Skyward Sword: Scattershot

This is perhaps one of the most unique props I’ve built to-date in that it’s actually fully functional. I’m not a huge fan of the slingshots in the Zelda games, but only because they’re not terribly exciting. I like them as much as you could like any other tool in the game functionality-wise, but they’re just not terribly exciting to use, in my opinion. However, I do greatly enjoy the design of the Scattershot from Skyward Sword, and that’s really what drove me to build this prop.

Since 2StoryProps started, we’ve collected a lot of molds that really just sit around and collect dust for the majority of the time. While it’s great to be able to cast up something on a whim because you have molds available, it can be financially stressful to make a mold and only make a few castings out of it. So I decided that I would build a one-off original item instead of a master to be molded. But that doesn’t stop me from getting clever with it!

I enjoy papercraft, but I enjoy it in the sense that it can be used as a base for later sculpting work. I can go on and on about my thoughts on papercraft, its merits and weaknesses, but for the purpose of this writeup, it’s just important that I often use it in ways that aren’t typical of papercraft projects. This one started off as a quick 3D model that I built in Rhino. I knew how I wanted to assemble it later on, so I intentionally built it in three separate components. Note: I wanted to pause and mention that early stages of this were not photographed. I was “on a roll” and didn’t feel like stopping to take photos. Sorry! Anyways, after printing and assembling the 3D model, I filled each piece with Smooth-On Smooth Cast 300 resin. Next came the interesting part: I sanded away all the paper, leaving solid resin pieces. The sanding process also removed the polygonal shapes from the paper model and left me with a smooth surface almost ready for assembly.

After a bit of smoothing with some glazing putty, I assembled the pieces with some JB Weld, and a steel rod going through the entire assembly for some added strength.

Painting was pretty straightforward, but the tricky part was the grip – in the game it appears to be teal leather, and I was expecting to be searching and searching for this stuff, or else I would have to make my own teal wrap. Fortunately, a semi-local vinyl supplier actually had teal fleece-backed vinyl. I had to actually shave off the fleece backing, though, because it made the grip too thick and the fleece poked out of the edges when wrapped. In the end, it finished off the piece nicely. After applying a faux wood grain to the painted piece, I attached a yellow leather sling with some rubber bands (acquired off of other slingshots, no less). What’s cool about the rubber bands is that they aren’t extruded rubber sheet like your typical office supply rubber bands; these are poured rubber sheets cut by hand, so the thickness is very uneven and they have a very hand-crafted look to them, perfect for the aesthetic of Skyward Sword props.

Check out the full gallery here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2storyprops/sets/72157628483918905/

This prop will be available for auction at the Child’s Play charity auction dinner in December of 2012, along with my two other Skyward Sword props.

We're on Facebook!

Well we just got back from Dragon*Con, and we'll likely get a write-up about it on here soon. In the mean time, for those of you that we met at Dragon*Con and received one of our business cards, I'd like to invite you to check us out on our Facebook fan page. Head on over and "like" our page to receive all of our updates, exclusive WIP sneak-peek photos, and all of our completed project photos in one place!

2StoryProps on Facebook!

Skyward Sword: Pipit's Sword

Technically, this is the “Standard-Issue” Skyloft Knight’s sword in Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but to keep thing’s simple I’ll be referring to it as “Pipit’s Sword” since he’s the only character you can see up close using this specific sword. Knight Commander Eagus has a variation of this sword that has a longer, gold cross bar, but this build was the generic one so, again, I’ll just be calling it “Pipit’s Sword” for all intents and purposes.

So Skyward Sword is my favorite Zelda game ever, topping out Link to the Past because of the hands-on aspect of the game and the overall painterly quality on top of Nintendo’s current graphic style. While I was playing it, I knew I had to make some props from it. I decided on my three favorite weapons: Pipit’s Sword, the Goddess White Sword, and the Scattershot. Pipit’s sword would be my first bladed weapon prop ever. I’ve always stayed away from them because I’ve always heard of stressful scenarios regarding conventions and fake bladed weapons (though after having gone to several conventions since I became a prop builder, I can say I no longer see that as a problem), and because I’ve just never needed one for a costume I was working on. So making a bladed weapon was a learning experience for me.

I began by making life-size blueprints in Adobe Illustrator. The blueprints for this specific prop were derived from several separate sources. I don’t have any sort of TV capture card, so I can’t take screen captures from my TV. In order to get the exact source materials I needed, I had to take photos of my TV screen – and believe me, trying to take photos while maintaining a certain view with the Wiimote is not an easy task! The sources came from Pipit walking around outside with the sword sheathed and slung over his shoulder (used for the hilt design and assumed proportions of the blade-to-hilt ratio), and Knight Commander Eagus’ sword for the blade design. This one had some guess work to it, but I’m fairly certain the final result of my work is what it would have looked like if we got to see Pipit in action.

The blueprints were transferred to a sheet of MDF, which would serve as the base for the master. I was fortunate in my scaling in that a section of PVC tubing was able to be used for the base of the hilt, and that was added by cutting the MDF hilt apart and then permanently reassembled much farther down the line.

The cross bar (and I apologize if this is not the correct term – I’m not up to speed on my sword anatomy!) was made using the blueprints and layering several layers of sintra together. Gaps were filled in with clay, and then the piece was molded so I could cast two exact copies (one for each side) to be affixed to the MDF cross bar.

