It’s great exercise not to mention a lot of fun. Thousand of crazy Texans will gather on Saturday, October 15, 2011 to dress up like zombies and roam the streets. You might think to yourself that this sounds fun but what do you do after you’re done walking? Well, there will be 60 bands, beer and a drive in movie! While you’re at it you might as well donate blood as Carter Blood Care will have a station set up for donators. I know it seems more vampire then zombie but it’s a good cause. This event is free but if you’d like your make-up done there will be a fee so if you’re cheap then do your make-up before you get there. I am very cheap so I would choose this option plus it’s just fun to be creative and see how gruesome you can make yourself look.
My Mini Rant: Okay, I just had to put in my 2 cents about events like these. Zombie walks seem to be popping up more and more nowadays and they seem like great fun. The only issue I have with it is first of all what if someone doesn’t know that there was a zombie walk going on and decides to use a shotgun on one of the participants? It seems like this is even more of a risk in places like Texas. Also, What if there actually is a real zombie apocalypse during one of these events?! How do you know who is zombie and who is human?! Do people not worry about these things?
Source: Pegasus News; yelp
Star Wars is by far, one of the most iconic Scifi movies ever created. It spawned many books, sequels, prequels, unforgettable quotes, funny movie parodies and of course – Storm Troopers. Whats more awesome than Storm Troopers? ZOMBIE Storm Troopers.
To kick off Zombie week, I’m featuring a very talented artist/Star Wars fanboy/(fellow) creator of Awesome – Travis Stevens. He has customized some Star Wars action figures and made them into zombie characters which is based on a book – Death Troopers by Joe Schriber. I’ve stumbled upon Travis’ Etsy shop while browsing through some Storm Trooper stuff and came across these hideous yet awesome creations and I thought the same as he did – Star Wars Storm Troopers + Zombies = EPIC WIN.
What could be better than Star Wars Storm Troopers combined with Zombies?! A CONTEST!!!One lucky winner will receive one of Travis’ Storm Trooper Zombie creations which is donated by Mr. Stevens himself AND as a bonus for Zombie week here at GiR – not only will you receive the Storm Trooper Zombie, but you will also receive a copy of Death Trooper, courtesy of GeekinitReal and in partnership of Zombie411.com
I thought it was fate. Yes, good ‘ole arm gnawing, leg chewing, flesh eating – fate.
Presenting, GeekinitReal’s interview with a fellow Star Wars and Zombie Geek – Travis Stevens.
GIR: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
TS:
I am a 28 year old elementary music teacher living in Eastern PA. I’m married with two dogs (toy poodles, but not cut to be all “frilly”); I love Star Wars, zombies, movies in general, travel, and building and redesigning guitars to be more interesting. Eventually I plan to do a graphic novel like a million other amateur artists. I’ve been in different bands before, and continue to perform original music and covers in weddings, bars / restaurants, etc. I even wrote separate songs about Darth Vader and Indiana Jones for an album my college rock band, “The Flying Dutchmen” put out; don’t bother checking iTunes, but if you’re interested I can send those your way.
TS:
My inspiration for these figures was the fantastic book, Death Troopers. The combination of the Star Wars universe and an unstoppable horde of zombies… was totally unexpected, and absolutely perfect for me. I have a pretty extensive Star Wars collection,and I’ve customized a lot of my own figures- it was natural to make my own mini-horde of Imperial zombies. Also, if anyone is interested in reading Death Troopers, they will also want to check out the prequel, Red Harvest (also by Joe Schreiber).
GiR: How long have you been designing?
TS:
I’ve been designing (or trying to) for years and years; I remember having an extra Kenner Super Powers Superman figure, and I tried melting his hair off using a lightbulb as a young kid- I don’t remember what my goal was, but it obviously didn’t end up becoming a masterpiece in any sense of the word. I also tried turning a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Chrome Dome” figure into a Boba Fett, but that project also didn’t completely pan out. From that point, I started getting into woodcarving. In High School I had to pick a music or art track, and I went with music; as a result, I didn’t do much related to visual art. I guess I also had to decide whether I wanted a girlfriend, so I didn’t do much with action figures either! What a shame. Late in High School, my dad and I started designing and building unique custom guitars that can be seen on my website; I have continued doing this ever since. Once I got a job after college and had some level of disposable income, I started getting back to one of my first passions: action figures. And I combined that with my passion for creating things, and I’ve been making altered versions ever since. I’ve done a couple sets of Marvel Zombies figures which I’ve sold, and that naturally led to these Death Troopers- just a change as to what universe they’re coming from.
