Chris of "l1b3rtypr1m3" is a huge fan of the Fallout franchise, in particular Fallout: New Vegas. Over the years he's amassed what's probably the largest collection of props based on the games, many of them crafted by his own hand. His latest piece is one of those wonderfully obscure video game items I love- the necklace worn by "Whiskey" Rose of Sharon Cassidy.
Yesterday was the lunar new year, officially ushering in the year of the snake. Jason McKittrick has just the thing to mark the occasion, his talisman of Yig, Lord of Serpents.
Morok Art Studio returns to our pages with their Giger-inspired Baphomet statue. It's a great sculpt, and the rust/gunmetal finish looks awesome.
For years, Valara Atran has been re-creating some of the most obscure props from the Elder Scrolls series. Her latest is this amulet bearing the Moon and Star sigil of the Nerevar from Morrowind.
Allie Evers was kind enough to send over this wonderful Cthulhu idol sculpted from a solid block of moss agate. It was commissioned from Skullis.com, which normally specializes in carved crystal skulls.
Ammnra Creations brings us this tutorial on creating a variety of consumable items from the Fallout video game series. The best part is right at the start, where he demonstrates how to use drinking party IV bags to recreate RadAway, blood packs, and irradiated blood. After that he crafts a stimpak, Jet inhaler, and fusion core. Spoiler alert: that section basically consists of "I 3D printed the parts and put them together".
That's become an increasing common theme in propmaking. Don't get me wrong, there's certainly nothing wrong with that approach. The results are absolutely authentic since they're adapted from the actual game models. That said, I'm a devotee of the ol' skool "bash found parts together" method of prop creation. 3D printing seems to remove the creativity from that process and turn it into an exercise in kit assembly. Your mileage may vary, obviously.
Spanish artist Creadores a sueldo brings us this creepy ritual dagger. Made from foam and LARP-safe.
Beastcraft Props produces characters for professional haunted houses. They've made some amazing animatronics, but most of their work, understandably, is various flavors of undead and monsters. Their latest is something different- an interactive robot. I love the craftsmanship and theming on this.
Another fantastic bit of tomecraft from Alex Libris. This time it's a Skyrim-themed journal featuring an embossment of the sigil of the dragonborn, hand tooled leather cover, and custom brass hardware.
George Tsougkouzidis is one of the most talented Mythos-inspired sculptors around. His latest is this Cthulhu idol he calls The Great Terror.
Al Landron of Landron Artifacts brings us his Cthulhu R'lyeh fragment in a chipped onyx finish. I've collected a number of his pieces over the years and can personally vouch for the quality of his work.
I'm not sure about the wisdom of channeling Cthulhu to get answers from a spirit board. I have a feeling the responses will be more about immanentizing his return than actually being helpful. That said, the gifted Maarten Verhoeven returns to our pages with this wonderful Cthulhu planchette.
Larry Hastings of Vulture Productions brings us this excellent NCR Ranger costume from Fallout: New Vegas. The LAPD riot armor is a kit he just happens to have for sale.
As an aside, I've continued my long history of getting hooked on Bethesda games over the holiday break. After taking two years (!) to finish Skyrim I dove into Fallout 4 just after Christmas. While the main story is terrible, it's really hitting my exploration and crafting buttons.
A tsanta is a traditional trophy of the Jivaro people of South America, made from the heads of slain enemies. At least, that's how things were before contact with Europeans. After that, the foreign demand for the unusual oddities turned their production from a matter of ritualized vendetta killings to commercial gain. Eventually, the tribe figured out that using animal heads to create fake versions was far more lucrative, and safer, than the old way of doing things. Which lead to the Europeans of the 18th and 19th centuries making their own copies of the Jivaro fake versions to meet demand.
It's a funny old world, ain't it?
This example of a traditional sideshow-style shrunken head gaff comes to us from Albino Alligator.
This impressive collection of dwarven arms, armor, and tomecraft, comes to us from Charuzo CosFam. Technically, I think these may be "dwarfen" props, since the Warhammer version of the race is rather particular about their identity. If you click through, be sure to browse around for more Warhammer cosplay goodness.
Jared Ruch of Grizzle Macabre brings us this mounted, mummified vrykolakas heart. If you're raising your eyebrows and saying "What the hell is that?", you're not alone. It's apparently a Greek vampire-like creature that dines on the livers of the living.
