WETA: District 9 Guns
- Thread starter Riskbreaker
- Start date
Zorg, the decal isn't accurate anyway. Have a close look at the screengrabs - similar, but not the same. The screen-used one isn't as symmetrical. I think. I might wait for the art book to see if we get better ref, but I've done a vector file of the existing decal, if you want it.
I hadn't decided firmly whether to do Wikus' first gun or his second one. Unfortunately I painted over my decals before settling on the first gun...which has the smaller decals. D'oh! Oh well - as I say, not accurate anyway.
Try abrasive on the silver - then touch up with black and hit it with satin clearcoat.
I hadn't decided firmly whether to do Wikus' first gun or his second one. Unfortunately I painted over my decals before settling on the first gun...which has the smaller decals. D'oh! Oh well - as I say, not accurate anyway.
Try abrasive on the silver - then touch up with black and hit it with satin clearcoat.
Got mine yesterday and I guess I'll have to add my WHOOOAAA to the mix. I know y'all said it was huge but man... it's freakin' HUGE! I'm very pleased with the quality of the piece. It hearkens back to when MR were at the top of their game.
i tried to scrape off the rear decal but its just made a mess, i think i'm gonna paint over it with white, the pre-prod gun has no decal there at all.
and while i'm on the subject of decals i have sussed a great way at replicating the alien signage (details to come) i'm not going for any specific gun just one that looks nice to me.
i feel compelled to paint the side panels gray like you have (and the cross shaped panel) just to give it another level.
i find that the size is the only thing that bothers me, while i'm trying to paint this thing, i have to be so careful when moving it around. i know in my heart i will break that end piece off when i'm not paying attention.
-z
thanks garthok, did you get the arm from the propstore?
i have some pics and its massive!
-z
Yeah, you can't even sand it off, I've tried. (For the benefit of anyone else thinking of trying this, be aware that the clearcoat on this piece is pretty tough! You can try things out and still take the gun back to original condition pretty easily.)
Interested depending on price!
Self-adhesive vinyl is what Weta used, IIRC, but would obviously look a bit rougher than decals.Before you do, consider - I think the gun I'm copying *may* be the *only* one that has grey on those panels. Pretty much everything else seems to be black there.
BTW the butt pad is also grey, and it appears to have a funny right-side knob - only the MNU rack capture shows this and it's not high enough res to be sure, but I think it has the orange marker facing rearwards and looks flatter and more oddly shaped than the standard knob.
I fret about breaking mine too!
franz bolo
Sr Member
That knob has a 3 piece star looking shape to it.
That knob looks like it was used on the AMR-B13 (right side in box http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2503/amrb1302.jpg ) and on the Arc Gun used in the "Police seize hundreds of alien weapons" scene where the news people are placing the guns on the ground. http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6490/amrb001.jpg
FB
FB you may be right about the B13. As for the Arc, it's the same one! Looks like it might have less weathering in that footage, but the basic paint matches (extra-wide, rear-set black stripe on the top of the lower front section, grey 'crosses', grey expanding side panels).
So it's used in 'documentary' footage, Wikus' MNU testing and the first half of Wikus and CJ's attack.
So it's used in 'documentary' footage, Wikus' MNU testing and the first half of Wikus and CJ's attack.
Birdie
Master Member
Hey Nwerke,
What grade paper are you hitting that silver crap with, & wet or dry?
It's insaneley difficult trying to decide what to change and what to leave, but I definiteley want rid of that darn silver
I'd like to match one of the MNU raid guns, but I'm doubting getting a good match for the orange out of a rattle can, so I might just hit up the funky weathering option.
What grade paper are you hitting that silver crap with, & wet or dry?
It's insaneley difficult trying to decide what to change and what to leave, but I definiteley want rid of that darn silver
I'd like to match one of the MNU raid guns, but I'm doubting getting a good match for the orange out of a rattle can, so I might just hit up the funky weathering option.
Birdie, I'm using several different scraps of old wet and dry with a fair amount of wear already on them, so I couldn't give you a grade. I'd say start with a fine grade, see how it works and work up from there. The silver is the only thing on this gun that doesn't hang on with a death grip.
I found matching the orange was very easy using Tamiya X6 plus Tamiya TS31 rattle can. Spray out a good dose of paint up close onto a bit of plastic or whatever and mix it into some X6 - test dab it on to an orange area on the prop then fiddle with the mix until you have it right. This took about two minutes. If you get it wrong some methylated spirit will take the test dabs right off without harming the base coat.
Using artist's oils (esp. raw and burnt umber) for the staining will also let you remove any excess easily.
I found matching the orange was very easy using Tamiya X6 plus Tamiya TS31 rattle can. Spray out a good dose of paint up close onto a bit of plastic or whatever and mix it into some X6 - test dab it on to an orange area on the prop then fiddle with the mix until you have it right. This took about two minutes. If you get it wrong some methylated spirit will take the test dabs right off without harming the base coat.
Using artist's oils (esp. raw and burnt umber) for the staining will also let you remove any excess easily.
Birdie
Master Member
Thanks for the tips, unfortunateley Tamiya sprays are tough to pick up in the UK, something to do with lead content, or other nonsense :rolleyes
I'll probably try the X-6 through a Preval spray gun. Back when the movie came out, I picked up a foam arc gun off Ebay, so I'm gonna use that as a guinea pig for everything.
Zorg, did you have to do a lot of re-priming to repaint the black strip white?
Dying to get into this, but I'm off to Turkey for two weeks on monday :angel
I'll probably try the X-6 through a Preval spray gun. Back when the movie came out, I picked up a foam arc gun off Ebay, so I'm gonna use that as a guinea pig for everything.
Zorg, did you have to do a lot of re-priming to repaint the black strip white?
Dying to get into this, but I'm off to Turkey for two weeks on monday :angel
hey birdie,
the black section was painted using white primer (rattle can) so no primer was needed. i used matt black humbrol washes to blend the 2 whites together.
i tend to go back and forth with tamiya and humbrol paints so they won't attack each other while they dry,
i have made some BIG progress last night, very please with the results. painted those side panels gray, pics later on
as far as the orange area is concerned, its easier to paint the whole section than trying to match the existing colour.that way you can control the weathering.
heres that other paint i mixed with the x-6
thanks for the great tip on the x-6 paint, your progress gave me the courage to jump in and have a go :thumbsup
-z
Art, just going back over the thread and came across this. That's what I've fallen into doing - the gun in your pic specifically, not the 'inside the lab' attack gun. It's actually the least simple job of any Arc Gen scheme...as you will see from the next set of pics I'll post. All the stripes need to be repainted because they're in the wrong positions, for starters. Then there are the physical mods. Which I'm just heading off to the shed to start on now. Wish me luck!
Can't wait!
Got a reference for the triangular-detail knob. I just realized that the digital gun model for the CG work has it too. That has to mean the design came from the early stages, right?
What with this, and all the repairs, I'm starting to suspect the lab testing/Wikus gun was the first cab off the rank. Sweet.
Got a reference for the triangular-detail knob. I just realized that the digital gun model for the CG work has it too. That has to mean the design came from the early stages, right?
What with this, and all the repairs, I'm starting to suspect the lab testing/Wikus gun was the first cab off the rank. Sweet.
franz bolo
Sr Member
I believe that image was made by a member here and not for the production:
http://www.therpf.com/f9/district-9-arc-gun-dimensions-77037/
FB
http://www.therpf.com/f9/district-9-arc-gun-dimensions-77037/
FB
