquisitor costume. It’s is a hat, made with paper and a salvaged leather trouser. Some pants are crap, especially low budget leather ones. This tall patchwork nightmare was made by cutting the leg into small pieces and then glued onto a cone shaped base. Put on top of another hat. One of the biggest challenges is that my head width is 60. Most cheap hats stops at 59. Especially when ordered from china, but those usually stop at 57. The belt on top, is just that, a belt with a buckle. 

I’ve talked about this one before. Just not in this here lovely blog of mine. A chainsword is a bastard born, from made British bloke. Whom shagged a chainsaw, while doing his best sword swallowing act. I have at least three versions of this one. It’s essentially saw teeth sandwiched between two layers of foam. The handle is more foam and a cardboard tube wrapped in leather. 

#zaceron #warhammer #chainsword #inqusition #astarte #hat #cosplay

Njål Sand

11.11.2016

11.11.2016

Today was a fairly decent day, despite me being very, very hungry. Despite some traffic, I seem to lack some staying power. Though I have a sneaking suspicion it had to do with some crappy settings and a weird background noise. I eventually got that fixed. However I did a lot of touchup and weathering, with the help of some felt markers and even more paint. After that I removed some screws and conveniently hid the holes behind a piece of paper. Essentially I did a lot of beatification, to add production value. Somewhere along the line I had to do a store run to, thereby cutting the stream short. I should really learn to check the audio quality before I spend an hour chasing a way people. Anyhow the helmet looks fantastic.

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#zaceron #daedric #helmet #skyrim #cosplay

Njål Sand

10.11.2016

10.11.2016
Today I had to deviate due to life issues. My mother had birthday, so I had breakfast with her. Then there is a friend who has to journey back to the US, after a divorce. Which is the reason I took him to see Doctor Strange in the cinema. A great movie with creative environment use, some humor and a kaleidoscope of special effects. I will hopefully be back in business tomorrow.

Njål Sand

09.11.2016

09.11.2016

The show must go on and it’s such a lovely day despite being blistering cold outside. This have the unfortunate effect of giving me less than stellar lighting conditions. But for smaller operations it’s perfect. Such as painting and horn carving. Which was what I did today. But at some point OBS screwed up somehow, so I had to update. Eventually it worked. One of the first things I did after setting up shop, was to cut out a new horn template. By cutting and carving Styrofoam into the right shape and coat it in glue, it becomes a lot more solid. Styrofoam has inherent structural weaknesses, since it’s just a bunch of hard pressed plastic pellets. The whole idea is that the material will take the jolt, instead of the inside. However it also provides me with an easy and light weight material to work with. As long as no one grab me by the antlers, the only problem I will face are doors and transport. Two screws helps keeping the horns in place, hopefully this will prevent them from sliding of, while the glue dries.The next phase I initiated, was to add more paint, aiming for an illusion of depth. Carefully manipulating shadows and highlights can make or break the illusion. Trust me, it will loke real nice when done.

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#skyrim #helmet #illusion #daedric #zaceron

Njål Sand

08.11.2016

08.11.2016

Today started slow, but that did not deter me from my goal of doing more with the helmet. Which is exactly what I did. First thing I did was to remove the screws from the back plate. Since they where in the way and they had outlived their purpose. The Cardboard in the back mostly worked as intended. But as we all know mostly is never good enough. Naturally I had to add more newspaper strips to hide the ridges and to make them smoother. After all I’m making a quality product., despite using a lot of cardboard. The next part that came was to dry it a little after coating it with more glue. Then I proceeded to paint it black. It’s around this point, I came up with the idea of going with an illusion for the metal armor plates on the helmet. There are some ridges, and those I try to emulate with a clever use of shadows and highlights. Though I’m considering actually making the buttons 3d. Unfortunately I had to cut the stream short, as blistering cold took hold. It seems like I have to 

move my operation indoors.

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#skyrim #daedric #helmet #cosplay

Njål Sand

Project Synopsis 1

 At some point I decided to make samurai helmet to use as protection while larping. At first I went with a version made from evafoam. However at some point during that process, I decided to go with bike helmet and metal plates. These was cut from a store bought metal plate. It is about 1mm thick, After cutting out the plates and polishing the edges, I drilled some holes. Which provided me with the ability to drag a thread through it. As great as it looks here and all, I still have to add the ornaments and rust protect the plating.

