Mark Arnold’s Retro Ray Gun and Robot

I decided, after seeing the oh so cool Weta Ray Guns for sale on the Internet, that I would build one of my own as the Weta versions were way out of my price range. My Ray Gun is a nod toward the Golden Age of Science Fiction both the literature and the films. It could have been the weapon held by Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon or the other greats of the era. It is constructed of bits and pieces I had saved in my junk boxes – interesting shapes I have hung onto with the idea of using them for scratch building projects.

The handle is made from an old X-acto knife grip that I sanded and added bits of styrene to make the safety switch and power control knob, and trigger. The main body is a plastic Christmas Tree ball purchased at an arts and crafts store. The barrel is composed of plastic cylinders, wooden disks, and the base of a plastic wine glass. The rivet heads are actually stick-on rhinestones purchased at an arts and crafts store.

Once everything was assembled I sprayed on a base coat of flat black and brushed on a mixture of Rub ‘n Buff Silver Flake and Pewter for the metallic look. Everything was sealed with a glossy finish.

The Ray Gun is about thirteen inches from end to end and fits beautifully in the hand. Take that, evil alien hordes!

The Robot is a companion piece to the Ray Gun. When I was building it I imagined a battle robot that had gone out of control and turned on it’s masters – us.

Again, the robot is made from spare parts hanging about my workshop. The head and torso are large plastic Christmas Tree ornaments, the waist is a piece of plastic tubing, and the lower part of the body – a small wooden ball. Hips and shoulders are made with wooden disks. The arms, hands, and legs are constructed from tubes and rods of styrene. The feet and base are from sheet styrene. Like the Ray Gun the rivets on the Robot are stick-on rhinestones.

The paint job is exactly the same as the Ray Gun.

It was a lot of fun making the Robot and Ray Gun and I enjoy having them on my shelves. I think my Retro collection won’t be complete until I have a Buck Rogers type of Space Ship – my next project.

Mark Arnold