casting my second custom ray gun prop!

[amongtheliving]

I've just started casting my second original space gun, its a streamlined sort of steam punk. It's proving really difficult to find an audience for custom pieces like this, anybody know where I could promote future stuffs?





there's a few more pics on kickstarter liked to the pics, I've even tried adding t-shirt designs! any ideas, constructive criticism?

 

[xl97]

whats the link to some of your other work?

I dig it..!!

really love the handle/grip base portion and the larger clip/magazine area too.

my suggestion for future builds / larger target audience is make hollow for people to add electronics (lights/sound)

(working trigger...space inside..etc)

more work over all though I understand.

 

[amongtheliving]

Thanks for the post xl97, i am rotocasting these by hand then filling with plaster for a realistic weight. I could still offer them hollow at the end when I ask for shipping info, thanks for the suggestion! I do really want to get more detailed with moving parts, lights and sound but I'm worried the extra cost will be an even harder sale... Maybe not, it could be that added value that pushes people into "I need it" mode. hmm

 

[xl97]

just make them 'electronics ready'

they can retrofit whatever they want/can/find...


if you go that route..

possible things people may want to do, that you'll need to account for:

* hollow barrel for light/leds
* maybe removable clip/magazines area/pieces
* either siding or pivoting trigger (think of a solution and use it for all your projects)
* hollow scope areas so people can install lens/bingo chips..etc..


either way..

your work above is great!

 

[TheSt.LouisKid]

That's pretty blasty looking.

 

[amongtheliving]

great tips! really I should cast it in two pieces so I can control the inner void, even make a few shelves for electronics and battery pack. removable mag would solve a lot... ahhh more molds!

very blasty indeed St. Louis kid!

it uses 3d printing technology to print the projectile and expellant directly into the top cylinder while the bottom is firing. this way the loads are customizable even to explode on impact rounds! ...its possible!?

 

[PurpleDiamond]

It definitely has a dieselpunk feel. I second (third?) the suggestion of making room for electronics, a hollow barrel (for lights) and a moving trigger.

 

[kdawg1]

Get on some Steampunk sites and promote post on ebay and if able hit some comic cons! I like it, if the price isn't to steep you should be able to sell.

 

[dropshipbob]

Good to see another custom creation from you!

Might I suggest creating a facebook page, or maybe a shop on Etsy? That would allow you to add more information and pictures, give you more of an electronic "face" for selling these.

 

[Badsprout]

I second Dropshipbob's suggestion that you open a shop on Etsy. Ebay (here in the UK at least) have the annoying habit of pulling anything that looks remotely like a firearm, so I've pretty much moved most of my business to Etsy. Also their fees are much, much more reasonable.

 

[Lurksmith]

it uses 3d printing technology to print the projectile and expellant directly into the top cylinder while the bottom is firing. this way the loads are customizable even to explode on impact rounds! ...its possible!?

I have a different kind of tip, and it's going to seem shallow because it's about marketing, but I think you'd address it easy because in this one quote you just said more about the context and your excitement for this weapon than your entire kickstarter page. Right now the focus of the page is just its place in your portfolio, but that doesn't tell me why it's cool for me. Your shirt is likewise not about your gun, it's about your gun being for sale on kickstarter. A lot of kickstarters start with an in-fiction description to set the tone, or what makes the designer love it. You tease the old west angle a little, but some additional context would get me pumped about your inspiration and the fiction of the thing. You'd probably have more interest in the shirts if you simply made the retrofuture poster mock-up into your shirt design.

That kind of excitement is contagious. Call it the Grordbort effect. Weta turned that brand into an extended range of products, but the Grordbort setting was first presented just as atmosphere for their rayguns. Tone set them apart. Amp up the old west angle, let me know what kind of seismoterrasaur this hand cannon is meant to obliterate. Mention different genres as inspiration and then people who like those genres will see themselves using it.

It seems far from steampunk, but I second the dieselpunk note. A little flat black and rust in the corners and it would start to have a gritty story that really speaks to that crowd. The other group you could look at is warhammer40k. With some contrasting colours this thing starts to have a big bolter look to it. All references that increase interest.

So yeah, cool design, and with some creative context, it could definitely speak to more people.

 

[amongtheliving]

Thanks for remembering dropshipbob!

You guys are awesomely supportive! Here’s my list so far... I hope I have enough time to implement these.

Back story
explanation of how it works
Designer inspiration
Shirts based on gun/story
Etsy support/sale page
Offer an 'electronics ready’ option
Research ways to reach steampunk and dieselpunk crowds.

I did start to develop a story around the piece including this character below. I had written something for the first space gun as well but had a hard time getting it approved by kickstarter and ended up pulling all the creative text to get it passed.

xl97, I had missed your question, I have some of my other projects posted at ryandesigns.com

 

[EmmaInCandyland]

It's awesome! I love ray guns !haha, I want one from Mars attack!

 

[amongtheliving]

I like the call of duty ray gun.

 

[Geohazard]

Great piece.

It really is more Dieselpunk though, imho. Try creating another character that has more of a 30's/40's look with gothic accents. Victorian/Edwardian seems a bit too early. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[holtt]

The drawing of the character with them really really adds some cool factor!

 

[nomuse]

I also find it very Diesel, which can be a hard look to achieve so that's an accomplishment worth accenting. I agree about offering a hollow cast -- but since not everyone is that comfortable cutting and drilling and soldering, you might look into whether you can produce a painted-and-lit finished prop for a price someone might go for (and that you can afford to offer).

With all that positive out of the way, I really gotta offer a critique. Cylinder and magazine? The details are nice, but they don't really cohere for me. I hang out with several gun nuts who get a LOT more critical than I do, but this is still worth thinking of for your next design; think about what is going on inside the gun, what parts are actually moving, what the levers do. Like that slide that looks like a magazine catch release; is that what it does? If so, what does the action look like? That's the sort of question that you can ask that will give your props even more of a sense of reality.

I hope you will accept this in the humble and helpful manner intended!