Help me pick a blaster

[sycor]

Okay, I've looked around and to be honest it's a little overwhelming. It's hard picking which blaster to get by just looking at picture and not being able to feel it. I would LOVE to get a RAC but they are a little out of my price range right now and was curious to see what you guys could recommend. Right now I'm leaning toward an OffWorld but if there is a more accurate one in that price range I'd love to hear about it. And am I correct in assuming the MIM blaster is an OffWorld blaster?

And BTW, I'm not very skilled at painting or complicated assemblies. So let's not recommend any kits please.

[Jedirick]

MIM and Off World are the same. I have 2 I initially purchased, thay have faults, I'm satisfied but have no intention of adding anymore.

RAC tend to be the most accurate. You may be able to pick up an older version at a reasonable price some collectors are selling theirs in anticipation of up and coming RAC releases.


Now- Doppleganger- Rick Ross has some of the sweetest interpretations of the BR pistol out there. I own several varieties and frankly they can't be beat for handling enjoyment especially in his range of prices. Plus he is a darn nice guy. ( shameless plug)
He has sold them built up and in kits.

And yes Andy, I'm going to do individual shots of my collection. I just set up a light box last night! Need to figure out a system for labeling each pistol for reference purposes..

[andy]

I second what Rick has said. If you want something that is durable and hints at accuracy the Off World/MiM is good and affordable.

Rich Coyle's are and have pretty much always been the most accurate(it was an early pre C&S that influenced Rick Ross to make his own version of the gun rather that try to make the most accurate, because Rich had allready done that) and the most functional, but are a display prop and not a toy like the offworld gun. you can pick up earlier versions of his guns for the same or less then the Off World/MiM.

Sid Kit is pretty much sold out of his all metal version and only kits are available right now at almost the same price as a built up C&S. Unless your modeling skills are top notch this isn't woth considering becuase Rich is coming out with his metal version soon as a built up and will be very likely the most accurate gun yet made.

Rick Ross's guns are the coolest "interpretation" of the BR gun and Rick can sell you one on this board for a very fair price, But I am not sure if he is doing much in the way of build ups right now. His kits are very easy to put together though and require only slightly more than beginner skills except for maybe the electronics. Rich is the nicest guy around and very humble. We may get a little protective of him here.

The Air Soft and Cap guns on Ebay are from Hartford Japan and are currently out of production. They are also not accurate at all even compared to the Offworld gun. Not to mention over priced. But when it comes to "playability" they are the most functional.

Not that any of these are perfect. Untill the owner of the Hero gun decides to let molds made of of his gun it will have to be this way.


Rick,
We need to do a gallery here with each one of our guns with pics and brief backstory. We can put the guns up one at a time. We can make a pretty good resource here for all BR fans and modelers.

[sycor]

Forgive my ignorace, but what does C&S stand for?

I'm really just looking for a display prop that wont break the bank (or break if I decide to pick it up and show it to a friend). And since I'm not even a beginner as far as modeling goes I should definitely stay away from kits. (I can handle the "put part A into slot C" but the painting is way out of my capability.) So it looks like maybe the OffWorld is the way to go for now.

[darkknight0667]

C&S = Coyle & Steinschneider (?) Rich and Phil collaborated on the research for the first model. Rich's new model adds a 'T' for Karl Tate, who provided the (in)famous photos and also called Rich from WorldCon to alert him that the gun was on display so that he could drive/fly up and take more detailed photos.

Based on your description of your skills (or lack thereof - don't worry, I'm in the same boat), the MIM is probably your best bet.
_________________
Pete

[andy]

except for the fact that you can pick up a more accurate older version Rich Coyle(C&S) for less than the MiM...they are mostly resin though. I own both of these and picked them up in the $200 range.

[sycor]

[andy]

we here can help you ID any piece that comes up for auction. I will PM you my email address. The question is now is how important is accuracy? and Function? or is price and ready to display the main wants for you? Maybe we should do a consumer reports type editorial on each of the guns here with rating for all of these different guns. A BR Blaster Buyers Guide.

andy

[sycor]

I would prefer it be as accurate as possible. But I have to stay in the $200 price range because with our other bills, there is no way my wife will accept a $445 "toy gun" (as she would call it). I know that going down in price means going down in accuracy somewhat and I can accept that. I just don't want a piece a crap that will fall apart if I decide to pick it up and show it to a friend. Functionally I would like it to open up and be able to hold shells but I guess I could deal if it didn't. But LEDs are a must.

