# Latest cool stuff from Sarge & Wilco



## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Got these in the mail from the Sarge yesterday, in addition to his great Mal pistol he's added Jayne's BF revolver, grenades, and the _Serenity_'s PAL intercom boxes!










The grenade and PAL box sell together for $25 + $5 shipping. Sarge ask me to pass on the first 25 customers will get free shipping, you can email him at [email protected].

This is a good time to get Mal's pistol if you missed it the first time, Sarge just redid the mold and the castings are very clean and crisp on my new one!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Scott, thanks for the info. I already have Mal's and Jayne's guns. The grenade and PAL box, will be a great addition to my growing collection from Firefly/Serenty.


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## jheilman (Aug 30, 2001)

I have read elsewhere about issues with the Mal pistol. Drooping/warped barrels, some screw heads angled wrong, etc. Are those still issues with this current pistol or have they been resolved? I really want this pistol, but also want high quality.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

jheilman said:


> I have read elsewhere about issues with the Mal pistol. Drooping/warped barrels, some screw heads angled wrong, etc. Are those still issues with this current pistol or have they been resolved? I really want this pistol, but also want high quality.


I've built 3-4 of these, and none have had any barrel problems. Since it's a one piece cast I can't imagine there's that much variation. 

There is another Mal pistol by another maker, I bought one at WF last year. It was more expensive, undersized, and the detail was very soft and inaccurate.



> some screw heads angled wrong


I never have seen this on any of Sarge's guns. What I have seen is on both the Mal pistol and his Blade Runner gun is that the many molded screw heads on both kits seem to attract air bubbles and voids. I've found if you fill the void with Bondo or putty, let it set up a bit, and then press an appropriately-sized screw driver tip into it, it's an easy fix. Or you can sand then off and replace them with real screws.

I'm a big fan of Sarge's gun kits, and they are a lot cheaper than other 1-1 resin replicas out there. I like the black resin he uses on his prop replicas, I find it easier to work on than the brittler resin frequently used on garage kits. And his customer service is among the best out there.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)




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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

I can't seem to get a hold of the Sarge. After picking a Han Solo ANH Blaster up in a trade(Thanks again Scott!!!) I want the Han Solo "GREEDO KILLER" Blaster.So Sarge if your out there brother....

Get back to me !.......Please....


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Phil, you've got the cyliner for Jayne's gun layed out backwards. The notches for the percussion cap nipples (it's a Civil war LeMatt revolver) go to the back of the cylinder.

See: http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

John P said:


> Phil, you've got the cyliner for Jayne's gun layed out backwards. The notches for the percussion cap nipples (it's a Civil war LeMatt revolver) go to the back of the cylinder.
> 
> See: http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html


Thanks John. I hope I would have caught that before assembly, I just laid everything out together for the picture! Helpful pics too.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

I think these grenades are pretty cool, I went with a olive drab basecoat.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Nice, Scott! You do awesome work on your props, brother. Great stuff!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Here is a photo of a hero, screen used grenade.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Here is a photo of a hero, screen used grenade.



Small world, I've been corresponding with the owner of that exact prop! I sent him a link to this thread and hope he shares more info with the prop geeks of the board, it's a very impressive 'hero" with fairly sophisticated working features.


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## jheilman (Aug 30, 2001)

Your work continues to astound me dude.

I just ordered the Solo ANH blaster. How many pieces does this kit contain. Is it possible to replace bits with metal upgrades? I've wanted this blaster since 1977 and can't wait till it arrives.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

jheilman said:


> Your work continues to astound me dude.
> 
> I just ordered the Solo ANH blaster. How many pieces does this kit contain. Is it possible to replace bits with metal upgrades? I've wanted this blaster since 1977 and can't wait till it arrives.


You should find everything you need right here, including lots of pictures to hold you over till it arrives!

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=164015&page=1&highlight=blaster

If I had to do it all over, I would have used a thicker tubing on the barrel, if you check out the MR blaster pics linked in my original Blaster thread you can see what I mean.

Just take your time, especially dealing with the mold part seams and the trigger. Those are the only things you'll really have to work on much on the kit. And that's just part of prop gun kits, they almost all have that PIA seam seam that has to run thru the trigger guard and trigger, and a one piece trigger/trigger guard. Squadron sanding sticks are really helpfull for smoothing the trigger and trigger guard.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

The ANH Han Solo Blaster is an awesome kit. I am very happy with mine. In fact I am getting the "Greedo Killer" Version next. Sarge does an outstanding job on this stuff.


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## jheilman (Aug 30, 2001)

Oh yeah, I remember that thread. Thanks for the reminder. Will definitely be a big help.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Here's my PAL Communicator and and grenade. The communicator is best seen at the end of _Ariel _ when Mal is talking to Jayne in the airlock, it's obvious it's the same intercom box seen as set dressing thru out the _Serenity_,it was painted with a coat of flat black paint for that scene and used upside down! I added a back of .040 flat stock, I just cut it a little it a little oversized, glued it down, and sanded away the excess. I weathered the speaker and PAL letters with brass buffable wax, and the "camera" with silver. Anybody know what this thing originally was/did?

Ben/Whitehall is the current owner of one of the hero prop grenades, he supplied me with a lot of reference, _and _ designed the CG lightbar I used to make the decal for the lightbar on my grenade. I think it works pretty well and dresses up the grenade considerably,Thanks Ben! I used olive drab as my basecoat, the small buttons are slate grey, the big one is Krylon flat black with some future brushed on to replicate the shiny plastic knob on the hero.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Scott,Excellent Work! Looks ready for action. 

