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.

Note: To be alerted when the Firefly Keychain is available, sign up for the QMx Insider newsletter or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Happy New Year, fellow Core-Techs! Thought we’d kick off the year with a sneak peek at a fun little item we currently have in development – the Firefly Keychain.

We’ve been working on this one for over a year now. If making a big Firefly replica is challenging, then making a small one is no less so, as you try to decide what details to keep, what to reject, and how to take a ship that in “real life” is over 269 feet long and shrink it – convincingly – down to two inches.

Cast is solid metal, the keychain has real heft to it. We used the studio CG effects files, shrunk down to a ridiculous extent, to capture the design, but obviously had to make many tweaks along the way. But our designers love a challenge, and we just couldn’t resist the idea of a Serenity that fits in your pocket and that you can carry around with you, where ever you go.

You’ve all been waiting patiently for the final price of the Serenity replica, so without further ado, here it is: The suggested retail for Serenity – The Big Damn Replica is $2,495.

Remember, each replica takes 46 hours to build and is made to order by professional model makers entirely in the U.S.A. It consists of more than 250 resin, aluminum, brass, ceramic and acrylic parts, 30 shades of paint and 32 lighting effects. The Big Damn Replica comes in an edition of just 1,000 ships and includes a wireless remote, stand and base with an individually numbered builder’s plaque signed by Captain Tight Pants himself…

Didn’t we mention that before? No? Well, it does. Nathan Fillion has agreed to sign the builder’s plaque for each and every Serenity in this edition. And we couldn’t be more thrilled!

But that’s not the only “surprise” bonus – each replica will also come bundled with a Jason Palmer original art print, a portrait of the Serenity replica herself. Jason, the premier portrait artist working in fandom today, was so impressed by our girl, he offered to paint a picture of her just for the folks who invest in The Big Damn Replica. And, heck, we just couldn’t say “no”, could we?

Preordering will open October 30, 2009 at 12 p.m. PST. You can purchase your Big Damn Replica with a credit card, PayPal or using our new online layaway system, which will debut with Serenity.

Some stories require few words. And in the case the final reveal, I think we’ll let the pictures (and product description) tell all: http://www.qmxonline.com/serenity.

Pricing is still pending, but we should have prices soon. So all’s that’s left is for you to tell us what you think. How’d we do?

Very soon now we will do the final reveal. All those questions you’ve been asking – what will she look like, what features will she have, how will she be displayed and how much will she cost – will be answered. But before we get to the final curtain, we have a question we’d like you to answer: What should we name our girl?

There are lots of names we could apply to the replica of Serenity we’ve been developing and you’ve been following on this website. When we think of the Serenity replica, lots of words come to mind:

• Official – she’s being produced with the full support of the studio.
• Studio Scale – at 19 inches, she’s exactly the size a filming miniature would likely have been.
• Film Quality – making a film-worthy model is about more than size. We’re making sure our Serenity has all the details a Hollywood model maker would want on their filming miniature before it went in front of the camera.
• Artisan – each ship will be handcrafted by a professional special effects model maker right here in the U.S.
• SFX – she’ll come with a sophisticated lighting effects package and maybe another surprise or two.

Assuming you agree that naming her the “Official Film Quality Studio Scale Serenity Artisan Replica, SFX Edition” is a bit much, we’d love to hear your suggestions. We’ve all worked so hard for so long, we’d hate to stumble on something as simple as the name, dong ma?

I know for the last few months the Firefly Ship Works has been somewhat short of, well, Fireflies. This was not a result of a lack of effort or commitment on the Serenity development team’s part. This was a result of us needing to invent some stuff. Really realistic paint, you see, is as unique as the ship it goes on. And for a unique boat like Serenity, well, let’s just say some innovation had to take place.

We wanted to wait to post any images until we had successfully completed a paint test that started to reflect the results we’re looking for. Once again, the incredible detail on this sculpt was as much a challenge as an opportunity. And because Serenity is probably one of the most realistic spaceships ever to grace the silver screen, an equally realistic paint master was required. In other words, the paint master needed to look like real metal and the weathering needed to look like what old metal would look like when it was 60 years old.

