Fire up them .MP3 players kiddies, episode 013 of The Magic of Eyri Podcast, “Fight!,” is now online. Check it out: http://magicofeyri.com/2009/10/013-fight/

This episode, and the next two, have plenty of action. Uncle Shameless dukes it out with the bounty hunter Zeroth. Good times are had by all.  Uh, well maybe not.

In Fistful of Dollars costume news, my metal chest plate is finished, mom mailed me my vest and scarf and I picked up some cigars last night (don’t tell mom).  I did buy a hat yesterday, but after getting it home I hated it and realized it just wasn’t going to work. Sigh. That’s $10 I’ll never see again. I’m going to suck it up and buy a nice felt hat for around $30. At least it is something I can wear after Halloween. It won’t be 100% the same as Clint’s, but it will be close enough.

I will do a proper blog update about the progress of the costume later.

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

A Fistful of Costumes – Part Four: eBay Man’s Boots

Days Until Halloween: 15

Part One :: Part Two :: Part Three

My boots arrived this week–the pair I won on eBay last week or so.

Boots with the spurs I bought.

I’m pretty happy with ‘em.  The good thing is that they are already broken in, so they comfortable to wear.  I’ve been wearing them (sans spurs) while out and about this week to get accustomed to how they feel–and I gotta say, I like it.  Not having to worry about shoe laces is nice, but they are rather warm which is great for the chilly weather as of late.

And they make me a bit taller.  Which is a plus.

The white whale of this costume remains the hat.  I stopped at a couple places today, but had zero luck.  I’ll hit up another shop or two I’ve been to before and figure something out. It may come down to getting a hat that I have to reshape the brim to make it close.  I’d prefer a brown hat, but I’m afraid I might get stuck with black hat, which, horror of horrors, would clash with the brown leather of the rest of my costume. Oh well.

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

Mojo Nixon’s back baby, bigger than life and twice as crazy.

In perhaps the best news of 2009, Amazon has made most of Mojo Nixon’s albums available as free .MP3 downloads.  If you enjoy crazy rockabilly music, then look no further. Mojo does not disappoint. Heck, he even gets a shout out in the song Punk Rock Girl by the Dead Milkmen.

Oh and you might also remember him as Toad in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Or maybe that’s just me.

Anyway, most of his albums are hard to find in stores or online (at least in my experience), so do take this opportunity to enrich your musical library with such classics as Elvis is Everywhere or Don Henley Must Die.  I had the sheer luck of finding a new copy of Whereabouts Unknown at Flat Black and Circular in East Lansing about a year ago, and quickly purchased it.

I read this is in support of Mojo’s new release, Whiskey Rebellion, which is a neat concept–but given that Mojo hasn’t been in the eye of the mainstream for…uh…awhile, I can see why this happened.

Or better yet, in the man’s own words:

“Can’t wait for Washington to fix the economy. We must take bold action now. If I make the new album free and my entire catalog free it will stimulate the economy. It might even over-stimulate the economy. History has shown than when people listen to my music, money tends to flow to bartenders, race tracks, late night greasy spoons, bail bondsman, go kart tracks, tractor pulls, football games, peep shows and several black market vices. My music causes itches that it usually takes some money to scratch.”

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

A Fistful of Costumes – Part Three: See My Vest

Days Until Halloween: 19

Part One :: Part Two

I won a pair of cowboy boots on eBay last week, which I’m happy about.  They have not arrived yet–and part of me is worried they did while at ConClave this weekend and that the postal person left the box outside my door and they were whisked away by some troubled youth.  We’ll see.  However, I did pick up a pair of spurs and I can’t wait to wear them with the boots.

Jingle jangle? You BET.

I tried them out with a pair of work boots I have and I had a hard time taking them off–I was having too much fun walking around (stately Hogan Manor) with them on.

Additionally, I solved the orange-tip issue with my non-firing Colt SAA replica.  I found a dart for a toy gun that fit inside the barrel.  Easy.  I tried to glue the flared sides of the suction cup down, but alas that did not work.  I may pick up some orange tape or something and tape up the tip a bit, up until the aiming blade.

"Thanks for the tip."

Lastly, Mom is hard at work making me a vest and scarf.  I saw what she had thus far over the weekend, and she really hit it out of the park.  I just asked for a simple brown vest, but she also got material to do the lining.

Clint's vest in Fistful. Image © United Artists

And what Mom has so far:

Not made of real gorilla chest.

The scarf is tied around the neck at the back and I’m glad it is a thin material, as I’m sure this is going to be a hot costume to wear between the shirt, poncho, vest, scarf and something referencing Eastwood’s improvised bulletproof vest.

Oh, Clint! He's so crafty.Image © United Artists

I don’t plan on wearing a piece of sheet metal under the poncho, but I’ll rig something up.  Maybe a cookie sheet from Goodwill that I’ll beat the heck out of or something else.  My concern is weight and comfort.  I had a thought of just using duct tape to make it, you know sticking it to itself. It’d have the look and be light weight, as well as flexible.

