Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B |
| By Raven Claflin |
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This is my Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B, better known as Captain Mal's pistol from Firefly. I built this replica for a costume. I looked into the available resin models out there, and decided I could make a more durable pistol, and one that could fire. After some research on the original pistol I discovered that the prop on the TV show was a shell built around a revolver. So I made my way to Wal-mart and picked up a cheap 8-shot cap gun. My plan was to build the pistol around the cap gun in a way that I could still load caps into the pistol. Once I got the cap-gun home I discovered it was a breach loader, and not a side loader, this meant I could not build the gun to be reloaded. Oh well. I started by hacking off the barrel and the handle. Inside the handle I found the spring used to snap the hammer back after the trigger is pulled. I saved that out hoping to at least keep the trigger action. After several trips to my local model shop and hardware store I began work. I used a styrene tube, and hand-filed strips to make the new octagonal barrel. I used three consecutive sizes of brass tubing inserted into each other to thicken the barrel from the inside and give it some weight. I then attached this barrel to the shortened barrel of the cap gun. I then built the handle frame using sheet styrene, a total of seven layers. I cut out a space on the inner layers for the original spring, and with a short section of brass tube I was able to set it in place and keep the firing mechanism working.With the basic shell now complete I went about building up the gun. I cut the panels out of sheet styrene, and then used epoxy putty to set the panels at the right place, yet still allow the cylinder of the original revolver to turn when the trigger is pulled. The clip, and the various panels on the side of the gun were built from sheet styrene and filled with epoxy putty. I used epoxy putty to sculpt the rounded areas near the handle and the trigger, as well as the front where the barrel connects to the gun. The rounded edge on the top is a section cut from styrene tube. The rods that run along the side parallel to the barrel are aluminum tube. Once I had the shape finished I filled in gaps with squadron green putty and began filing. I used both large mill files, and a selection of micro files for detail work. |
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After about a week of filing and applying putty the main gun was finished. I found some tiny screws for the various areas they are used on the original gun. I drilled holes and set in the screws. All of them can be unscrewed and removed. The front screws are small thumbscrews that I filled to fit into the aluminum tube. One of the biggest complains I ran into on the replicas out there is how fake the grips look in resin and plastic, so I figured I could carve up some wood ones. I used basswood from the model shop, and after some experimenting I found that a nice sharp chisel was the best tool for shaping the wood. They are also good for gouging your thumb if you are not careful. The grips took a bit longer than I expected, and they were not quite as perfect as I wanted. In carving wood once in a while you hit a space in the grain and a hunk of wood falls off that you wanted. Well I had a plan for that as well. Before I set the wood grips on I set to painting the plastic part of the model. I removed all the screws, and primed the gun. I painted the base coat with krylon brass spray paint. I then used Testors steel enamel for the trigger, trigger guard and the handle frame. I used black and brown acrylic paint for the weathering. After the paint job was finished I mounted the drips by drilling holes in them and setting them with screws. I then found a stainable wood putty and filled in the grip to make it the right shape. I then stained the wood a dark walnut, and gave it a coat of low-gloss tung oil varnish. Some touch-up paint later I had a finished pistol. I also built a holster for the gun out of tooling leather, hand stitched and died. The pistol turned out very well. It was the best part of the costume really. The replica is not as accurate as I would have liked. The barrel is a bit thinner than in real life, and I could not find a good picture of the top or bottom of the gun, so those are guesses based on the fan-based replicas. The trigger and hammer still work, and you can hear the cylinder turning in the bowels of the gun. I had a blast making this gun. I have a lot of model projects I have been working on, all in various stages on completion, but this had to be finished for Halloween. One of these days, between classes, I'll get the other projects finished and posted. I may try to make another replica of the Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B, but this time with the ability to reload caps into it. I am also thinking of making Vash's gun from Trigun, if I can find the right cap gun to build it around. Image: Business end |
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