The discussion of the Alien series of films and the props used in them is the aim, but if it's got Big Bugs and Big Guns, then they are welcome too!





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PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:17 pm 
Emperor Ma'Dupe
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I just stumbled onto this and damn, if you can make a trash can look that good the first time out your fabrication future is gonna be bright son.

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:25 pm 
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Location: Bath, Maine
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Thanks Chris! I'd been wanting a set for twenty years, so you can imagine how satisfying it was to finally see it realized.

Time for some upgrades! Bigbisont made me some much improved shoulder tabs, and Noble sold me an MAA fiberglass ab plate and crotch plate. I thought I'd take a minute to document my own approach to painting and weathering this stuff. I'm going to be using the same process I used on the rest of the armour so that it will all match. I don't claim screen accuracy either with my camo pattern or my paint choices, but I do feel the end result is in keeping with what we see in the film.

I always start with a coat of olive drab. The MAA pieces arrive painted silver, so they have that as an undercoat. I then cut out squiggly shapes from contact paper to mask the OD.

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I then hit it with tan spray paint:

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The rest of my paints will be applied by hand, but this gives me an overall idea of how it will look.

There's a funny egg shaped mark on the crotch plate that I think might need some graffiti on it! Hmmm...

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:31 pm 
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I'm also converting Spat's binoculars to actually be functional (to a point):

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By using the lenses from this cheap children's pair of binoculars:

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I painted it just to see how it will look, but I really need to go back and sand quite a bit. I drilled out the lenses but they need to be filed as well. I would love to add a motor to make the lenses move like Apone's did, but that's a much more complex build.

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 Post subject: Re: My homemade armour
PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:42 pm 
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> I would love to add a motor to make the lenses move like Apone's did, but that's a much more complex build.

In the movie this was done manual. The IR Sight used also didn't have a motor.

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 12:58 pm 
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Screw that plastic kiddie binocular crap, these opera glasses are an exact match!

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Popped the lense housing out, trimmed a little off the metal and they snapped right in:

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The other side will take a bit more drilling in the resin to fit, but will match up without too much effort.

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:01 pm 
THAT guy
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retrogarde wrote:
Screw that plastic kiddie binocular crap, these opera glasses are an exact match!


Holy cow! Where do you FIND these things?!


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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:52 pm 
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I've had those opera glasses for probably thirty years. I used to play Colonial Marine with them back when I was a kid (because the way they snapped open felt "futuristic" to me), so it feels great to be putting them in this prop. Damn I wish I had a photo of myself running around with opera glasses, a Laser Tag rifle, my dad's Army fatigues and an M1 helmet with an old mud flap wired on the back running around shooting "bugs" back in '90 or '91. 8)

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:31 pm 
Built for comfort not speed
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damn man looking good I love following your threads :D

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 3:17 pm 
Thats a cool mod Retro.


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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:28 pm 
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I removed the smaller eye pieces from the frame, so now they are read to go. I just need to drill out the resin eye pieces so that the new ones slip right in.

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After I have a good test fit I will paint the resin eye pieces black before gluing the new bits in place. There's still a bit of sanding to do, and I need to attach clips for a strap, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this one.

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 6:43 pm 
How long do you figure the binos took to modify?

Oh and I found some of those vintage pop up binos on ebay...


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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 7:20 pm 
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I drilled out the eye holes, say ~5 min each on those, then I broke open the opera glasses and cut the pieces to fit, maybe ~20 more for that (with hacksaw time). Now I have to re-drill the smaller holes, but if I'd planned this all along I wouldn't need to. So this can easily be done in an hour.

What remains to be seen is if the binoculars will actually work. They can't be adjusted, so they won't be particularly useful regardless, and that was never the point of the prop anyway. I just didn't want a big hunk of resin dangling around me neck. That's what my Pulse Rifle is for!

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PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:51 pm 
That's pretty good for an hour of work. Be sweet if they are functional!!!


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PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 3:54 pm 
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Painting is only halfway done, but I wanted to show how they fit:

Attachment:
peepers.jpg
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Best of all, they work! Sure, the subject needs to be exactly 11.5 inches in front of the binoculars to be in focus, but my McFarlane Queen looks life-sized through these puppies!

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 12:31 pm 
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(Please overlook the rough sanding and unfinished paint job in these photos)

So I was trying to figure out how to attach a strap to the binoculars. I was having trouble matching the original metal clips so I came up with this approach:

First I used a small drill bit to drill through the space in the resin clip:

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drilled.jpg
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I then threaded my strap through the hole:

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filled.jpg
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Finally I tied a knot on the inside:

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tied.jpg
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Now I'll just pull it tight and tape it down in the inside wall with some duct tape. This is by far the sturdiest method as it doesn't involve any screws or rivets that might weaken over time.

Attachment:
threaded.jpg
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I need to give it a final coat of OD, some light weathering, and then glue the two pieces together. I may add a few water slide decals (as I did with my belt tool) just to dress it up a little. It's going to be front and center on my costume so it might as well be detailed!

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 12:48 pm 
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Location: Lancashire (Wirral born)
Service Number: A04/TQ1.0.32156E1
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Are you making the lens cover for it bud?

Excellent work, keep it up :)

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 1:08 pm 
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Location: Bath, Maine
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Simon: do you have a photo reference? I'd forgotten about that!

EDIT: found this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artandrews/5509157281/

I'll see what I can do!

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 1:17 pm 
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Get on it marine! ;)

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 2:25 pm 
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Attachment:
coveroption.jpg
coveroption.jpg [ 372.01 KiB | Viewed 7956 times ]


Here's my first thought. It's a good fit and I'll be able to get a second one by the end of the day (my building has a lot of bottled water), but it will need some modification as there's a spout underneath the sticker. If I go this route I'll probably use some spray rubber to match the look.

I'm also wondering about cheap plastic bottles (like for condiments) as they may require less work to modify. I want to stick with flexible plastic/rubber if I can as that seems to be what the original was made from.

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 2:38 pm 
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Outstanding work as always. Love the details!

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PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2013 7:32 pm 
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Attachment:
two-up.jpg
two-up.jpg [ 286.67 KiB | Viewed 7940 times ]


With just minutes to spare I found a second cover! We'll see what I can make of this over the weekend...

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PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2013 12:44 pm 
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God I love threads like this. So full of ideas and ingenuity.

Awesome. :D


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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 1:13 pm 
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My finished BiMex M3 Day/Night binoculars:

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There're some rough patches on the back and bottom from the molding process that I didn't entirely remove, but there comes a point with resin where I just don't feel like sanding or puttying anymore. Call me lazy!

I put rubber washers in the "feet" on the bottom to keep them from rubbing on my armour, and swapped out the large black knob on the bottom for a piece from a helicopter kit just for my own aesthetics. I'll glue a strip of rubber to that as well so that it doesn't scratch my paint job.

I'm still playing with the lens cover, so this build isn't 100% complete.

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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 2:38 pm 
MODEL 120-A2
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Looks great man. I like the label plate (go figure). Anyway we could get a close up of that?

Charlie

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 Post subject: Re: My homemade armour (Spat binocular conversion on page 4)
PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 3:47 pm 
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I think Spat has a picture of it on his website!

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