Blade Runner - PKD Mk VII - Blaster prop pistol weapon gun - The ONE you have NOT seen - The Build Thread
- Thread starter Harada357
- Start date
I have to admit, I wasn't enthused about the design at first/ It was interesting, but... After giving some time, it has grown on me. Not completely: what I like least is the "Tyrell Corp." on the butt, and the idea of translucent grips. The casting, by the way, looks very good - points for craftsmanship. I may be in for the project run.
Last edited:
XerocTheCreator
New Member
I love your take on the this blaster mixing elements from both weapons!! This is freakin cool! 
Love the variations on that one for sure. Maybe the amber grip could show an internal structure to make sure it seems sturdy and attached to the gun itself
The render is clear amber - but the kit is solid. It is possible to use a series of clear coats and clear burnt orange to get the effect. I am going to try a build once I get all the kits shipped to their new owners.
Billy Pilgrim
Member
Just received mine today. Wow! Super sharp details and perfectly cast!!
It's a bit smaller than I thought, but it's perfectly sized and very comfortable to hold.
Glad I picked one up.
Great job producing this! Thanks!!
It's a bit smaller than I thought, but it's perfectly sized and very comfortable to hold.
Glad I picked one up.
Great job producing this! Thanks!!
Retroneon
Active Member
The item arrived. Shipping was fast. The prop feels solid and detailed. And the parts count matches what you listed.
I inspected the body against your renderings, and noticed some differences. But it matches what is shown in your painted pics. So I assume some changes were made. This is fine. Perhaps the master is constantly evolving. Machines in the Blade Runner universe have a layered modified appearance. Parts are open to interpretation. And I like that builders may freely customize. I just want to go over some areas, to make sure they are intentional:
• In front of the trigger, it says "TYRELL CORP" on either side. On the left side, "TYRELL" is partially obscured. On the right side, "CORP" is partially obscured.
• The upper right side of the grip endcap no longer says "TYRELL CORP".
• The upper left side of the grip no longer says "RESTRICTED". I can still faintly see it. It looks like it has been partially flooded by primer.
• The upper left side of the grip has a rectangular depression. This looks like it would fit a button. But I think it's a tech detail that is supposed to be a depression.
• There's what looks like a thumb rest on top. At either side of it, there was text, but they are now bare. The left side said "TYRELL CORP". The right side said "PKD-451AZ245".
Of the detail that is kept, they are a bit faint. So I might have to rescribe some of it before layering on paint.
I do love that you have simple open sights on the centerline of this blaster - which so many blasters lack this much.
I inspected the body against your renderings, and noticed some differences. But it matches what is shown in your painted pics. So I assume some changes were made. This is fine. Perhaps the master is constantly evolving. Machines in the Blade Runner universe have a layered modified appearance. Parts are open to interpretation. And I like that builders may freely customize. I just want to go over some areas, to make sure they are intentional:
• In front of the trigger, it says "TYRELL CORP" on either side. On the left side, "TYRELL" is partially obscured. On the right side, "CORP" is partially obscured.
• The upper right side of the grip endcap no longer says "TYRELL CORP".
• The upper left side of the grip no longer says "RESTRICTED". I can still faintly see it. It looks like it has been partially flooded by primer.
• The upper left side of the grip has a rectangular depression. This looks like it would fit a button. But I think it's a tech detail that is supposed to be a depression.
• There's what looks like a thumb rest on top. At either side of it, there was text, but they are now bare. The left side said "TYRELL CORP". The right side said "PKD-451AZ245".
Of the detail that is kept, they are a bit faint. So I might have to rescribe some of it before layering on paint.
I do love that you have simple open sights on the centerline of this blaster - which so many blasters lack this much.
Some of the details would come out even in the highest resolution printer. Resin would clog and the angle would not print. Some of the details for the original design would just not come through and then there were problems casting the details. There were many failed attempts. A lot of work went into getting the final prototype to print - then getting it molded. When the parys would print - resin would pool in surfaces that had deep lettering. There were a couple of tries for that as well. There was a lot of time and material to produce these few kits. That is one reason these are a little expensive. It does not begin to cover the cost to produce it. The resin for the printer is exepnsive - failed prototypes - failed molds - then the kits can only be poured in a vacuum chamber to keep bubbles out of the details. the Restricted etching in the grip kept tearing the mold when it was removed and bubbled when the resin filled it - it was not easy. That is why I put pictures of the actual item that is being shipped. There will never be anything like this one again. Only a very small number of people have them. I have a few kits left from this second run - and that will likely be it for this run. I wanted to keep all of the detail - it was just not possible.
Retroneon
Active Member
These things have a way of cropping up.
Your design works even without the lettering. I'll just not worry about most of the text that are too faint then.
I have never used a resin printer (if this is what you printed with).
I was under the impression that overhangs would be less of a problem in liquid resin. That it creates neutral buoyancy. But that's just an assumption.
Printhead collisions would be even less of a problem if a whole layer is being lit at once.
It seems like those are not your problems? You mentioned clogging - but doesn't that have to do with heated extruders?
