- August 18th, 2019, 5:33 pm#4922724
Following up on a mod-in-progress to my Spirit trap, I thought I'd take on a simple activity and do some simple things to some Spirit goggles to make them feel like a more authentic prop. The mod here involves:
Second, with the green case now separated, I could access the underside of the rivet holding the fabric strap on the top. I used a 1/4" drill bit to make quick work of the underside connection and the rivet came right off.
I also wanted to replaced the fake plastic screws with real hex screws. Like with my trap, I used a dremel to sand down the plastic - there are 12 locations in all. The result wasn't as perfect as I'd like but I figured that the new screws and some weathering will make any plastic imperfections in these areas blend in.
Next came the paint. I masked off anything on the main case body that wasn't green. The out-of-the-box green of the body is way too saturated and has some cheesy silver weathering on it - clearly done with quick silver dry paint brush strokes. I wanted to give it a drab olive green color.
After painting, I drilled holes for some hex screws. I picked hex screws from the hardware store that were about the same size as the original plastic pieces. I also picked ones long enough so they could be used to attach the back plastic plate. This worked quite well and no need to re-glue anything in the event that I want to break things down again or access the electronics later.
I also installed a snap button connection using some snap buttons I found in the leather aisle at a Michael's craft store. This was a bit tedious to install as I needed to balance the goggles on a corner of my work table and hammer the metal snap assembly together. I also glued on a leather piece to the strap fabric to make the top have a more finished look.
With everything back together, it was time to gunk this thing up. I used a mix of black and dark brown acrylic paint mixed in with some water. I brushed it on to the green case and started wiping down everything with a shop rag. I repeating this a few times until I got to a sufficient "goop level". I also hit the edges of the hex screws and parts of the lens cases with a silver Sharpie marker and rubbed in the marker with my finger to give them a nice weathered look.
And the finished piece (without decals/stickers)...
In all this was a low-cost cosmetic investment on a Saturday afternoon and really gives the Spirit toy a far more authentic look and feel for a GB costume.
- Repainting the main body an olive green
- Replacing the molded plastic screws with real hex screws
- Replacing the top strap rivet with a snap button
- Weathering everything to look dirty and gunky
Second, with the green case now separated, I could access the underside of the rivet holding the fabric strap on the top. I used a 1/4" drill bit to make quick work of the underside connection and the rivet came right off.
I also wanted to replaced the fake plastic screws with real hex screws. Like with my trap, I used a dremel to sand down the plastic - there are 12 locations in all. The result wasn't as perfect as I'd like but I figured that the new screws and some weathering will make any plastic imperfections in these areas blend in.
Next came the paint. I masked off anything on the main case body that wasn't green. The out-of-the-box green of the body is way too saturated and has some cheesy silver weathering on it - clearly done with quick silver dry paint brush strokes. I wanted to give it a drab olive green color.
After painting, I drilled holes for some hex screws. I picked hex screws from the hardware store that were about the same size as the original plastic pieces. I also picked ones long enough so they could be used to attach the back plastic plate. This worked quite well and no need to re-glue anything in the event that I want to break things down again or access the electronics later.
I also installed a snap button connection using some snap buttons I found in the leather aisle at a Michael's craft store. This was a bit tedious to install as I needed to balance the goggles on a corner of my work table and hammer the metal snap assembly together. I also glued on a leather piece to the strap fabric to make the top have a more finished look.
With everything back together, it was time to gunk this thing up. I used a mix of black and dark brown acrylic paint mixed in with some water. I brushed it on to the green case and started wiping down everything with a shop rag. I repeating this a few times until I got to a sufficient "goop level". I also hit the edges of the hex screws and parts of the lens cases with a silver Sharpie marker and rubbed in the marker with my finger to give them a nice weathered look.
And the finished piece (without decals/stickers)...
In all this was a low-cost cosmetic investment on a Saturday afternoon and really gives the Spirit toy a far more authentic look and feel for a GB costume.
jpetrutis81 liked this
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Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear
Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear