Just a question about Westar blasters limited availability

Would it be frowned upon for someone here to make molds of the MR Westars and sell them inexpensively to members here who are making a Jango costume?

The only reasons I ask are because:

1. The MR blasters are very difficult to find these days.
2. When an MR set does pop up on ebay they usually sell for a lot of money and are out of the reach of some members' budgets.
3. Nobody here currently offers a fan-made blaster for people to use, limiting us to either the Hasbro or more common Rubies blasters.
4. I just saw that the only seller on ebay has raised his prices to over $100 for a single blaster.

Just a question so please don't throw me into the fire!:lol

I've been trying to come up with a relatively inexpensive method to make them, kinda like the PVC pipe blasters. I've halted my project due to work on other aspects of my costume, and the fact that I was able to aquire a set of resin Westars.</p>

I've also been debating on the possibility of taking one of my resin Westars to a local custom CNC fabricator to see what it would cost to have them made/reporduced in aluminium. If it's any where near the $800 US that the MRs are typically going for, then it's not really a cost effective alternative.

If you mold the MR blasters, I'd do it after December 31...they will no longer have the SW license so it'll be similar to recasting a Don Post item. I'm so glad I only paid $250 for my MR Westars a few years ago when I had the chance.

So what you are saying is you want to do a run of Jango cold cast blasters?

Are you talking about the auction for $139? http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/4/5/6...74130375_o.jpg

I have one of those - they are resin - I only paid about $35. It needs a lot of work...

If I still had them, I'd do....

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Originally Posted by Foxbatkllr

If you mold the MR blasters, I'd do it after December 31...they will no longer have the SW license so it'll be similar to recasting a Don Post item. I'm so glad I only paid $250 for my MR Westars a few years ago when I had the chance.

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I totally agree! Wait till the license is up. Im also glad I snagged mine up for a good price ($300)

I honestly think this is a good idea. Its not like you are recasting another members fan made prop

I wouldnt have an issue with it...after all it's not like they are being made for sale anymore and they will be off the license as said...i have a set of resin ones that require alot of work and also have the rubies ones that look fine as long as you dont draw them out..LOL. I've also got a friend of mine attempting to recreate the barrel parts in chome pipe so i can mix that with the resin handles and blaster tip. we'll see how that project goes.

I got mine for 375 :P

And yeah, I think it's a great idea because those doing Jango are gonna want an alternative to the rubies blasters...

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever thought of modifying a Rubies Jango Pistol? I've seen people modify hasbro TK and TC blasters...so I figure it'd be possible for the pistol as well, if it's already been done, never mind :P

For my PVC/scratch built ones, I'm exploring all the angles. That includes reworking the Rubies as an option.

I'm going to talk with a friend of mine later tonight to see what parts we can make out of wood. I'll be using my resin Westars and the MR pics as reference. The handles will be a piece of cake to make, the muzzle I've got a few ideas on ( but I'll need access to a wood lathe ), but it's the back bits that I'd like to find an easy way to reproduce easily. ( I'd be willing to do runs on them, provided I was happy enough with the final result. )

I've got the same resin Westar kit ( 2 of them actually ), and have so far put tons of work into them. Just a little bit more tweeking left to do with the spot putty and then I'll need to do a trip to Home Depot to find the appropriate bolts to replace the cast ones on the pommel and handle.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...esinWestar.jpg

It's just been on my mind now for a while that TDH needs a reliable source for resin/cold cast Westar blasters that are of a high quality and not ridiculously priced. I've temporarily owned a pair of the ones offered by the ebay seller and in my opinion they weren't of the highest quality. And with the amount of time and effort members put into their Jango costumes, it'd be nice to have a blaster option that falls somewhere between MR and Rubies.

But that's only if casting the MR blasters wasn't a problem.

If it was, then I have access to a custom made machined handle and trigger that I could replicate with permission. However, I would need someone like Dark-Side to create a barrel section for casting. After that, I could easily make two part molds of the various pieces...and that'd be one more part of the costume we could make available here as well.:thumbsup

Just my thoughts on the topic.

