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Presenting the Mal pistol replica prototype.

"You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once. If I ever kill you you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed." - Mal to Simon, Firefly (pilot episode)

Ending a relationship is never fun, but getting into a new one that starts delivering right away isn't the worst thing possible, either. Not only has our new partner managed to deliver an excellent prototype in a matter of weeks, as a leading expert in metal-crafting, they've made several substantial improvements to the Mal replica design that we wish we'd though of:

Bronze Body: These will now be cast as separate components in a very durable metal/resin composite. This new composite material incorporates "cold-cast" bronze, which is actual metal powder mixed with the resin base. Once cured, the outer surface layer is hand sanded and polished back off to expose the metal and bring it to a nice luster. So when you hold the replica, your hands are actually coming in contact with metal which gives it a substantial weight and heft, as well as being "cold to the touch." An additional benefit is that the finish cannot be scratched or rubbed off with handling, like paint. And the resin base will be much more durable, resisting warping and wrinkling over time.

Composite Rules: Another way to think about the metal composite is it feels like real metal, because it is real metal. It's actually more expensive to do the Mal pistol with composite than the plating process we originally envisioned - due to the extensive hand-finishing labor required - but the bronze/resin composite will ultimately give the Mal pistol a sharper look than the originally-planned plating (which, we found, tends to fill in subtle details on the model and pool in crevices and corners). It also turns out there's high variability in the plating process as well, so things like what color each gun would be was hard to control (from straight brass to silver, none of which exactly matches the original prop's bronze and steel colors). With the new metal powder process, we are able to choose a powder that is an exact match to the original prop's "bronzy-brassy" color - without needing to over-paint the plating to make the colors match - while still maintaining all of the crisp detailing.

"Steel" Components: The parts of the Mal pistol that look like steel - the grip, trigger, trigger guard, hammer; about 30 percent of the replica - will be now cast in real aluminum and "antiqued" (shot-peened and dyed) to match the aged steel components of the actual prop. This will also contribute to the heft and the metal feel of the replica. In keeping with our earlier upgrade, all of the screws are real, separate steel parts, rather than being cast in place.

And the Rest: All other components - display stand, plaque, certificate, retail package, etc., will remain the same. The wooden grips will still be CNC machined from walnut, with a stained and antiqued finish to replicate the aged look of the original prop.

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Originally posted by kbachelder:
You can also hear a lot more about this by listening to the interviews with the guys from QMx that appear on our recent podcasts.


Firefly Talk #48

http://fireflytalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=196514

The Signal - Season 3 Episode #6 which is due out later today or tomorrow.

http://www.serenityfirefly.com


Enjoy,

Kevin
The Signal
http://www.serenityfirefly.com

Firefly Talk
http://www.fireflytalk.com

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Originally posted by Xeyra:
And the eternal question of how many crew quarters exists is finally answered. There is, indeed, an unused bunk! :) Wash's, before he started bunking with Zoe, mayhaps?

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