Brown & Decker Like Black & Decker, only not.

Hey guys.

So it's been a while since we updated the page, and for good reason. Last we spoke, we talked about the helmet and molding. Well it turns out that didn't work out. We didn't have enough molding supplies (namely latex) to totally cover the project, but we thought we'd push it. So by pushing it, we're back at square one.

On an unrelated note, Inception is an incredible movie.

Now to make that unrelated note, related, after I watched Inception I had this incredibly lucid dream in which we went to Dragon*Con and everybody was impressed with our Ghostbusters costumes. Ghostbusters. An idea that has been tossed around by Jimmy and I, but never followed through. It was time to begin.



Ghostbusters is a cult hit with an all star cast. Our plan was to attempt to be as cool.

The outfits are incredibly detailed, and made from a lot of parts that were ok in the 80's but not available now. I like a challenge.

Our plans were to have two full costumes, goggles, proton packs, a trap, and a PKE meter.

First we started with the Ecto goggles (I have to type kind of quick because I only have a few minutes before work. The goggles let the 'Busters see invisible clues.

Ours were built off a modified pair of welding goggles. Modified for your enjoyment by Brown and Decker.







Next we started on the pack. Here's a picture of what we're aiming for.



and here's us.











It doesn't look like much yet, but the motherboard is made out of Masonite (the stuff clipboards are made out of) and the parts are insulation foam, meticulously cut by hand. The next step is Gesso (for great justice) and mounting.

Also, last thing before I go, we got the tickets for the paranormal investigations class at the *Con. We were the last few slots. AND, we did make it to the Army surplus store for supplies. A final picture then I really have to go (I'm going to be late).



Brown & Decker industries would like to take this time to remind you that bustin' makes us feel good.

Andy

Alright, it's been a while since our last update. Vacation's over now, so it's time to jump back to work. Having only two months until Dragon*Con, Andy and I are working diligently on completing our Daft Punk costumes.That is a small Brush-On Molding Kit and ApoxieSculpt. Not shown in this picture are several cans of rigid expanding foam. The plan is to make a mold of a helmet, fill it with expanding foam, then shave away until we get the shape that we want. Once there, we coat it with the ApoxieSculpt to give it a hard shell which can be bondo'd and sanded.

Hey guys,

So day two has come and gone, and I can honestly say it was pretty successful. All that was done today was some more basic shaping and carving of the Soul Edge. Now, I was a little nervous about this project when I started. Jimmy and I had never worked with expanding foam in shaping, just for...you know, what it's supposed to do. Well, let me tell you this much, it saves a ton of time. I'm not how I would've done this project any other way.

If you're just tuning in, last I wrote about how Jimmy is up visiting his friends in the north, and I'm working solo for the next month. My two main projects are the F.L.U.D.D. from Mario Sunshine and the Soul Edge from the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur series (if you're a fan of the series, it's modeled after Soul Calibur 2's Soul Edge. I chose this one because I felt it was instantly recognizable.

)

So anyway, the course of action was to build the skeleton, cover it in foam, and carve it down to size. Here's where we stand today. I have one side almost completely finished, where as the other side...hit a little snag. Seems like there was a little pocket of air that got sealed in the center of one of the sides, leaving not only a huge cave of unset foam, but also a major structural weak point. So consider it halfway done on carving. The next step is to fill the hole and keep on keepin on. Only thing is I'm running out of daylight and it's hot outside. Saving it all for tomorrow.

Oh, almost forgot, here's some pictures.



Now, the idea was to keep it as true to the game as possible. Only issue with that is the one in the game is modeled to be around 8 to 10 feet tall. When you live in a small apartment, it's hard to get a prop like that around. What's even worse is if you have a workshop in the next town over, you have to pack that thing in your car, and if you're like me and drive a small car, a big prop doesn't exactly fit in. Anyway, long story short, here's a picture with me next to it to give you an idea of how tall it is. I give it around six feet.



Andy

Hey guys,

Jimmy's going to be up in Michigan until almost the end of June, so it'll be just me for a while.

So, since it's just me, I started working on some projects I've been holding out on. The first is the F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine.



Cool little backpack styled device used for just the one Mario game. One of my favorites.

I've wanted to make this build for some time, but never really gave it much thought until I saw these guys do it, and it inspired me. It's going a little slow because I'm working on my own, but here's about a day's worth of work.



Haven't been keeping up with the developmental pictures as much as I should, but as of today, I have the head completely finished and painted, and the skeleton and body ready. Just a little bit more on that.

The other project I'm starting is the Soul Edge from the Soul Calibur series. Very cool game and my favorite fighting series. The Soul Edge is a blade that houses the soul of Inferno, a being of pure evil. DUN DUN DUUUUN.



It's a big prop. And by big I mean ten-feet-long big. For real.

The idea was adapted from a method used by Kamui Cosplay, who is an INCREDIBLE costumer, but that's for later.

So the plan is to build the skeleton of the sword by drawing out the general shape on thick foam board and piling on a TON of expanding foam.



After a couple hours (and a couple cans of foam) it starts to take shape.





The next step is the start carving it in to shape, but that's for another day. More updates will follow.

Andy

Hey all.

Man, what a long night. We spent quite some time making some more Arc Reactors. My fingers are all cut up. We made about seven, and if anyone's interested, we'll do a deal before the premier. Out of the seven, a few are already claimed.

1.) Jacqueline (Marvel Girl)
2.) Ben
3.) Graham
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)

Anyway, here's some more pictures.









Andy

Alright, guys. This one took a lot of planning and hard work, but we were able to complete three arc reactors (not quite wearable, yet) in just over four hours.