As a bit of a joke, I’m thinking of including the Heart Breaker logo Scud the Disposable Assassin wears somewhere on whatever I come up with.

I’m pretty much set except for the dang hat.

I can't find anything close to this around town. Image © United Artists

I came close to something last week, but it was over $30 and didn’t look that good on me.  I gotta find something, but this is proving to be a bit of a challenge. I may say the heck with it and get the $30 hat, although it is a bit of a stretch in appearance.  If it was dead on, I wouldn’t hesitate but is is only slightly similar.

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

A Fistful of Costumes – Part 2: Shoot to Thrill

Part 1

My non-firing Colt Single Action Army replica (say that ten times fast) arrived Friday afternoon, along with the leather gun belt/holster and 28 solid brass dummy cartridges.

I aim to misbehave.

I am very happy with the gun, as it looks just like an original Colt–and I think it weights the same too, as it is rather heavy. I’m glad I opted for the longer barrel (that’s what she said), but I imagine “spinning” and quick drawing the shorter barreled version would be easier.

Loading gate open, dummy rounds loaded.

Everything on the gun works, which is really neat. The hammer has two positions, half-cocked (loading) and full cocked (firing). The loading gate pops open and the ejector tube works, although the dummy rounds will usually just fall out if the gun is tilted upward with the gate open (which is the case with a real Colt, I’m sure).

Eject!

My only point of concern is that the gun does not have an orange tip, which I think it legally has to for me to wear in public. I can rig something up, I’m sure.

No orange tip, which could make carrying this in public a problem.

The dummy rounds are OK, but I thought they would be a bit longer–but they suit the task they were designed for. Some are difficult to eject from the cylinder of the Colt, as they seem to get wedged in a bit. I think once the gun/rounds get broken in a bit more everything will be fine, everything is already starting to work a bit smoother after a couple days of use.

I may not “load” the gun with the dummy rounds when carrying it in public, out of concern of misunderstandings. Better safe than sorry, but we’ll see. If I’m at someone’s house for a party indoors, that’s one thing–but if I’m walking around a convention or something, well I may leave the dummy rounds out.

The belt and holster however, were a big disappointment–not in regards to the construction, which is fine, but the decoration. The bad job is down right horrible. In the photos I viewed online, the paint job appeared more blended in and uniform. With my belt, it looks like someone just ran a black brush along the edges–or that a the last step was skipped. Considering I paid a little over $40 for this belt, I was not happy. But in terms of functionality, the belt/holster work just fine.

I am not happy with the lameo paint job on this holster. The pictures on the Internet led me to believe these colors would be blended in a bit better.

The loops don’t always keep the cartridges secure, but I knew about that ahead of time. I picked up some putty that I’ll use to secure the cartridges in the belt. I’m torn as it if I should keep the entire belt filled or only about half or so–with several empty loops between cartridges. I think the look of having less cartridges might be a bit more interesting, as it hints at some of the ammo being used.

I also picked up the a poncho at a local Halloween shop (which upon spotting some weeks ago was the inspiration for this costume). Yes, this isn’t the exact same thing Eastwood wears in Fistful of Dollars, but I don’t care. It is close enough and at least a similar color (yes, it is green despite sometimes looking brown in the films).

Not the exact design, but it'll do.

My next quest is finding a decent hat and a pair of boots. For these, I want to go cheap–which I quickly realizing might not be an option. After visiting three resale places and a slew of shoe places, I am currently trying to get a pair of boots on eBay. Again, they don’t have to be exactly what Eastwood had. I just want an affordable pair of boots I can wear spurs with (which I found at a store, but haven’t bought yet).

The hat is a whole other challenge. Eastwood doesn’t wear a typical cowboy hat in Fistful of dollars and finding anything even remotely close is proving to be expensive. I have some options locally, so I’ll hold off a bit, hoping to see if I can score something on eBay–but I’m hesitant to buy a hat on eBay because I won’t know how it’ll fit until it arrives. I may have to suck it up and drop a bunch on a hat..or just say the heck with it and get a cheaper one that is only kind of close. I saw one today at Gander Mountain for $30 that was pretty close (but black).

As far as the rest of the costume, I commissioned my mom to make me a vest–doesn’t have to be hide like in the film, just a light tan material is fine. I have a shirt and jeans that are close enough…and other than that, all I need is cloth for the scarf he wears and the trademark cigars (someone I know already recommended a brand to try).

Finding a hat like that is a problem. Mom is making me the vest, I have a shirt and jeans. Just need a black scarf and cigars. Image © United Artists

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post

Halloween is nigh, and I have to start cranking on my costume. For the moment, I am still very much leaning toward the Man With No Name from the film A Fistful of Dollars.

yeah I could pull this off, I think.

