At this point you’ve seen the back, front, sides, bottom and top of the Serenity kit. You’ve even gotten a peek inside the bridge. All that remains now is the final reveal: The fully assembled Serenity sculpture.
There’s a lot to be said about Our Girl: Even without paint or a single flashy light, she is magnificent. But after three years in development and just one month shy of a year on this sculpture, I find words escape me to describe the feeling of finally getting to this point.
I could tell you about what a singular achievement this is. There is no question that the Firefly is a harsh mistress and even among the most experienced kit designers, this project is considered a widowmaker.
But, instead, let’s revel in the moment.
When we did our “Building a Firefly” session at the Serenity con in Burbank last November, I’m quite sure there were those of you in the audience who thought, “what, again?” So it was beyond gratifying to hear the gasps as Ben Mund waltzed up on the stage carrying an almost complete kit under glass. And it will be one of my fondest memories when we got Wolvster on the phone and an auditorium full of Browncoats expressed their gratitude at the top of their lungs. To paraphrase the sculptor himself upon hearing the tumult, we were humbled and deafened by the response.
But, enough of my babbling, on to the reveal. What’s pictured here is the same kit that we unveiled at the show. It’s missing a few bits – such as the second set of reactor flaps – and exhibits the “Floppy Engine” syndrome (port side engine) which might lead to final replicas getting their engines fixed in place.
And, yes, the solar panels mounted on the starboard side of the bridge are on backwards. It was a mistake in assembly, not in the kit.
Otherwise, she’s all there. Remember to double-click on the images below to see them even bigger:
So, where do we go from here? The masters are on their way to The FX Company along with a handful of prototype kits. Probably for the next month or more we’ll be knee deep in wire plans, electronics, staging and other works that’ll need to be done before the test builds can begin.
But not to worry, during this “quiet time”, we’ll be keeping the lights on here. There’s lots of other stuff we have to share – more on the Map of the Verse, the release of the first Serenity: Unification War story, plus some new Cerberus art. And, of course, there is The Atlas of the Verse, our next reference pack, waiting in the wings.
So, stay tuned to the RSS feed. Much more to come!
Truly amazing! Congratulations! It’s spectacular!
Gotta mop off the keyboard now. :::DROOL:::
Um,,,, Wow! I really don’t know what to say. That is simply a beautiful piece of artwork, period. Well done to Wolvster, Andy and the rest of the Serenity team.
Um,,,, WOW!
Thanks
jim
Wow, I’m speechless. But forcing myself to write something. I can’t believe all this time we’ve been looking at all the little details giggling like school girls. Seeing it in this dry-run form is amazing. I just got my tax return, the preorder can’t get here any quicker. Just beautiful.
This is breathtaking! I almost expect to see Mal or Wash walking on the bridge. This is way too good to be believed. I only wish the pictures had a ruler next to them to give an idea of scale.
Now I get it. This is an evil plot to take over the world, just like Hulu! You’re going to make a bunch of stuff that you know none of us can resist, and then take all of our money!
I’m on to you guys.
BTW – The detail on this build continues to astonish me.
Wow, that is so beautiful. I keep wondering how anyone can say the ship design is ugly.
This will be the grail collectible of my life.
Our girl is positively radiant. Your crew have done an amazing job, and this piece will be the envy of everyone that can’t get their hands on one.
i really don’t know how to express myself with out sounding like a, well, fawl mouthed biker here. the fact is i am a fawl mouthed biker, so i’ll just go with very shiny. you guys have done such a good jod on this thing she looks damn good! sorry that one slipped out. keep flyin’
Now that’s a pretty girl
Yep. Lovelier than the shiniest Eavesdown doxie and more loyal than a boy’s mother, our girl is.
Hau ke iye! Wo yau ye ge! Gen de!
This has got to be the most impressive thing on the site. NOW NOW NOW, give me!
When will the 1:1 working version be available here?
This is bittersweet. The model looks fabulous, and I know I’m not going to be able to afford it.
Great job, guys!
Looks totally cool! I’m still amazed how cool it looks.
A little off topic here but, are you still planning on selling an Inara shuttle w/display case?
jim
Bloody spectacular! Ready to preorder. Seriously.
Oh, and are you sure there isn’t a fix for the droopy engine that maybe we can install or something? I’d sure like to be able to change her configuration every once in a while….
Of course, the model is perfect, but looking at Serenity now I am reminded of my first impressions of her when I tuned into Train Job oh so long ago. At the time I found the Firefly Class Transport to be, in a word, unattractive. My first overall impression of her was that she lacked a certain immediate punch, maybe even grace. Even today I can’t quite explain what it was about her that did not immediately grab me, and as a sci-fi fan I need to be hooked, almost placated by technological yumminess. I’m certain that it had something to do with her overall appearance, which exudes a kind of ramshackle, tossed together quality. There is just something about a Firefly that makes it looked salvaged right off the assembly line.
That said, I’m equally hard-pressed to say why I find Serenity beautiful now. Strange as my first impressions were then, they cannot compare to the genuine and immediate feelings of comfort, familiarity and that indefinable je ne sais quoi.
Perhaps on some subconscious level I’m channeling earlier junkyard dogs of space, like the all too famous piece of junk, that end-all-be-all of sci-fi family cars…the Millennium Falcon. Serenity has certainly been compared to her often enough.
