Kids, I am so excited about this post! I love finding a good deal, especially when it can be used for a geeky craft project. I saw these tiny little plastic Star Wars characters at Larry’s desk a few months back and instantly thought “craft project”! Star Wars Fighter pods are these tiny one inch figures that come in mystery bags with a clear pod. You get two figures and a pod for $3.99. They are a spinning game where you place the figure either inside or outside the pod and use it to knock over your opponents fighters. See video commercial here and here.
Instead of paying $3.99, I went to my favorite markdown store called Tuesday Morning. They have these little dudes for 99 cents a pack! Major score! The Mister and I went a bit crazy in the car opening all the bags to see which figures we got. He was super excited about Boba Fett and Chewie. I was excited that they all weren’t the same thing! I ended up buying 20 packs.. don’t judge me. It was a really good deal. I even got a Han Solo in carbonite!
Now on to the craft and a giveaway at the end! I promise that eventually I will do something other than jewelry in future posts. Jewelry just happens to be my fixation right now and it’s really easy to ship.
What you need:
- Star Wars fighter pod figures– Depending on where you find them (Wal-Mart, Toy R Us, Walgreens, or discount) they are 99 cent to $3.99 a pack. Or if you are lucky and have kids, steal their duplicate figures!
- Testors Cement for Plastic Models– Wal-Mart or craft stores like Michaels will carry it. ($3-6) Make sure you get the package with the precision tips. Superglue also works well and is cheaper.
- Earring wires– Wal-Mart or craft stores have these in multi packs. ($2) Or take apart an old pair of earrings that you hate and use those wires.
- Eye Pins– Wal- Mart or craft stores (around $2)
- Needle Nose pliers and a needle
Total cost– It depends on what you have on hand. ($5-10)
Difficulty level- *** (the use of a needle and the sealer means adult supervision needed)
**Click on the photos to see more detail**
Step 1– Choose your figures. I decided to go with Boba Fett since he is everyone’s favorite bounty hunter! Next, trim your eye pins to a half an inch. You can use the needle to start a hole in the top of the figure. Trust me these things are tough and I bent a few eye pins trying to force them through by hand.
Step two- Coat your eye pins in glue. This help keep it in the figure. You could skip this step because I found that the plastic grips the pin really tight even without glue. It would take some major pulling to yank them off. I just like to be extra sure that Boba doesn’t ignite his jet pack and take off!
Step 3- Use the pliers to shove the pin into the hole that you started. Don’t worry about the glue that builds up at the top. It dries clear and you can barely see it. Let it dry a bit and meditate on the coolness of the Fett!
Step 4- Add your earring wires. Open the wires and slip on your figure. Use the wires to clamp down the loop. That’s it! You are finished. These are really really Kool. They are also light weight so you won’t be dragging the earlobes down.
Here is another pair that I made using a Chewie and a Han in Carbonite. Who says that earrings have to match?
Remember the awesome lightsaber earrings we made a few months back? Use one of your lightsabers and add a figure for a really Kool necklace! I went sith and made a Darth Vader necklace with a red lightsaber. I used a shot bead chain and some jump rings to extend my charms. I plan on wearing this on days that I have to send out overdue slips in the library. “I find your lack of book returns disturbing.”
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!
Want a pair of earrings for you, your favorite Princess, or as a gift to that special girl on Tatooine? I am giving away a pair of Stormtrooper earrings. They are holding blasters, but don’t worry they can’t seem to hit the broad side of a Rebel fighter! In the comments below tell me how you found us and what your favorite Star Wars movie or character is. I will add the entries to a Random name generator to select a winner. Entries are open to US residents only this go around. Good Luck!!
** I am adding a pair of Boba Fett earrings to the giveaway. The winner can choose between Boba Fett or the Stormtroopers!
Keep on Crafting!
~VEB
