Viva Las Segas

Comicpalooza / Galacticon

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:18:16 -0500

Headed to Comicpalooza and Galacticon this weekend in Houston, TX. Probably the farthest I’ve traveled to go to a convention.

Taking the armored vault suit and going to debut a few new props, and I’ll have a small crew of Fallout with me. Also gonna have my new BSG orange deck suit I recently got from Midwick Armory! Should be a good trip. Pics to come in a few days!

Received my Pipboy hand plate from Forge Props, got it painted,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:47:12 -0500

Received my Pipboy hand plate from Forge Props, got it painted, applied a better knob, and fixed it to a (new) glove. Gonna be wearing it this Saturday!

Found some old GI Joe Street Fighter 2 action figures at a yard...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:18 -0500

Found some old GI Joe Street Fighter 2 action figures at a yard sale recently.

Forgot how grumpy they made Guile look.

$600 Game Responses

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:21:02 -0500

Some interesting responses to how much you’d be willing to spend on a video game.

My take on paying a lot is along the same lines of neuroneptune’s in that roms of old games and re-releases keep me from paying too awful much for older games, although the collectible side of me does love having original physical copies. I’ve never played Earthbound, however it does intrigue me. I can’t see paying GameTrader’s $600 price tag, or the average price of around $200 on eBay for a cartridge only. Price is also expected to drop on cartridge editions soon when the game is released on the WiiU Virtual Console.

I also feel a lot the same as hobomechanist as I do seem to find myself putting a cap of about $150 for a prized game. I’ve done it about five times now, but mostly on collector’s editions (Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, etc.). Panzer Dragoon Saga for Sega Saturn is the only standard game that I have paid that much on, and I really hated doing it, but considering it sells typically for much higher I found it was a pretty good deal.

So what IS the most you’ve ever spent on a game? Collector’s editions, regular releases, vintage collectibles… whatever is the most you have spent on a game.

I ask this not with sarcasm, but as an honest question to...

Sat, 11 May 2013 18:24:41 -0500

I ask this not with sarcasm, but as an honest question to everyone:

Is there any game you would pay $600 to own?

Look what came in the mail last week! My Fallout arsenal of...

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:13:12 -0500

Look what came in the mail last week!

My Fallout arsenal of props continues to grow…

Playing the BSG board game. I always play as Baltar. Always.

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:55:00 -0500

Playing the BSG board game. I always play as Baltar. Always.

Hi, I'm not really that sure how to use Tumblr but I hope I'm doing this right. My name is Nick and i really enjoy your fallout cosplay pictures! For an upcoming convention in May in Chicago,I plan on dressing up as the vault dweller!But i have a problem, I still don't have a vault 101 jumpsuit! I was wondering, how did you make yours?I have been looking for a light blue jumpsuit for while and cant find one!Could you please tell me how you got the one you own? Thank you!

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:45:00 -0500

Thanks dude! Tumblr took me a while to figure out as well. It’s got a pretty terrible messaging system.

I actually found my coveralls on eBay by searching old used mechanics’ coveralls. I removed the name tag, popped and starched the collar, made them a bit dirtier with watered down acrylic paints and “character powder”, and took a sewing class to learn how to put the numbers on the back and the lines on the front (it’s just regular yellow cotton fabric that I cut out and hemmed). The numbers on the neck are currently cut from a sheet of yellow duct tape that I got at Michael’s Arts & Crafts. The armor was pieced together from various places, and it took me almost a year to find leather pieces I liked.

If you have any further questions please let me know. Thanks for asking!

Finally found time yesterday to take my Pip-Boy apart for pictures, and to fix the wiring issue I...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:15:27 -0500

Finally found time yesterday to take my Pip-Boy apart for pictures, and to fix the wiring issue I had. The battery terminals on those EL sheets really seem cheap, so I replaced mine with a better one I got from Radio Shack while I had it open. Happy that the tutorial is completed, and my PipBoy is fixed and better than ever. Hope you guys get use from the tutorial!

Fallout Pip-Boy Build Part 5: The Screen & Lights Click Here...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:10:00 -0500

Fallout Pip-Boy Build Part 5: The Screen & Lights

Click Here for Part 1

Click Here for Part 2

Click Here for Part 3

Click Here for Part 4

——-

Step 12: Cutting the Screen

This is the part that starts to get a little irritating, because there is a lot of trial and error. If you’ve got a good border dremeled inside the mold around the screen area, it’ll be a lot easier. I never tend to take out enough, just due to paranoia that I’m dremeling too far.

