Star Wars: Return of the Cosplay
For whatever reason, I've had a bit of an itch to get back into working on a cosplay project. Since my Mandalorian outfit was sort of rushed at the end, I've turned my attention back to it. There are certainly some things I want to improve - proper gauntlets and the like. I've started purchasing a few things there and there to work with, though haven't hunkered down to do the work as yet. And this got me thinking again about a weapon. And from there, I've a bunch of little thoughts...
When I started on this last year, I picked up a Nerf Alphastrike because I really liked the basic look, feel, and size of it. The more I looked at it, though, the less I felt it viable for Star Wars. As much as I like the shape, it's really more suitable to Mass Effect or some other "sleeker" sci-fi setting. Star Wars has an older "future" aesthetic and a lot of the canon weapons are pieced together out of WWII firearms and the like. So I ended up backing off that idea and repainting a cheap Jango Fett blaster as a side arm.
I still wanted something heavier, though, so I started looking again. I also did a little research on LED lighting and sound - pretty cool to have as options, but maybe a little much at this stage. And I looked back at the Nerf lines, as they have a variety of licensed Star Wars weapons. A benefit right away is that several (if not all) have their own blaster sounds built in. So after some consideration, I picked up a Captain Phasma blaster with the intent to modify it as well as repainting and such.
The blaster itself seems like a good starting point. The lights are neat, though probably not really relevant. The sound is pretty good, though somewhat drowned out by the firing mechanism (though pulling the trigger when it's not cocked makes the sound and light effects alone). The cocking lever is... deeply flawed in that it uses a plastic piece that feels like it could break every time it's pulled back. The thing uses glow-in-the-dark darts with a pair of LEDs that charge them in the translucent chamber when cocked. that's a neat idea, though as a prop, I'm actually not that interested in the firing mechanisms and intend to remove all that. I want the sound, maybe the light, but I'd rather have it look like a "real" blaster than be able to shoot Nerf darts.
Of course, by realism in such things, we more precisely mean things like believability and internal consistency. This gets me looking at details, though, that have me questioning things about Star Wars design and seeing things I can't unsee. Sights are common on Star Wars weapons (even pistols), but I can only really think of one scene where anyone actually uses one. The sight on this blaster is... pretty far back. That, coupled with a relatively short stock means actually shouldering and sighting with the thing requires an awkward position that makes me feel like I'm curling into a ball around it. So right off, I want to do something with both the stock and the sight. That also gets me looking at the design of Phasma's blaster (even in the movie) and noticing they put a butt stock on a design that already had a folding stock (even though I don't recall ever having seen a stormtrooper use it extended), which feels silly.
Still, whatever - I want a longer stock to put more distance between shoulder and handle. I want to change up the sight configuration in some way. I'm also thinking of extending the barrel some. The dart chamber gets to be removed/covered. All the branding and warning text needs to be covered or sanded off. Clearly, there will be repainting involved.
I'm not sure about screws, though. The Mandalorian Mercs guidelines, which I've been using loosely as directives in this costume design, specify filling in screw holes. Doing that, however, means (at least partial) painting after assembly rather than in pieces (which otherwise seems a better option). It also sort of blocks off the ability to open it up and change things later. I feel a bit conflicted on that one, but I suppose I have time to decide yet.
This should give me something to tinker with starting this weekend, at least.
When I started on this last year, I picked up a Nerf Alphastrike because I really liked the basic look, feel, and size of it. The more I looked at it, though, the less I felt it viable for Star Wars. As much as I like the shape, it's really more suitable to Mass Effect or some other "sleeker" sci-fi setting. Star Wars has an older "future" aesthetic and a lot of the canon weapons are pieced together out of WWII firearms and the like. So I ended up backing off that idea and repainting a cheap Jango Fett blaster as a side arm.
I still wanted something heavier, though, so I started looking again. I also did a little research on LED lighting and sound - pretty cool to have as options, but maybe a little much at this stage. And I looked back at the Nerf lines, as they have a variety of licensed Star Wars weapons. A benefit right away is that several (if not all) have their own blaster sounds built in. So after some consideration, I picked up a Captain Phasma blaster with the intent to modify it as well as repainting and such.
The blaster itself seems like a good starting point. The lights are neat, though probably not really relevant. The sound is pretty good, though somewhat drowned out by the firing mechanism (though pulling the trigger when it's not cocked makes the sound and light effects alone). The cocking lever is... deeply flawed in that it uses a plastic piece that feels like it could break every time it's pulled back. The thing uses glow-in-the-dark darts with a pair of LEDs that charge them in the translucent chamber when cocked. that's a neat idea, though as a prop, I'm actually not that interested in the firing mechanisms and intend to remove all that. I want the sound, maybe the light, but I'd rather have it look like a "real" blaster than be able to shoot Nerf darts.
Of course, by realism in such things, we more precisely mean things like believability and internal consistency. This gets me looking at details, though, that have me questioning things about Star Wars design and seeing things I can't unsee. Sights are common on Star Wars weapons (even pistols), but I can only really think of one scene where anyone actually uses one. The sight on this blaster is... pretty far back. That, coupled with a relatively short stock means actually shouldering and sighting with the thing requires an awkward position that makes me feel like I'm curling into a ball around it. So right off, I want to do something with both the stock and the sight. That also gets me looking at the design of Phasma's blaster (even in the movie) and noticing they put a butt stock on a design that already had a folding stock (even though I don't recall ever having seen a stormtrooper use it extended), which feels silly.
Still, whatever - I want a longer stock to put more distance between shoulder and handle. I want to change up the sight configuration in some way. I'm also thinking of extending the barrel some. The dart chamber gets to be removed/covered. All the branding and warning text needs to be covered or sanded off. Clearly, there will be repainting involved.
I'm not sure about screws, though. The Mandalorian Mercs guidelines, which I've been using loosely as directives in this costume design, specify filling in screw holes. Doing that, however, means (at least partial) painting after assembly rather than in pieces (which otherwise seems a better option). It also sort of blocks off the ability to open it up and change things later. I feel a bit conflicted on that one, but I suppose I have time to decide yet.
This should give me something to tinker with starting this weekend, at least.
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