I’d like to mention that I don’t use lightbulbs anymore- I’ve graduated to legit carving tools and a Dremel with many fun attachments.
TS:
Well, like I said before I’m very musical; I teach, write, perform, and build musical instruments. As far as art is concerned, I am involved in most mediums- painting with oils, acrylics, watercolors, I can gold leaf, and I draw, etc. I’m taking Krav Maga classes so I can better defend myself during the zombie apocalypse from the legions of the undead and the unruly gangs of looters that form. You know… what most people are doing right now. Also, I can make fart noises with my hands, so obviously I’m a wellspring of talent. Just don’t expect me to make the winning pass in a football game; we all have our limitations!
GiR: You’re that dude who created that super awesome customized Millennium Falcon Guitar! How long did it take for you to finish that masterpiece?
Actually, that was a pretty easy build- I was kind of obsessed with doing it, so it only took me about 4 Saturdays. The body was essentially there in the toy- I just had to gut it the right way and build the structure into it. Adapting necessary guitar features and precise measurements is the tricky part- it’s easy to stick a guitar neck on the toy, but a little background knowledge is necessary to make it functional and playable! I saw that another guy later did it in England which is cool, but he criticized my use of one pickup. This really isn’t the forum for a rebuttal, but I’d like to state that my choice was intentional to better preserve the design of the ship. And, at least I glued my radar dish in the right place!
TS:
In the Zombie-Stormtrooper Apocalypse, I think there is a very simple answer- get off-planet. Immediately. And if I couldn’t do that, I think I’d just jump into my Skyhopper and start picking them off. I mean, I used to bullseye whomp rats in my T-16 back home, and they aren’t much bigger than 2 meters…
TS:
Yes- I will make any zombies that people may (or may not) be interested in! Also, I do have an epic Star Wars guitar that I will be doing within the next few years- on par with or eclipsing the Falcon. I don’t want to include any specific details should there be an aggressively competitive fellow nerd out there trying to beat me to it, but it will be epic. In the meantime, I’ll be doing a variety of projects and custom work for anyone who is interested! I’m especially trying to build awareness of my guitars to increase commissioned work. I love guitars, and for some mysterious reason they pay better than figures!
TS:
I now have a website with sections that show my work and an area that I can be contacted through; www.travisstevensnerdcrafts.
CONTEST RULES:
* One lucky winner of the Death Trooper action figure customized by Travis Stevens AND a Paperback copy of Death Troopers Novel will be chosen on Saturday evening, Oct 15th and announced Monday Morning, Oct. 17th.
*BONUS! Another lucky winner will be chosen same day/date Saturday evening Oct 15th. That lucky winner will win the Death Trooper Novel Hardcover!
* Respond to this question below either on our site’s comments section or on GeekinitReal orZombie411‘s Facebook page:
“In an event of a Zombie Apocalypse, what will you do to survive?”
* Like Travis Steven’s Nerd Crafts, GeekinitReal and Zombie411 Facebook pages.
* The person with the most creative and funny answer wins the contest!
GOOD LUCK!
Here is a silly cartoon that stresses the importance of being prepared for a zombie apocalypse. If you choose to use this method I would suggest having your own generator in case the power goes out! Use this time to think about how prepared you are in case of a zombie apocalypse.
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When struggling with the idea of what to be for Halloween you may have the idea of being a zombie. Then you start thinking of how much work all that latex and make-up is. In order to give your face that freshly rotted look it takes a lot of work. Then I saw that this year they have this facial tattoos available. I am very intrigued because in the picture it looks very creepy and I wonder if this actually works well. If you or any one you know has used one of these products please let me know! I am very curious to see what your experience was. This product is available for $5.99 at www.halloweenstore.com.
source: www.halloweenstore.com.
Come and get your very own Zombie Tonic! Proven to keep your hands free of zombifying zombie bacteria. This is a perfect party favor to give out at your halloween party. This Anti-Bacterial PocketBac® Sanitizing Hand Gel will leave your hands smelling like marshmallow. Yum! There are quite a large variety of these Halloween themed hand gels but this one of course was my favorite. My second favorite is the Vampire Blood which smells like Plum. At just $ .75 ea, these definitely aren’t going to break your budget!
source: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/