Next take your sheet of plexiglass and cut a piece roughly 3.5” wide x 2.75” tallwith rounded edges. Use the cutoff wheel and sanding drum to cut and sand the plexiglass.

There are many different ways to get it to fit well, but the ultimate goal is to get it where the edge of the plexiglass is not visible from the front of the Pip-Boy. I usually just keep sanding and fitting it into place until it snaps firmly into the front.

You can try to measure the interior, trace a piece of paper inside, just try to form a piece of stiff paper into the mold and try to cut the plexiglass from it, but remember that while it looks like it is an even border, it’s really pretty bumpy and uneven. As long as that plexiglass’ border isn’t visible though, that is all that matters (cosplaying is lots of smoke and mirrors… and duct tape, ya know?)

——-

Step 13: The layers of the screen

After the trial and error and the screen finally fits, take your colored gel and lay the plexiglass on top of it. With a sharp blade, cut the gel out around the plexiglass, but about an 1/8” or 1/4” border larger than the plexiglass (as there is a funnel-type effect toward the screen area of the Pip-boy). This will allow for the gel to fit tightly as the screen did. If you see you need to cut it down some more, do so.

Now, print off the screen print (if you use the one provided, don’t forget to change the name and any other elements you wish). You will need to print it in grayscale at about 60%-65% of the original size (I did a range to see what looked best). Check the various sizes with the gel and plexiglass overtop them. This will give you a good idea of what you will actually see when finished. Cut it out with the gel overtop it, in the same size/shape, but yet again leave a small border. If you think it looks too bright or too dark, just wait… it will look great with the light behind it!

——-

Step 14: Let there be light!

Next you’ll lay the other pieces on top of the electroluminescent sheet, and carefully cut the screen to be just slightly larger than the other pieces. It’s better to be too big than too small, as you want as much light from it as possible. MAKE SURE not to cut the area that has wiring in it on the EL sheet. There are instructions provided with the EL sheet on how to properly cut it and not cut the circuit. If not, just make sure to use the corner with the “patch” on it, and don’t cut that at all.

This side goes face down:

Be sure to clean the inside of the plexiglass, and remove all dust from in between each layer, and lay it all in place. You also might have to hold it up and look underneath to make sure everything is lined up. You can use a few pieces of clear tape to hold the printout and gel in place while you fit the EL sheet on top of them.

Just for some assurance that no light will be absorbed from behind, I take a small piece of aluminum foil and make a rectangle big enough to completely cover the el sheet and area around it. Just fold it neatly around the edges, shiny side facing the EL sheet, and lay it on top of it all.

Next is a fairly ugly part. I generally just use duct tape or any high-strength adhesive tape to hold the light sheet in place (seen is some hi-grade UL listed duct tape - probably overkill but I already had it laying around). It’s the simple, and looks a little ugly (but who else is gonna see it?). Just make sure to leave one set of black & red wires from one of the LEDs (if you are using the screen print provided, the far left LED would be accurate to the game).

——-

Step 15: Amateur engineering hour!

Now you should have the two LED wires sticking out, as well as the wires from the EL sheet. If you haven’t already, go ahead and plug the transformer pack wires into the wires for the EL sheet. This next part is where you will get to brag later about having “wired in the lights yourself”!

Mark the positive & negative wires on the set of wires running to the battery terminal from the transformer, in two places (just so you know what goes to what) with a gap in between. Snip the wires, and strip the ends carefully.

Next, cut two 1” sections of heat shrink, and slip one over each of the wires from the transformer. Now (with the wires side by side) twist in the positive (red) wire from the LED to the positive connected to the transformer.

Now take the positive and negative wires from the LED, and twist them into their respective other two wires. Make sure they are all together pretty well.

Now you should have two sets of three wires together with a piece of heat shrink slid over one wire from each set as shown. Squeeze two wires together and lay the twisted wires against the third wire, so you make a kind of straight line. You should be able to now slide the piece of heat shrink over the wires twisted together. Do so and grab your lighter.

Heat the heat shrink quickly with the lighter. Make sure you get the entire piece, but don’t overheat and don’t heat the wire outside of the heat-shrink, as you might melt the wire sheathing.

Repeat this same step with the other set of wires. You should be left with something like this.

——-

Step 16: Easy fix ups

Plug in the 9V battery and notice that as long as a battery is plugged in, the LED will stay lit.

