Archives February 2016

I probably implied I was then going back to work on the 22″ Round 2 Space 1999 Eagle Transporter I’ve been tweeting about, but… I couldn’t resist. I really do lament not having a Samaritan (aka Good Samaritan) in my collection and constantly kick myself for not having bought one of the Sideshow Collectibles replicas back when they came out. So I downloaded one of the better 3D models out there (thanks danonator and JerseyBeast) and, after tweaking the top strap/breach (I know, it’s a revolver, but it has a breach in the top strap) and some scaling I started printing it to put together later.

And then I couldn’t help myself. The print came out so nice. And my re-modeled breach made me happy and… This happened over the course of yesterday and today
(Update: The stand in the first pic is a new addition. I designed and printed the 2 arms, nameplate, and ammo holder, then painted them to look like old cast bronze. I stained and weathered the wooden box, printed the BPRD logo from the original hilt again and put that all together. I also printed some of d3delta3d’s ammo.)

I sanded the print, but I didn’t really go out of my way to hide that it’s 3D-printed. That’s probably most evident on the cylinder and grip. But I did sand, rub down with acetone and then paint the parts with a hammered metal spray. That was topped with some flat clear coat. Then I weathered it with silver (plus rub down with my filthy paint-covered fingers).

The hammer and trigger were painted with metallic shimmer and then dusted with flat black. The pin and one of the screws were done in copper and then smudged to flatten.

The grip is acrylic paint starting with a dark brown, some watered-down tan on top of that, then black wipes with a brush and later a wide-cell sponge to create the grain. Several coats of clear gloss and it was a fair approximation of the real thing (although the grip isn’t on-model at the crown, but it’s close enough). I added the BPRD medallion, which was painted silver, then weathered with black acrylic and wiped down to a dull iron look.

The ring in the butt (stop laughing) is a piece of jewelry, a captive bead ring, dulled and squeezed into a circle. Then I tied a piece of leather cord to it (after dipping into some coffee to stain it – yes, I was drinking coffee at 10pm, because I’m an adult and I can do what I want.)

And there you have it. A ‘pretty close’ replica of Hellboy’s [Good] Samaritan. I feel better now. Well, I will be after I print some shells for it and a stand. Then, I swear I’ll get back to the Eagle!

But first… maybe I’ll fix the scale and print another that I can make more accurate. For later, I mean. Really!

This was a weekend build (but more like two evenings) of a prototype for an idea I had earlier in the week; A box for Cthulhu cultists to hold sacred artifacts.  I’m happy with how it turned out, however I think the next version will be a pocket box which pulls out of the top of the standing outer box. I’ll probably add a handle to the top of this one as, after looking at the pics, it seems appropriate (and what gave me the idea to make it a pocket box next time.)

This is made using an off-the-shelf wooden craft store box with the catch removed. It’s covered in a synthetic hide which I bought off Amazon a while ago. The legs, corners, domed tacks and fake lock mechanism are scrap-booking ornaments bought at Michaels (mostly Jim Holtz brand). They’re sprayed with Dark Bronze hammered-finish paint (except the lock which I decided I’d paint as thought it were iron and rusty) and them weathered with Testor’s gold, Alclad ‘Burnt Iron’, and dulling spray. The interior has a felt bottom and Damask wallpaper in the upper lid. The wood is darkened and aged with a combination of brown acrylic paint and an india ink wash. Spritzes of flat black paint and dulling sprays over everything knock down any remaining shine. A smudged bloody thumb print also seemed appropriate. :)

The Cthulhu sigil is 3D-printed using a model from Thingiverse designed by Al Billings. It was sanded, painted with black hammered-finish spray, then weathered with Testor’s gold, a gold paint pen, a green-gold paint pen and india ink wash. The sigil and corners were bonded to the case using super glue,  accelerator and some Gorilla Glue for good measure. The legs were glued the same way, but also have small screws in the bottom for rigidity.

As its a prototype, I haven’t decided if I’ll keep it. Any cultists looking for somewhere to store a dried heart or tentacle, feel free to make an offer.