It's like ILM, but on a realistic budget.

July 6, 2011 7:31 PM

Shawn Thorsson makes costumes for his friends Shawn Thorsson, self-professed busiest man alive, uses a laptop, a printer, a carving machine, and a mad scientist's lab of home-made tools to make costumes based on Star Wars, Halo, LEGO, and other appropriately nerdy, sci-fi related media artifacts. He shares them with his friends, and they have the best Halloween ever!
posted by willhopkins (28 comments total)

Okay, this fellow has a real future in movie costuming, surely?
posted by jrochest at 7:37 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Heavens to Mergatroyd! This is just... wow.
posted by mauvest at 7:46 PM on July 6, 2011

DUDE.

I am in awe.
posted by bayani at 7:49 PM on July 6, 2011

Shawn, there is an army of LARPers marching towards your door. Hungry.
posted by munchingzombie at 7:54 PM on July 6, 2011

HALO-WEEN = EVIL
TURN TO CHRIST
posted by grubi at 7:58 PM on July 6, 2011

But seriously, those are amazing.
posted by grubi at 7:59 PM on July 6, 2011

This guy is insanely talented. I only (barely) know stormtroopers and alien vs predator characters but this guy's work...wow.
posted by bquarters at 8:00 PM on July 6, 2011

Shawn is who I want to be when I grow up.
posted by SPrintF at 8:02 PM on July 6, 2011

This is good stuff. Fiance' is desperately trying to turn pepakura into finished, solid objects, so this will definitely be helpful.

I don't suppose there are instructions for building your own carving machine for under 200 bucks, are there?
posted by ShutterBun at 8:02 PM on July 6, 2011

"I got bored one night and sculpted this 8" tall statue of dread Cthulhu in the pose of Rodin's "the Thinker""

When I get bored I read Metafilter. Hah!

(OMG I'm wasting my life.)
posted by oddman at 8:05 PM on July 6, 2011 [6 favorites]

Rarity has taught me never to make costumes for friends.

(I'm sorry, that is just where my brain immediately went. Ponies.)
posted by maryr at 8:06 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

"Prep for this costume began in April 2007 with a carefully planned diet and exercise regimen" - now that's dedication.
posted by djb at 8:13 PM on July 6, 2011

If you like how awesome this guy is, you will also enjoy Volpin (Harrison Krix), who makes great props and costumes like this Portal gun, this Mass Effect rifle, this Daft Punk helmet, and THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER this Big Daddy costume.

I am continually in awe of their talents.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

Huh. I thought I was kinda sorta badass for using latex and parts to make zombie and terminator costumes with stuff poking through the skin. I feel so small...
posted by Ghidorah at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2011

"I wonder how he went to the bathroom with all this stuff on."
posted by Rangeboy at 8:42 PM on July 6, 2011

I like his Cthinker.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 9:06 PM on July 6, 2011

Total respect from me for his choice of beakies (Mark VI Corvus) space marine armour.
posted by wilful at 9:16 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just gives me another reason besides Lagunitas, the cool downtown, and pleasant weather to want to live in Petaluma.
posted by JauntyFedora at 9:16 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Jango Fett?
posted by Sailormom at 9:41 PM on July 6, 2011

See also this all-too-brief look at a built-to-scale, animatronic model of an Elite from Halo. It's actually fairly frightening when he puts the full get-up on. It's too bad the website for the project seems to be dead.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:45 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Once the paint was dried, there was a moment for levity involving an infant"
posted by Mooseli at 2:29 AM on July 7, 2011

OK, this is about 5 times better than I thought it would be (even given the general high quality of mefi links). Super impressive!
posted by dickasso at 2:52 AM on July 7, 2011

Vwry inspirational mqkes me want to go make something NOW. Bravo to him.
posted by Faintdreams at 3:47 AM on July 7, 2011

I wonder if he felt like all the work and effort was worth it for just the one night. I guess since he keeps doing it, year after year, the answer would be yes. I think I'd feel a little let down, myself --- hours and hours and hours of preparation for 2 or 3 hours of payoff.
posted by crunchland at 4:41 AM on July 7, 2011

hours and hours and hours of preparation for 2 or 3 hours of payoff.

This describes most things.
posted by ook at 4:46 AM on July 7, 2011

The part I'm in awe of is how they got so many people doing so much work in a shop with every surface covered with tools, parts and trash.
posted by DU at 5:17 AM on July 7, 2011

Holy shit.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:35 AM on July 7, 2011

Apparently he's hard up for cash. I'm thinking about asking him to make me my very own Spartan suit. Now which color do I want...
posted by willhopkins at 7:57 PM on July 8, 2011