A simple pointy hat, because I felt like giving it a shot. This one is made from evafoam, covered in paint and acrylic latex selant. I did try to make one from grass, but that one turned out too stringy. 

This is a Japanese style lantern lamp. It is made from wood, glass and cement sealant. This makes for a lovely outdoor decoration with a lot of charm. It also happens to be one of my most successful projects so far. In theory it should stand up to snow, wind and rain. Due to the very sturdy base, which I had laying about. I'm not entirely sure where the parts came from in first place. Consider it a DIY recycling project, as almost all the parts came from stuff lying about. Apparently my father gathered a lot of stuff from various gardens he worked within.

#DIY #lapm #helmet #kabuto #lantern #lighting #outdoor #metal #pointyhat #cosplay #larp #cultofcosplay #zaceron

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

Njål H Sand

04.11.2016

Cult of Cosplay: 04.11.2016

This day started of very slow and not on time at all. However I did manage to get almost everything I set out to do done. Such as minor adjustments. On of the most noticeable objects I achieved was the cheek guard plates. Those pieces that is on each side of the head. Those where carved out from foam and glued on with a very potent and Styrofoam friendly sealant. Let me introduce you to a mid tier glue, that is both flexible and quick drying. Sikaflex is a black rubbery like substance, mostly used on walls to make titles stick. As an added bonus it is also water proof.

As usual I use a wide assortment of screws to keep things in place, since they can be removed after wards. Which also means that the hole left behind can be plugged with glue. After that challenge was completed, I went on to improve on the helmets backside, since it has a rather fancy curved neck guard. Since my material of choice this time about is Styrofoam and cardboard. I had to get very technical and creative about how I cut and bend the material. Unlike metal or evafoam, I can’t bend it in unatural angles, without making carefully planned cuts into the cardboard. This does not look very nice or aesthetic at all. Which is why I proceeded to add more wall paper glue and paper strips. In order to keep the cardboard in place, I used more screws and made tiny folds at the edge of the cardboard.

However at some point the stream bugged out on me...

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#zaceron #styrofoam #skyrim #cosplay #daedric #cardboard #diy #sikaflex

Njål Sand

03.112016

Today started of rather slowly due to a splitting headache and hellish hunger. However I eventually managed to kick myself out of bed and into my lovely greenhouse. The first thing I did today was to complete my fantastic homemade outdoor lamp. With the help of a connector and a new wire. Then I proceeded to seal the deal with silicone under the lid.

Carwing some more horns.

Later I took and added more paper strips and glue to the helmet. Then I covered the topside in some more glue and treated it with my handy glue gun. Since that make the adhesive dry faster. After that I pruned off some extra material. Since this is self imposed challenge, I will keep using Styrofoam and mail box advertisement. The post office keep cramming down several kilos of these leaflets every month.

Added cardboard armor plating.

The horns I carved out yesterday, also got dovered in glue, after I pruned off the edge. They have to fit onto the helmet somehow. I also made 4 smaller ones as well. Each of these horns I skewers on some long nails, to let them dry.

Aside from that I also glued on several pieces of cardboard, which will work as the armor plating on the actual in-game model.

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron/

Njål Sand

#Zaceron #skyrim #daedric #helmet #challenge #papercraft #cardboard

02.11.2016

Cult of cosplay 02.11.2016

This time around I decided to use a truck load of Styrofoam my father left behind. This fluffy material has a myriad of uses. Most commonly used to protect packages from bumps and bruises. It can also be used as isolation amongst other things. In my case I’m using the material to make a Daedric helmet, the kind you’ll find in Skyrim. This lovely head decoration has a shame not unlike a dragons skull. A headpiece with some metal plates and a bark like texture. Topped by several sharp horns. All in all, a very terrible helmet for anything but scaring the pants of pheasants.

I'm horny.

In order to make this helmet, I decided to stack eight layers of foam. After tracing a roughly drawn outline onto the surface I started to cut out the pieces with an cheap knife. In order to keep the parts together I used a selection of screws and glue. But the universal glue ate away at the foam and the gluegun ran out. Eventually I settled for layers of paper and wallpaper glue. I also used an extra thick piece to trace some antlers on, which I then cut into shape.

I got a screw loose.

The helmet actually fits on my nogging! 

https://www.twitch.tv/zaceron

#skyrim #daeric #helmet #zaceron #styrofoam #knife #armor