I think it sounds like a good idea. If I didn't have some MR blasters I would definatley be looking for a good alternative.

it sounds like a great idea, although the defining factor for good looking westars is the chromed finish. I'm not sure what cold casting is, but if it's something like the way FP did his aluminium finish helmets, then it'd be perfect. Unfortunately a normal resin cast would cost too much and take a lot more effort to chrome dip.

Well some parts are chromed and others are brushed...not sure how you would pull that off, granted I don't know the first thing about working with cold cast (other than my FP bucket).

Assuming it wouldn't Ruin my Blasters, I don't think I would have a problem Casting mine after the 31st.

But I'm also a complete Neophyte when it comes to Casting and the whole process, So someone would have to hold my hand through the first part! =P

to bad we can't get mon cal to chime in here....he has a fantastic project going for the zam blasters, all aluminum and they will even have hyperdyne lights and sound...Im getting one for my wife...would love to have some Jango blasters that are comparable to that...i shutter at the thought of my wife having better blasters than me! LOL

If we could get someone who could offer the muzzle, barrel, trigger, and handle base pieces in machined aluminum and brass; then the handle itself could be done in either aluminum or cold-cast and they'd turn out to be a very nice set of blasters. Additional stuff like the allen head bolts, barrel bolt, brass barrel pipe, & brass pins could be easily obtained. However, the price might be comparable to a set of ebay'd MR blasters by the time it's all said and done.

If that's not within most people's budgets, then a pair of MR Westars could be disassembled to make molds of the various pieces. The parts could then be done in a variety of casting materials such as cold-cast, tinted resin, and even flexible urethane.

thats an interesting concept...

right now im making my custom blasters from the resin ones i got from ebay...Im having a friend make me barrels out of chome pipe and making the extra 45 deg cut cover near the handle out of the same but larger piece. I plan to utilize the resin handles and the resin barrel end and look for some chrome hardware that will make a good match form the pieces at the back end of the blaster barrel. I'll let you know how it all comes together if it ever gets done..LOL

in my opinion, once the MR license expires, recasting them should be look on no more negatively than recasting Don Post.

rubies blasters with a little bit of modifying.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...rian76/015.jpg

those look reral good...im gettign some reubies ones soon to hold me over and had though about making them a tad longer somehow to make them more accurate...maybe pvc barrels with r&b...we'll see

Interesting question. reading what's in the posts I would then gather than anything MR made after the license expires would be considered fair game on recasting? So the Fett buckets, blasters etc etc? Just curious, as this could open up a whole new avenue for discussion

Oh and I don't think I am brave enough to disassemble my Westars to cast them (also have no clue on the casting side of things.)

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Originally Posted by Kivas

Interesting question. reading what's in the posts I would then gather than anything MR made after the license expires would be considered fair game on recasting? So the Fett buckets, blasters etc etc? Just curious, as this could open up a whole new avenue for discussion

Oh and I don't think I am brave enough to disassemble my Westars to cast them (also have no clue on the casting side of things.)

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Good point.

There are screen used, accurate resin props out there that people are using to make moulds from. However, there are many talented modellers here on TDH who I'm sure, with a pair of calipers, a MR blaster, and a couple weekends work, could easily whip up a master that could be cast from.

Option 1: Recast MR
Option 2: Recast Resin Prop
Option 3: Find someone to make exact replica for casting

You have the same thinking I do on the MR's, Cruzer. I just got a set of MR's last week and was thinking of how to do these nicely when the license expires and some time lapses possibly afterwards. In a weekend, I could mold these up and start banging out resin versions, but I would want to produce something better than a plain resin westar, so more research is definetly needed. I could see a mix of metal parts for the barrel and a tinted impact resistant resin grip. We'll see, I've got several other unique little Jango projects in the research stage first before blasters. So get going on them, so I don't have to.:lol

...But I want you to do them so I don't have to!:lol

all i know is i just need some high quality blasters guys...LOL

well, the way i usually look at things is to get something good, but not perfect, done right away. then it takes the pressure off to perfect things.

do you think the jango blasters could be done in just a simple 2 part mold, coming out as 1 solid piece of resin?

they wouldn't be amazing, but they'd be better than what's out there now. then from there work on tweaking out the perfect metal / multi-part resin blasters

I've thought of the all inclusive 2 piece mold to make it all at once, but I wouldnt make them like that. Looking at my MR's in front of me, I see 5 areas that are potential problems in casting it like that, with one screaming to me, don't do it.

