Trigun: Functional Vash Revolver WIP

A preface:
Over the past few years, I've been slowly working through my list of holy grail props, starting with the Master Sword/ Hylian Shield from Zelda and moving on to Dr. Horrible's Death Ray and a Ghostbusters Proton Pack. I lurked here for about seven years before actually making an account, but now I've decided to actually start documenting my builds. Yay!
Anyway, Trigun always gave me that warm fuzzy feeling, so I decided to knock another one off the list this year.

The plan:
I decided I wanted to build Vash's revolver, with a working double-action trigger, rotating cylinder, and a working auto-ejector. After spending a few days researching the old Poseidon pistol kits and not having the money to straight-up buy Rook's molds from him (which I totally would), I decided just to build my own, since even the Poseidon kit has a few details that aren't quite right.
..and besides, I just got access to a laser cutter and all kinds of cool new big-boy toys, so I had to find an excuse to use them :lol

The Build:
I've learned the hard way that good references and blueprints are by far the best starting point for any prop, so I dug around the internets for some starting dimensions.

Since most elements of the gun's design were based on parts from existing guns, I decided it should be possible to mix-and-match some parts to get a functional result. I used some photoshop magic to put together a proof of concept, and surprisingly, it turned out pretty okay:



..but since the original reference has a skewed perspective, I couldn't use it for all the dimensions...

<NERD ALERT>

..so I dug around wikipedia and some gunsmithing forums to find the exact dimensions of the .45 Colt round, cylinder, and barrel (.45 Colt is the proper name of the '.45 Long Colt' round). Using that as a starting point, I dug out my trusty graph paper and started re-watching the entire series to screenshot as many good references as possible. Like most anime from the '90s, almost nothing is drawn with consistent proportions, so I took the most realistic/detailed references and did lots of math. Here's a rough sketch of what I ended up with:



Tentative dimensions are about 12.5"L X 5.9"H X 1.6"W (at the cylinder)

Right now I'm vectorizing the blueprints in sections, as I plan on laser cutting the double action trigger mechanism, frame, and parts of the outer shell.

Well, that's about it so far. The final plans still have some tweaks to be made and parts to add, specifically the grip, hidden power cell (plant tech for the Angel Arm), and a working auto-ejector mechanism, which will unfortunately require the front end to be cast in resin and hollow to work properly.

It's still in the design phase, so I'll gladly take any critiques or suggestions for anything I might have overlooked. I'll keep posting updates as I get further along.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

One small detail, your hammer mechanism wouldn't work. This gun did not fire the round in the top of the cylinder like normal, but the bottom. Not something anyone will notice in passing, but as they say, the devil is in the details. But that is more an issue of a mistake the original creator made, so...

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

I intentionally left out a reversing lever and the firing pin, since that would cause..problems.
If it had a firing pin, it would actually be a weapon. I wanted to avoid that :lol

Ninja edit: The bottom-firing design is also why I'm having to redesign the auto-ejector. Traditional top-break auto-ejector mechanisms are right where the barrel of this gun is, so I have to make a complicated lever system to go around the side of the barrel.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

If I remember right, the Longcolt is closer to 14" long, and it seems your cylinder is a little short. It's hard to tell from the drawing. I have a ton of reference pics from when I built mine if you need any! Good luck !

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

Yeah, it seemed that way to me too, but I based the cylinder dimensions off of an actual .45 Colt cylinder and the length from the side view in the original concept art (I actually cheated and added 1/8" to the IRL cylinder length just to make it look right). With the quarter-sphere parts behind the cylinder, it looks correctly proportioned.

I know a lot of the time in the anime the cylinder is drawn longer, but at those proportions, it wouldn't actually be a ".45 long colt."

That is, unless a longer .45 bullet was standardized after space travel :confused

IIRC, the top rail above the cylinder is also concave, so the cylinder actually goes up into it a little, giving it a longer look.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

BTW weasel, your build was great!

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

If you are interested in some overly complex mechanics for bottom fireing there is a very detailed article on Grantcunningham.com . Just do a seach on the site for Rhino.

That is a great looking sketch. Looking forward to your progress.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

I will be watching this thread with great interest.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

As a fan of anime and guns and anime guns, I give you a big thumbs up!

Good luck!


-Mike J.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

oh man can not wait to see this one going. will be adding to my watch list.
Good looking work !

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

Just a quick update:
Well, I got to the workshop this weekend and wouldn't you know it, the laser cutter was in pieces being cleaned and re-calibrated... :facepalm

So in the meantime, I'm vectorizing the blueprints piece by piece:


I'm focusing on the back half first, since that's where all the laser-cut fun business is. The front is just a rough outline right now. I've decided to cast at least the front half in resin to start, seeing as how the ejector mechanism I have in mind requires everything near the barrel to be a single sturdy piece. After the rest is done, I want to go back and make molds of the frame and other doodads and possibly turn this into a kit.

As soon as the laser is back up and running, I can get to the fun part.

Love&Peace

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

Loving this thread.

I (yet again) passed up the opportunity to buy the official replicas of the glasses and the gun yesterday.

This is on my list of threads to follow.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

AlexBC said:

I (yet again) passed up the opportunity to buy the official replicas of the glasses and the gun yesterday.

Click to expand...

Where do you keep running into these things? If I could find the original gun kit anywhere for less than a grand, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, even just for kit-bashing.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

I work in Tokyo so i'm always seeing stuff like that.

I think the replica was 400 bucks or so.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

Maybe this can help with your fire control and ejector design. The gun is the Chiappa Rhino, fires from the bottom rather than top.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

Well, I kind of got sidetracked for a few months working on other projects, but I finally got around to working on this one again.

Plus, I got to play with a new toy:



So I got access to a working Colt .45 3d model and decided to use that as a base for the trigger mechanism and cylinder. After about 3 hours of tweaking files and waiting to print, here's what I ended up with:




..so that's coming along. I'm still working on improving the schematics to get the auto-ejector to work as intended and to make room for some plant power cell electronics above the barrel.

More updates soon!

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

For months, the main thing keeping me from finishing Vash's revolver was figuring out how to incorporate a working auto-ejector to fling out empty cartridges. I originally hoped to use the relatively simple design that every other auto-ejecting gun uses. The problem with putting an auto-ejector in this gun, however, is that due to the barrel being inverted, the center of the cylinder where the ejector pin has to be is a full inch higher than it would be on a normal top-break revolver, which makes the standard design impossible.

So I did some R&D, math, etc. and I finally developed a working auto-ejector:



Basically, it's a spring steel lever that pushes the ejector pin out from the bottom until the pin is fully extended. By this time, the lever has hit the side of the outer tube that holds the ejector pin. The tube is cut at an angle, so it pushes the lever to the side until it is no longer pressing the ejector pin out of the cylinder. The inner spring snaps back to its resting position, and the ejector snaps back into place. When the gun is closed again, a coiled spring at the hinge pulls the spring-steel lever back into its resting position at the end of the ejector pin, where it snaps back into place, resetting the mechanism.

(If you can't tell, I'm kind of proud of it )

Anyway, now that this part is designed, all I have to do is find the time and space to start putting the pieces together!
Fully functional resin kits are looking like a serious possibility.

Re: Trigun: A Proper Vash Revolver WIP

MrGreene said:

For months, the main thing keeping me from finishing Vash's revolver was figuring out how to incorporate a working auto-ejector to fling out empty cartridges. I originally hoped to use the relatively simple design that every other auto-ejecting gun uses. The problem with putting an auto-ejector in this gun, however, is that due to the barrel being inverted, the center of the cylinder where the ejector pin has to be is a full inch higher than it would be on a normal top-break revolver, which makes the standard design impossible.

So I did some R&D, math, etc. and I finally developed a working auto-ejector:

View attachment 233489

Basically, it's a spring steel lever that pushes the ejector pin out from the bottom until the pin is fully extended. By this time, the lever has hit the side of the outer tube that holds the ejector pin. The tube is cut at an angle, so it pushes the lever to the side until it is no longer pressing the ejector pin out of the cylinder. The inner spring snaps back to its resting position, and the ejector snaps back into place. When the gun is closed again, a coiled spring at the hinge pulls the spring-steel lever back into its resting position at the end of the ejector pin, where it snaps back into place, resetting the mechanism.

(If you can't tell, I'm kind of proud of it )

Anyway, now that this part is designed, all I have to do is find the time and space to start putting the pieces together!
Fully functional resin kits are looking like a serious possibility.

Click to expand...

Yup. That's the only way I found to make it work. Good luck!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've made any progress on this, but it's sure been worth the wait.

I've been learning solidworks for the past couple months, and I decided it would be far easier (and more repeatable if/when it becomes kit time) to start with a fully detailed 3D assembly and print everything as individual parts that can then be cleaned, molded, and cast.

Let me tell you, I've learned more about CAD software working on this than I'd ever have imagined.
Anywho, the basic frame as I drew in my original schematic is done, and now I'm adding details. I'd say it's about halfway done:



...and with the side panel open:




There's still a lot to go before it's ready for printing (grips, quarter-dome blast guard things, finishing the trigger guard, and misc. details like fixing the placeholder text/ Eagle Arms Factory logo), but I'm excited at how good it looks already.

Plus, I figured out how to do motion simulation, so I finally got this working:


..which means the trigger will actually do what it's supposed to and turn the cylinder as it cocks, which can be done either with the hammer or double-action style by just pulling hard on the trigger. It sure beats having to use an old airsoft gun like the Japanese kits did. (Even the 'official' kit with its own fiddly bits didn't spin the cylinder, IIRC)

There's enough room left over to put in a reversing lever so the hammer could actually trigger a firing pin down at the bottom of the cylinder, but I'm debating whether or not to put it in, since this is primarily going to be a prop for conventions.

Of course it also has some break-action goodness, and I'm currently designing a more practical auto-ejector system (possibly using a mini actuator):



..but where is this mini-actuator going?

right about...here :



The plan is to use the plant power source (which is what I'm modeling next) as an actual power source, by using the black glowy bit as a 12v battery housing.



This part is proving especially tricky to design, since it's drawn differently in every single shot it's in, and even the concept art isn't too detailed.


I also just ordered all the parts to build a 3D printer, so that will be way more fun than cheating and sending it to Shapeways

I'm planning on having this finished by April, so I'll keep updating as I go.

Goshdamn hot snap a lap that"s good