"Aureate Auroch" Weta Blaster Contest Entry
In early 2011 WETA (yes the production company!) contacted the staff at The RPF and proposed a contest. They'd produce a run of their Righteous Bison ray guns but leave them unfinished and sell them at a significant discount to RPF members. They would then have about a month to modify them in anyway they saw fit and submit them in a contest in which Weta's staff would pick the winner. Thinking that sounded like fun I threw my hat into the ring.
After playing with it a bit I got to work and cut it up. A hunt around some thrift stores gave me a selection of brass parts to work with and an acrylic pepper grinder with some shiny parts. I flipped the whole body around and attached the handle where the fin went and vice-versa. The whole thing would be held together with a threaded rod down the center and some nuts.
I realized I needed a front handle so I made a quick mold and junk cast of the existing handle along with a few other parts I wanted multiples of. I figured adding some lights couldn't hurt so I hooked up some LEDs for the center portion and to light some vacuum tubes I've had sitting around.
I used antique gold and pewter rub-n-buff on all the non-metal parts then gave everything a dark wash to tie it together. Overall I like how it came out, I didn't win anything but the competition was fierce and the winners deserved it.
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