A long time ago... Black Hole Scratchbuild

Skyler101

Sr Member
Hey Guys....

Years ago.. and I do mean years, someone on the forum posted plans to a scratch built Cygnus blaster from The Black Hole. I remember being very impressed by it, as at the time, there was no castings available, and the movie was one that I loved as a kid.

So off I went, and a week later had to move, so I threw it into a box, thinking I would dig it out once I got to my new place... Little did I know that almost 10 years later, I opened the box, and low and behold, there it was!!!!!

So, here it is! At this point, the main body is made, all being made of wood and dowel rod like the original. It was one of my first scratch builds, but not my last, and I was wondering if anyone has any pics of the original, or there models, I would love to use it to finish this one :)

17848228734035417613730.jpg


Basic shape built....

17848228734940417613730.jpg


Got some sanding and filling to blend everything together, but the basics are there.

17848228734525417613730.jpg


The front ends sanded, and ready to be sealed and primed!

Thanks for letting me share. This helps me get things done :) hehe!
 
Not sure where it came from but

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...&sa=N&start=21&um=1&ei=R95BS877CZSXtgeZ8oTZBQ\


I have always wanted to build one too,,just gotta get good measurements..hint hint


That's the old kit from AIM. I had one of those at one point and sold it. I'm pretty sure that build up is from the collection of RPF member "Eyes Only" (not for sure on that--maybe Lord Abaddon??).

Your blaster looks great :) There must be something in the water because I'm working on one of these at the moment too! I have an old casting that's supposed to be taken from the stunt piece that ICONS molded. Based on the little I've been able to gather over the years I suspect that it has shrunk lengthwise anywhere from 3/4" to an 1" from the actual piece but it is very hard to tell.

Just after I got married in 2002 a screen used blaster went up for auction and ended at around $1500. I wish I had had the money (and the permission) to bid at the time because I'd easily give that much for a real one.
 
Years ago, I spoke to Harrison Ellenshaw about his work, and mentioned the blasters in The Black Hole. He laughed and said that they were just wood dowel stuck together.
So wood, and some plastic sheet, and we will see where it goes...

Thanks for all the pics... I'm doing some hunting myself, if I find anything good, I'll put them up :)
 
I have collected most if not all of the cast members autographs over they years and collected the toys and anything I could find. I wanted to make this and a life sized Humanoid one day...lol
 
I dont have the plans anymore :(

I'll see if i can grab some measurements off my model if you like, but after looking at the pics posted, I have the feeling that it might be a little big. Still looks good though! :)

Spent some time looking around the net, and cant find any good pics, so thanks to those who posted. Does anyone know if theres any images of the back of the pistol? Love to know what the detail there is....
 
A few years back I started a thread looking for pics of the Sentry blaster:

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=18397&highlight=Black+Hole

I'm still trying to determine how much shrinkage there is on the casting that I have. Based on measurements of the casting itself there may actually be very little at all depending on the dimensions of the actual prop. I noticed a variance of about 1/32" from standard diameters of the dowels (for example a dowel in the casting would be 1/32" smaller than 3/8" and so forth). micdavis's picture of the blaster alongside the ruler raises some questions about dimensions though and it is that pic that lead me to think there might be a shrinkage issue. Or perhaps shrinkage in one dimension rather that another (length vs height).

This stuff is all very much up in the air right now and I'm not relying entirely on that single picture mainly because of issues with perspective. Here are some pics of the casting I have alongside an enlargement of the micdavis pic:

BHBlast_03.jpg


Back end of the blaster:
BHBlast_02.jpg


With measurements:
BHBlast_01.jpg
 
Great pics DCarty... Thats a great big help.. :)
Looks like a toothpaste casting, wish I got one when they were on offer! :)
 
There used to be one on display at Disney in the original on lot Animation building - a small display case on the 3rd floor (right next to the red overalls the baby wore in "Honey I blew up The Baby" ) - and i think it's still there. it's trashed, but it's still together in one piece. If anyone is going by there anytime soon check it out.
 
Thanks for the heads up Jet... Love to see a pic if anyone can get one.

Did some putty and sanding work this week. Was able to get the piece level, and started puttying the dowel together. Im using a very cheap wood filler, but it works well. Once I do some spot touchup, I'll sand and prime it, and move onto the barrels.

Here are the pics :
img0361h.jpg

img0362b.jpg

img0364d.jpg

img0365q.jpg


Its coming together...
 
Just puttin' this out there.

A roommate and I did the Holland and Pizer uniforms back in 1980. My buddy acquired those slides of the props and we built the Cygnus blasters to carry around.

Now a days at least 50% of the "cast off screened used" blasters that I have seen are re-casts of the ones I did back then. I never made castings. We made four guns out of acrylic rods. Then sold them years later.

That seems to be one of the recasts, so it would make sense that it matches that photo plus 30 years of recasting/shrinkage.
 
Close enough. :) I built that one for Cliff (M-Pire) back in the day. I don't know if he still has it or not.
That's the old kit from AIM. I had one of those at one point and sold it. I'm pretty sure that build up is from the collection of RPF member "Eyes Only" (not for sure on that--maybe Lord Abaddon??).

Your blaster looks great :) There must be something in the water because I'm working on one of these at the moment too! I have an old casting that's supposed to be taken from the stunt piece that ICONS molded. Based on the little I've been able to gather over the years I suspect that it has shrunk lengthwise anywhere from 3/4" to an 1" from the actual piece but it is very hard to tell.

Just after I got married in 2002 a screen used blaster went up for auction and ended at around $1500. I wish I had had the money (and the permission) to bid at the time because I'd easily give that much for a real one.
 
Just puttin' this out there.

A roommate and I did the Holland and Pizer uniforms back in 1980. My buddy acquired those slides of the props and we built the Cygnus blasters to carry around.

Now a days at least 50% of the "cast off screened used" blasters that I have seen are re-casts of the ones I did back then. I never made castings. We made four guns out of acrylic rods. Then sold them years later.

That seems to be one of the recasts, so it would make sense that it matches that photo plus 30 years of recasting/shrinkage.

ArteJohnsonVerrrryInteresting.jpg


(Hi Lowell!)
 
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