Mandalorian Beskar Steel

Back in the 1980s, no one, not even George Lucas, would have imagined that the character of Boba Fett, let alone the Mandalorians whose armor he wore, would become as popular as he is now 40 years later. Actor and direct Jon Favreau have produced for Disney, whom George Lucas sold his company to has developed a new popular series that only can be seen on Disney's streaming channel.  That series is "The Mandalorian."  Consider the lone gunman traveling from town to town in the United State's old west, and you have the basis for the show. Think of Clint Eastwood in any of Sergio Leone's Italian westerns where Eastwood's character has no name and neither addressed nor introduce. Only speaking when necessary and who is intelligent and quick with his revolver.

eLike the "Man with no name," "The Mandalorian" is a reluctant hero. He doesn't go looking for people to help. No, he is just looking for the next bounty.  As he like other Mandalorians, he is a bounty hunter. Not necessarily the most honorable of professions, but it's a living. Not to spoil the show if you have not seen it yet, I will just say that Favreau creates a mysterious character, but it is also a character that one can actually get to know and understand.

Now on to the "Beskar" or Mandalorian Steel. Supposedly Beskar has a high tolerance to extreme forms of damage. Like the Man of Steel, Bskar can withstand a direct blaster shot and can deflect a lightsaber hit, or in other words, it is the most durable material that exists.  It was so strong, that it is used to make their recognizable armor.

When I decided that I wanted something from "The Mandalorian" series, I tend to start small and work my way up to more elaborate and more expensive props or costumes. My search for Beskar Steel gave me over 135,000 results. I initially purchased a resin Beskar ingot, which is an excellent looking prop. But after that, I also decided that I wanted something a bit more substantive.


I found prices for ingots ranging from $12 to 110 dollars.  I eventually found an artisan on Etsy that had ingots that seem to be around the correct size and thickness.  Now in comparison to the resin ingot that I had purchased, I did notice that there was a difference in on the back.  Whereas the resin version has two cutouts on the back top portion.

 

As far as the Mandalorian Disney Plus series goes: I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Not a superhero character in the least, he is the character that we can relate with. Although his character arc is not new.  A mercenary loner who decides to fight for what is right. I'm thinking Pale Rider, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly motif. I am looking forward to the second season.


Thanks for taking a look at this article and please subscribe to my YouTube channels and most importantly, please take care of yourself.

Indiana Jones Satchel Bag Unboxing

I am starting my Indiana Jones collection.  The collection will comprise of both costuming, gear, and props.  As a young adult in the 1980s, I found the intrepid archeologist not only intriguing but with a look that was inspiring.  To start off the collection I decided to start small.  Although present in all of the films, it is usually obscured by the jacket or the whip. I am talking about Indiana Jones' satchel bag.

While the first three Indiana Jones films take place in the 1930s, the bag that he carries and uses to carry his treasures was actually a WWII surplus gas mak bag.  More specifically it was the British MKVII bag.  There were actually a few manufacturers of the bag usually in green canvas but sometimes in white or yellow.  During the war, both the infantry and the police wore this mask.  

Most of what one sees when looking at Indiana Jones is the leather strap over his shirt but the bag in many shots the bag is under the jacket. However, in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, Professor Jones wears it over the jacket.

The bag comes with a canvas strap, which is usually the same color as the bag, however, in the film, it was replaced with a leather rifle strap.  You can order the bag with or without the strap.  Mine cost me an extra $12. Once the package is opened, you will need to cut off the canvas strap and replace it with the leather one.  There is a slight trick to getting the right look to it.

After removing the Chicago screw on the end that has the loop, run that part through the left side of the metal ring, and then through the strap buckle.  Give yourself some room for adjustment (about 18 inches depending on how tall you are) and then with the secure the strap loop onto the other metal ring by replacing the screws.  Once you have it on, you can make further adjustments to the strap.  Just make sure that the strap goes from right to left and the buckle should be right about your sternum.

Here is a demo on how to do this in the video below.

