SerenityMovie.net

[pennausamike]

[pennausamike]

All our subjects are conditioned for combat, but River...she's a creature of extraordinary grace.

Yes, she always did love to dance...

Here is the case I built for my second, and most likely last, screen-used item from BDM Serenity.
It is based on a basketball display case.



Not for the "weapon" itself, but, well, you'll see.

When I bought my prop it was damaged and missing two parts.
I repaired the broken pieces as best I could and cut one replacement out of a model car windshield.
The other piece I machined to match the original as closely as possible.



I was then ready to display my star attraction.



The headpiece worn by River in the Project Oracle lab.



One of these days I'll get the whole display built to include the other Project Oracle items, shown previously, here:

[pennausamike]

Another "Fool Me Twice" project underway.

Quintan Shang's weapon.
Her brother was killed by the Purplebellies in the war.
Makes her a might resentful.
She's also a bit brash.
Carries this break-open Schofield carbine.
Highly polished nickel,SS and AL, 9" silencer, .36 caliber:
I'm changing the ergonomically horrifying grips to a look that ought to seem more comfortable to a Browncoat.



For such a large pistol, the original grip/frame contour is really small and squeezes the middle finger against the frame.
So, the Mal pistol grips, patterned after the old cap-and-ball Colts, should make the Shofield a better handling (non) weapon.



The Schofield Carbine a bit further along, along with other in process projects, my Mal pistol and the YoSafBridge "Trash" pistol.



The barrel extention has a muzzlebrake and threaded section to allow the 9" suppressor to be screwed on.

Mike

[BrownCoat1]

Can't wait to see how the Schofield carbine turns out.

Great stuff Pennausamike.
_________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

[pennausamike]

Alongside a number of other projects, I'm building a pair of Sidkit Mal pistols.

I worked on my friend's first, then switched gears and made a pair of spare magazines for mine.



I had to make a 3-piece fixture to bend the feed lips on the mags.
I want to display the gun, 2 spare mags, a cleaning rod and 24 rounds of ammo
in a green velvet lined presentation box.
The ammo will be in 6 round groups;
Full Metal Jacket
Hollow-point
Armor Piercing Penetrator
High Explosive.

The thumbscrews are, from left to right,
Sidkit's drilled and tapped for 4-40 set screws,
Badger's thumbscrews with 3mm set screws,
and the original Sidkits that were to just be glued in the dimples.



My bending fixture didn't work quite like I planned,
but fortunately these are static display and not for a working weapon.
Next, I need to finish filing the scroll pieces to final shape.
Then it is on to making up and loading some dummy rounds.
Oh, and I gotta build the Mal pistol, too....

All the work on the scrolls was hand file work.
I put a 1/4" dowel pin through the hole and located off the flat.
That way, all the filing is done on both pieces simultaneously so that both pieces are the same when you are done.



After I finished the scrolls, I cut a piece of dense, kneeling pad foam to simulate the mag follower.
I "loaded" three rounds of live M-1 Carbine, FMJ ammo for the photo.
I'll make up dummy rounds from spent brass for the actual display.
I have to glue the scrolls on tonight while I work on the pistol itself.
The final touch will be to drill and tap the bottom for two 2-56 button-head-socket-cap-screws.
The success with the mags is giving me the incentive to finish my Mal pistol.

[pennausamike]

OK, I'm starting my Sidkit Mal pistol:

Step One:

I attached the one side panel to the frame with the set screws.
As I've noted elsewhere, set screws are not for clamping pieces together.
If the threads don't realign perfectly, the set screw acts like a jackscrew and
lifts one piece off the other, instead of clamping them together.
So, I poured JB Weld epoxy between the frame and the side panel to strengthen it.
The plastic bags will contain the JB Weld while it sets (for about 8 hours).
Once the epoxy cures, the bag pieces will peel off.



In the background is the other Sidkit and the two spare mags with the scrolls glued on.
Once they set, I'll clean up the glue that pushed out of the slot.

To the right is the internal barrel sleeve I made sitting next to the Sidkit barrel face.
The sleeve means you can look down the barrel and see...barrel.

