The 405th Pacific Regiment was invited out to filming for the crowd-funded web series "Con Man."
Considering it was an hour drive out to Long Beach Convention Center and I had nothing going on I signed right up for it. Originally I only planned on being out there for one day, but they had two more days of shooting for convention scenes and they wanted me and any other Spartan out there those days as well (unfortunately I was the only one who's schedule allowed them to make it).
This past week I finally sat down and watched the series and I was really entertained. Of course I spent the whole time watching for where I might end up as an extra.
I squeak by in the background here:
And later in the episode get a little more forward:
A couple episodes before that though, I'm pretty hard to not notice:
When Wray Nerely first steps onto the con floor, there I am, excited to see him:
Within the show, one scene consists of a cosplay contest, and there I have my 5 seconds of fame (although 1 second is closer to how long I'm actually on screen):
In the beginning of October, Warp Zone needed some Spartan armor for and me being the guy with the flexible schedule meant I was the Prop Master assigned to the shoot to watch over everyone's armor and make repairs on the fly. Getting there was no problem, everything fit in my car but I didn't consider the fact I would need to take an additional two suits back to Ben's place with me.
Driving through LA with zero peripheral vision was a terrifying experience. At least with the usual LA traffic it was slow enough for me to spend a lot of time checking if I could change lanes.
It was a lot of fun being part of the shoot and being on set again. Warp Zone did a great job adding the VFX to bring the shoot to life. The weirdest part of seeing the finished project and being on set dressing everyone up was that the guy in Ben's suit moved just like Ben, so much so that I kept thinking it was him in the suit.
The Halo 5 Dance Battle in all its glory and the Behind the Scenes that goes with it.
And then of course, the Halo 5 launch. The Microsoft Store at the Mission Viejo Mall wanted some props to display in the case. With most of the props coming from Jose of Armory Props and three helmets of mine on display, the display case was fully stocked and ready for release night. ASTRO Gaming donated four headsets to giveaway to anyone that preordered the game...
and Jose and I won two of them. Totally by accident, but we were really stunned at that and embarrassed at how bad it looked that the two guys in armor won. The other two headsets went to a couple kids so that definitely alleviated our nerves.
In the very beginning of November, the 405th was representing at Bakersfield Extra Life. We walked around, took photos with attendees, played a little Rockband and participated in a photoshoot out front with some 501st members. This year the Bakersfield team again passed their goal in donations.
Funhaus did another Dude Soup Live in LA and I wanted to give the group a Funhaus themed Warmaster helmet. Well, it was apparently a great gift considering it was the main prop for their masterfully crafted (and plenty ridiculous) "Master Chief Loves Princess Leia"
The 405th Pacific Regiment 2016 Calendar featured many Spartans in various styles and poses. I went for the sillier beach photos, playing some volleyball and taking part in Sexy Spartan Saturday.
My final project for my casting class doubled as a test for my new fingerplates which turned out pretty well.
Testing out some new casting resin and dyes has been a messy process today, but it went pretty well. I'm still learning the techniques I need to get these to come out bubble free and the right shade of gray.
And to be a little more careful and precise when measuring the two parts. I may have accidentally created a foam with this.
And finally, the commission I've been working on for a client is coming along smoothly. I'm really excited to be back out in the garage working with bondo and smoothing and sanding it all out. It's oddly cathartic just sitting out there and working.
Hey, you made it! The end of my post. Now all I've gotta do is write a little more regularly and take pictures as frequently too.
