Feb. 15, 2015 | By Kira
Those of you who are familiar with the epic HBO fantasy drama, Game of Thrones, know that when it comes to the details, the program’s costumers and set directors leave nothing behind. Each prop, outfit, and even hairstyle is meticulously crafted to fit within the fictional (and extremely graphic) universe created by George R.R. Martin, even if it will only appear on screen for a second or two. Luckily, for avid fans and cosplayers such as Ohio-based Nimi Becza, a few seconds is all it takes to inspire the creation of an intricate and beautifully detailed 3D printed replica.
The object in question is Prince Oberyn Martell’s dagger. Martell, who is played by Pedro Pascal and appeared in the fourth season of the show, is Becza’s favourite character when it comes to cosplaying, and he has created an entire costume based on the suave Prince of Dorne. Although the dagger only appears briefly on-screen, and was probably overlooked by the majority of viewers, 3D printing gave Becza the opportunity to recreate it and add a unique layer of authenticity to his costume.
“I made a costume of Oberyn Martell’s robe for a local convention and thought it would be a great accessory,” Becza told us of his inspiration for making the dagger. “The most difficult part was actually finding the reference images. The costumers on the Game of Thrones crew put so much detail into their work that it pretty much tells the story of the character before he or she even says her first line.”
Oberyn Martell, as depicted in the TV series Game of Thrones
Becza pictured above in his final costume, and below with fellow cosplayer Mac N' Catsas Ellaria Sand
He made a base model based on the few reference pictures he could find, and then sent it off to his friends at fellow Ohio-based company Print My Props. They 3D printed the dagger in three pieces on a MakerGear M2 in ABS plastic filament, and sent it back to Bezca for final touches.
“Most of the work on the blade was actually in the post processing,” Bezca told 3ders.org. “Once I received the piece, I sanded it down with various grits of sandpaper, sculpted the tiny details on the handle by adding two-part epoxy clay to the printed handle base. Then I finally painted, sealed it and added the plastic gemstones to the handle.”
Bezca describes himself as an amateur prop maker and leather worker focused on bringing high quality replicas to life. He is passionate about video games, sci-fi shows and fantasy books, and has been cosplaying for almost four years, making all of his costumes (including characters from Assassin’s Creed and Destiny Strike) from scratch. Although Martell’s dagger was outsourced to Print My Props, Bezca recently acquired his own MakerGear M2 3D printer so that he can design and print himself. He’s already sketched out a few new models for an Assassin’s Creed costume, and is planning on revisiting older projects as well.
As you can see from the pictures, Bezca’s attention to detail really paid off for his Oberyn Martell costume. From the ornate robe and dagger right down to the well-groomed moustache and smoldering eyes, he’s got it all. And while we can’t exactly attribute those last two features to 3D printing, the ability to customize and create intricate objects based on just a few limited reference images is sure to bring cosplaying and costume-making to a whole new level. The fifth season of Game of Thrones premiers on HBO April 18th, 2015.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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