Thrift Store Ideas (Star Wars)

When I'm prowling thrift stores, I tend to get laser-focused on the pieces I need for a specific project. But the thing is, these are the places of the unexpected. I almost never find what I'm looking for exactly when I need it, but that's kind of the fun. Instead, there's an endless sea of potential props and costumes, just of things you haven't thought of yet. So while I don't have enough hours in a day to make each of these into a prop, here are some ideas.

1. Pilot helmet





In almost every good-size thrift store, there's a sports equipment section with lots of helmets. So many helmets, ranging in size, shape, and price. Of the types you see, probably the motorcycle helmets or baseball helmets would be the easiest to modify into pilot's helmets, though some may better suit Republic, Imperial, or Rebel fighters. I've not attempted to do so myself, but there's an awesome tutorial on making a budget X-wing helmet using a baseball helmet by AWE Me's DIY Prop Shop. Below we have helmets worn by Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back, Y-wing pilot Telsij's in Return of the Jedi, Green Leader Arvel Crynyd in A New Hope, Poe Dameron in The Last Jedi (I think), and the clone "Oddball" in Revenge of the Sith.




 2. Macrobinoculars



Occasionally I see VR goggles in thrift stores for $3 to $7. They're pretty cool and futuristic looking in themselves, and I can see them in a lot of potential for masks and goggles. For a Star Wars application, I can see it being the basis for a pair of macrobinoculars. They're not exactly an iconic prop, but you can see Luke use a battered pair in A New Hope and so does a stormtrooper. In Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia by Adam Bray, Cole Horton, and Tricia Barr, there is also a page showing the different types of binoculars seen in Star Wars.

 

3. Binder cuffs


I'm not exactly sure what the heck this was, but it was in the hardware/utility section of a thrift store for about $2. Now to me they kind of look like large mismatched binder cuffs used mostly by stormtroopers. The sizing looks like it'd be better for Wookie or something, but in a pinch this could work. You see different binders used on Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi and Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens. 




4. Diplomat's belt



This belt was found for about $3. Although it is reminiscent of paisley designs, its anything too Earthbound to rule out it's use in the Star Wars universe. In particular it reminds me of the designs you see in the prequels for the diplomats and nobility. Below are some examples, with Padme's pilot belt in Attack of the Clones and Leia Organa's belts in A New Hope and The Force Awakens.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to make a simple medieval hood from cloth napkins

Image
All right, so to exercise my rudimentary sewing skills I have challenged myself to make a medieval hood. Before committing myself to making a more complicated design with my better fabrics, I decided to play around with basics with some fabric that won't matter if it goes all to hell. So I experimented with some old cloth napkins and it worked out pretty well. Obviously the rougher design is not all that useful for cosplaying as nobility, but could easily work for a basic outlaw, forester, or Robin Hood type costume. Forgive the stare of death, I needed a dramatic photo... Materials -4 decorative table napkins -Antler or other medieval-type button Tools -Scissors -Needle/thread -Superglue -Measuring tape 1. Gather the materials The materials list is pretty simple. The key part here is finding a set of four cloth napkins that have a believably medieval look to them. Given the roughshod approach, this is a hood better suited to a lower-status medieval person, so
Read more

How to make rebel pilot leg flares

Image
Another basic part of the Iden Versio costume or any other rebel pilot are the leg flares and flare holder. It's the gray/olive band holding 8 silver "flares" on the left leg of Rebellion pilots in New Hope , Empire Strikes Back , and Return of the Jedi . There's a great tutorial using olive nylon webbing by Gil Guemes aka JediXXL at Rebel Legion , but since I couldn't find suitable webbing I adapted this for using basic fabric instead. Inspiration Materials -Olive green heavy fabric -3/4 inch diameter wooden dowel -Silver spray paint -Clear coat spray enamel -Snaps (or Velcro) Tools -Hacksaw -Sandpaper -Needle/thread -Snap tool 1. Gather the materials First I had to locate just the right fabric. The original Gil Guemes tutorial recommended using olive green 2-inch wide nylon webbing at the basis for the flare holder. Unfortunately I could find none in local craft or hardware stores. Instead I roamed a fabric store looking for ju
Read more

How to make the collar from the Stargate Anubis Guard

Image
For those intent on becoming the Prime of Ra and adopting the appearance of ancient Egyptian gods to terrorize the populace, welcome to my step-by-step guide of becoming the Anubis guard in the Stargate film. Most of these elements are going to be made from EVA foam, so this simple collar-piece was a good introduction to cutting, detailing, shaping, and painting foam. References Materials -8mm EVA foam -E600 clear glue -Dark copper metallic spray paint -Plastidip -Turquoise acrylic paint Tools -Dremel tool with sanding attachment -Box cutter -Woodburner -Foam wedge for painting, paper towels 1. Gather the materials For this build, you're going to need a thinner EVA foam most easily purchased these days from craft stores. I chose a 8mm thickness, picking up a roll from a craft store for about $20. For this project, I needed about a third of the 24in x 60in roll. For the paints, I chose a dark copper metallic spray paint from Rustoleum. For the Horus guards
Read more