Other details, like the thickness of the pommel and the flat portion of the blade were added by attaching thin layers of ABS plastic (left over from past vacuum-forming projects) to the MDF core. I intended for this sword to be molded, so after the master was completed, I proceeded to build the mold out of Smooth-On’s Rebound 25.

Once the sword was molded, I realized that there were several flat surfaces that could collect bubbles during the casting process. To deal with that, I emptied out my craft room trash can and used it to rock the mold around while casting the resin (it looked like I was ball room dancing with a heavy trash can when I was casting the swords). This also doubled as some extra protection from possible leaks during the casting process.

Castings were made out of Smooth-On’s Smooth Cast 300 resin. Though it’s not their lightest resin, the castings are still nice and light for their size, and really really fun to swing around like an idiot. Haha! I decided that I would donate a set of my Skyward Sword props to the Child’s Play charity auction dinner that will happen in December of 2012, so I needed to paint one up and get it out of the way for later prop builds. I went for a straight mix of realism and Skyward Sword water coloring influence. The grip is rather awkward, though. According to the game graphics, it's not a single wrap spiraling down the hilt - it's really just ribbed. So to achieve that look, I wrapped several short lengths of some thick gauge wire around the grip and then stretched some nice furniture vinyl over it. I'm rather happy with the result.

Check out the full album here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2storyprops/sets/72157628896444349/

This prop will be available for auction at the Child’s Play charity auction dinner in December of 2012, along with my two other Skyward Sword props.

We're not dead! Honest!

Hello out there! We've been bad. We haven't been updated out blog like good little prop builders. But alas, it's not for lack of want! We've been busy. Very busy. I suppose it's a good thing that we're too busy building stuff to write out some blog posts, it's just unfortunate that we don't have the time to keep this thing as up-to-date as we'd like. So for that, we humbly apologize.

But fear not! Dragon*Con 2012 is right around the corner. We have one major project that will be making an appearance at the convention, and possibly a few smaller ones, but otherwise it's been a quiet year as far as heavy costume builds go. We've got a few interesting prop builds down this year, though, and we'll definitely be making a few blog posts about that at some point in the near future, so stay tuned!

Little Sister Adam Syringe (Bioshock)

When I started work on subject Delta, I really wanted to have someone dress up as a Little Sister to go along with the suit, but I did not find anyone willing or able to take the role before the convention. However for an upcoming photo-shoot with Delta and the RCGB at the sloss furnace a friend of ours has volunteered to make the dress and be the Little Sister, so I finally have an excuse to build the Adam Syringe.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, the syringe is used by the little sisters to remove Adam enriched blood from the corpses in Rapture where the game is set. The girls plunge the needle into a body, and then drink the blood so the sea slug that has been implanted in them can process the Adam into a pure compound. It’s the Adam in the Little Sisters that cause splicers to want to kill them, hence why the Big Daddies were created to guard them. In Bioshock 2 (Delta’s game) this becomes an important game mechanic as you have to protect your little sister while she is gathering Adam.


Little Sister Gathering Adam

The syringe started off as an antique gas pump handle I found on eBay. Based on some research of similar models, I am fairly confident that this handle is somewhere between 60 and 80 years old. In case you really need to know, the handle moves, but it no longer functions as a water tight valve.


Old Gas Pump Handle, almost as old as my grandparents.

I apologize for the lack of development pictures as my camera broke and I am waiting for it to come back from the manufacturer. I will try to explain the process as best I can in case you are looking to make one too.

To prepare the handle for modification, I took it to the local car wash and pressure washed it to remove the several decades of grime that formed on it. After it was cleaned it was coated with primmer to prevent future corrosion.

The handle end that would have attached to a hose was plugged using a piece assembled from a ¾” pipe clamp and short nipple. Since the piece could not fully thread into the handle, a PVC sleeve was made to cover the exposed threaded area.


Base of the Syringe with Cap and Jar

After searching high and low for a suitable jar, I found one that worked at the local grocery store. It is a 3.5 floz container of Mario Imported Cocktail Onions. The label was removed with mineral spirits. Many people who have made syringes typically use Gatorade for the Adam inside. I opted not to use a liquid as I did not want to worry about leaks. Instead, the inside of the jar is painted with red spray tint and several pieces of red film were crumpled and put inside. The cap of the jar was modified to accept a fitting from Home Depot, with the other end going into a hole drilled into the gas handle. The handle, fitting, and lid were epoxied in place. A single super bright LED was wired through the fitting and connects to a 3VDC battery in the handle.

The needle started off as a 3/8” dowel. The taper was created by chucking the dowel into a hand drill and then spinning it while holding a piece of sandpaper around it, basically making the drill a lathe. The dowel was centered in the nozzle with ¼” balsa and capped with a washer.


Dowel and Washer

The entire assembly was painted with Krylon Hammer paints and then weathered with acrylics using the same method we used on Delta. Before people start to point this out, I am fully aware it is still missing the baby bottle top. This was left off due to weather and time constraints.


Fresh Paint




Final Product

Like I mentioned earlier, this was made for a photo shoot with Dim Horizon Studio this weekend with Subject Delta as well as the Rocket City Ghostbusters. We are looking forward to getting some awesome pictures and will be sure to post them once they are available.