If you wire the LED in on the other side of the transformer, to have the switch turn on and off the EL sheet and LED, the LED will suck all the power making the EL sheet not work, so the way it is currently wired is the only way (that I know) to make it all work properly. Just remember that switching off the EL sheet does NOT stop the battery from draining. Unplug the battery when it is not in use!

Note: A 9V battery typically has a life of about 6 hours in this application, so I usually bring an extra in one of the my handy leather pouches.

Flip the switch on the EL sheet transformer all the way over, and your Pip-Boy is almost ready. This is the part where you jump up and down and show any and everybody that you are amazing and can create and wire stuff!

But wait, that stuff is all floppin’ around in there! My solution is more 3M Dual Lock (which I noticed at Target this weekend is now just called “3M Heavy Duty Fasteners”, but the back adhesive part still reads “Dual Lock”). Put some on the transformer, and some on the inside duct tape, as well as some on the battery and some more on the inside duct tape for it to stick to. Find a good spot out of the way to place both, and snap them in!

NOW IS THE TIME!! VICTORY! You are ready to safely roam the wastes.

Now, every time someone goes “OMG IS THAT A PIPBOY!?” and you reply “Yes, sir or madam, it certainly is!” you will feel like a true champion of the wastes.

But really, I hope this has helped in your Fallout costuming endeavors. I’ve done it for no other reason but to help!

If you notice something that seems to need some correction or clarification, please don’t hesitate to message and let me know!

Found this stuffed DK bean bag at a local comic shop for just a...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:38:00 -0500

Found this stuffed DK bean bag at a local comic shop for just a few bucks. Over 30 years old, and is in great condition!

Your collection is superb :)

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:51:20 -0500

Thanks! I see you have a Double Dragon 2 complete in the box… very nice. That’s one series I want to have everything CIB.

Sonic Jam acquired! Only 11 more US titles to have them all.

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:29:05 -0500

Sonic Jam acquired!
Only 11 more US titles to have them all.

I was sent a link to a really creative Kickstarter project...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:00:33 -0500

I was sent a link to a really creative Kickstarter project yesterday that I backed immediately.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/164500077/et-the-extra-terrestrial-30th-anniversary-poster?ref=live

I see a lot of retro game artwork for modern games lately, but here is a new take on parody game artwork - aging retro game artwork. And what better game to start with than the “worst game of all time” - E.T. for the Atari 2600. If this takes off, we could see a lot more games “roasted” from them! Back them if you can, it only takes a dollar!

A good find for only $3! It’s complete and in great...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:14:25 -0500

A good find for only $3! It’s complete and in great condition!

My friend Adam made these sprites for me as a birthday...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:40:44 -0500

My friend Adam made these sprites for me as a birthday present!
Double Dragon is by far my favorite 8-bit series, and after explaining how to make them, I think I’m going to get into a new hobby.

Finally convertible weather in Tennessee. Good weather to sport...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:15:41 -0500

Finally convertible weather in Tennessee. Good weather to sport my new Aperture jacket as well.

I’ve been a bad blogger lately. Blame Skyrim and Bioshock Infinite! I do plan on taking the...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:51:22 -0500

I’ve been a bad blogger lately. Blame Skyrim and Bioshock Infinite!

I do plan on taking the pictures for the final part of the Pipboy tutorial (it’s already written and everything!), so that should show up sometime around Sunday/Monday.

I’ve gotten lots of feedback from people stating that they are waiting on their molds to come in at the moment. If you come to a part that isn’t understood easily, please don’t hesitate to message me, I am more than willing to help and clear up the tutorial if needed.

Middle TN Anime Convention summed up

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:47:36 -0500

Sorry if I didn’t speak to you at MTAC, I was trying to not wear my glasses as Desmond, and in turn probably looked right over a lot of folks I knew without speaking. That’s right, I’m too cheap/lazy/weird about touching my eyes to get contacts.

I’ll say I probably won’t go to MTAC again. I was hesitant to go this year, and I’m not into any anime, My Little Pony, nor Homestuck. Not to offend anyone that is under 18 or into any of those things, but there were a lot of very annoying pre-teens asking for hugs and randomly getting half-naked for no reason. I’m all about a crazy con party, but feel a bit weird about kids getting naked and asking to touch me and be touched.

Also, the folks that run MTAC and GMX should not be afraid to make signs and maps (instead they prefer chaos and yelling at guests).

I still had a good time since I had lots of friends I met up with there, but not enough to spend the money and take the time to fight downtown traffic next year. Oh and rain during a con sucks too. /rant

Photo

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:38:47 -0500