This Life-Sized 3D-Printed Stormtrooper Is Ridiculously Awesome
CES 2016 is full of 3D-printed demos and knick knacks, but none of them are remotely as awesome as this life-sized 3D-printed Stormtrooper from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
This Stormtrooper sports polished white armor and signature helmet with the black accents, including the standard issue equipment and laser rifle. It took 40 different pieces to put this guy together.
The only thing that could have made him even more amazing is if he were Stormtrooper-turned-meme FN-2199, better known as TR-8R to most of the Internet.
Civil War’s Spider-Man Will Be Different Than Other Film Spideys
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo don't think the other film iterations of Spider-Man are bad, but they are adamant about changing how the character is depicted in film. Speaking with ComicBook.com, the directors discussed how Captain America: Civil War's Spider-Man will differ from previous portrayals.
"We took a very personal approach to the character," Joe Russo said. "He was my favorite character growing up, so the opportunity to bring Spider-Man to the screen is a dream come true."
"We're bringing Spider-Man into the movie in
universe, in that specific tonal stylistic world," Anthony Russo added. "It's a little more grounded and a little more hardcore contemporary."
Laura Dern Reportedly Up for a Role in the New Twin Peaks
The new season of Twin Peaks continues to roll towards production, now with David Lynch project veteran Laura Dern in tow.
TVLine has reported as much, citing exclusive sources, and mentioning the theory that Dern could play the until now entirely off-screen "Diane."
Dern has worked with Lynch on a number of projects in the past. These include Wild at Heart, and Inland Empire, as well as one of Lynch's other Kyle MacLachlan led projects Blue Velvet.
Should Dern fill the rumored role — which some fans believe may not even be a real person within the show's fiction — it would once again pair her with MacLachlan as the secretary of the latter actor's character.
Sony Wants to Trademark ‘Let’s Play’
Sony Computer Entertainment of America filed an application in October for the trademarking of the phrase "Let's Play." Discovered by a NeoGAF user, the filing aims to claim the phrase when regarding "electronic transmission and streaming of video games via global and local computer networks."
Let's Play videos have an extensive history on the Internet, dating back to pre-YouTube days. And as Engadget reports, the phrase has "a lot of common use history." It's a phrase that was popularized by the gaming community, and Sony apparently wants to capitalize on that.
Turn Yourself Into a Marvel or Force Awakens Action Figure
3D Plus Me has revealed more of its custom collectible figures at CES 2016.
In addition to Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and a Star Wars classic Stormtrooper and Jedi, 3D Plus me has added The Force Awakens Stormtroopers, Major League Baseball, and new versions of Iron Man and Jedi figures to its “Super Awesome Me” lineup, which allows someone to turn themselves into an action figure.
The “Super Awesome Me” figures are purchased through kiosks at participating retailers. The customer has their face scanned at the kiosk and chooses a hairstyle and figure at the time of purchase. The order is sent off-site and later shipped to the customer’s home address.
The updated figures appear to have a bit more detail. However, it does not appear the figures are articulated so they appear to make better statues than toys.
J.J. Talks New Hope Similarities in Force Awakens
Director J.J. Abrams expected some of the criticism that followed Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
In an interview on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, the director responded to complaints that Episode VII was too reminiscent of the original trilogy.
"It was obviously a wildly intentional thing that we go backwards, in some ways, to go forwards in the important ways," Abrams said. "Ultimately the structure of Star Wars itself is as classic and tried and true as you can get."
Though the parallel was intentional, Abrams understands that some might say that its "a complete rip-off." He defended his decision, saying that the similar structures are simply the bones of the story—bones that were "well-proven long before they were used in Star Wars."
Check Out This Life-Size 3D-Printed Groot Bust
If you’ve ever wondered what a life-sized 3D-printed bust of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy would look like, CES 2016 has you covered.
While it isn’t an exact recreation of the extraterrestrial tree man, it does capture the angrier side of the character through his furrowed brow.
The slideshow below shows various angles of the 3D-printed Groot bust, showing off its scale and detail.
Recently, a former Ubisoft Montréal employee recreated Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ BB-8 with 3D printing.
In related news, we checked out AtmosFlare’s 3D-drawing pen and we weren't very good with it. The pen uses a UV-cured photopolymer to make paint dry in three-dimensional designs.
You Need These Warcraft Power Bricks and Charging Docks in Your Life
If you're into World of Warcraft, there's a super good chance you have at least one, possibly two, collectibles kicking around. At CES 2016 this week, we saw a whole slew of World of Warcraft themed products that not only look awesome, but serve convenient functions to boot.
For example, battery banks are really convenient for anyone who's on the go. Most battery banks have a clean, classic "tech" look, which is fine. But if you really want to show off your love for WoW, why not charge your USB devices with 13400mAh of Doomhammer power?
There are plenty of others, too. Check out the slide show above to see the power banks as well as the awesome Warcraft statues that also double as phone docks.
Check Out These Cool Star Wars, Batman, and Avengers USB Figures
You probably already have a bunch of USB flash drives laying around, but they might not be as cool as these USB figures.
Tribe is attempting to add to its already robust line of licensed Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, and, yes, Minions line of USB drives. The Italian USB figure manufacturer is showing off its prospective line of Game of Thrones, The Force Awakens, and DC Comics Superheroes USB figure in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Some of the new figures Tribe hopes to release include Daenerys Targeryen and Jon Snow, Kylo Ren and BB-8, and Batman and Superman.
The drives come in 8 or 16 GB models, according to its website. Simply pop the heads off and insert them into your computer. When not in use, they make for great decorations for your desk.
Abrams and Franco on Adapting Stephen King’s 11.22.63
Some big names are joining forces for Hulu’s new miniseries, 11.22.63, and today at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, star James Franco and executive producer J.J. Abrams discussed adapting Stephen King’s novel.
Franco stars as Jake Epping, a man from the present who travels back in time to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Franco remarked that for those born after that event occurred, as he was, things have gotten blurred as far as how traumatic it was.
Said the actor, “It’s a big event, but it’s sort of become, in a weird way, legend for my generation. It feels like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, when in fact it was this horrific event. I thought this story and this approach were so great because it’s a fresh way in. We’re not exactly telling a history lesson. With Jake Epping, you have a new in to the story. You get to learn everything all over again but from a completely fresh perspective we haven’t seen before. It’s a way to guide a new generation into what happened.”