Next step:
Drilled and tapped the shrouds for the set screws to hold the thumbscrews.
I hand drilled the knurled knobs and the frame mounting dimples for a 4-40 X 1/2"L set screws on the first Mal pistol.
Even the QMx knurled knobs are glued on.
Mine came with one detached; I glued it back on.
This lousy picture got worse when it converted to a JPEG
I have the tap size listed as either 3mm (Badger thumbscrews) or 4-40
which is what I drilled the Sidkit thumbscrews.



The top pistol in the pic below has the Sidkit thumbscrews,
the lower example has the nickel-plated-brass thumbscrews.



And then on to the barrel:
here is the C-clamp and 12" scale mounting fixture I used.
Most of this is easily done with hand tools.
I'll post better in process pics.
As an example, I "drilled" the hole in the frame halves for the shoulder bolt with a big rat tail file.
The shoulder bolt should be replaced with a 3/8"-16 X 1/2"L SHCS (socket head cap screw).
My Sidkit Mals are bolted and glued wherever possible.

My barrel alignment fixture was made out of 2 C-clamps, a 12" steel scale and a correct height spacer to hold the barrel until the glue set.




The scale is aligned to the bulged part of the shrouds and
sets a straight line in addition to serving as a holding fixture.
The brass spacer is just something from my hardware collection the happened to be the right size.



I don't put a lot of glue in at first, in case I have to re-seat the barrel
if it doesn't turn out to be as straight as I thought.
I'll pile more glue in tomorrow.

After I built up the JBWeld around the barrel mounting lug and the frame on the inside,
I glued on the other half of the main body/ receiver.
I did this in a couple of steps to avoid just pouring a bunch of glue in the body.
I packed pieces of sandwich bags around the JB Weld to contain it until it dried, same as before.
I glue the two frame attachment points because my friend's Sidkit showed up bowed inward at the top; a result of how soft the main material is.



Next, I'll fill some seams and clean up the outer surface.
Then I'll start attaching the last shroud pieces, the top, front sight, etc.

Mike

[pennausamike]

I glued on the front sight and the two rear shrouds, clamped in place.
The top isn't glued on yet; and glue is the only thing that holds the top on.
Right now I'm just using it as a place holder for the shrouds.



After the sight dries, I'll re-drill and tap for the set screws.
After the shrouds dry, I'll fit the dummy dis-assembly lever and the top cover.



I put a thin layer of JB Weld to glue the sight to the barrel.
One approach for overcoming the fact that set screws are not for clamping pieces together and to keep the set screw from acting like a jackscrew.
My solution was to glue the pieces and run a tap through both where they join together.
That should ensure one continuous thread.

Mike

[pennausamike]

Both Mal pistols are close to being ready to paint.
I started fitting the walnut grips to mine;
a slow, tedious process I am not good at.



I also need to re-drill the mounting holes for the grips in the top pistol,
and paint the faux (fancy for "fake") woodgrain on the Sidkit grips.

Mike

[BrownCoat1]

Looking great Pennausamike! You've got some serious talent.
_________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

[pennausamike]

Updated the pics of Quintan Shang's carbine

Mike

[pennausamike]

Sidkit Mal No. 038 for my friend.
The grips aren't dry and I haven't started weathering it yet.
None of the hardware is bolted on, either.
I should still have it finished in the next day or two.



I won't be doing my Mal for a little bit, yet.
I'm still bogged down in fitting the grips,
bogged down meaning procrastinating and not working on it.

Mike

[linkrulesx10]

Wow these are really good I wish I had the time and skill *and legal rights in some cases* to do that. I wish you luck in your prop creation.

[pennausamike]

I attached all the final pieces except the top four screws and applied the antique gold Rub & Buff.
Which I promptly wore off handling it.
Applied R&B a second time; looked like garbage.
Wore that off on purpose and, third times the charm.
I now need to seal the whole pistol in a clear coat.
I don't know how that's going to work, so I need to make a test piece to see how the R&B takes to the clear.



Not a particularly good photo, but the best at this time.

Mike

[pennausamike]

Taking a break from working on the pistol itself to something completely different.



A place to put it when it is finished!



You can't really tell, but I'm making a set of brass and walnut cleaning tools
(for a not-a-gun that will never need cleaned)
to go with the Mal memorabilia that will be in the upper tray.
The little bullet holder is also walnut, so I'll be staining the grips,
the tools and the bullet block at the same time.