I'm trying to understand what you mean by pooling. Is liquid resin being attracted to the hardened cured crevices because of capillary action, and lensing the UV light?
If the resin composition is giving you trouble, try switching to Siraya Blu resin. I'm hearing good things about it.
www.siraya.tech
Resin printers are outside of my experience. So anything I say about it is just throwing ideas out there.
Your other problems though are familiar to me. And I can give experiential advice about it:
Watch this person try to slide a sleeve from a box.
It's parallel, so it should slide easily. But it's actually very difficult. Slight angle variance, and surface friction, combine to grip the sleeve in place.
Almost none of the plastic items you find have flat sides that are exactly perpendicular to a table surface. Where the shells diverge at a middle seam, they slope away from each other. Every shell has a trapezoid cross section which makes it easier to demold. Like when you stack or pull apart nesting bins. This is called "draft angle". Industry practice is to set the draft angle at 2 degrees. Although it's possible to go as small as 0.5 degrees. Your mold might tear less if you apply draft angles to the sides of your text.
When molding, pour your combined resin mix from one cup into another. This separates the unmixed portion stuck to the bottom of the first cup.
Put a third empty cup, or your mold, on the ground. Hold the filled second cup high. Pour in a thin stream. What this does is stretch out the liquid, and helps to eliminate bubbles.
This technique is taught by Smooth-On.
A vacuum chamber only shrinks bubbles. Not all of them will rise to the surface. They need to be shaken free by holding a vibrating device against the mold. This is why concrete vibrators exist. It might help to support your mold on upholstery foam while doing so.
A better way would be to place your mold on a vibrating table; maybe with the vacuum chamber too. To make sure they don't rattle apart, brace the mold within the vacuum chamber, and strap the vacuum chamber to the vibrating table.
forums.stanwinstonschool.com
Your design works even without the lettering. I'll just not worry about most of the text that are too faint then.
I have never used a resin printer (if this is what you printed with).
I was under the impression that overhangs would be less of a problem in liquid resin. That it creates neutral buoyancy. But that's just an assumption.
Printhead collisions would be even less of a problem if a whole layer is being lit at once.
It seems like those are not your problems? You mentioned clogging - but doesn't that have to do with heated extruders?
I'm trying to understand what you mean by pooling. Is liquid resin being attracted to the hardened cured crevices because of capillary action, and lensing the UV light?
If the resin composition is giving you trouble, try switching to Siraya Blu resin. I'm hearing good things about it.
Siraya Tech 3D Printing UV Resin for Elegoo,Anycubic & SLA 3d Printer
Siraya Tech: Leading manufacturer of high-performance UV resins and platinum silicones for best 3D printing. Specializing in engineering-grade UV resins for Elegoo 3d printer, Anycubic 3d printer, Creality 3d printer, DLP resin printer & SLA 3d printer. Elevate your LCD 3D printing projects with...
www.siraya.tech
Resin printers are outside of my experience. So anything I say about it is just throwing ideas out there.
Your other problems though are familiar to me. And I can give experiential advice about it:
Watch this person try to slide a sleeve from a box.
Almost none of the plastic items you find have flat sides that are exactly perpendicular to a table surface. Where the shells diverge at a middle seam, they slope away from each other. Every shell has a trapezoid cross section which makes it easier to demold. Like when you stack or pull apart nesting bins. This is called "draft angle". Industry practice is to set the draft angle at 2 degrees. Although it's possible to go as small as 0.5 degrees. Your mold might tear less if you apply draft angles to the sides of your text.
When molding, pour your combined resin mix from one cup into another. This separates the unmixed portion stuck to the bottom of the first cup.
Put a third empty cup, or your mold, on the ground. Hold the filled second cup high. Pour in a thin stream. What this does is stretch out the liquid, and helps to eliminate bubbles.
This technique is taught by Smooth-On.
A vacuum chamber only shrinks bubbles. Not all of them will rise to the surface. They need to be shaken free by holding a vibrating device against the mold. This is why concrete vibrators exist. It might help to support your mold on upholstery foam while doing so.
A better way would be to place your mold on a vibrating table; maybe with the vacuum chamber too. To make sure they don't rattle apart, brace the mold within the vacuum chamber, and strap the vacuum chamber to the vibrating table.
Vibrating table for mold making and casting
One thing I'd like to add to my shop is a vibrating table to help reduce trapped bubbles when making molds or casting.
forums.stanwinstonschool.com
Retroneon
Active Member
A vacuum chamber shrinks the number of bubbles, by lowering the air pressure. The bubbles expand, rise to the surface, and pop.
Bubbles will still remain though. You can compress them smaller by increasing the air pressure. If your vacuum chamber doesn't also work in reverse with interchangeable lids, then you would have to use a dedicated pressure pot.
Bubbles will still remain though. You can compress them smaller by increasing the air pressure. If your vacuum chamber doesn't also work in reverse with interchangeable lids, then you would have to use a dedicated pressure pot.
Thanks for the information.
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