Your turn Cruz...

actually the one part mold wouldnt really give you what you want anyway...the parts that are chome you could never get them to look right in resin unless you had them dipped and that would be crazy...i think if the handgrip was done in resin and everything else done in a machined parts, it would make for a real nice blaster. Personally im going with some chome pipe for the barrel and most of the top parts will be misc chome hardware that i can locate to make them as clos as possible...the real problem with this blaster is the barrel end. without getting a machined alumin piece that is chomed, it will be difficult to have anything of high quality that can compare to the MRs

I'm not a huge fan of an all resin blaster for trooping anyhow, especially with any price attached to it. One wrong drop and it could be history. Heck, you should see me practiicing the jango spinning westar into the holster move. More than once it's come flying off the finger so far :lol, so I'm glad I've got metal ones.

Regardless, I am going to leave this thread for Cruzer. This was Cruzer's interest thread, not mine, and I don't want to step on any toes here and get in his way. You guys know he'll do what's right, he always has.

Really I was just posing the question since we really don't have a good supplier for that one part. This would be a cool little side project if I had some extra time, but that's rarely the case for me these days. I could see it becoming a reality maybe after I do a few gauntlet runs. But right now, I'd find more relief in someone else taking this project on that could do it correctly and in the highest quality possible. So I'm serious when I say "please, do it so I don't have to".:thumbup:lol

I was just chatting with Dark-Side a little and he was saying it'd be expensive to make even just one set. That'd be nice when sets of MR blasters can no longer be found on ebay.

I still like the idea of flexible urethane (rubber) blasters to aleviate the delimmas of the whole accidental dropping problems you mentionied, Steelblitz.

The more I discuss this project, the more I get excited about it...so I need to unsubscribe to this thread asap!:lol

One of my garrison squad members is currently playing around making molds with smooth-on. I'm going to talk with him about possibly helping me out with constructing some Westars. I know that I can replicate the parts and still keep a good deal of the details/accuracy, it's just what materials would be feesable to cast them in. ( I too don't want to see my resin blasters go flying out of my hands and shatter on the ground )

I'll keep you guys posted on what I can come up with. I might require assistance from those of you with experience in mold making and casting. ( **cough-Cruzer-** ) ;)

Just to be upfront, Jango72, there are so many stages, specifics, and intricacies to mold making based on the type of mold being made, that your best bet is to pair up with someone in your area who has the knowledge and can work side-by-side with you. There are some things that just can't be shown or would be impossible to accurately explain in text. I still don't have all of that knowledge which is why I had someone else more knowledgeable make my gauntlet molds. In addition, the high expense of silicone alone doesn't leave much room for many trial and error sessions.

The feat of coming up with an accurate pair of mold-able blasters alone seems like it's going to be a challenge. So if you're up to tackling this project, I'd recommend getting ahold of a pair of MRs you can dismantle and use, since it sounds like the majority consensous right now seems to be that it wouldn't be frowned upon by the Jango costuming community.

I say go for it. There's no better teacher than hands-on learning.:thumbsup

Understood Cruzer, but my original intentions would've been to construct the parts, then ship them to you to have them molded and cast.
I have an idea at the moment... I'd first construct them out of wood and metal tubing, then have them cast in rubber, with a metal/brass tube running down the centre of the barrel. Or I could just make up a wood and metal Westar kit, some assembly required. ;)

I'll have to get together with my squad member to see if he'd be willing to help me out with this, and if he's got any other suggestions. I'll keep you guys posted as best I can.

