2016 nerdy views in Review

2016 was no doubt a savage year, and here at nerdy views, which is now three years old (yay!) it was definitely a year of transition. I started this site to write about movies, television, & entertainment in general, and this year I continued to move further away from that to focus more on building creative projects. And judging by the response I've gotten, it sounds like I'm doing a decent job. Anyway, I just wanted to take a look back at some of the things that made my 2016 memorable.

Celebs

Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Doctor Who, & the Power Rangers really does kind of sum me up. And add a little Fresh Price of Bel Air in there to top it off!

I met Peter Mayhew at WinterCon and he signed my Chewbacca Funko while he enjoyed his orange mocha frappuccino.

Steve Cardenas was the second Red Ranger from the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I remember scheduling my college classes around that show.

I met Steven Moffat, the current Doctor Who & Sherlock showrunner just randomly at a Star Wars booth at San Diego Comic Con and I totally fanboyed it.

I met Ernie Hudson from the Ghostbusters at Hudson Valley Comic Con, and he was super nice in allowing me to take this selfie with him after he signed my Winston Zeddemore figure.

And finally, I wondered what Karyn Parsons from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was doing at WinterCon, but it didn't matter why because she was super cool, and her show definitely helped shape my sense of humor when I was younger.

I can't imagine meeting any of these people under normal circumstances, but at conventions, there's always a chance!

Overwatch Winter Wonderland

The latest seasonal event for Overwatch is Winter Wonderland! I really loved Halloween Terror and Junkenstein's Revenge, and I've been looking forward to this holiday event for quite some time. New skins, new emotes, new victory poses, and Hanamura & King's Row get all snowed up! Plus, the brawl is a Mei based snowball fight called "Snow Brawl!" Unfortunately, I don't think every character is getting a holiday skin, but just look at Pharah & Winston! I totally want those! You can read more about the update over at Blizzard.



The winter activities end on Jan 2nd so get your holiday loot boxes while you can!

The Three Amigos

Thirty years ago today, The Three Amigos premiered in theaters!



It's one of my favorite old comedies and it never fails to provide a plethora of laughs every time I watch it. Here's one of my favorite scenes.



And just one more great scene where gringos are falling from the sky!



And to this day, I still make this "infamous" joke because of this movie...


So remember, wherever there is injustice, you will find us. Wherever there is suffering, we'll be there. Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find... The Three Amigos!

Baby Groot For The Win!

Baby Groot is gonna steal every scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 just like he's doing in this second trailer!



And Drax is probably gonna steal a few scenes too... 😉

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 hits theaters in May 2017.

Proton Pack Build V2

Proton Pack V1 vs Proton Pack V2

Six years ago I made a proton pack for Halloween. You can check out the build process here. I made it mostly out of cardboard, foam, and random things from Home Depot and the Dollar Store. It was a fun foray into prop building and while I love the pack, it is pretty fragile. The base is pretty much all cardboard, and the pack has a duct tape look to it, mainly because there's a lot of duct tape on it. I wanted to build a pack that was more durable and looked a little more screen accurate. So I decided to build another one completely out of foam.

Proton Pack version 2 had to satisfy two of my needs:

1. It had to be light, hence the foam construction. Proton packs are usually made of resin, fiberglass, or aluminum and can weigh anywhere from 35 to 50 pounds or more. Carrying that on my back all day during a convention is not appealing.

2. It had to house a backpack inside so that I had storage for things I bought at conventions, so I decided that the pack would split in two to access it.

So to start, here's the bag I got to fit inside the pack. It has a flat, narrow profile and I got it on clearance at BestBuy.

Wonder Woman Trailer

A new Wonder Woman trailer is finally out!



Wonder Woman was easily the best part of the much maligned Batman v Superman which I actually enjoyed for what it's worth, so I'm super excited for this one.

The trailer starts with Wonder Woman walking through Paris.

A Stranger Things Christmas

Have you ever wondered what a Stranger Things / Peanuts crossover would look like? Well here you go!



I kind of love how Snoopy is the demogorgon, and poor Barb still can't get a break...