maxspr1
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the compliments, everyone!
While i think it would be very cool to fire this prop one day, my main aim with this was to own an extremely set-accurate-looking/constructed replica. Incidentally, I think I got close, but with the gun's innards being very innacurate, the handgrips made of resin instead of aluminum, and me not being able to weld aluminum parts together, my replica is about 75-80% set/screen accurate at best (and that's not including the fact that I'm not really sure exactly what kind of glow plug was used--it looks weird in the photos on alexis' site, and it looks like different ones were used on different props). I just couldn't easily and affordably on my own make new internal components to exactly match the original props. I was stuck with the guts the replica came with, and while the Aussie replica was a really excellent match to the reference photos in most external ways, the internal components were not very close at all. I didn't alter the insides in any way other than a tiny bit cosmetically, so they work up to a point (everything moves correctly and fits together perfectly), and my wiring works (see my work-in-progress glow plug test photo below), so i don't see why this prop wouldn't still fire when loaded up...
So, one day I'll probably fire this thing, but like I said, I just wanted to own a really good replica. I really want to own an original--I collect mostly screen-used/production-made props and am only interested in seriously set-accurate replicas, but I know that original Logan's Run gun props are so rare and so expensive when they do turn up that it would be impossible for me to get one. I know I'm in the minority about this, but firing it just wasn't as important as getting it to look right. Additionally, I have some concerns over whether some of my parts would hold up under high heat, specifically the JB Weld I used on the fin. Anybody out there know if JB Weld withstands repeated direct contact with open flame? I may test some before I get serious about shooting the prop...I'd hate to have my entire year's worth of work on this thing go down the tubes the first time I fire it.
Anyway, for Richard: I have owned one of your DS gun props since the early/mid '90s, and I used it extensively for reference when researching my replica. One of the reasons I was so happy with the Aussie replica I started with was that it's dimensions and angles exactly matched your cast-from-an-original replica and the photos of the movie guns on your site. Speaking of which, your site was an invaluable reference tool as well, and I'm sorry I didn't include you or it when I was thanking rpf members--I posted links to your articles in my first few posts, but they are easy to miss when I write so much:unsure. If I ever get an Aussie replica of the movie version of the DS gun, I'll definitely be studying those pics on your site again. My only real question about the movie props is how did the bondo grips look when seen from above--did the propmakers just bondo up and over the entire top of the battery (leaving the battery terminal exposed) or did they just bondo up to the edge of the black plastic top of the battery? If I knew the answer to that and had another Aussie replica, I'd be ready to go!
Some last pics for now: here's a replica of the TV version of the Sandman belt holster/belt clip which came with an old non-functional metal replica I bought on eBay years ago. It looks really accurate when compared to the reference photos (unlike the replica it came with), but i have no idea who made it. I kept it long after I sold that particular prop, and now I'm glad I did--it goes well with my TV DS Gun replica. It's just cut and folded aluminum sheet painted in Krylon semi-flat black (like the gun)--a very simple and easy-to-make replica, I'd imagine:
And here are some scans of stills I used when researching the TV prop that show off the holster/clip as well as the DS Guns:
While i think it would be very cool to fire this prop one day, my main aim with this was to own an extremely set-accurate-looking/constructed replica. Incidentally, I think I got close, but with the gun's innards being very innacurate, the handgrips made of resin instead of aluminum, and me not being able to weld aluminum parts together, my replica is about 75-80% set/screen accurate at best (and that's not including the fact that I'm not really sure exactly what kind of glow plug was used--it looks weird in the photos on alexis' site, and it looks like different ones were used on different props). I just couldn't easily and affordably on my own make new internal components to exactly match the original props. I was stuck with the guts the replica came with, and while the Aussie replica was a really excellent match to the reference photos in most external ways, the internal components were not very close at all. I didn't alter the insides in any way other than a tiny bit cosmetically, so they work up to a point (everything moves correctly and fits together perfectly), and my wiring works (see my work-in-progress glow plug test photo below), so i don't see why this prop wouldn't still fire when loaded up...
So, one day I'll probably fire this thing, but like I said, I just wanted to own a really good replica. I really want to own an original--I collect mostly screen-used/production-made props and am only interested in seriously set-accurate replicas, but I know that original Logan's Run gun props are so rare and so expensive when they do turn up that it would be impossible for me to get one. I know I'm in the minority about this, but firing it just wasn't as important as getting it to look right. Additionally, I have some concerns over whether some of my parts would hold up under high heat, specifically the JB Weld I used on the fin. Anybody out there know if JB Weld withstands repeated direct contact with open flame? I may test some before I get serious about shooting the prop...I'd hate to have my entire year's worth of work on this thing go down the tubes the first time I fire it.
Anyway, for Richard: I have owned one of your DS gun props since the early/mid '90s, and I used it extensively for reference when researching my replica. One of the reasons I was so happy with the Aussie replica I started with was that it's dimensions and angles exactly matched your cast-from-an-original replica and the photos of the movie guns on your site. Speaking of which, your site was an invaluable reference tool as well, and I'm sorry I didn't include you or it when I was thanking rpf members--I posted links to your articles in my first few posts, but they are easy to miss when I write so much:unsure. If I ever get an Aussie replica of the movie version of the DS gun, I'll definitely be studying those pics on your site again. My only real question about the movie props is how did the bondo grips look when seen from above--did the propmakers just bondo up and over the entire top of the battery (leaving the battery terminal exposed) or did they just bondo up to the edge of the black plastic top of the battery? If I knew the answer to that and had another Aussie replica, I'd be ready to go!
Some last pics for now: here's a replica of the TV version of the Sandman belt holster/belt clip which came with an old non-functional metal replica I bought on eBay years ago. It looks really accurate when compared to the reference photos (unlike the replica it came with), but i have no idea who made it. I kept it long after I sold that particular prop, and now I'm glad I did--it goes well with my TV DS Gun replica. It's just cut and folded aluminum sheet painted in Krylon semi-flat black (like the gun)--a very simple and easy-to-make replica, I'd imagine:
And here are some scans of stills I used when researching the TV prop that show off the holster/clip as well as the DS Guns:
