10 September 2013

Lawgiver MK1 by Planet Replicas



At last the Iconic Lawgiver MK1 has been realised by Planet Replicas and is now available for all Dredd fans and fans of sci-fi in general, to own. It's available to buy from their shop HERE, for the rather incredible price of £125 plus p&p.

After the release of the MKII I just knew this would be of an equally superb build and I wasn't wrong, as I was lucky enough to have a play with the proto-type at a couple of conventions! Let me add, it was torturous to hand back at the end of each con.


There isn't much to say really apart from what is written on their site:-

JUDGE DREDD'S MK1 LAWGIVER PROP REPLICA

Lovingly created from the original design by Dredd's creator Carlos Ezquerra, this is a faithful reproduction of the iconic original Lawgiver, as first seen in the pages of 2000 AD.
Using additional styling input by Mick McMahon, the replica measures almost 40cm long, and feels amazing in the hand !
Hand finished and cast in solid Polystone, this static piece has a lovely weight to it - and is the ultimate piece for any Dredd collector.
Comes in a printed, retro style card box with polystyrene packing.

Limited run of just 350 pieces !
This is a static piece that has no moving parts and does not fire projectiles.
It is recommended for ornamental use only.

Available with World Wide shipping.

Here's an extra piece added to the blog, since it's been posted.


Now for a load of pictures showing a few close-ups. Obviously these ones are by me and are not the greatest pictures in the world but they do the job. Don't forget to click on a photo to enlarge it!











 Looking underneath the barrel towards the mag and pistol grip.


The pistol grip, front on.




Now for the packaging and as always this has been thought out by the designers, as it has some lovely touches on the box.
You also have the credit card on the front, which shows your limited edition number, 115 for me.





In hand!



It comes extremely well packaged inside the box.

There it is folks, the Lawgiver MK1, which is now on sale from Planet Replicas. I have to say that this is awesome to look at on display and equally, it feels excellent in the hand, if you want to mess about with it.
I shall be using mine, along with the MKII at all future conventions and I'm sure you will see some other Planet Replicas Judges doing the same.

And just to end, here's another picture of the weapon, complete with uniform (which is also available from Planet Replicas), taken at the ExCeL Centre by Steve Green (as were the other two decent pics).


If I were you I would buy one of these before they sell out, especially as this is the ICONIC design, which most Dredd fans still think of when they think of Judge Dredd!

15 July 2013

Packing your Judge uniform for conventions

 

Having travelled all over the UK with my Planet Replicas uniform I've decided to write this article to show you how I pack it and also give a few hints on what else to take to conventions, to make the patrol more comfortable! When I have my 2012 uniform I'll do a version of how I pack that as well.

First off you need some decent boxes or one large one and you can buy these from places like B&Q, Wickes, etc. I went for two, so I could keep the helmet and shoulder pads separate and primarily to protect the helmet more. Yes you could go for a suitcase but the helmet would still need some protection if you ask me, as I wouldn't put that inside one.

So lets start the photo montage.

The large box, place the boots inside!
 
 Now place the knee pads inside and then the elbow pads inside those, as they fit there perfectly.

Now place the belt rig on top of those. Obviously the pouches are all full, so you don't have to mess about when you get to the convention. More of that at the end of the article.
 
 Now place the gloves inside the boots.
 
I then place a cotton bag on top of the belt rig, to protect the next item.
 
 Now fold up the leathers and place on top of the cotton bag.

Next up is the Lawgiver, inside of the dropdown holster. The other part of the holster is attached to the belt rig.
 
Now I add a coat hanger for the leathers, if it's a two day con and you are changing on site!
 
Now seal the box!

Place the smaller box on top!

Place the eagle and shoulder pad into the box as shown!

Just to show you the way the helmet goes in, I've included this picture (as it has added protection)

Now I wrap the helmet up in a cloth bag and then inside bubble wrap (underneath it I place spare undies and that adds to protection)
 
 Inside the helmet I place socks and sweatbands and then place the badge and buckle either side.

Now I fill this box with numerous items!
(listed at the end of the article)
 
 The trolley is a small foldable one that I picked up from Argos.

 
Now place both boxes on the trolley and behind the top box place a poster tube, which has the daystick inside. This also gives your hand room to grip the handle. Something I learnt the hard way, the first time! You can employ more bungees if you like but this one came with the trolley and I've not felt the need for any extra!


Now for some info on what I add to these two boxes.

Large Box:-

T-Shirts - Towel - Socks - Undies - Drinks, something like lucozade to add the lost salts and minerals due to all the sweating!

Small Box:-

Worn items-
Latex Gloves (the PR gloves stink after you wear them for a while and these also keep your hands dry)
Spare Sweatbands (change as and when)
 
Body cleaning items-
Anti-Perspirant (you WILL need this)
Handkerchiefs packets
Wet wipes (clean those parts after the end of the day, as you don't want to completely stink on the way home)

Uniform cleaning items-
Boot Brushes and Polish (for leathers to rapidly cover stains and marks while on patrol)
Large Clothes Brush (this gives your leathers that extra sheen)
Shift-It Polishing Cloth (for the helmet)
Anti-Fog Visor Spray and Cloth (wipe this onto the inside of your visor before the patrol and you shouldn't mist up when stood in the heat)
Leather Wipes (removes grime, grease etc)
Febreze (for those stinky boots, gloves and leathers at the end of the patrol)

Repairs-
Assorted Super Glues
Stapler Gun
Clamps
Scissors
Needles and Extra Strong Thread
Glue Gun (if you have one)

Also in my belt rig I carry the following items:-
Money - Sweatbands - Business Cards (cosplay ones for swapping after a pic is taken) - Keys (for the cuffs) - Deodorant (tiny ones) - Anything else you can think of and no I don't carry my phone with me, as I don't take calls when out on patrol.

I hope this is of use to anyone thinking of joining the Judges at The Official Brit-Cit Justice Department and at the Official Forum HERE!

16 April 2013

Jock & Cliff Robinson Dredd Standees

 

The first in a (hopefully) long line of standees has just been released and they are by two of the best Dredd artists around, Jock and Cliff Robinson.

I was informed of these by Graham the owner of my local comic shop,  The Grinning Demon. They had missed being placed in Reviews but had been included in an email, sent out soon after. I quickly put my name down for two and waited for their arrival.

When they did arrive they were in two large cardboard packets. I had told Rob Stewart about them and he ordered a pair as well. I said to Graham that I would carry my parcel back home now and get Robs the next time I'm down. Sadly I was informed that there might be two of the same in each, bollocks! I made a hole the cardboard and carried the pair back home and what a laugh that was, as you can guess when you see the picture of the size of the container below this sentence!


First up is the Cliff Robinson one!
 
It comes inside a plastic wrap with carboard protection and unfolds into its full size via two bends. Don't forget to click on any picture to enlarge it!
 



 
Next up is the Jock one!
 



 
So there you go and if you want to get your hands on them, I think they are under £30 but I forget such trivial things. One last thing, I love that these are spot on Dredd but so different!