a very special Tomenosuke Blaster

[phase pistol]

A brief posting tonight, I'll have more later.

This was built for me by Nobutaka Toku, the Japanese gunsmith and craftsman who designed the Tomenosuke Blaster.

Currently Nobu is working on the Marushin blank-firing version of the Blaster, the "Tomenosuke PRO".

Amazing work by Nobu and I am very proud and honored to have this Blaster in my collection.

[Staar]

[andy]

I am extremely happy for you, and I cant think of anybody who deserved it more. My question now is, how does it compare to the real thing?

Andy

[BeastMaster]

holy cow wow! the blaster doesnt get much better than that!you truly deserve this masterpiece
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"F*ck it, it's just a movie. Let him worry about it" Harrison Ford

[propsjonnyb]

Yes congratulations are in order, you do deserve it ! , but one quick question - what's with the Green/blue Led in the ammo box next to the trigger guard in the photo's , it's definitely not a reflection - so why is it there ?

[joberg]

Congrats Karl!! Gorgeous blaster for sure, truly one of the best piece out there . It's only fair that you would be the recipient of such beauty.

[Gaff87]

Huge congrats Karl.
Definitely deserved.
She's a beaut.

Neil.

[superjedi]

A thing of beauty!
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I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .

[jameth]

That is truly a masterpiece.

Congrats Karl

As a newer member I'm not that familiar with many members but everyone is saying your the man so again, congrats.

Can anyone fill me in on who Karl is

[Bwood]

Well, that trumps every other post on the forum today! Stunning.

[Staar]

[phase pistol]

Thanks everyone!

I am indeed very thrilled and grateful to have this piece of art. It really is like a sculpture or painting... fragile! It looks very convincingly real, but it is made of soft metal, resin and a few machined parts. it is a built-up of the original Tomenosuke kit, but with many many modifications. Material added and removed, parts reshaped, and so on.

Nobu had the opportunity to personally examine the Hero Prop when it was auctioned at Profiles in 2009. So this replica is one of the finest ever I should think.

It's a cliche to say that "the photos do not do it justice"! But in this case, it would be fair to say that my photos really don't represent it accurately. The "blued steel" parts look brighter in the photos than they do in person. Probably this is true of the hero prop as well! So paint your blasters darker everybody.

Nobu weighted the replica, so it is very heavy and feels much like the real thing!

However I have to keep in mind that this item is FRAGILE... it looks so realistic and heavy, you want to bash it around like it was a piece of steel. But it could break, or the paint could crack, or the blueing could wear off. The soft-metal parts can be easily dented. Handle with care.

Propsjonnyb asked about the BLUE LED on the bottom of the gun. I believe it is like a "safety". Nobu designed the lights to work like this: you flip the ON/OFF switch, and the red LEDs and blue LED go on (they don't SNAP on suddenly either... they GLOW on, fading UP dramatically! A very nice touch).

So first you have the reds lit up and the blue underneath. Then you pull the FRONT trigger, and the blue goes off and the green "laser sight" LEDs go on! You are ready to fire.

A switch has been installed internally so if I want I can turn off the Blue LED altogether. Also potentiometers control the brightness of everything (I had requested that the lights be kept DIM like they appear in the film rather than dazzling bright as in some replicas).

So bottom line, I can see the lights on or off, in any configuration I like. Nobu has buried the wires internally, since I couldn't sanction having the white wires hanging off the side, no matter HOW screen-accurate they are! :lol

There is also an optional "minus head" screw, to swap for the Weaver knob if I like. Overall I was going for a "screen accurate" appearance (not the beat to hell Worldcon condition), but even though it doesn't appear in the film, I still prefer the Weaver.

Mark, thanks for the acknowledgements. While I never felt that Tomenosuke "owed" me anything ("let a thousand flowers bloom"), I am certainly very grateful to Shinji Nakako and his Tomenosuke Team for their fine work and dedication in bringing this replica into existence.

The upcoming Tomenosuke PRO will be an opportunity for more people to own one of their fine replicas. I hope Tomenosuke will release more information soon.

- karl

[phase pistol]

In addition I would like to thank Temponaut for having introduced me to Enomoto, Nobu and the team over at Tomenosuke. You have done a man's job sir.

Karl

[Bwood]

Given Tomenosuke's pricing history, one can only hope that the Marushin blaster won't be priced hopelessly beyond the reach of most of us here.

[jameth]

[phase pistol]

Thanks Tom! Welcome to the board. Enjoy your Blaster!

Karl

[tain669]

Hi. PMD you

[phase pistol]

A few more shots for the peeps.

I apologize for the dust visible in some shots. I think that must have been picked up by the packing material and was just highlighted severely by the lighting. I have touched it up with the cleaning cloth and it is really not so bad!

[Noeland]

Yeah, I can imagine wanting to run through the house like Deckard in Sebastion's apartment. Especially since my apartment is littered with android midgets!

Easily one of the most stunning replicas on the planet! Congrats Karl!

You just have to be bursting at the seems. Can you stop looking at it?


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I don't have enough blasters!

[Staar]