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Originally Posted by Cruzer

In addition, the high expense of silicone alone doesn't leave much room for many trial and error sessions.

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yeah... i spent around $130 on the mold for my jayne serenity pistol, due to repeated errors.

Well, in the interests of keeping the costs low/reasonable, I think that I'll go with the wood and metal style. I'll see what I can come up with that could be done as a fully assembled or kit version. ( It might take me a bit as I think through the entire process in my head so that I can work out any concieveable bugs before comiting. I tend to alter my methods and/or designs as I'll have a brainstorm on a better or easier way to fabricate something. ) ;)

I have been thinking about this for some time as well, even at $300 the MR we out of my reach. I have the basic drawings done. I have them broken down into seperate peices. They just need to be dimensioned.

Most of the barrel pieces can be made from various types of tubing. I found some 1" Al tubing that is perfect for the main barrel and some 3/4" brass for the inner barrel.

The flash surpression is the hard part, but I just got my lathe up an running and I am about to give it a go out of plastic first just to work out the techique and then Al.

For a kit I think machined parts might drive the cost up, but a multi media kit with resin and metal and wood could be done fairly cheaply. For that matter even a partial kit could be produced for cheap, it would require more work for the buyer, but most of the materials are available at the hardware store and hobby shops.

Alan

so really all you're talking about would be a resin handle, aluminium barrel, and mount (cut accordingly for length, shape, and central channels) brass inner tube, then the only parts that need machining are the flash supressor, and "power cell" butt-piece

Now those two parts on their own are quite small, and would certainly cut down on moulding costs. Could a cold cast flash supressor and butt-piece achieve the same metallic finish as an aluminium barrel?

alan...I would be very interested in a MR scaled supressor set in the aluminum if you get them done in the future...Ive got the barrel worked out i think and im using some resin hand grips from a resin copy of what i beleive was a set of MR blasters. I got them off ebay and the resin was kind of poor...nothing i couldnt fix with bondo and patience but i figured i would lose the resin top and keep the hand grips, making the rest out of various chome plated tube...a set of machined aluminum supressors would do nicely to finish these up...lol

I will offer up any molding and making time and skills on this project. Cruzer and Alan, feel free to pm me. I am definitely down.

BUMP for update:

I work as an art director for an import company, we deal with a machine shop here in town. I am going to talk with them later this week or early next week. I will post an update right after that meeting.

Hi All,
Fairly new to TDH and don’t post often but read loads.

However I am no stranger to making props and have started making an accurate Westar sculpt for my Jango WIP.
As an example of my work I made these for my garrison.
http://outpost42.dr-maul.com/forums/...=8&t=1189&st=0

I actually own all of the blasters you mentioned above.
MR’s
Resin set
Rubies set
And an Unknown resin set (lot like the first set but with subtle differences)

I have actually started work on a sculpt and molds for these, by taking a bit from each.

Let me explain.
I do not want to recast my MR’s as it not a challenge for me and I want something I can call my own.

I have taken measurements from all of the above and obviously the MR’s are the accurate ones ;)
Here is the comparison

MR’s = Perfect
Rubies = close to accurate handle size, though a little wide, Barrel diameter wrong, barrel length to short, receiver end totally wrong.
Resin blasters= Handle to large, too wide (just way off), barrel close in length and diameter, recess in barrel to long, receiver end close but not exact.

What I have started doing is this.
I dremelled off the rubies handle, took a few mm of each side and glued them together, took the foot off (I call it the pistol whip butt), filled with bondo and modeling puttied over screw holes etc to make them smooth.

I have started the barrel and I am just working out the best method to make a kit that is easy to put together and accurate, thinking of 2 method, a hollow aluminum barrel with a keyed resin insert to attach the barrel ends too or a solid resin barrel like the resin kits, but more accurate.
If anything the only things I will take from the MR’s as far as casting goes will be the barrel ends and pistol whip foot.

I will get some photos for anyone interested, I was only planning on doing 1 set but if there is interest then I may do more.