We had a lot of help from the movie CG files which cotain an incredible amount of surface as well as structural detail. As with everything else on Serenity, each armor section is different, like it was added at a different time in her life, maybe even using different metal in some cases. Serenity painted up looks as much like a patchwork quilt as anything else, and we needed to simulate that.

And then there are the wear patterns, old paint that’s partially chipped or burned off, and other things that would just make sense on a real ship. Note, for example, the exhaust vents around the neck – they have carbon build-up toward their interior that’s asymmetrically disintegrating toward the outer edge. Bolts have less patina toward their tops than their bottoms. Maintenance hatches are worn smooth toward their edges from use.

This is where you can start to really see the difference between a mass-produced replica and a professionally-made film-quality replica: Artistry. Someone completely immersed in Serenity’s design for months, who knows her intimately and with mad skills of simulation, will personally see to it your Serenity will be able to fool even the unforgiving eye of the camera.  Remember, before CG there were individually-handcrafted film models. And that’s what we’re creating here.

Okay, enough jabbering, on to the main event:

This paint test was done on forward section of the ship. Notice the subtle but distinct differences between armor plates.

Let’s dive into the close-ups: Those who’ve been following the Ship Works will know how small a section of model you’re looking at here. For example, that row of vents with all the lovely corrosion just under the portside window? That’s only a half-inch long (we’re talkin’ the big vent, not the little one).

Getting resin to look like metal is no simple matter. It means using custom-mixed metal paint and then aging it very carefully.

This extreme close-up shows just how tricky those little details can be, like bolts that are shiny steel on top and copper patina on the bottom. This is a pretty good simulation of what real metal might look like after decades of being exposed to reentry heat.

Here’s a shot of the starboard side of the canopy. You might notice a little paint chip missing from the plate over the starboard window section. Because we want minimal primer – a lot of primer blunts little details – and because paint with a lot of metal in it doesn’t always stick so good, we must do these paint tests. Clearly, we still have some work to do here.

This shot really shows the variation in the armor plating. Each one has it’s own little personality!

And just in case you’re thinking we’re taking liberties in the paint design, here’s a match test. Back half of Serenity is an orthographic printout direct from the movie CG files. Front half is our paint test. Pretty good, eh?

Below is a gallery of all the shots above, plus a few more:

Nothing of the sort. We’ve just been… busy.

In the interest of keeping everyone in the loop, and not annoying a heavily armed clientele too much, here’s a little update on our girl and what she’s been up to. And few other things you’ve been asking after.

Serenity Replica. All the molds, masters and eight prototype castings are on the bench at The FX Company. That’s not really news, of course. We told you that a month ago. But what we didn’t reveal was the Firefly shipyard we have rapidly developing in the shop:

Cool, eh? What’s even cooler is that things are now well underway and we hope to have the first prototype build done by the end of April. Before you get too excited, a prototype build is a long way from a finished product. But it’s also the first time you’re going to get a sense of just how pretty our girl will be when she’s all dressed up in her shindig best. We look forward to seeing those pictures and we especially look forward to sharing them with you!

Inara’s Shuttle. Remember that shiny little shuttle we showed you a few months back? Remember how we said we were looking to release it in a limited edition run? Well, that’s still the plan. However, there’s one new development: Everyone who purchases the shuttle (which we will likely release in a very small edition), will be able to apply the full cost of the shuttle toward the purchase of the Serenity replica!

So, if you just want the shuttle, you can buy one and know you got yourself a special little collectible. However, if your goal is the big ship, then you can look at the cost of the shuttle as a down payment on your very own Firefly. And for buying in early, you get that beautiful little shuttle as our gift.

It’s like a coupon you can put on display.

Of course, we won’t be able to offer this to you until we’ve finished pricing out the final ship. Wouldn’t be right to have you buy the shuttle so as to get a start on paying for Serenity, not knowing where Serenity is going to price out, now would it?

