Hi guys and girls from Soda Can in NZ

[Soda Can]

Hey Guys,
I'm Soda Can (Craig) from New Zealand,. I am just starting out really with this.
I have been bitten by the costume build bug for a few years now and have worked on a couple of costumes from the Star Wars franchise.
I have an AT AT costume that I have worked on for about three years or so and I have within the last year got a bank loan out for $3500.00 to complete my Darth Vader costume.
By the way I didn't tell my wife about the loan until she found out about it, the insurance papers came through the post from the bank , oh well, never mind. That's the next two years worth of pocket money down the tubes
I have always had a love of Battlestar Galactica and really want to build a cylon.
As my user name suggests, I would like to have a go at casting a costume out of Aluminium, this will of course take time.
As a part of my Darth Vader purchase I bought from ebay a helmet kit, an electronic eye from Jupiter electronics and I have a CD with the warble sounds and phrases.
Unfortunately as a country we don't have the chroming facilities here which is why I thought about casting in Alu.
In the mean time while I pile away at my loan I'll be stock piling soda cans and other aluminium off cuts from solar power installs.
I look forward to talking with you guys and hopefully completing a cylon costume in due time.
Also I like the idea of the free Cylon build thread to help get people started, When I get my work shop set up I'll have to look at maybe seeing if I can contribute here also.
Well I do have lots to talk about, but we'll leave that for the threads and also PMs.
Thanks again guys for this opportunity and we'll catch up down the track.
Oh and Kia ora bro.

[Cylon-Knight]

Welcome Craig, glad to have you join.
Wow, your Star Wars stuff sounds great - do you have some pics you would share? We're not "ONLY" Cylons here - anything cool goes. Post up and share as much as you want.

Can't wait to see you start on a metal skin costume. VERY interesting idea. Post often and enjoy the site!

[Soda Can]

Hi Cylon knight, Thank you, I'll try my best with posting photos etc and with what I am hoping to complete with my Cylon build.
Here is a photo of me with Chris Judge at last years Armageddon expo in Wellington.
The blaster that Chris is holding was made for me by a friend in Petone who makes steam punk weapons out of brass.
I also have an Anakin light saber in brass which I am currently working on with electronics etc etc.

[Cylon-Knight]

Love the pic!
The blaster is very cool. Wonderful work - our members here will love to see that. Brass - WOW. Thanks for sharing it

Nice signature too

[Soda Can]

Love the pic!
The blaster is very cool. Wonderful work - our members here will love to see that. Brass - WOW. Thanks for sharing it

Nice signature too

Thank you for the nice comments, The signature is part of what I call the New Zealand type give anything a go, if it fails then you move on to the next thing and keep trying.
You can only succeed with your imagination, and if you do then it's all good.
My signature on the Star wars New Zealand website is, Armageddon and doomsday got together and had a baby and man is it ugly. Quote from one of my favorite kiddie movies Wreck it Ralph, my young daughters favorite.
The blaster was made by a mate in lower hutt, petone, he calls his business Brasstech, weapons of brass destruction, I thought this photo was going to be a good plug for his business seeing as though he has just started out on his own.
A friend of mine up the road used to be a stunt man with Weta workshops in Wellington but was hit badly with a skin disorder and had to give it up, he has now set up his own business making costumes out of foam matting and has work for the next three years doing Iron man, batman, C3po, cyberman costumes etc etc.
I am going to help him out with the led lighting when he needs it for the iron man especially and c3po.
I should tell him to work on Cylons, he has a way of covering the foam in plastic and making them more durable than ABS for trooping in.
Also he is a member of the 501st here in NZ, a really good stand up guy.
Thank you once again and I'll keep surfing the forum and trying to contribute where possible.
I'll start a new thread once I have shifted which funnily enough will be on Independence day, so soon after that.

[GoldCylon]

Welcome on board, and a cool backstory of Soda Can

[Soda Can]

Welcome on board, and a cool backstory of Soda Can

Thank you for that GoldCylon, I have been looking through some of the previous builds especially the blaster rifle, that Looks fantastic, pity it's not being made anymore.
The other problem for me in NZ is customs seize any form of weaponry that looks out of the ordinary and destroy it, case for one of our Star Wars collectors here, he had a set of Jango Fett pistols taken and destroyed by our beloved customs services because they looked out of the ordinary.

[GoldCylon]

Would a unbuilt vac-u-form kit get those sneaky eyes?

[Soda Can]

Would a unbuilt vac-u-form kit get those sneaky eyes?

If it didn't resemble anything that could look dangerous It will pass, my unpainted unassembled doopy doos stormtrooper blaster made it through.

[OMEGA3]

WELCOME --- I am happy to see more people are joining at this wonderful website.
I took my time and read some post before I decided to join too.
I cheated of course... on my Cylon costume and order it from Kropserkel.
I did check them out very carefully and I got most of the info from this website.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

[Soda Can]

Hi Omega3, Thank you for the posting, the photos look great. Did you get the full kit all at once or did you build it up piece by piece?.
I am thinking of casting my helmet in aluminium, a price I have had by one person locally is upwards of nearly $4000.00NZD to do all the work for me I will probably make the helmet and cast it making a fibre glass mold then look at doing the lost wax method.
The RPF site had someone doing a clone helmet and I thought CYLON all the way on this.
The helmet kit that I have was from James Sleeth in Florida, I bought this about a year or so ago roughly, i'm only just starting to work on it now.
I just need to start to find bits and pieces as I can afford them and i think the biggest problems will be the gloves, boots and under suit.
just another quick question, what have you used to rig your helmet, do you have a hard hat harness or is it padding also is there room for fans?

[Soda Can]

Well we have our very first comic con coming up on July 17th - 19th here in Wellington, I'm looking forward to it.
Unfortunately I won't be in Cylon armor this year but will be working towards next years installment.
I hope to be meeting Karen Gillan from Doctor who, maybe the Dark Lord could impersonate a Time Lord instead, I'll have my sonic screwdriver ready for her, I AM THE DOCTOR???
My Daughter is a big DW fan and wants a photo with Amy Pond, plus her NZ sonic screwdriver that she is making just for Karen.
I'll post photos once all done.

[OMEGA3]

To be honest, I order all at once completed...It was a gift to me !
Since I sell geeky and sci-fi stuff on eBay.
All the people in here are GOOD folks and they will help you along the way.

OMEGA3

[Soda Can]

Hey omega3, that is so cool that you were able to get it all in one go, it helps having people in the forum that can help out from time to time.
I was very lucky with my boots and gloves from a member on this site.
I have a helmet kit with the sweeping eye from jupiter electronics, this was part of what I got the loan out for with my Darth Vader costume.
The only real disadvantage I feel that I have is that I am so far out of the way down here in New Zealand, but in saying that more and more is happening here with movies and motion pictures from little old Wellington NZ.