I'm also making dummy rounds of ammo.
I have finished the full-metal jacket, the armor piercing sabot rounds and the explosive tipped rounds.
I still need to make up six hollow point rounds.

The original use for the presentation box was for a Colt Dragoon revolver.
A few weeks of getting shot down on eBay finally resulted in acquiring this one.

Still lots of work to go,
Mike

[BrownCoat1]

Shiny! Going to be a great box once it's finished.
_________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

[pennausamike]

It seems like I'm overdue for an update, but most of the projects I've been working on are the type of tedious detail work that is necessary, but not exciting.
An example would be my Saffron pistol.



I've put-on and sanded-off about 5 layers of JB Weld, bondo, Squadron Green Putty and automotive spot putty.
Yawn....
Absolutely needed to fill the pinholes and restore shapes, but honestly, I can't maintain any enthusiasm for it.

I also machined a bunch of parts to upgrade my "B" SST helmets to "A" spec.



And some that are just needed to attach the chinstraps and cheek pieces.



Ear screens: these help in hearing for the person wearing the helmet.



Mic stems: for "Fool Me Twice" I want the helmets to be radios for the Alliance Feds, as well.



I've also nearly finished Quintan Shang's carbine.
I'm pleased that it is coming out as I envisioned it.
I even found an awesome case for it!

I've acquired a couple more small items like badges and patches.
I want to note a feather in QMx's cap.
First, congratulations on acquiring the Firefly license to go with the Serenity BDM license.
Second, thanks for listening!
The 12th Cavalry patch is an example.
I sent a review listing the small size as an issue.
They posted the review and improved the size and detail on the patch on the second run.



Because of all the "all-work-and-no-satisfaction" projects,
I took on one I intend to finish in a week.
Zoe's back-up pistol.



She wore this in a crossdraw holster.
I only recall seeing it pulled in the TV pilot Serenity, tho she often wore it.

I bought a Denix 1860 Colt and cut it down to match Zoe's.
I also machined the grip screws to actually work, i.e. thread together,
because the original Denix screws are fakes swaged together.



At some point, depending on weather and real-life distractions;
I should have whole bunch of projects come together at once.

Mike

[BrownCoat1]

Great stuff as always Pennausamike.
_________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

[Mr. Bubbles]

Wow! Great work. I am very impressed (and jealous)

[pennausamike]

Quintan Shang's Schofield Carbine is finally finished.
(excuse the poor photo)



This came out almost exactly as I hoped.
There are some construction flaws, but the overall look is good and I don't think the flaws will detract on-screen.
The dummy silencer is removable but the shoulder stock is screwed in place.
I found the little sling with stainless steel disconnects on eBay;
it was EXACTLY what I envisioned.
I also (rather inadvertently) found this awesome case for Quintan's carbine.
It is an old "mutton-leg" case for break-down double barrel shotguns.
But it is a perfect fit for the little carbine.
I have a bit of fixin' to do on it and I modified the inside to hold the carbine and the silencer, but I think it is a visually impressive piece of kit.

In unrelated news, I updated the Jayne post on the first page to include the Jayne T-shirts I've acquired over the years.

Also, a gratuitous Fed armor shot:



Mike

[frogg]

Wow man thats amazing. Do you ever use that for roleplay or something like that or do you just like making them?

[pennausamike]

[pennausamike]

A REALLY big prop weapon, a city spaceship.
I've lost touch with the creator, but I don't want to lose the realized vision thus far.



And updated to this point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLzyn_NgyTo

Progress continues, slow as it is.

Mike

[pennausamike]

Now I'm just waitin' on the weather so I can stain and polyurethane and paint....



Mike

[Loire]

Hey, new here. pennausamike, you are quite the craftsman. So any idea on a projected date for FMT? Can you spoil what the general synopsis might be? Me an a few pals have been thinkin(possibly too much!) of makin a FFF (like to be the first Irish one!) with little time and money. Any tips ya can give for us?

PM me if ya like.
Loire
PS That Dragoon pistol you used for the Zoe-esk one is very similar to the one I have except it's in black and brass, was gonna use it as my hero pistol.

