Exclusive Interview With Hookshot Replica Creator Roxanne Barrett

About a month ago we shared with you that we had found an amazing life-sized Hookshot replica, created by Roxanne Barrett and available to purchase on her Etsy shop, Amphigory Design. As we are always wanting to share with you amazing Zelda finds, whether they be fan made pieces, or exclusive limited products, as long as it has to do with Zelda we want you to know about it and we want you to know the creators as well. Once the story was published we reached out to Roxanne to find out a little more about her, the process she has to create her designs, and maybe even get a little bit of information on any future Zelda projects she might have in mind. Fortunately for us she was more than happy to sit down for a chat. Follow us past the jump to learn more about her and her amazing creations!

 

 What made you decide to use a 3D printer for your work?

The 3D printer came before deciding what to do, actually. It’s a bit of a complicated story, but it boils down to my family saying, “If we loan you the money for a 3D printer, will you be able to pay us back?” and I said, “Absolutely.” I’d taken a class on toy design at CSU Fresno’s Summer Arts program where we got our models 3D printed and we cleaned them up and painted them. It was amazing fun and I knew I could do pretty much anything I set my mind to. It took about 4 months of figuring out how get consistently good prints and what the market wanted before things really took off, but it’s been pretty steady success ever since!

What does your process look like, and how long does it take?

Everything starts with creating the 3D file. For some of my items, I’ve used files others have made and licensed for commercial use. For others, I make them from scratch. I was trained in college as an organic modeler and animator, so I’m most comfortable with digital sculpting programs and modeling complex shapes from cubes.

For the hookshot, specifically, it took me about two evenings (so probably 8 hours total) to create the 3D models and have them fit together properly. The printing itself is the easy part! I load the files into what’s called the slicing software, which turns the 3D model into individual layers for the printer to put out one at a time. Here’s where I determine what needs support to print properly and how many of what to print at one time. I’m trying to move more towards an assembly line process so I can fulfill orders faster, so I tend to print as many parts as I can at once.

Printing all the parts for one hookshot takes about 9-10 hours total. I normally do it in 3 runs (one for the body pieces, one for the hook and handle, and one for the chain). They all require slightly different settings, so doing it this way makes it easy. Once I have the files, though, I can just select it off my printer’s SD card and run it again really quickly.

After this, I remove the supports from the chain and hook with angled pliers and sand down any rough spots. If any touch-ups are needed, I like to use wood filler as it sands down smooth and takes paint well.

Painting is next. I paint all the components separately as I’ve found it makes it a lot faster. I use Montana spray paints pretty exclusively, and they’re amazing. This last winter, I did have to hand paint everything though as there was 3ft of snow in my back yard from January to March!

The assembly is next and is probably my favorite part of the whole process. The way I designed the hookshot, everything snaps and fits together. I swear by Loctite 06921 super glue and I go through buckets of the stuff. I also use Gorilla Glue gel for the handle, to make sure it’s sturdy and can stand up to the battery of shipping.

What are the biggest challenges when using a 3D printer to create a replica?

The biggest challenge, hands down, is working out how to break up the part or how to orient it for minimal clean-up. If I wanted to print the hookshot in just 1 or 2 pieces, I probably could, but I’d need to sand off all the supports and painting would be a nightmare. I’ve also gotten lucky in that my printer just works. It ran flawlessly for a year before I had any cause to contact support, and that was with running it day in and day out. I’ve heard horror stories from other people of printers that never work properly, or parts that burn out, or tech support that’s completely unhelpful.

What made you choose The Legend of Zelda as one of your inspirations?

One of my uncles introduced me to gaming, and he gave me his N64 the Christmas I was 8 with Ocarina of Time. I had no idea what the controls were (I’ve always been bad about reading the instructions) so I was terrified of it for ages. He got me through the Deku Tree but after he went home, I never made it past the Stalchildren in Hyrule Field. Nevermind they disappear at sunrise, I still couldn’t manage it. 8 years later, when I discovered emulators, I went through and beat the whole game and loved it! I haven’t played all the games in the series, but Ocarina of Time will always hold a really special place in my heart.

What made you select the Hookshot?

When I started my business, there were a lot of Zelda props out there, but none of the more obscure items. I realized that with my printer and my painting abilities, I could fill that niche! Pretty much as soon as I made it available, it was a popular item.

What was harder, deciding what to make or actually making the item?

Actually making it was definitely harder, especially once orders started rolling in. A couple weeks after I listed it, I got featured in an article on Kotaku about the 24″ long flexible Onix toy I made. No one actually bought one of those, but tons of orders for hookshots came piling in and I had to scramble to figure out how to fulfill all of them in the time promised. I was also working full time and doing shows at my community theater at the time, so for a good 2-3 months there, I was sanding and painting in pretty much every free moment. I even came home for lunch every day just to get 45 more minutes of work done!

Do you play Zelda games and if so what is your favorite?

I do! I don’t have very much time for video games right now, sadly, but I recently watched my partner play through all of the Windwaker HD remake and it was absolutely gorgeous. Salvatore saying, “Splooooosh!” is one of my phone’s notification sounds. The Four Swords is probably my absolute favorite though, as I love the Gameboy as a platform. I really enjoyed all the puzzles and someday I’ll get a Gamecube and play with friends!

You mentioned on Etsy; the Hookshot is great for cosplay, so do you cosplay?

Not very much anymore but when I was in college, me and some friends went to Fanime every year! I’m planning on going to Anime Boston next year, provided I get my sewing machine up and running sometime in the next year. Favorite costumes have included: a Bubble Head Nurse from Silent Hill, a big Pokemon group with our 6’5″ friend as Ash, and Karin from Street Fighter. The last one was actually my proudest and my most terrible-to-make costume. I didn’t have an iron for most of the time, so I ended up making the pleated skirt with roughly 2,000 pins and hope. It was fun to get in and out of for fittings.

What has been the reaction of fans and customers alike to your work?

It’s been really wonderful! Pretty much unanimously positive. I really wish cosplayer customers would send me photos, actually. The few that do absolutely make my day! 😀

Would you be willing to share with us what your future Zelda projects might be?

Sure! I’m planning on making a Windwaker hookshot, once I figure out how to streamline the process a bit more. This prop is far more complex, and larger, but I think it’s going to be really, really cool once I manage it! I’m also going to be making an OoT longshot and I’m trying to carve out some time to make Bombchus into wind-up car toys. I have tons of ideas! The main issue right now is finding the time to prototype and take nice product photos. New items will be rolling out this summer though!

We hope that you all enjoyed learning a little bit more about Roxanne, her process, and her future projects. If you haven’t checked out some of her other pieces available to purchase, you can do so on her Etsy shop. Thank you to Roxanne for taking the time to chat with us, and I for one am looking forward to seeing what else you will cook up!