Regards Deadalus

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Originally Posted by CGClone

BUMP for update:

I work as an art director for an import company, we deal with a machine shop here in town. I am going to talk with them later this week or early next week. I will post an update right after that meeting.

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what parts were you thinking of doing in machined aluminum?

Deadalus, that sounds promising, only problem is, you say you'll be casting the flash supressor and energy cell (the two ends of the barrel) Now, those being a different material from the barrel, the whole thing will have to be sprayed anyway, losing the jaw-dropping metal finish that the MRs have. That is, unless you can cast them in some kind of metallic finish resin, like FP's jango lids.

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Originally Posted by NOITAIDAR

Deadalus, that sounds promising, only problem is, you say you'll be casting the flash supressor and energy cell (the two ends of the barrel) Now, those being a different material from the barrel, the whole thing will have to be sprayed anyway, losing the jaw-dropping metal finish that the MRs have. That is, unless you can cast them in some kind of metallic finish resin, like FP's jango lids.

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Thanks, i can never remember the names of those parts :)

That was one part of the Idea, using a cold cast metallic resin.
However, the only true way to get an accurate finish would be to machine them. and sadly i dont have access to that sort of equipment anymore.

still working on what would be the best solution for the barrel and barrel ends.
Handle is sorted tho.

the cold cast can be polished up. I saw how nice FP's helmet looked with just a quick steel wool buffing, so I believe that would be acceptable for the blasters, but it'd take some doing to get the pipe barrel section to look the same. it'd mean using alu pipe, rather than shinier chrome, and buffing the same way. It'll look metal, but not quite as shiny as the chromed MRs. I believe this is acceptable

I would be all over resin copies of the MRs, OR a kit with different materials in different parts.

I would think that with all-resin blasters you can still achieve different metal lusters using different types of paint... say, like Testors buffing metallizer for one area, with a Krylon paint somewhere else, and maybe some Rub'n'buff elsewhere. Know what I mean?

Even if what I'm saying is not possible, I'd still pay to see some MR recasts done. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGClone

BUMP for update:

I work as an art director for an import company, we deal with a machine shop here in town. I am going to talk with them later this week or early next week. I will post an update right after that meeting.

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Sorry it has taken near 2 months to get this rolling. I am planning my wedding as well LOL...

I am not trying to compete with tubachris' thread, I am just following through on what I started.

I have been given permission from Alan,(wizardofflight) to use his templates. The machinist has them and it working on the prototype for me. He is tracking his hours and material cost to help determine a price.

I should know more next week on where we stand as far as delivery and cost.

If this proves to be a conflict with tubachris, I will back this down. Again, I am just following through with what I started. No offense or confusion meant.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CGClone

Sorry it has taken near 2 months to get this rolling. I am planning my wedding as well LOL...

I am not trying to compete with tubachris' thread, I am just following through on what I started.

I have been given permission from Alan,(wizardofflight) to use his templates. The machinist has them and it working on the prototype for me. He is tracking his hours and material cost to help determine a price.

I should know more next week on where we stand as far as delivery and cost.

If this proves to be a conflict with tubachris, I will back this down. Again, I am just following through with what I started. No offense or confusion meant.

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I dont want you to get the impression that Im trying to compete with anyone on this project, and Im not trying to make a buck either, I just want to help those who dont have a decent set, to be able to get something more quality then a cheap resin or rubies blasters.

By all means, go ahead, it seems your making better progress on this then I am, and if yours goes through, I might just let you take over competly, only because the guy I have is not really working out as well as I had hoped for.

But please do not ever think that your ever in competition with me for anything, Im a better person then that ;)

-tubachris

Thanks for chiming in Chris, I appreciate that and the spirit.

Thats what we are all about!

I would definitely be interested in a pair of cast Westars.

Alexis
*smiles*

definately interested. If there is a list, put me on it. I don't want to miss a day and come back to find a full run list.

For my new Jango the pistols, the girthbelt and the gloves are for me the most difficult to find.
So if there is a list in the making, I would like to be on in............:)