The Tomenosuke Blaster Kit: A Closer Look

[andy]

I think it may be time to open up the review section and put this stuff in there.

Andy

[Finbladerunner]

I love the word "BLÄSTER" they use! Sounds very finnish pronounced word.

[joberg]

Or German can also put the umlaut on the vowel A; maybe to respect the ''made in Austria'' text on the gun.

[temponaut]

[temponaut]

[temponaut]

[andy]

[temponaut]

That's a great idea.

Maybe you could put a stickie at the top including your history of the BR Blaster and replicas, and members could then post their personal evaluations and photos of various models. It would make an excellent resource.
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"Your old titles mean nothing here... Captain!"

[andy]

Exactly! It would also have a poll that could help rate each blaster variation on each of the main attributes. It would also act as a identification guide.

I was thinking along the lines of something that someone new to the hobby could use to find what they are looking for or at least help refine their searches. The seasoned collectors could also use it as a show off thread.

Andy

[Hasenbrau]

That certainly sounds like something that could help us new guys out.

[temponaut]

Yes, definitely sounds like something good for both new guys and old hands. There are already several reviews on the board that could go into the new forum.
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"Your old titles mean nothing here... Captain!"

[The Loyalizer]

Great pics man! really gives a good idea of the quality of the parts. Question about the plastic parts:

Are they made from ABS plastics like on a high end airsoft, or is it some other type of plastic?

On the finished kit, has the receiver been painted or blued?
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"We began to recognize in them a strange obsession..."

http://fcomin.cgsociety.org/gallery/

[temponaut]

[temponaut]

Here's the third installment of photos: the metal parts.


These are the machined parts: Barrel jacket, laser sight, and assorted rods and pins.


The jeweler's screwdriver is open from one end to the other (top photo) and there is an access hole forward of the two smaller, threaded holes through which the sight is secured to the left cover (bottom photo), so that the LEDs at either end of the sight could be wired for illumination if so desired. The finished Blaster as sold by Tomenosuke Shoten, however, has no wiring to the sight; the five LEDs in the magazine and housing are the only ones that light up -- suggesting perhaps that, like some members here, the folks at Tomenosuke believe the sight wasn't illuminated in the film.




In addition to the standard barrel jacket, Tomenosuke Shoten also machined a limited number with a higher caliber bore. In the first photo below, the standard barrel included with the kit is shown on the left and the large bore barrel is on the right; in the second photo, the standard barrel is on the bottom and the larger bore is on the top. I believe that these larger caliber barrels may actually have been made by mistake. In any case, Tomenosuke Shoten has made them available as an option for purchase on the kit's ordering page; if you buy one, you'll receive it in addition to (not instead of) the standard barrel. For those of you looking to upgrade a Hartford or other plastic Blaster with metal parts, this might be an interesting option, although I have no idea how easy a fit the piece would be.




The cast white metal receiver and bolt assembly.



Another angle of the raw receiver. As on the actual WorldCon Blaster, the pointed tip of the bolt retracts into the front cap when the bolt is drawn back.



The parts that make up the receiver and bolt assembly. There is one more part -- the front cap -- which in this picture is still in its place at the front of the receiver.



Lettering on the receiver is crisp. In the background you can see the side of the kit box with the Kanji character toku (for "Toku Nobutaka," who created the prototype for the kit) in foil.



Parts of the grip frame assembly. The second shot shows how precisely the parts fit together.




Detail shot of a threaded hole that has been pre-tapped into the grip frame.



Ejector, right cover knob, Weaver knob and "minus" screw head, safety switch, and cylinder latch. The two L-shaped pieces at the lower left are the mounting arms for the interchangeable Weaver knob and screw head.



A closer look at the ejector. The part measures 16mm at its broadest point. The details are beautifully cast. Note, though, that on the finished model the cylinder does not spin with trigger pulls and the ejector does not actually eject the shells. (The shells can easily be removed with the help of gravity.)



A better look at your choice of knobs. Sorry about the blurriness!



Parts to make five shells are included. Each cartridge consists of two pieces.



The bottom of a cartridge rim. At first I thought that the text looked a little shallow, but after polishing and finishing the pieces look great. The second picture shows three finished shells.



Still more to come!



Thank you, Pilot!
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"Your old titles mean nothing here... Captain!"

[jfuste]

[temponaut]

According to the Hollywood Collector's Gallery website, the second round of sales for finished Tomenosuke Blasters will begin at 13:00 on Wednesday, December 24 (Japan time), and delivery of the Blasters will take place at the end of February 2009.

Just in case anyone is interested.
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"Your old titles mean nothing here... Captain!"

[jfuste]

[andy]

try here

Andy

[phase pistol]

Sharp looking parts, and great photos.

[jfuste]