For our first post since the site’s relaunch, we offer this little video we did toward the end of 2009 of our model makers working on the first round of Serenity replicas. John Eblan is the guy doing the interviews and also heads up our shop (for more on John, check out his IMDB profile).

All Quantum Mechanix (QMx) Artisan replicas are made by hand in the U.S.A. by real Hollywood model effects artists, propmakers and armorers. We feel this is key to delivering the most accurate and thrilling replicas. This is our way of insuring you’re never disappointed by a QMx collectible.

We also feel good that QMx is doing it’s part to bring skilled craftsmanship back to the U.S. and preserve a skillset that is all but lost in this country.

Without further ado, here’s that video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://www.fireflyshipworks.com/development/making-the-awesome-the-serenity-artisan-replica/feed/ 0 http://www.fireflyshipworks.com/development/zen-and-the-art-of-mule-maintenance/ http://www.fireflyshipworks.com/development/zen-and-the-art-of-mule-maintenance/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:05:03 +0000 admin http://www.fireflyshipworks.com/?p=1086 With Serenity now safely on her way through The Black to Browncoats everywhere, it’s high time we talk about our next replica: The MF-813 Flying Mule.

For our second Firefly/Serenity vehicle, we wanted to deliver to you the expert craftsmanship you’ve come to expect from our studio-scale works. And who better to make your Mule exactly the way you want it than you? That’s right, our Flying Mule replica will be the first authorized, pre-painted replica kit from The Verse. Every part is hand-painted resin and keyed so it can only fit in one place. All you need is a little glue and about a half hour and you can build your very own Flying Mule.

The Mule replica was designed by the same team that created our Serenity, and you’ll notice in the gallery below the same attention to detail and screen-accuracy. The major difference is this time you get to supply the muscle putting the roughly 30 pieces that comprise the kit together. Everything from the controls to action-figure-scaled seating is there. We even include a sculpted diorama base with simulated sand.

Heck, we’ve even designed her so she can be displayed in two modes – the special effects mode where the Mule hovers over the sand on two clear acrylic risers and the propmaster mode where you can place her on a prop dolly, just the way she’s currently stored on Universal Studios’ backlot.

There are a couple reasons we decided to make the Mule our first prepainted kit: First, it’s fun build, not too challenging for novices but with enough complexity to entertain even experienced model makers. Second, the paint master for the Mule looks picture-perfect when assembled. There really is no qualitative difference between you building her and us, so why should we have all the fun?

The third – and perhaps most important – reason is we really wanted to support the hobbyist. There are tons of talented Browncoats out there we just know are going to want to add their own touches to their Mule replicas. Lights, photoetched details, grenades…

So, what do you think? Like our latest replica? Like that you’ll have a chance to build her yourself? We’d love to hear what you think.

Edit: Sorry, didn’t put the dimensions or pricing in the article. Posted a note below, but here it is in the story in case you missed it:

The mule itself is 13″x6″x4″ (not including the side fins) and the base is 15″x11″. The development work is done so all we gotta do is make ‘em. I’m going to guess and say we’ll be shipping by this summer.

As for the price, nothing’s final yet. But it will be *much* less expensive than the BDR (of course). Keep in mind it’s heavy resin, not lightweight styrine like most prepainted kits, so it costs a bit more from a raw materials standpoint. But having said that I think you can expect it to price out in the range of other high-end, licensed prepainted kits you may have seen from folks like Kotobukiya.

We thought on this happy occasion, we should share some new pics of our girl and a nice little YouTube video we created showing off the “Hard Burn” effect and the reactor “throb”. Lots and lots of time and effort have gone into getting her just right. Hopefully with these pics and the vid, you can see we’ve done everything in our power to make sure every ship that leaves our dock is as shiny as we can make her.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speaking of shiny – you might notice a new feature we added since last we shared pictures – the galley windows are now lit! The more we looked at her, the more we couldn’t let her go without adding that last little detail.

We are now building Serenitys in earnest (check some of the build photos in the gallery below).

One last thing: We announced late last year that fellow Serenity licensee and Browncoat artist Jason Palmer had volunteered to create a limited edition art print to celebrate the launch of our girl. We’re very grateful that Jason lent his talent to our humble little project. Once again, Jason demonstrates the best thing about being a Browncoat is other Browncoats

In the gallery below we’ve included an image of Jason’s print. The only way to get this print is with The Big Damn Replica. Just another small way we’re making her special for the folks who invest in Serenity.