badger Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Just for fun, This is a replica of Mal Reynolds' pistol and holster rig from the TV show 'Firefly'. It's a commission job for a client. The holster bears all the errors of the original used on the show; The poor fit, the wide shank loop, the useless little strap around the middle. Although I did flip the strap the other way so it doesn't catch on things. The appearance of it being lined is a cheat (as on the original), the shank is reversed so there's no 'rough' showing out. The brass buckle is cast off the original. I didn't hit it with the sandpaper like they did on the show.............. Tasha should recognise this beastie Cheers, Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhall Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Badger don't beat yourself up,give the customer what they want and move on !! I bet they were satified with it..What did you charge for it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted February 24, 2009 The holster and belt definitely looks like it was a fun job, Karl, even if I haven't got a clue what you are talking about - Firefly? Do people get that in the UK? I don't think we do in Ludlow - mind you, we struggle to get more than three TV channels here. LOL So now I know what you wanted the 1/2" crown buckles for... Those oval punch holes do look veeery nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhall Report post Posted February 24, 2009 I forgot to ask you what is that Iron in that rig?Looks sorta like an 1895 Remington but not exactly! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArtS Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Looks great Badger. Art Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Firefly was a sci-fi show; Space Western We never got the show here in the UK. It ran only 14 episodes before cancellation in 2002. I thought you guys might like to see the leatherwork, though. Here's a pic of the gun, complete fantasy weapon, never existed in the real world. It was made by a company in LA called 'Applied Effects' and was built around a Taurus 85 snub so it could fire blanks. It's a whole other story. Ray, I do love that Craftool oval punch, but it's a sod to keep the holes aligned. I scored a groove in the top of the stem to help me, plus I laid a piece of masking tape on the surface of the belt and marked it with a pencil for hole placement. Cheers, Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasJack Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Nice job! It always surprised me at just how cheap their budget must have been for that show. Nothing seemed to fit right. Those who never saw "Firefly" might remember the movie version, "Serenity". The show is considered to be one of the all-time best shows that nobody watched. The title confused people, I think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted February 25, 2009 They produced a box set of DVDs of the entire run of the show, all 14 episodes, plus extras such as interviews and the like. Sold almost three quarters of a milllion sets........... A few people watched it Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikePatterson Report post Posted February 25, 2009 as always karl great work !!!!! your photograpy amazes me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks Mike, Nice of you to say . I got those shots in-camera, no photoshop. I deliberately pushed the ISO right up to 3200 so it was really noisy and grainy, then pushed the white balance to a very rosy yellow/red. I wanted an almost sepia tone to it. The lens is a Nikon 12-24mm wide angle zoom. I was only 24 inches from the holster on the wide shot. Photonerd speak ends here........... Cheers, Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jbird Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Very nice and interesting and looks just like the first one. Josh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tashabear Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Nice job!It always surprised me at just how cheap their budget must have been for that show. Nothing seemed to fit right. Those who never saw "Firefly" might remember the movie version, "Serenity". The show is considered to be one of the all-time best shows that nobody watched. The title confused people, I think. I think that the "nothing fit right" thing was also part of the conceit of the show -- they made to with what they had, what they didn't have the scrounged or bodged together. Ain't broke, don't fix it. Still workin', still shiny. I don't think it was just the title that confused people. I think it was also the episodes airing out of order, the leap-frogging air times, and the lack of support of Fox for the franchise. It wasn't drawing the demographic they wanted (18-25 year old males), so rather than being grateful for the demographic they were drawing (25-30 year old females and 30-35 year old males, IIRC), they just axed a show that could have been a moneymaker for them in the long run. *sigh* Love the rig, Badger. Really, really nice work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks Tasha, I appreciate the appreciation Cheers, Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhall Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks Badger for takin that pic of the sidearm, as I do mostly holsters it did answer that nagging Q!I did see that series..Begining with S but didnt catch all of themThanks again this is agreat site ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveBrambley Report post Posted February 25, 2009 Hi Karl, That looks like a very nice holster, I like the buckles! I've never made one myself, but my late father used to make them quite often, back in the 1960s, particularly for the guy who drew the illustrations for the western series 'Riders of the Range' in the long defunct 'Eagle' comic, I think he was called Frank Humphris. Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtwister09 Report post Posted February 26, 2009 Karl, Nice rig! I really liked Firefly and Serenity. I have both sets of DVDs. Too bad it only lasted one season. Regards, Ben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrooperChuck Report post Posted February 26, 2009 Karl: Great looking holster and belt. Thanks for sharing the pics with us. I agree that trying to keep the oval punches in line can be a challenge. I put a piece of tape on the front of the tool to help me keep the holes lined up. Unfortunately, I don't speak photonerd-ese, so my eyes are still a bit crossed from trying to decipher that particular post! It sounds like it was a lot of work though, with all that pushing going on. Chuck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildrose Report post Posted February 26, 2009 My husband's a nut about the show, we own the series, and he saw the movie (we own that too). I don't think I saw any of it...The actor from it is coming out in a new show called Castle (cop show). My husband could also go on about the new Battlestar Galactica (I didn't watch that much either) To me, in the sci fi world, nothing beat Babylon 5. BTW, great work on the rig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasJack Report post Posted February 26, 2009 They produced a box set of DVDs of the entire run of the show, all 14 episodes, plus extras such as interviews and the like.Sold almost three quarters of a milllion sets........... A few people watched it Karl I was among those who watched it. Loved the show and the movie. Far more depth, breadth, color, and style than any other sci-fi. It was the network nitwits - the 50 IQ guys - that didn't know what to do with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChuckBurrows Report post Posted February 26, 2009 Nice job Karl and Firefly/Serenity is an all time favorite - heck where else do you get to see a "98 pound girl" whoop butt on a whole saloon full of goons and beat up Jayne in the process......BTW - there are some fairly strong rumors of a Serenity 2 so anyone interested let Joss Whedon know........and I'm 56 - way out of the demographic although I've been a sc-fi geek since the early 60's, reading Stranger in a Strange Land at age 9 twists ones brain a bit and for tasha - I've been an on and off SCAdian since 1969.......mostly off now though - back to my first love the frontier west...... the useless little strap around the middle That strap and the overall look/feel of the holster is IMO a nod to the fast draw rigs of the late 1950's and early 1960's worn so often in the western's of the time such as Gunsmoke- a good bunch of those rigs were made by the famed holster maker Arvo Ojala (who Matt Dillon shoots in the opening credits of Gunsmoke)..... BTW - Karl did you get my email re: the trip??? if not I'll PM you...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted February 26, 2009 Chuck, got your email, thanks, I'll respond later today. I'm a fan of Ojala's work myself. I that it does indeed nod to the fast draw, Buscadero rigs of Hollywood's Golden Age, the strap, the tie-down, the low ride, etc. It does have some interesting design features though. A thumb-break on a Western rig is a little unusual The holster was originally designed and made by a guy called Brennan Byers, a custom leathercrafter in LA. The middle strap was was added by the costume department when the two holsters were delivered to the Studio. In some scenes you can see the edge of the strip of double-sided tape holding it on. It's great that so many of you guys know and appreciate the show. Keep Flyin' Karl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