[pennausamike]

[Loire]

Yeah thanks Mike. We're tryin to scale it down a little. First twenty minute bit we do will be in the war, mostly just talkin. Maybe later we'll do more of 'em, provided we enjoyed it enough. It's a hobby.. keeps ya outta mischef. One more thing.. I've seen the pics of your fantastic alliance armor, but how did it come together/how hard was it to make? And if you can share where you got the east german helmets.. that'd be shiny. Sorry if I sound like i'm pryin', but ya seem friendly and look like you know your stuff.

Loire

[pennausamike]

I mostly have enough stuff;
now the focus is to finish the projects I already have,
and make nice displays for the whole collection.

I bought a nice case for Wash's pistol.
Now I'm converting it to fit my Wash display items.



I ripped out the old guts and cut a new forming tray out of dense foam.
I have to make two cut-outs for the speed loaders.
Actually, I still have to make the speed loaders.



In this pic is a long out-of-production, fan-made, Wash patch
and a receipt I made and then asked Alan Tudyck to sign in character.



The "business" is Champion Outfitters of Beaumonde and Wash bought the Mateba, two speed loaders,
some conventional ammo, and 50 rounds of "Three-'pete" ammo.
Remember the scene in "Heart of Gold" when Wash was shooting at the bad guys in Serenity?
His revolver was going, "bang-bang-bang"; apparently with each pull of the trigger.

As a (not even remotely) funny story on the Wash sig;
I made up a receipt for Wash's Mateba to display with the gun, dinos, etc.
This was really important to me, but as things often go, my spare time went in the toilet
for the two weeks leading up to Farpoint Con where Alan was appearing.
It took me four days of snatching time to make the receipt, including 2-1/2 hours the morning of the Con.
I missed the premier of "Trenches"
(which features the work of some of the folk who are to help me with "Fool Me Twice")
because I was running so late.
I was still scrambling to get my stuff together for Alan to sign.
For a document I had Ron Glass sign,
I had a post-it note on the document with "Derrial Book" spelled on it so he wouldn't have to conjure up the spelling.
(Heck, the BDM special-features called him Meriah or some such.)
The firearms receipt had a place for the sig,
which I noted,
and a place for initials, which I forgot.
I handed it to Alan, and honest to goodness, I forgot the "h" in "Washburne!
So now I'm residually pissed from missing "Trenches", I'm in disarray with my bag of Con stuff,
and now I'm flustered cuz I effed-up the sig.
(NOTE: Alan caught the mistake and signed the full name correctly, phew.)

Could it get worse, HECK yeah...
Alan saw the place to initial
(accepting or rejecting inclusion in the Alliance Firearms Recovery Database)
and asked what I wanted.
The words of brilliance that exited my mouth were something like,
"Just put the initials 'H-B' in the reject box."
I'm sure he was thinking, "Why would I put 'H-B' for Hoban Washburne?",
but he wrote it like I asked.
When he handed it back, I realized what I said.

Overall, my boys and I had a nice day, and Alan's presentation was HUGE fun,
but every time I look at that receipt, it just pisses me off at me all over again.

Mike

[pennausamike]

[BrownCoat1]

Great stuff as always Mike.

And as the X.O. of the 76th, I'd like to thank you for the nod and pointing people in our direction. We paid a lot of attention to detail in our recreation of the browncoat uniform and weapons. We want to be as realistic as possible and it is our hope to one day be to the Firefly / Serenity 'verse what the 501st is to the Star Wars fandom.
_________________
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

[Loire]

Thanks Mike. Whew, it's certainly going places conceptually, up and down on exactly how big we want this thing to be.
As you said before, it's about dailing back our ideas to match our talent..
but that makes it less challenging, and thats part of why I think this is fun.
We're trying to get our hands on some good editing software, so we can do some blue screen stuff too.. Originally we weren't going to, but we're looking to keep this more firefly, less war story with odd costumes.
And those costumes will be odd.. with our limited budget it'll be a bit rag-tag, not totally matching.
Got some ideas from that 76th site too.
And yeah, the mp5s are over old these days. But if I will, i'll use 'em. Them and as many g36s I can get, the odd l85, and in the first scene of serenity, i'm certain mal has a famas when he hits the dirt before going into the bunker.. Anyways, i'll keep postin our progress