Doctor Quest's Prop Shop

[Doctor Quest]

The is my latest project, the Mandalorian's Amban phase-pulse blaster. This thing is a beast. Not only is it big, it has a fairly complicated paint scheme. It is a 3D printed Esty kit. There are more expensive kits that are sturdier but I really just wanted a display model and I went for a cheaper, more fragile kit. One of the better kits actually has hollow parts that cover an aluminum tube for better structural integrity. Prop replicas are an interesting business and you can end up spend A LOT OF MONEY on "hero" versions. On the other hand you can find reasonably priced knock-offs that can be repainted to look pretty good.

It was a lot of fun to work on and I won't claim it's perfect. I could probably do some more weathering (and I still may) but I wanted to move on to my next project and I think it looks at least acceptable.

I'll leave it at that. Nothing is more boring that listening to someone talk about an obscure hobby. 

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

A disintegration rifle?  Are you trying to get raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Deathsitcks, and Blasters? 

[bayonetbrant]

I'll leave it at that. Nothing is more boring that listening to someone talk about an obscure hobby. 

Dude.  This is not your first time here.  You know better 

[thecommandtent]

Very cool!

[Doctor Quest]

Next project...........

[Martok]

Very cool, Doctor Quest!   

[Bison]

1:1 is impressive! A very cool hobby. I would like to an “AAR” of how you do the process from assembly and painting.

[Doctor Quest]

Thanks, guys!

Tell you what....Let's walk through the Captain Mal pistol together. It will be a little bit as I just ordered the kit and it needs to be cast and shipped. Stay tuned.

[Doctor Quest]

Captain Mal's pistol replica part 1

My cast resin replica of Captain Mal’s pistol finally arrived. Time for the unboxing. This was purchased from a small company called Arsenal Replica Models who sells through another small company called Hanzo Swords. An interesting place to browse around. www.hanzoswords.com.

I have purchased several Arsenal models and to be honest I am not sure they are the quality I would expect for the price. This pistol was marked down considerably so I went for it. My other sources for models are Etsy and various toy distributors which have started doing more adult scale “toys” specifically for cosplay. Prices for prop replicas, especially on Etsy, can vary a lot depending on the level of finishing done by the vendor. Etsy is where I got my Mandalorian pulse rifle and handgun. Both were 3D printed kits requiring a good bit of assembly and finishing but they were more reasonably priced.

The model came in a decent box with a good illustration of the finished product on the outside. The model consists of the pistol and two odd looking thingies that I eventually figured out were the thumbscrews that are attached just below where the barrel enters the body of the firearm. We’ll get to those later. There is a sheet of very general “how to work on a resin model” instructions but no specific instructions on this model. It is simple enough you really don’t need any.

At first glance the pistol is not as good a cast as I’ve gotten from other vendors. There is some clean up and sanding that will need to be done. It looks very much to scale. There are some casting flaws here and there but with a little TLC I think it will be a decent replica. The grips are well defined and the “screws” holding the grips on are well molded. The biggest effort is going to be the end of the barrel which is flat on the end without any bore. That is probably the first thing I will tackle.
The next part of any replica build is finding some good reference photos. Yay, internet! I found several excellent photos to work with for colors, finish and the barrel detail I need.

[Doctor Quest]

Captain Mal pistol replica part 2

I will start by drilling out the barrel and inserting a tube for a more realistic look. I dug through my collection of old pens and markers until I found one that looks to be the right size. Drilling the barrel will require some care and patience. I generally start by finding the center of the barrel and making a starting hole with my trusty Exacto knife. Drilling resin can be problematic as it will melt with too much heat. I found that a good compromise was to put the drill bits in a vice-grip tool and drill by hand. It takes a little time but gets the job done. I start with the smallest drill bit and work myself up to the required size in stages, trying my best to drill straight into the barrel. Starting small and working up in size makes this easier. I am only going to drill in about an inch or so. Once it is painted black on the inside of the barrel it should look good enough.

[Doctor Quest]

Captain Mal pistol replica part 3

Now I am ready to prime. I really like using Rustoleum products. A lot of the colors come in a 2X formula which is a primer/paint combo. Unfortunately they don’t have a bronze color in that formulation so I will start with a regular gray primer. I am going to do several coats which will help cover some of the casting imperfections.

Now I need to come up with a painting plan. I will use five colors of paint. Black for the barrel bore and dry brush weathering of the “metal” parts, a dark brown for the grips with a rust color used for the dry brush weathering of the grips, a gunmetal for the “silver” bits and gold/bronze for the majority of the model. The entire model will be over coated in clear satin finish which seems to be the right amount of consistent glossiness for most weapon models. I usually do three or four coats of clear finish which also helps protect the paint job.

The final step was to upgrade the two “thumbscrew” parts to real thumbscrews. I picked up a couple of properly sized thumbscrews at Home Depot and used an old automatic pencil tube for the shafts. They don’t look identical to the reference photo I was using but they look a lot better than the cast resin parts. Sometimes you need to scratch build.

Here is the finished model. Given the base model casting issues I am pleased with the results. It will look just fine on the wall or a shelf. I would not use it for any close-up “hero” shots with Capt. Mal 

Next project: A 3D printed model of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s blaster. Stay tuned.

[Bison]

Very interesting read. Thanks for sharing. Do you mount the model for display or just as is?

[Doctor Quest]

Thanks, Bison...

Most of the models are simply displayed on a shelf, leaning against the wall. My Mandalorian firearms are mounted to the wall using fancy coat hooks. I've thought about getting some wooden plaques for some of the better models and attaching them to the plaque and then to the wall maybe with nameplates. We'll see.....

[Staggerwing]

Doc, that looks great!

[judgedredd]

Hold the phone - are you saying the top pic is an illustration of the item (the box cover) and the second pic is a pic of the actual product? Man - if that's the case, there's some seriously flawed rules in America regarding advertising