Solvash Props

Hey there! This is a blog in which I'll post work-in-progress pics of my own projects, whether it's accessories or props or whatever I decide to make. Although I'll focus on my props. Hahaha... I'll also be frequently featuring other props, prop artists, or advice other cosplayers choose to submit. I want you all to feel free to submit links to props or even entire cosplays you feel should be featured here. (Although, if you choose to submit entire cosplays, I'd prefer if they have a quality prop. ;) ) Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have on how to make your own props. My knowledge may be limited compared to other more experienced prop-makers, but I'll always answer a question to the best of my ability and will at the very least re-direct you to someone else who can.

[p-a-l-k-i-a]

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eternalmidnightangel:

TRON Legacy skateboard

Wow. Not a lot of info, but still very cool. O - O

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Another professional prop maker that I greatly admire would be Harrison Krix of Volpin Props. He makes beautiful props and is top-quality. Here is one of the Daft Punk Helmets that he has been working on for at least a year now. It was recently finished. Here, he's uploaded a video showing the entire process of how he made it. Enjoy! =)

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It's been a slow couple of weeks in the world of props...At least on DeviantArt. So, I thought to go ahead and post something I've been working on. =) It's Raven's default knife - the Battle Knife - from the game Tales of Vesperia. It's not quite done yet, perhaps 50%. There's still quite a LOT of detail to add. Hahahaha... But I'm very satisfied as to how the blade fits into the sheath. =) (Note: I thought I should make it clear that the brown/red stuff is NOT blood. It's bondo glazing putty that I use to smooth out the wood's surface. =P)

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This is the Death Penalty; Vincent Valentine's weapon while in Chaos form in the FFVII spin-off Dirge of Cerberus. Made by Alsquall on Deviantart. Man, let me just say, this is an AMAZING piece of work. It completely blows anything I've down out of the water. Alsquall is known for his incredibly detailed and smooth pieces, but he's outdone himself with this one. Can you believe this is 100% wood? I'll just let you all see this astounding prop for yourselves.

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I'm surprised at myself that I didn't think to post this earlier! This is a great resource for Bleach cosplayers planning to make a zanpakuto. These are a series of tsuba blueprints drawn by Chioky from Deviantart, who, nearly singlehandedly, kickstarted the community of prop makers, especially sword makers.

He has nearly every hand guard shown in the series from major characters to very minor characters. He also has a series of tsubas and handguards from other manga series in general as well which are also worth checking out.

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One of my favorite "professional" (by which I mean, someone who makes props on a regular basis for clients) prop makers/artisan/creator and one that I will probably link back to FREQUENTLY. Hahaha... In this, he made the Fallout Laser Pistol! Just by going through this particular post on his blog, you can see just how much effort and time he puts into this and ANY project. (Click "here" for a link to this particular blog post.) I highly recommend for any aspiring prop maker to go through his blog and pick up a few tricks. There are a few techniques that some might not think of that he uses frequently. (Using styrene plastic to name one...)

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Hands down, the best, functioning First Tsurugi I have ever seen. Looks great, comes together and comes apart seamlessly, this is quite nearly flawless.

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Nope, this isn't a 3D render of Wheatley. This is a real physical puppet of him. It can move, blink, glow, and it has a speaker with buttons that play Wheatley quotes. An amazing prop from a dedicated cosplayer. There's a link on the actual deviation page to a video on youtube demonstrating how it works, but I'll link it here for lazy people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzG94ct2d5k

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Ao no Exorcist - Koumaken: Kurikara

The sword Kurikara from the anime/manga series Ao no Exorcist. This was a rush commission for a friend of a friend for their Rin Okumura cosplay. I was also supposed to make Renzo Shima's staff as well, but...THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COMMISSION TWO THING TWO WEEKS BEFORE A CON. :L This was actually supposed to have a sheath as well, but again...time constraints.

Close up of the handle. I was extremely pleased at how the paint-job on this came out. Very clean, very smooth. Also, I was proud of how the tsuka-maki wrapping came out as well, that end knot is one of my best. C:

All of my katana's can disassemble. For authenticity and in case any piece should break, I can just replace that part instead of remaking the entire thing. The Kurikara was made mainly of poplar wood for the blade, hilt, hand guard, and habaki. Styrene plastic was heat-formed around the hilt to make the fuchi, just a technique I wanted to try out. And bias tap was used for the handle wrapping and the tassel. A store bought bead was used in the tassel as well. All painted with acrylic paints with a clear coat on top.

Signing out,

     Solvash

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A couple shots of the Oathkeeper I'm making as a commission for a friend. I'm quite a bit farther along than this, but I haven't taken photos yet. XD

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FiberglassBlades Master Sword

A replica of the Master Sword a la Twilight Princess made by the very professional creator from Fiberglassblades.com. This must be one of the absolute best Master Swords I have ever seen. My only beef with this replica would be that the wrap on the handle was the wrong color. Ah, well. Go ahead and click the picture for a link.

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Rurouni Kenshin - Sakabato

Here's a set of pics of one of my completed props. The Sakabato from Rurouni Kenshin. It's made entirely of aspen wood of various thicknesses, along with some bias tape for the handle wrapping, textured paper for the handle, and some thread for the sageo knot of the sheath.

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Painting Tutorial

A great tutorial for painting, not just for spray paints either! Although beware, it's not for a quick fix. This technique requires lot of time.

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Master Sword WIP 1

Here's a current project just for me, not for a commission or anything. It's the Master Sword! I finished playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D not too long ago and decided to make this. Although this isn't the Ocarina of Time version...Sort of my own amalgam version. It'll mostly be based on the Twilight Princess version, but will be blue and the handle is slightly longer.

So far, it's made nearly entirely of aspen wood which I bought from Lowes. It was shaped by using a dremel. The Triforce emblem on the blade is styrene plastic. Here's a close up of the handle:

That's all for now. Signing out,      Solvash