Step 1: Reference material:
Step 2: Planning:
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| Diagram of how the action figure version works. |
Step 3: Creation:
Unfortunately I did not keep every photo taken during the creation process. Proportions were estimated based on the in-game images shown above. The main body/neck is made of wood screwed together. The head is made of paper clay, fins are mostly styrofoam. The one fin that is attached to the guitar body has wires running through it and the wood to keep it attached well. These wires can be seen in the following top 2 photos.
Step 4: Finishing:
Between the last photos and the finished product, the "string" details were made with paper clay, and the neck had notches carved out. The strings and fins were covered in rigid wrap (plaster) and then paper mache, as was any other clay details. A second fin identical to the one attached to the body was created to sandwich the moving parts onto the wooden peg (visible above). The main scythe blade (longest fin) has thick wires jammed into it and covered in clay to create the spikes. I also inserted powerful magnets into all of the moving fins to help them stay in either guitar or scythe mode, but ultimately the parts were made too heavy thanks to the plaster to actually be able to make this prop transform, it would just fall apart. So in order to have at least the guitar, I glued all the parts in place to keep them stationary (except for the longest fin/blade part, which is velcroed instead to make it easier to transport), and added screws to be able to attach a guitar strap. Painted with spray paint and acrylic.
Overall length is over 6ft.
The last photo taken before an untimely death by falling off of a table. Most of the fins are now destroyed, so it very well may never be repaired. It lasted over 2 years, so I may revisit this prop from scratch some time in the future and hopefully correct some of my failures (like the inability to switch from guitar to scythe).
