UPDATE! Enter the Specter Studios Custom Props Contest Give-Away

Update:  The winner of the custom prop contest is Ed Schrecengost!  It was a tough decision coming down to two contestants.  However as much as I lovede the Youtube video that Kat had made, the baseball bat ultimately goes to Schrecengost for his zombie baseball team haunted hayride idea which sounds like real ghoulish fun.  Congrats to Ed.  Ed if you would please email me at kidschlocko(at)yahoo.com and send me your name and address so that Specter Studios can send you the prop.  Many thanks to everyone who participated.

Specter Studios which has been creating some amazing custom props and masks has joined Lost in Schlock to give away one of their own custom props.  A prop which is valued at $45 dollars.  The prize is a ultra realistic baseball bat which is made from soft foam and latex materials which has a dowel rod core for support.  It is incredibly realistic which includes a nice faux wood grain finish to add to it's realism.

The baseball bat is one of the the many cool and ghoulish custom props one can find at Specter Studios.  Their site can be found at http://specter-studios.com/cart/ and you can become a fan on Facebook by clicking on the like button on their page at http://www.facebook.com/specterstudios 

The Rules of the Game:

To enter the contest just comment below and tell me what kind of project you would use the prop and how.  The project can be a home haunt, a haunted attraction, or even your own indie horror movie.

You can only enter the contest once.

The person who comments below with the best project will win the contest and the winner will be announced on May 25th.  So be sure to return to this page on that day to see if your name has been chosen so that I can get your contact info so that Specter Studios can send you the prize.

All contestants must be within the continental U.S. only.  (those in Alaska or Hawaii cannot enter)

For a better look at the prop and for more details be sure to check out Specter Studios website at or go directly to the prop's own page.

Good luck!

Make a Wall of Weapons for Less than Fifty Bucks

Here is another AMAZING Stiltbeast tutorial on how to inexpensively crank out a multitude of hand weapons for less than fifty bucks.  There are also some great tips to weather a prop to be found in the vid.  Enjoy!

(via The Haunter's Digest)

Also see Stiltbeast Studios

How to Build a Flamethrower the Backyard FX Way

Yet another cool weapon build tutorial from Backyard FX on how to make your very own flame thrower:

Make a Foam Latex Crowbar The Easy Way

In numerous films or stage productions when a weapon is used in a stunt or is thrown at an actor, more often than not, it is a foam rubber casted copy.  This is obviously done for safety reasons.  To make a foam copy of a weapon the most commonly used technique is to build a plaster cast over the prop and then fill the mold with foam rubber. 

The weapon copy is then painted to match the original as close as possible to achieve realism.  As good as a technique it is, it still can cost a bit of money for a weapon that may only be used for a meere fifteen seconds of actual screen-time.

However, over at Backyard FX is a cool tutorial on how to make a foam latex crowbar cheaply and without the trouble of making a plaster mold and all the mess associated with it.  The same skills shown on the tutorial can, with a bit of practice, be used to make other foam weapons.  As a word of caution, whenever you are using fake weaponary of any kind always use extreme caution and make sure that every inch of the prop is safe.  Lawsuits and deaths can but quite the damper on a film project.

How to Build A 1950's Raygun

Perfect for the next Buck Rogers

Here is yet another fantastic tutorial on how to build a 1950's era inspired ray gun.  The perfect thing for anyone into cosplay or wanting to make their own pulp serial webseries.  Full details here.

Inspiration: The Dollar Store Lightsaber Contest

Much like the dollar store laser gun this prop is equally cool.  The Replica Prop Forums had a contest to see if anyone could build a Star Wars inspired lightsaber using only parts found from a dollar store.  Here is the winner:



It's amazing what can be found at the dollar store these days

Full details on how it was made found here.

Steampunk Rayguns

No Steampunk costume this Halloween is complete without some gear to go with it, so why not check out this tutorial and build your own raygun.  Instructions here.

BUILD A VAMPIRE KILLING CYBERPUNK DOUBLE BARREL SHOTGUN PROP

Here is a amazing tutorial on building a cyberpunk double barrel shotgun prop out of cardboard tubes and a few other items. Full details and vid over here.

MONDAY INSPIRATION: CYBERTOPIAN HANDGUN

Build a Cybertopian Handgun. In fact any prop tutorial from this guy is darn good.

COOL IDEAS: DOLLAR STORE LASER GUN

This is utterly amazing; as part of a prop building contest, someone by the name of ThrowingChicken over at The FX Lab, made this amazing gun culled from mostly dollar store stuff. It is awe inspiring to see things that I have passed over at my local dollar stores get turned into something so awesome.

Go here for more pics and to see what parts went into this final creation.

ATTACK OF THE LINKS: 6-12-09

Here are a few links you should bookmark and follow:

Props - Eric Hart

A fantastic resource from blogger Eric Hart who not only enjoys discussing props and the building of them but also makes a living doing so. Also includes great links to many who are in the actual business of making props for stage and more. Check it out.

Propnomicon

I am a horror geek at heart and as such I am a fan of HP Lovecraft. Propnomicon takes that love and goes a step beyond by taking the time and dedication to make props based or inspired by the Lovecraft mythos. There are tons of prop making goodies to be found there including aging paper tutorials and some paper prop downloads. A fantastic site that is worth the visit.

CEPHALOPOD PRODUCTIONS

Very much similar to Propnomicon. The site also includes great tutorials on props and has it's own collection of paper props to download. A brilliant site and also well worth a visit.

THE PROP BLOG

Here is another fantastic blog dedicated mostly to cosplay which includes tutorials on making fake weaponary and costumes that are beyond imagination. It is also a great resource for anyone in need of purchasing sheets of Styrene. Check it out.