Chainsaw from Ash vs Evil Dead

So first, I know that the chainsaw from the movies and TV show is a specific model of a Homelite XL. But I happened upon this toy with working sounds and motion, and I wanted to play around with it to see if I could make as close to a replica as possible while still retaining the motion and sound from the toy. I also am a fan of using a toy since I cosplay at a lot of conventions, and a plastic chain is much safer than a metal chain (especially with the motion still engaged).

So here is the chainsaw from the Evil Dead that everyone knows and loves.


And here is the toy I used for the mod, purchased from Party City.


And here is the most recent photo that I have of my prop (on my phone as of 2/14**), I will have an updated photo soon.

Here is a brief summary of the steps to alter the toy.
Step by Step

1. Gutted the back handle off of the toy.
2. Opened up the body to clean up some of the wiring and reinforce solder joints
3. Mounted a handle with access to the on/off switch for the motion/sound.
4. Closed it back up securely.
5. Primer with P3 Black Primer
6. Painted it with Testor Model Lacquer, Revvin Red.
7. Painted some parts silver
8. Mounted the arm guard
9. Replaced the pull string
10. Altered the silver handle along the front of the chainsaw
11. Added the metal bar and wooden handle along the top
12. Added banding between the arm guard and chainsaw body.
13. Purchased and installed gas/oil cap and a chain oil cap
14. Made it look grimy and nasty
15. Splattered it with blood.

**Since taking this photo, I have done quite a few steps (which I will upload tonight or tomorrow).

1. repainted some of the silver vent red to match the chainsaw body
2. mounted real gas and chain oil caps that I bought on eBay
3. added metal bands between the chainsaw body and the arm guard
4. gunked up the entire chainsaw to make it filthy

I will try and take a photo from the same angle as the official chainsaw to post as side by side images. And I have a full tutorial of every single step in detail posted here, http://www.aradani.com/costumearticles/ash-vs-evil-dead/ .

It is also really funny, but while trying to imitate the TV show as accurately as I could, I realized that the color of the gas and chain oil caps flip between Evil Dead and Ash vs Evil Dead. In fact, there is a continuity error in the Pilot when Pablo kicks the chainsaw through the air to Ash. The caps on the CG chainsaw are colored like the movies, but the shots right before and after (with a real prop) have the correct TV show coloring.

The last step that I needed to complete was to splatter some blood on the chainsaw. I had seen another RPF article about using a specific model paint to make a good blood splatter effect, but it is only sold from overseas. So I purchased some Mr.Hobby GSI-H90 - Clear Red - Gloss 10ml. I purchased some from eBay for about $3 (free shipping too!), but I am not sure if I would recommend this paint for anyone else. The bottle was labelled water based paint, but it is 100% not water based.

The bottle says water based, and it also says Flammable and Hazardous! After splattering the paint with a chip brush, I tried to wash it off my hands. Neither soap and water, nor odorless mineral spirits cleaned the paint off of my hand. I know that some model paints are enamel and some are lacquer. Not sure what this one is, but I can say that it didn't clean off very well.

Anyway, Testor's makes a Water Based clear red paint, which on the bottle clearly says, Water Wash-Up, This one might be the way to go, Model Master Clear Red GP00260 1/2 oz.

Anyway, here is a shot of the final chainsaw prop. I feel like I got it pretty close to the show, except for the shape of the chainsaw body. Also, this toy features a 16 inch blade, which is only 4 inches shy of the original movie prop.

And the photo of the original again.

looks really awesome. very close to original too

chuckyAPP said:

looks really awesome. very close to original too

Click to expand...

chuckyAPP Your inbox is full and I'm not sure how else to convey that to you, so I'mma quote your most recent post and see if that does it.

Nice reproduction, kalessaradan. :thumbsup

One thing though - that chainsaw in the photo you used isn't the original movie prop, it's a fan made replica from DeviantArt. It is a nice replica in itself though. To see some really good replicas, head to evildeadchainsaws.com. He's also supplied some of the chainsaw props they used in the tv show.

You are right about the oil and fuel cap positions. They change place not only between the movie and the tv show but even within the movies! On the actual chainsaw, the red cap is at the front, so that's probably the best place to have it - as per your one.

Great job, and very interesting as I'm working on this as well, except the version of the motorized chainsaw prop I'm working off of is the slightly different black variant.

What did you use for the wooden top handle piece, if you don't mind me asking?