1st year final degree project - Time travel gun

[welshwarrior123]

Hey guys,
Havent posted on here in a while due to having to work on my final degree project, which I thought would be nice to show on here. This is what halted my progress on my naboo starfighter, which I can now pick back up again finally.

This was our big end of year project, which we were tasked to build some form of time travel device within a 6 week time frame. This had to be our own work and design. When I was given the brief, I had just finished watching District 9 a few nights before, so was set on making some form of time gun after seeing the awesome weaponry on there. In the end I went with a 60's style, Flash Gordon, Back To The Future, District 9 influenced design.

The ATOM science Quantum gun

First up I hand drew some 1:2 scale blueprints to help with the build process. I used VOLPINS layout as help as ive never drawn a set before.

Next was one of the hardest things a student can do, dig into his student loan :cry Materials bought for the project. I gave myself a £100 budget...

So first up I had to build the area where you put your hand, its very Portal like, in the sense that your required to put your arm into the gun. This is built with some MDF, and a 6inch ABS tube.

No need to counter sink the screws as I will be building a shroud to cover this whole piece. Inside is a handle to hold, no photos of it though.

Next was to actually build the shrouds to cover the pipe. First I needed to draw them out onto some Chemi wood foam. Quite difficult to do when the foam is quite pricey and it needed to exactly fit around the pipe and you have one attempt. You can see how many times I changed the size out of worry :facepalm

This was then cut out on the band saw, hand sanded to create the dome shape I needed, then attached to a MDF riser and placed in our oldest vac former.

Decided to pull it in 3mm styrene as I needed it to be quite strong...forgetting it was in our oldest former which dosent have the best pump.

After a bit of man handling with a piece of wood (giggidy), I managed to get two nice clean pulls out. I now have the handle of my gun ready to assemble.

Next on the agenda was to build the time travel display thingy aswell as the barrel of the gun. Decided to quickly turn these on the lathe,

With those done I could then put the gun together some what. Without documenting I had built up the center console piece out of styrene and some bits and bobs, as well as hitting it with a bit of primer. It dosent look much at the moment but its going as I planned.

I installed some pressure gauges in the handle, my classmates thought it looked like eye so naturally it was given a mustache

So there it is at the moment. Next up will be the flux capacitor and the two barrel sections at the front of the gun, plus loads more details and greeblies. Everything is held together with tape at the moment, once ive got it all together properly and with some primer I think it will look how im imagining it lol.

More tomorrow,
thanks,

Welsh

 

[welshwarrior123]

Ok so from the last update the gun didnt look like much, but after a few days working on the piece it really started to come together. The main thing I wanted included in the design was a Flux capacitor, it didnt need to be accurate to the film, it just needed the overall styling.

So I first start by cutting out two identical pieces of 1mm styrene, and mark out a window on one of the pieces.

Then after cutting out the window on the one piece, I built up walls on the next piece out of square styrene until I had my box built. Now to just fill it with greeblies.

For the inisde I started with the pipes, then went about wrapping them with wire aswell as adding other details etc to the piece. Once dry it was then attatched to the time gun.

I then went ahead and built the two sections above the barrel. These were done by just vacforming 2mm styrene over a wooden plug, and attached to the main body.

I then started to add more and more little details to try and make the piece look real and ended up with this.

And here she sits in the paint room ready to get hit with some primer. At this point it still needs a few touch ups and more detail added but compared to my original designs im very pleased.

Let me know what you guys think,
Will get some pictures of it in primer and paint up later.

Welsh

 

[lharles]

Looks great!

 

[red4]

Does it work?

 

[welshwarrior123]

Of course it works, it has a flux capaciotor and big red switches

well here it is all primered and ready to be painted up. Really pleased with out it came out. It still has the tape covering some bits in these shots though.







Welsh

 

[Psicorp7]

I like the design!

Is there anything going in the tubes on the top? They look like they could use a little something or maybe some lights or EL wire?

Keep up the great work!

 

[Sturdag]

First, I must say I really dig this project! Very original and VERY cool!!
Second, I gotta know what degree you are working towards that has you building a " temporal displacement rifle" i.e., time machine gun? Sounds like a class I would love to take...

 

[ahoudini]

Great work! I am also dying to know what your course of study is… looks like it beats medical school all to hell!

 

[The Schlitzie]

Man! That is looking good! I love that little Dalek in the back too :cool .

 

[welshwarrior123]

Thanks guys, Ive already painted the piece but im not really happy with it. Hand in is due on the 19th so im tempted to give it a repaint. Ill get the photos off my camerea tomorrow.

As for the course, its essentially everything that this forum is about. Its a bloody fantastic course with amazing opportunities with regards to work in film. Our previous classes have worked on every harry potter film and all the Nolan batman. I cant say what our group will be working on im affraid

Heres the course, probably the only one in the UK if not the world,

Model Design and Model Effects BA Hons - University of Hertfordshire

In my first year ive built this time machine, a steam punk train, a Naboo starfighter which I still need to finish and my Darlek. The project for the Darlek was to design a Faberge egg style piece, and that it had to open. So I built my egg shaped Dalek that opens up to show the mutant inside;





After I hand this in now next friday I think a group of us are planning an Iron Giant build. So excited to start that. Ill get the pictures of the painted gun up tomorrow.

Welsh

 

[welshwarrior123]

Got the piece mostly painted, and had use of a studio for a photo shoot. A requirement of the project was to photo shop your final piece. Although not finished I decided to go ahead with the shoot. Has a lot of problems with the paint not sticking, even after keying the plastic, so I did the best I could.











Im really debating repainting it, hand is on friday so this will have to do currently. I will be finishing off the rest of it but will strip it in the summer. Here is also the photo shop posters we were required to make. Like I said the style of this gun was 50's/60's style so I stuck with the retro/advert/pinup style look for them. This was my first time using photo shop as well.



Overall im pretty pleased with how it came out. Painting is usually my strong part but nothing went right with this piece. I've got tomorrow now to finish it up and set up my display for marking. Wish me luck.

Welsh

 

[laserpistol76]

I like the Dalek, very creative! (And the gun too).

 

[Mike J.]

Good luck!

If you want some advice; rather than repainting it, I'd do some careful masking and detail painting. Add some colored areas. Pick out certain small details in different colors. A lot of your body still seems to be your base coat. I would touch up things like the flux capacitor with some accentuating colors; perhaps yellow, blue and copper.

With all due respect.

Yours is the course I would be taking if I lived in the UK I would have killed for it.

Again, good luck!


-Mike J.

 

[welshwarrior123]

Thanks for the compliments guys. The flux capicitor and other details as well as the lower section of the rear are still in primer, it's only the red and black I've painted. If all goes to plan I will be painting them tomorrow.

Yes the course is fantastic, in our last lecture, instead of boring writing. We got to watch the Trex fight in both the harryhausen king and Peter Jackson one to compare how styles have changed. So much fun.

I will get the finished pictures up either tomorrow or Friday. Thanks again.

 

[Fuzzual]

very cool! That is a unique and impressive build you have!

 

[Valor]

Great Job. Can't wait to see the finished product.