Serenity: Unification War. Something else promised many months ago and not yet delivered – that Cerberus short story. Well, the characters are a quirky bunch and seem prone to get themselves into all types of adventure. The result? that “short” story has grown into a novella and is now threatening to become a novel.

They are an unruly bunch, these Browncoats. But I’m thinking we’ll have at least Part One of Stay Dogs, the first story/novella/novel in the Serenity: Unification War series, available here for your enjoyment very soon. We just want to see how the Cerberus crew manage to get themselves out of the mess they’ve managed to get themselves into first.

Atlas of The Verse. There is no question that the Map of The Verse has far exceeded even our lofty expectations in terms of all the love it’s gotten from Browncoats everywhere. But it does beg a question – what do you do for an encore once you mapped, well, everything?

While the Map of The Verse may mean no Browncoat ever needs to lose their way while traversing the Black, what happens once they get themselves dirtside? How will you find the Companion House on Sihnon? The docks in Beaumonde? Or the Tomb on the Unknown of Hera?

Why, the Atlas of The Verse, of course. A project that has been in development right alongside the Map of The Verse, this multi-volume Atlas will take you take you up close and personal with The Verse’s many worlds.

The first volume – The New Canaan Trade Route – is on schedule to debut later this year. But there’s so much content there, we think we’ll be sneaking out choice bits right here for all Browncoats to enjoy.

But wait, there’s more! We are also going to be teaming up with the Austin Browncoats to help name some of the cities in the Atlas – and raise money for Can’t Stop The Serenity. More to come on that (from us and the Austin Browncoats) very soon.

What About T-Shirts? As part of our newly expanded Serenity license, QMx will now be doing lots of original Serenity t-shirt designs. First up is one we think all you Core-Techs will recognize:

And that’s just the beginning

Anyhow, hopefully this little update goes some way towards answering your questions. Just remember: if we seem to be a little quiet here, it’s because we’re most likely hard at work. You know those Fireflys won’t build themselves!

All the masters and test molds have been getting packed up and shipped to The FX Company and, as a result, I’ve gotten several e-mails from Wolvster saying “forgot to send you THIS.” I open the e-mail, and my jaw hits the desk.

The man is the devil. There’s just no other explanation for how he can’t continually surprise and confound with all the little details he has managed to capture. It amuses me to imagine an army of imps doing his bidding, adding endless and insane amounts of microscopic detail to tempt us all.

Below is a gallery of the latest batch of greeblies which – I think – now accounts for everything. Of course, I thought that last week, and the week before, and the… well, you get the idea. Of particular note are the legendary engine extenders. Once you see them in action I think you’ll have a better sense of just how challenging making the engines posable is going to be.

One of the two lower reactor shutters. It was damaged some time in the past and it looks like Kaylee did everything in her power to keep it attached – which clearly didn’t work out so well.

The engine extenders. Ours don’t shake.

And here’s an extender that’s, um, extended.

From this angle it’s easier to see the problem with a posable engine: If you have the extender in place, you can’t move the engine. If the extender is retracted, well, how lame is that?

And if the extender wasn’t enough of a challenge, what do you do about the gimble lock? No two ways about it: The CG guys weren’t thinking anyone was actually going to try to build Serenity when they designed her.

Here are the two shuttle clamps.

As you can see here, the shuttle clamps may prove to be another item – like the reactor shutters – that will need to be fixed in place. Note that the rod is actually grooved into the frame which would make it impossible to move in and out smoothly.

Okay, we’re not entirely sure what this is…

…maybe a space-age cowcatcher?

Probably my favorite greeblie of them all – I just love the way these look when they ring the engine intake like a crown!

One more thing: Several folks have asked what’s up with Inara’s Shuttle. Just wanted to assure you we’re still working on it and hope to have more details soon. Also, I’m trying to come up with a way where you can apply a portion of the cost of the shuttle to your purchase of Serenity. Which I hope will take some of the sting out of the price tag of both replicas.