Saturday, June 22, 2013

Cardboard Safari Unicorn Trophy

I wanted to add red streamers
from the neck, and reenact 
the Goose Girl fairy tale, 
but my flatmates overruled me.
Buy from ThinkGeek
or
 Amazon

And yes, the horn is bent.
I was careless. I mean, uh,
THE CATTHULU DID IT.
If you're looking for a fantasy/equine themed decoration, why not get a unicorn's head puzzle trophy for your wall?

This comes as a flat pack of cardboard bits which give you about a quarter an hour's worth of entertainment putting it together. It is cardboard, but it's pretty sturdy as long as you're careful. It's shiny, so I'm not sure if it would hold paint well or not, but the product listings all suggest painting it.

Painting it to look like a My Little Pony character, for example... (The horn is optional, and there's a hornless center piece for making a normal horse head, so you can make any character you like; and maybe cut out some wings to stick up each side for Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash).

The mane is just paper strips, so could always be painted in a rainbow! Oh, and bonus - it's all recycled!

There's a tiny five inch version, as well as the larger ten inch version (prices: about $7 and $30, respectively) and a harder to find 20" version. The micro version is probably better suited to a desk.
Bonus: if you hang on to the backing for all the pieces and instructions you can make your own unicorns by using them as a template!
White cardboard unicorn head hanging over doorway
It lurks unnoticed above the doorway.
Until people notice it.


Buy from ThinkGeek
Buy from Amazon.com
Out of stock, but check again later?
Alternative options:
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
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Monday, June 17, 2013

Fan Art: Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy)

Most people have heard of Buffy these days,the long-running and awesome series about a teenage vampire slayer and friends. Directed by Joss Whedon, it's one of the things he is best known for (along with Firefly).

Original on DeviantART


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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Hobbit and LOTR Sword Letter Openers

See more photos of my Orcrist here!

If you want to own a sword from The Hobbit but can't afford (or risk) a fullsize replica (such as this awesome Orcrist), the letter opener versions from the Noble Collection are fantastic alternatives.

 Orcrist (Goblin Cleaver) and Sting are the main swords, available from ThinkGeek and Amazon. 

 Pointy, but not dangerously sharp, these real metal, realistic little weapons are official replicas and true to the film versions. I own Orcrist, because it looked more interesting than Sting, and I keep it in its display box on the mantlepiece, under the Minecraft sword. Except for when I take it out to show it off. It makes people very jealous. It's really beautiful, and it's a sword, so extra awesome.

 Found in a troll hoard on the way to the Misty Mountains by the Dwarves, Orcrist is a legendary sword of ancient elvish make that is taken by Thorin Oakenshield and Sting is a matching dagger that becomes Bilbo's 'sword'. Both glow in the presence of goblins. 
Sting (Amazon.com)

The more famous Sting is passed on to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, and looks like a traditional sword. Orcrist remains with Thorin and is buried with him, and has a much more interesting design, with a long, graceful blade evocative of leaves and a curling, onesided handle.
Orcrist (Amazon.com)
 They come in a small wooden display box with a clear glass lid and a nice catch, and their name written on the front in the shiniest of lettering, so can be kept in or out of the box. I never remember to use letter openers (that's why we evolved teeth, after all), but it is nearly as good at slicing open letters as it is at hacking off goblin heads.

You can also find Glamdring (Gandalf's sword), Thorin's original Dwarvish sword, and the three troll hoard blades (Glamdring, Sting, Orcrist  as a set on Amazon.co.uk). They're much more expensive on the UK site. The three blade set is much better value, for some reason, at less than the price of two separate letter openers.

And then there are the original Lord of the Rings swords: ranging from about the same price to sets and 'collectable' higher prices, including Anduril / Narsil (Aragorn's "blade that was broken"; Narsil was the original sword, Anduril the reforged version), Hadhafang (Arwen's sword), King Theoden's sword and generic orc and elf swords. If you're after the swords, not just a cool letter opener, the six piece set is worth checking out.

 Where to buy
Approx. Price: US$30 + shipping (20-30 pounds from Amazon.co.uk; Fifty pounds for the three sword set).

Amazon.com
LOTR

ThinkGeek

 Amazon.co.uk

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Minecraft Foam Pickaxe and Sword

The pixelated tools from Minecraft!
My sword on the sitting room wall

One of the most popular and enduring Minecraft toys is the foam sword (the foam pickaxe is also pretty popular!). It's officially licenced merchandise and they are sold by ThinkGeek. I bought one of each, one to me, and one as a gift for a friend.


They're both large, solid toys which are nice and durable (yes, I have had sword fights), made of heavy foam and with a plastic overlay to hold it together and with all the detail on. The edges are a little sharp and the toy is solid enough to hurt, so don't hit people TOO hard!

They can be used as wall decorations, and look great over your fireplace (yes, that's where I've hung my sword when I'm not brandishing it) and can be used to chase chickens (which is what the person I gave the pickaxe to promptly did), just as you would in the game.


Minecraft Foam Pickaxe
I'd love to get more of these, as they look awesome whether you play Minecraft or not, and everyone seems to love them. And they look GREAT hung on the wall!

Would I buy again?
 YES. They're great toys, props, wall decorations, everything. It doesn't matter if you're a Minecraft fan or not, as most people can identify with the pixelated look.


Where to buy the Foam Sword and Pickaxe
ThinkGeek, Amazon and eBay.



ATTACK! Quick, defend yourself against
the kittens with the
Minecraft stuff on ThinkGeek!

They were originally a ThinkGeek exclusive but you can now pick them up in several places. ThinkGeek also sells these officially through Amazon, but if bought there, then Amazon won't ship these overseas and I'm pretty sure they're the reason I went to ThinkGeek in the first place.




Buy your own Minecraft foam weaponry!

ThinkGeek

Amazon.com





Be warned: They sell out fast everywhere! They are often out of stock, especially leading up to Christmas.

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Thranduil (Lee Pace) Fan Art

Just to kick this blog off, have a painting I did this week of Thranduil, the elven King of Mirkwood, played by Lee Pace in The Hobbit trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

(found here on DeviantART)

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