Whitefall does some really fantastic work. I got many Firefly/Serenity paper props, from Ben for my collection.


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## Sgt Wilco (Jan 29, 2004)

Scott, you totally ROCK!!! LOVE that decal!!! Gee, if you send it to me as a JPEG I could print it on white decal film to include with kits, hint-hint-hint...

By the way--- The PAL was originally used as a 'body alarm' for prison guards (PAL Standing for Personal ALarm). Out on the cell block, if you got surrounded by inmates you'd just trip the alarm and help would (hopefully) come running.

---Da Sarge


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Sweet job, Scott! As always, you've set the bar on prop models!


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Thanks for the kind words guys!

And it's another great kit, Sarge!


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

jheilman said:


> I have read elsewhere about issues with the Mal pistol. Drooping/warped barrels, some screw heads angled wrong, etc. Are those still issues with this current pistol or have they been resolved? I really want this pistol, but also want high quality.


That would describe the one I received _exactly_. The barrel droops downward (curved would be a more accurate description), and the two screws that run parallel to the barrel on either side of the main body are angled slightly outward rear-to-front (only noticeable if you're looking at the gun from the underside). Aside from that, the casting is flawless so I figured I'd just deal with it when the time came; I have far worse in my collection.


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Zombie_61 said:


> That would describe the one I received _exactly_. The barrel droops downward (curved would be a more accurate description), and the two screws that run parallel to the barrel on either side of the main body are angled slightly outward rear-to-front (only noticeable if you're looking at the gun from the underside). Aside from that, the casting is flawless so I figured I'd just deal with it when the time came; I have far worse in my collection.


If you get a chance, you might want to look at that barrel again, one thing I have noticed on this kit is the barrel "flares" at the sight-end and the muzzle end itself insn't flat, all mine have had an angle to them, I'm guessing from the mold. If you sand the muzzle opening at the end of the barrel on a sheet of sandpaper till it's flat, I think you'll find you have removed the extra resin and the barrel will be of uniform thickness and will look a lot better.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Zombie_61 said:


> That would describe the one I received exactly. The barrel droops downward (curved would be a more accurate description), and the two screws that run parallel to the barrel on either side of the main body are angled slightly outward rear-to-front (only noticeable if you're looking at the gun from the underside). Aside from that, the casting is flawless so I figured I'd just deal with it when the time came; I have far worse in my collection.





PhilipMarlowe said:


> If you get a chance, you might want to look at that barrel again, one thing I have noticed on this kit is the barrel "flares" at the sight-end and the muzzle end itself insn't flat, all mine have had an angle to them, I'm guessing from the mold. If you sand the muzzle opening at the end of the barrel on a sheet of sandpaper till it's flat, I think you'll find you have removed the extra resin and the barrel will be of uniform thickness and will look a lot better.


Well, I dug mine out of my stash and re-examined it. The barrel does flare slightly, but it's more noticeable when viewed from the top than from the side. As far as the barrel, the curvature is _very_ slight; a minor amount of pressure applied in the right place straightens it right out.

That being said (so to speak), I'd like to point out that no resin kit is perfect, and Sgt. Wilco's kits are among the highest quality available. I have a few of them, and I would do business with Sgt. Wilco at any time--I don't want anyone to read this thread and think they're going to get ripped off buying a Wilco Models product. Also, after reading this thread, Da Sarge contacted me about replacing the kit I have with one from the "new and improved" molds, so you know he's a reputable dealer who wants his customers to be completely satisfied.

D'oh! That reminds me--I forgot to ask him about that PAL Communicator/Grenade combo kit! Gotta go! *poof*


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Still got some weathering and finishing to do, but here's all the component parts of my Jayne's gun with their basecoats and laid together. The picture kind of sucks, but the "aged" parts are Duplicolor Auto Acrylic "gunmetal" misted over flat black, the sight bar and lower barrel shroud are Duplicolor "silver", grips are Badger "brown" with a burnt sienna wash, the bullets in the chamber are MM's 'steel". 

Another great kit from the Sarge, there are some tricky seams on the ornate trigger guard, but all in all this is probably Sarge's nicest kit (imho) next to the Han Solo blaster, which I still think is Wilco's best cast and most accurate kit.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Looking good,Scott! 

Jayne's gun is my favorite kit, that I have bought so far. I just got the Firefly Companion Vol.2 in, and some great shots of Jayne's guns.

How are you going to display your Firefly/Serenity prop collection?


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## PhilipMarlowe (Jan 23, 2004)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Looking good,Scott!
> 
> I just got the Firefly Companion Vol.2 in, and some great shots of Jayne's guns.


Mines been shipped from Amazon, but still hasn't arrived, the first one is THE goto on any Serenity props, I hope Volume 2 is as good!




> How are you going to display your Firefly/Serenity prop collection?


I got to build more for me, all these went on @bay to help fund WF!


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## Styrofoam_Guy (May 4, 2004)

I got teh Solo blaster and Mal gun and they are nice castings. Yesterday I got to see another sample of a Mal gun that was supposidly cast off the screen used item.

Wiclo's gun is fairly close. The only place that is noticable different from my Wilco one is the shape of the handle. The Wilco one flares out and has a thicked bottom end whereas the other one has a thinner handle. Has Wilco changed his kit?

Not easy to judge in the photos.

I am very tempted to get the Jayne gun.

Alex
Styrofoam Guy


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Alex, I recommend Jayne's gun. I still need to do mine, but just holding the dry fit gun, it is so cool. Plus, if you want the cylinder to move, Sarge tells you what to do.


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Sarge,
With the huge success of the Proteus, any new sci-fi ships on the horizon?

Rob


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