So basically I want it all without having to pay for it!

[Nexus6]

[jessejericho]

Do yourself a HUGE favour, throw in an extra "C" note, and get a quality Coyle replica. You will not be disappointed...

http://www.therpf.com/index.php?showtopic=123916

Also, take a look at the photos and comments about the M2019 model, which I assume is the Off-World piece being discussed here:

http://www.therpf.com/index.php?showtopic=116526&st=240

[Jedirick]

Because of recent discoveries about the original prop and the Off World Blaster hitting the market heavily, I think right now is the best time to look for bargains.

The $200+ price point on the Off World certainly will not rise anytime soon. If they keep appearing on ebay then I expecct that price will eventually go under the $200 mark.
People are going to sell what they deem as less worthy blasters for less than the Off World. Also since RAC has announced up and coming issues, guys will part with their older RACs to acquire the more accurate version. In the last 2 months I've seen more RACs available from collectors than ever before. Also a reasonable number of Dopplegangers has shown up on ebay and the RPF.

Hang on to that $200 and take a little time shopping around. The deals can and will be found.

[sycor]

[jessejericho]

Most of the people here at Propsummit are members of the RPF, I'm sure someone wouldn't mind PM'ing the seller on your behalf... I would do it, however my application has never been processed, and the "Email the Administrator" link is dead.

[andy]

[Noeland]

Well, the rubb is really that painted build ups are far more expensive than kits. If you're looking for a completed piece you really do have to pay. Keep an eye on ebay though, because sometimes I see completed kits go for pennies. Usually I miss the end of the auctions too!!!

But there is no time like the present to learn all about filling, sanding and painting!! Dremels are great prop making tools too.

I was once a "buy it finished" prop guy, until I got too many finished pieces I didn't like, so I bought my first kit years ago (a marco blade runner blaster) and I was hooked from them on. My skills sucked at the time, so every time I look at the kit now I think "I should strip this thing and rebuild it with some metal parts . . ."

hahahaha.

Njc---------

[Jedirick]

Get a Rick Ross kit and sanding and prep before paint is almost none existant!

[jhyphen]

I have 4 Rick Ross PKDs, a rubber cast off an older Coyle, what looks like a painted Oz shop version, and the MiM. Despite my initial reaction (which was "ehhhhh"), the MiM has been growing on me as a decent shelf piece that you can still play with. My dream version, which I will one day own, will be made from the genuine firearms. Until then, I'll probably pick up a Sidkit built up.

Balancing accuracy and budget, MiM is the way to go. For sheer interpretive beauty and the knowledge that you are dealing with one of the nicest, most talented souls in the hobby, get a PKD from Rick.

[andy]

Rick Ross's kits are very easy to put together, with super glue and some, some black auto primer, and a little bit of buffable metalizer gunmetel or titanium you can have a pretty cool looking gun in no time. Rick has some pretty good tips in his instructions for beginners too.

The Offworld of course is a pretty decent piece that is almost accurate by an untrained eye, but you can let your friends handle it without worrying about it breaking. Maybe with a new paint job it might look a little better.

The Rick Ross kits like john said are the Coolest looking IMHO. Partially because he tried to make something he liked rather than be 100% accurate. They have no functions other than the lights which is a plus because less parts will get broke off. Many of us here are partial to Rick and therefore his kits. If you ever get a chance to speak with him you would understand why. Unfortunately his most accurate kit is the PKD2 which he sold all the masters to another very untrustworthy prop maker/dealer. don't even bother buying from EDC(Charles Wallace) studios because you will be lucky to see anything in a year or two. You could always PM rick Ross here and someone on this site could help you with the build up.

[darkknight0667]

I can absolutely concur with everyone's assessment of Rick. I had the pleasure of having dinner with him last spring and he's one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. And, having seen the end result of his kits, I can also attest to their quality.

An option, if you don't feel that your skills are up to the challenge of building one yourself, is to seek out one of the (absurdly) talented builders here and ask them how much it would cost for them to build a kit up for you.
_________________
Pete