Warehouse 13 - The Tesla Gun
- Thread starter Kylash
- Start date
Dakarn
Well-Known Member
They are disappointing compared to what's being crafted in this thread.
Interceptor6
Sr Member
I picked one up at Megacon, on a whim. Considering the price, it's quite good, but for accuracy, weight and feel, you gotta build one!!:cool
Can't wait to see TL's completed!
I picked one up after talking the guy down on the price once I pointed out how inferior it was compared to the models that were more "genuine" casting replicas. The first thing I noticed was they definitely took the cheapest way out possible with the resin tube interiors that you're supposed to paint to look like vacuum tube guts. There are a few real metal pieces but not many. Good thing I just plan on using it for size reference with the one I'm making out of real components. Afterwards, I'll assemble it and let my son play with it so when he breaks it (and we all broke our toys didn't we) it won't be a big deal. I might just let him assemble it as his initiation into replica building :cool
Did you fabricate those yourself like timelordd did?
artanisfam
New Member
i did. believe it or not with mostly wood working power tools. table saw and jigsaw and hole saws. and a metal cutting blade on my chop saw.
Now that I look closer at the brass pipe i can see that. Very good job. I'll be using similar tools when I get to that stage. Did you just find the raw components at hardware stores or did you find an online source for any of them?
artanisfam
New Member
thanks Scifideity,
we have an Industrial Metal Supply store here in san diego. Home Depot for copper wire. i'm using a cutout from a spent shell for the little cradle under the front coil. Tubedepot.com for the tubes. (the sizes of which you guys figured out, thank you)
we have an Industrial Metal Supply store here in san diego. Home Depot for copper wire. i'm using a cutout from a spent shell for the little cradle under the front coil. Tubedepot.com for the tubes. (the sizes of which you guys figured out, thank you)
rad1701
Sr Member
Has anyone tried one of these Tesla kits being sold on Amazon by True Tiger Sales?
Amazon.com: Warehouse 13 Tesla Gun Prop Model Kit: Everything Else
Amazon.com: Warehouse 13 Tesla Gun Prop Model Kit: Everything Else
Has anyone tried one of these Tesla kits being sold on Amazon by True Tiger Sales?
Amazon.com: Warehouse 13 Tesla Gun Prop Model Kit: Everything Else
It might be alright for some little bits and bobs (such as a knob here or there), it is clearly only a rough approximation. The back tubes aren't even close, the main tube looks too skinny and is lacking the reflective material at the end, the frame is wrong in several places (rear behind the barrel-shaped thingy is too high--there is supposed to be a brass piece there, the front emitter support isn't supposed to flare like that, and the handle seems awkwardly long). Plus the power setting window looks off; too wide and/or short.
My advice, if you're not up to building a whole Tesla from scratch, would be to get the kit and modify it with some better components. In particular, a new frame should be fairly easy to have made and real aluminum rather than painted resin would kick the replica up several notches, even with the other inaccuracies.
IronCostumer
Well-Known Member
Anyone got some more good pics of the Mini-Tesla? Doesn't look as daunting a project as the regular Tesla, so thought I might try to make one in the future.
Use em if you need em.
Has anyone tried one of these Tesla kits being sold on Amazon by True Tiger Sales?
Amazon.com: Warehouse 13 Tesla Gun Prop Model Kit: Everything Else
$89.95 is highway robbery when this kit goes for $40-45 at Cons. You can point out the inferior quality of the "tubes" and the fact that you'll have to buy real tubes to make it look good and negotiate to get them to drop the price a little bit (worked for me). I'll snap a pic or two of the kit contents and post it up in a bit so you know what you're getting.
I had a nice long chat with the owner of QMx at their booth at DragonCon regarding the teslas and other props. I'm really excited about the upcoming Doctor Who 11th and 10th Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers plus River Song's and the Master's Laser. There is a plan to do Claudia's Mini-Tesla but no timeframe yet. It won't be as expensive as the Tesla but its a quality QMx replica so it won't be a cheap resin copy either 
Sadly there was no prototype to peek at.
Sadly there was no prototype to peek at.
Here is what the kit looks like on the inside:
I have the center part flipped backwards (noticed after I got back upstairs) but tried to lay all the other pieces out like they would be assembled. The only true metal parts are the cut brass bars (instead of tubes) and the piece of copper wire. Everything else is resin or clear acrylic. It included the 2 stickers you see and they are very poorly printed. They appear flat and a bit grainy. I'm guessing they are anticipating you coating them with a clear coat of sealer or acrylic to make them shine more. As is they are pretty damn lame. The knob is just a glue on. There is no stud or hole to mount it in for actual turning later. As you can see, the front copper wound part is another resin cast instead of actual copper wire.
You can see the resin mockups of the tube interiors and they are pathetic. Not to mention that the tubes aren't even close to the real size. The overall size of the handle and rest of the parts is not too far off so they'll make a good reference but this is one seriously overpriced, take every shortcut known to man type of kit. It is in no way worth the $89.95 they charge on the website. If you want one of these I highly recommend you get it at a Con for 1/2 that price and then bargain with them to get it even cheaper.
I'll be using this one as a guide to make real pieces from better material and then assemble this one for my son to play with when he's running around snagging, bagging, and tagging.
I have the center part flipped backwards (noticed after I got back upstairs) but tried to lay all the other pieces out like they would be assembled. The only true metal parts are the cut brass bars (instead of tubes) and the piece of copper wire. Everything else is resin or clear acrylic. It included the 2 stickers you see and they are very poorly printed. They appear flat and a bit grainy. I'm guessing they are anticipating you coating them with a clear coat of sealer or acrylic to make them shine more. As is they are pretty damn lame. The knob is just a glue on. There is no stud or hole to mount it in for actual turning later. As you can see, the front copper wound part is another resin cast instead of actual copper wire.
You can see the resin mockups of the tube interiors and they are pathetic. Not to mention that the tubes aren't even close to the real size. The overall size of the handle and rest of the parts is not too far off so they'll make a good reference but this is one seriously overpriced, take every shortcut known to man type of kit. It is in no way worth the $89.95 they charge on the website. If you want one of these I highly recommend you get it at a Con for 1/2 that price and then bargain with them to get it even cheaper.
I'll be using this one as a guide to make real pieces from better material and then assemble this one for my son to play with when he's running around snagging, bagging, and tagging.
