Working ZAT Guns!

[phase pistol]

No, not that mine is a casting of a working prop in the open position, I mean that there must be a lightweight "fixed-open" dummy Zat prop with no moving parts... for scenes where an open Zat is carried but you don't have to see it actually popping open or closing

I don't seem to have a good shot of this prop, but I'm pretty sure it exists.

Of course mine could always be a fan resculpt of a closed-dummy in the open position.

Thoughts?

- k

BTW I see that the official licensee, stargateprops.com, is now offering a fixed-closed dummy zat for $250.

http://www.stargateprops.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=20020

- k

 

[SurferGeek]

Looks like they went with a new sculpt of the Zat. Quite a bit different in the top pivot area and even the lower pivot. It's shape is much more movie like than the TV version but has the crest.

 

[phase pistol]

They didn't have Zats in the movie, did they?

They had the staff weapons... and a version of the Ribbon Device (hand device)... but the zat'nik'tel was introduced in the second season of the TV show I believe.

BTW here's a Lightspeed closed Zat for comparison with the stargateprops version.

- k

BTW this is intriguing... Wikipedia says

An intriguing alternative possibility is that the name [zat'nik'tel] is based on the Nahuatl (Aztec) word "Xiucoatl", which is the name of the weapon carried by the Aztec war god Huitzilopochtli. "Xiucoatl" means "fire serpent", fired lightning at its targets, and the distinctive rearing coiled shape of the Xiucoatl in Huitzilopochtli's hand is very similar to the appearance of the Zat gun.

 

[docholl]

<div class='quotetop'>(SurferGeek @ Jul 9 2006, 06:15 PM) [snapback]1277565[/snapback]</div>

Looks like they went with a new sculpt of the Zat. Quite a bit different in the top pivot area and even the lower pivot.
[/b]

I believe that Legends cast a "working' Zat. The Lightspeed version and most fan casts are of a "static" closed Zat which differs slightly in some details from the "working" ones.

 

[Reaper57]

just keeping with the thread , i find it hard to believe a working one can be made without an external air source.

i do have a set of strong mini cylinders used in retracting landing gears on rc airplanes, check them out in rc stuff, mine are my RhomAir . they use air pumped into a small onboard tank to operate fast .

perhaps they would work if you uses a small co2 cylinder.

here is an open zat i am working on made from a closed unit.

john :cool

 

[phase pistol]

Something like this then....

 

[SG-RB]

The Zat that I handled at the studio was one of the newest versions at the time (2003). They had replaced the air operated Zats with a battery operated version. It would open and close at the push of a button repeatedly.
It was pretty trick. Unfortunately the prop master would not go into detail about the inner workings. He did say whatever mechanical parts that had been developed using a lot of trial and error were very dependable. More so that any of the air versions.

Randy in San Diego

 

[SgtFang]

<div class='quotetop'>(phase pistol @ Jul 9 2006, 10:25 PM) [snapback]1277660[/snapback]</div>

Something like this then....

[/b]

:eek :eek :eek :eek

I am SO going to need that drawing when the boba helmets settle down...

THANKS...

-Sarge

 

[phase pistol]

Are the Boba helmets jumping up and down and running around the house generally causing mayhem?

Naughty little boba helmets... go to your room. :lol

Anyway, yeah more analysis is called for on the Zat action... obviously the Body segment (in the middle) simply rotates up from the Grip segment, but the Head segment seems to rock back and up.

 

[SgtFang]

My kid found that Bionicle toy I mentioned in the first post last night. I spent about a half hour just fiddling with it, and studying the mechanism, and I'm convinced it will work almsot exactly as it is, I'll just need to extend the two arms that act like a desk lamp arm about a half inch to do it. It'll compromise accuracy slightly to include a small slide lever, but it's the simplest way I can figure so far.

That will cover the main movement, but that opening snout thing still has me stymied- maybe some kind of pushrod that engages as the head nears the top it it's arc?

Thoughts?

-Sarge

 

[Reaper57]

here is a set of the small cylinders i spoke of.
i am sure they could be used in a opening and closing Zat.

john :cool

http://cgi.ebay.com/MICRO-AIR-RETRACTS-FOR...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[SD Studios]

If all goes according to plan, QMx will be releasing a working Zat gun early next year with lights, sounds, and working (pop-open, push closed) mechanism. We spent a week in Vancouver working with the special effects people and we have hundreds of photos of the working props, detailed analysis of the mechanisms they used, and a "pretty good" idea how to do (albeit with a simpler mechanism) in production.

Each original working Zat looked like it was several thousand dollars of machined metal, servos, pistons, etc. They were a nightmare. VERY impressive.

So, YES there will be another prop licensee for Stargate, but we are trying to not overlap what the other companies have done.

Updates will be on the website as they become available.

(Hopefully the site will be up this week.)

 

[tain669]

Zats a nice one. Bad joke sorry. :cheers :thumbsup

 

[stricky345]

Wee thats more than great to hear ..

I can't wait. I just hope that the Zats don't end up being too expensive ..

 

[docholl]

You can bet the pricing won't be on the lower end of the scale, given the engineering and manufacturing costs involved in making a quality working Zat.