 

While I buy my own products with my own funds, here is a link to What Price Glory's website and to the actual bag that I bought.  I ordered this right as the pandemic was realized and this still came in about a week. http://onlinemilitaria.net/products/1914-The-MK-VII-MARK-SEVEN-Indiana-Jones-Bag-ORIGINAL/

Thank you for looking and please subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Rob

Han Solo Vest Unboxing - Todd's Costumes

As a young teen in 1977, I saw "Star Wars" (now called "Episode IV: A New Hope"), and as I have written before, it changed the way I saw my life. As a kid,  my passions gravitated towards the filmmaking process.  I loved the characters and could understand the archetypes that they represented.

Much later in life, I decided I wanted to revisit my youth and my passion for film.  I wrote reviews of movies that I saw, and as always, life happens. The Star Wars Costumes that I desired were usually quite bulky and hot.  I live in the desert, and when we do have comic cons or film fests, I decided I did not want to sweat for hours and not really enjoy the convention.  So I decided I want to wear something a bit more comfortable.

So recently, I decided it was time to start creating or assembly costumes that are more comfortable but yet very recognizable to everyone attending.

I have chosen the Han Solo "look," and I was able to get a sharp-looking vest (shirt is on its way). I looked around the internet and was looking at the cheap Halloween costumes that are usually made very cheaply and fall apart after time.


Instead, I decided to go with Todd's Costumes. I was lucky, as, at the time, the vest and shirt were available as a set.  At this time, you can preorder if you so desire.  The cost was $199.00 without tax and shipping.

One thing to note about the vest is that there many pockets and loops on the screen vest. Both on the back (above) and on the front below.

The vest I purchased (shirt coming in a future video and blog post has the requisite pockets based on 1977's "A New Hope."

On the front right side of the vest, the configuration of the pocket shows the upper right pocket with an angular side pocket

The vest has a nice silky inside material that a quality vest should have. And the outside is the thickness of a coat.

While the pockets are real they do have that stitch that doesn't allow for the to open unless you cut the thread.

I ordered the vest and shirt in 2XL and I think it fits just fine.

I am not an affiliate of Todd's, however, I am supplying a link to the shirt vest combo

https://www.toddscostumes.com/costumes/han-solo-costume/han-solo-vest-shirt-combo/

Let me know what you think. 

And thanks for taking a view.

Welcome - A Constantly Racing Mind Youtube Channel

Lately, I have been deep in contemplation. you know, the usual things. Life, Death, Immortality. I haven't posted a review in quite a while yet my mind is constantly thinking about films, books, movies, and TV props, and costumes. I have been watching a lot of Great Courses.  As I was watching I starting thinking about some of the props from historical movies. Or movies somewhat based on historical films.

Talking it over with my wonderful wife, we decided that I would start a Youtube channel.  A Constantly Racing Mind explores the history and philosophy behind films.  We explore props, the storylines, the costumes, and how they relate to us with an eye on history, literature, the media, and current events.

I will still post to this platform as I really want to go more in-depth in many of the subjects covered

And... As this is May the Fourth, Here is a link to the video.


Take care,
Stay safe,
and Happy May the 4th!

The Aeronauts ~ Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones Trailer

It's about time that Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones have joined forces once again. This time to bring us a tale about a semi-true life story of English meteorologist, aeronaut, and astronomer, James Glaisher. As you recall, both of them told the story of astrophysicist Stephen and Jane Hawking in "The Theory of Everything." As they have both gone off and became stars in both the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres. Jones in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" as rebel Jyn Erso. Redmayne as the bumbling Newt  in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and then again in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." 

Glaisher was known as both a pioneering balloonist and a founding member of the Royal Meteorological Society. On September 5th, 1862, he broke the world record for altitude at 8,800 meters. He did pass out around that point. Glaisher's co-pilot Henry Tracey Coxwell is not in the film but is replaced by Felicity Jone's character Amelia Wren (like the bird... get it).

What I am hoping for is an epic adventure fictionalized, if necessary, that takes Redmayne and Jones to breathtaking and vertigo-inducing heights.

"The Aeronauts" is directed by Tom Harper ("The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death") based on a story by Tom Harper and Jack Thorne with a written by credit. Music is composed of Steven Price, whose credits include "Gravity," "Baby Driver," and "Fury." The film opens on December 6th, 2019.