Still, more than this, I can’t help but feel that it has something to do with the underpinnings of the underdog. Many of us have remarked over the years that the bad guy always had the better ride, but I think that we all secretly wish to be the desperate heroes taking on tanks with a rusted out Chevy Nova. We want an approachable, garage built, no frills, gas guzzler. We want a blockade runner held together with hope and wire coat hangers. We want a ship that can fail, so that when she doesn’t, we come out looking all the greater for having fought the good fight, flying by the seat of our pants.
In short, we want a stock built Firefly Class Transport.
Welp, we are “almost” at our end here gang… Or.more
accurately, MY END…:) I have only a few more pictures
to share then I have nothing else as EVERYTHING will be out
of my hands and passed along to the next level ! I truely
APPRECIATE all the support on this { WAY TOO LONG BUILD..LOL.. }
from ALL of you out there.. I do hope I have managed to make
a few folks happy, and perhpas make a few more EXSTATIC when they
get their replicas in thier own homes to enjoy. I’ll still
be popping in here and there if anyone has any questions ?
But, the “lull” will only last for so long before I start on
the NEXT big project !!!!!
{ And don’t ask me to tell, ASK ANDY…heheh.. }
William – I think Serenity’s beauty is in that looking at her you realize, love really does keep her in the air. What else could explain how this bumblebee flies?
Jim – Yep, we’re still planning on it. In fact, I’ve got to get the plaque design over to Ben Mund this weekend so he can “prettify” it for us.
Sarg – we’re working on it. We’ve had a few solutions suggested and we’re not going to give in without a fight. But another problem that will need t be solved is the extenders – they don’t actually work, from an engineering perspective: If you had an extender attached to the engine, it wouldn’t actually be able to move. It’s weird, actually.
Wolvster – I think I speak for the entire Browncoat community when I say THANK YOU for giving up nine months of your life to create this work of art. It will be much loved for years to come
And, yeah, don’t bother asking, because I won’t tell you what’s next on Wolvster’s impossible mission list, either
Seeing her makes you believe it’s OK for a man to cry.
Honestly, I can’t summarise it better than William; “In short, we [all] want a stock built Firefly Class Transport.”
Thanks for the time and dedication you put into making this a reality Wolvster. I look forward to seeing what comes out of your shop in the future.
You guys are truly gods. Now…can’t we hear a ballpark figure for the price yet? I need to know if I have to get a second mortgage for my ballpark.
Very nice looking ship. CT isn’t that far from PA…do you guys take in visitors? Is it just a warehouse or is there a shop set up there too?
Guys, especially Wolvster, this is a tremendous achievement so far. Congratulations.
This is beyond the MR Falcon as an accomplishment. Way beyond.
I know the feeling of getting to the end of that long, sometimes seemingly endless road, having recently experienced it when I completed my Vera replica. It’s a wonderful, strange feeling.
Whatever comes next, you’ve done all Browncoats a great service by proving in a big way, that you really can’t stop the signal.
(Yeah, I couldn’t resist that last part…)
Cheers!
My goodness, she’s finally almost home …………. excellent, excellent work. Mudder’s milk all ’round!
Amazing, i never have seen a model with such a level of detail.
my i ask?, how do you make the model parts?
I’m very eager to see how the Firefly comes out with
Painted hull panels and weather effects,
i will keep myself updated,
this is amazing
Hi Darthmop – welcome to the Ship Works!
The masters are sculpted from Ren Shape (a special sculpting material used for this tiye of detailed work). We then pull a rubber mold from the master and the parts are cast in professional-grade resin inside those molds. Both Wolvster (the sculptor) and the foundry that will be producing parts for us in quantity use Smooth Cast 300 resin.
I am speechless, and typing ain’t so easy either! So very, very cool.
i gotta buy one as soon as it comes out!!! ya know id love to see one paticular thing as wolvesters next big project….lol this is just my wishing but, id love to see the daedalus from stargate and promethius lol my life would be complete having those two and serenity all lit up and all mine!!! lol
oh yeah and a replica of atlantis (stargate) oh man id cry tears of joy to have those lol oh my god!!! im gonna go daydream now!!
thankyou for your hard work. she looks so detailed, i’m surprised she doesn’t fly of her own accord. i just hope i can afford one in the small window of time before they’re all snapped up
aaaahhhhhhh She is so fine.
I am hopingto be able to afford one. I am also hoping that when I do that she is buildable in such a way that she can be taken apart partly to reveal internal floors for my 15mm crew to be moved around in for gaming… such a geek. Oh, so are you. Ta.
I have struggled with a paper version (Chihuahua) resized to 15mm scale and having several bits build twice for ‘desectioning’ overlap and have issues with glue not holding and sag and floor plans not matching up well enough for my virgoness and the fact that it is paper… and the ‘spacial anomoly’ in the tail section and crew quarters.
Looking forward but KNOW it will cost too much.
Wow!!!!!!!!
I want one.
Where and when can i get my grubby mitts on one???
This is so amazing…. I am 18 but I just can’t see how I am going to say no to this, despite how expensive I know it is going to be. (aussie dollar makes it worse)
Now if you can pitch it to me in a way that makes me believe that buying this gives Firefly a chance of being resurrected…..