Most of the required gear is easy, as I found a poncho at a nearby costume shop but the biggest part of the costume is going to be the gun I get.

To me, much like my proton pack for last year’s Ghostbuster costume, the gun I end up getting will either make or break the costume. I can go one of two ways with this: cheap with a metal cap gun, or expensive with a non-firing Colt Single Action Army replica.

I didn’t want a plastic cap gun, as they are all pretty much lame. I found a metal one, the Big Tex–and it comes with a holster, another important component of the costume. I’m not worried about either the gun nor the holster matching exactly what Eastwood had in Dollars, I just want something that looks good. The Big Tex would be an inexpensive way to go, but, at the same time I’m more or less just buying a toy. And the holster is only plastic (or pleather).

The expensive option is the non-firing Colt SAA replica made by a company called Denix. This baby is the exact look, feel and (nearly) weight of an original Colt SAA, the handgun of western films (and Revolver Ocelot). Being a bit of a western junkie, I’ve always wanted a SAA of my own, and if I ever considered buying a real handgun, that would be one I’d consider.

The replica isn’t cheap, running about $60–but compared to some air soft guns, that isn’t too bad. Everything works with this model: the hammer, the action, the cylinder rotates, the loading gate and cartridge ejector. You can “fire” the gun, only in the sense you can squeeze the trigger and the hammer activates (and like the original SAA, the hammer has two click positions–one is for loading, the other firing I believe). It is not possible to actually fire this gun or to make it fire–the barrel is solid (and after finally seeing a different angle on eBay, I was relieved to see there is the required orange cap recessed into the barrel).

However, if I get the replica, I still need a holster. The company makes a very nice looking leather holster (complete with a leg tie) for about $44 (although I found it for $50-something on eBay, but with free shipping). The other neat bit is that it has leather loops for “dummy rounds“–fake bullets that are just solid brass. These rounds can also be “loaded” in the replica gun (obviously, nothing happens when you pull the trigger). I found a site that sells ‘em for 59 cents a piece (I’d probably order at least 12–six for the gun, six for the belt).

But here is my problem: do I just say “who cares?” and drop $20 on a mediocre cap gun, or do I spend over $100 on a high quality replica, holster and dummy bullets?

The only advantage of going the cheap route is that, it is cheap. However, going the expensive route has more advantages.

First, the expensive stuff isn’t going to break after the first time I wear it. My main complaint of my (self-built) proton pack was that it is very breakable, so much that I can’t even wear it any more. And I’ve bought cheap prop weapons in the past, and they never lasted that long.

Secondly, the replica, holster and dummy rounds just look AWESOME.

Thirdly, this is a prop I can easily use for other costumes (Rooster Cogburn from True Grit comes to mind)–or just wear it around the office. It think it’d go pretty good with at least one of my suits. There is the safety issue here too: I can legally wear this thing to parties, conventions, in public, etc because it is not technically a ‘gun.’ (this doesn’t mean I’ll wear it around town or something, I’m not stupid). But because it is a prop, there is no danger of using it for a costume–that’s the whole point–whereas with a real SAA, there are all kinds of legal issues if I tried using it for a costume. Heck, I was nervous about getting the replica until I saw that it had the required orange tip in a different photo (the stock images didn’t show the angle where you could see it, probably on purpose).

Lastly, it will fulfill my fantasy of owning a real SAA to some extent. Yes, I won’t be able to fire it, but honestly after researching .22 target shooting rifles (I’m considering buying one, but just for target shooting at a range), I’ve discovered how expensive firearms–especially ammo–can be. Also: SAA style handguns run in the neighborhood of $400+ on the low end (based on what I’ve seen locally). Yikes. If I get the SAA replica et al, I’m not buying a .22 until the Spring (I still need a new iPod as well. PRIORITIES.).

Another thing is that the novel I’m currently working on has a character that uses a revolver based on a SAA, so if I had one to mess around with (even without being able to fire), I could get a better idea as to how it feels, the weight, etc.

If I get the replica, I will probably go the cheaper route for the remainder of the costume, namely the hat and boots. Finding a hat just like his has been a bit difficult. The cowboy hats I’ve seen around so far don’t have the flat top like Eastwood’s does. I would like to get something pretty close to that, as the hat is rather distinct. We’ll see though.

The vest he wears under the poncho could be a challenge (it is some kind of hide deal), but I will do the thing with him wearing the metal on his chest as a sort of proto-bullet proof vest. I will also have to grow some of my beard back and at least pretend to smoke those cigars.

If I go all the way for this (the expensive route), this could be a really awesome costume. And honestly, I probably spent at least $100 building my Ghostbuster costume anyway (easily) and all of that stuff broke apart (even my goggles!).

Mirrored from Daniel J. Hogan. If something doesn't look right or show up, view the original blog post. Feel free to comment here or on the original post