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography

Year:  2019

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Himesh Patel

Director: Tom Harper

Producer(s): Tom Harper, Richard Hewitt, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Jack Thorne

Writer: Tom Harper, Jack Thorne
Rating: G-13

Running Time: 200 minutes

Release Date:12/6/2019

Joker ~ Why Is There Evil

W
hy is there evil? Ah yes, the age-old question rears its ugly head once again. Todd Phillips promises to answer that question, at least in the case of Batman's arch-nemesis in "Joker." As I walked in for my screening, I quickly noticed an armed police officer standing near the entrance.  I tend to not listen to what others have been saying, but with all the hub-bub about mass shootings, I understood why he was there.  

The film opens on a busy Gotham street looking eerily like the 1980's New York. Joaquin Phoenix ("Inherent Vice," "Walk the Line" ) is playing the hapless Arthur Fleck all decked out with white paint on his face, a rubber skull cap with green bozo hair and silly small bowler hat and the red rubber nose. He is twirling a sign in a gaudy clown suit. This is not the iconic image we all have come to know from images past. He is in front of a store that is going out of business. I didn't realize that they had sign twirlers in the '80s, but hey. 

A group of kids come running by and grabbing his sign, and they take off.  Arthur, in his giant clumsy clown shoes, gives chase.  They lead him into an alley, and Arthur follows. As he sees his quarry in sight, he is blindsided by a kid with the sign slams him in the face, and Arthur goes down.  The kids viciously begin kicking him.  They kick him in the back, the side, the ribs, and in the groin. You immediately feel bad for Arthur. But that is what writer and direct Phillips wants you to explore. He wants you to feel sorry for Arthur. Don't fall for it. 

As origin stories go, "Joker" is superb. The scene is set. A cold, cruel world where the common man is marginalized. Arthur lives in a run-down apartment with his mother, Penny. Frances Conroy () plays his mother throughout the film as one would expect a loving mother with a disability would be. "Put on a happy face," Arthur intones as he tells people he meets is what his mother always told him. Fleck also tells them that his mother says that he was put on this Earth to make people smile. In the run-down apartment building that he lives in, we meet Sophie (Zazie Beetz - "Deadpool," "Atlanta"), and her daughter in an elevator. Luckily for Fleck, that suddenly stops giving them a moment to make eye contact and give Arthur the moment to focus on a possibility.

As the film moves steadily towards his transformation into "Joker," we find Arthur and ourselves in a cold dark world of class upheaval. A world fraught with rudeness, cruelty,  and where the truth is turned upside down. Sound familiar? It should.

When "Jaws" came out in 1975, and "Alien" in 1979, we had monsters that evil was their nature. They killed the innocent because that is what they do.  In John Carpenter's original "Halloween," Michael Myers was just evil. He wasn't, as in Rob Zombie's version, a neglected and bullied child whose mother is not only single, but a stripper ignores the signs that her son is spiraling down into madness. We already knew the Joker was criminally insane. Did we really need to know why? We knew that Dracula was not only a vampire but evil as well. In both Bram Stoker's novel and in the 1931 Bela Lugosi classic, we are not told why he is a vampire or of any wrongs that God may have inflicted on the Count. It doesn't matter, he is evil. 

The picture that director Todd Phillips paints is one of man, used and abused just trying to fulfill his dreams.  What dreams are these? First, he wants to be like his hero late-night host, Murray Franklin. Enter Robert DeNiro ("Family," "Godfather") plays the Carson like talk show host in a manner, not unlike Jerry Lewis in the 1982 film DeNiro starred in with the late comedian, "The King of Comedy." The talk show host is aloof and to some degree, cruel. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is excellent, the story is both brilliant and direct. 

DC fans will both love and hate this adaptation, and I think in this political and conscious gun divide will both adore and deride the film with a good reason for both points of view. Movies are a reflection of our society, and this is precisely what this film is. I always said that a hero is only as good as his enemy or the villain of the story. When it comes to the Joker, Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson did it for me. That being said, go see this film, you might find yourself something within you that finds "Joker" appealing. "Joker" runs 2 hours and is rated "R" for restricted.

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year:  2019

Starring:  Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy

Director: Todd Phillips

Producer(s): Bradley Cooper, Joseph Garner, Aaron L. Gilbert, Walter Hamada, Todd Phillips

Writer: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

Rating: R

Running Time: 122 minutes

Release Date: 10/4/2019