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Sentry Gun Prop Replica Preview


By E. James Small - images & text © 2002

Scale: 1:1 (full size)
Parts: 13 cream and gray coloured resin
Instructions: Clear line drawings with generic text assembly hints
Decals: N/A
Molding Quality: 9 - Some flash, a few minor bubbles and some rough areas
Detail: 10 - Appropriate for this prop
Accuracy: ? - Not enough reference available to me to make an accurate assessment.
MSRP: $50.00 USD (~$78.59 CAN/ € 51.29 EUR) available from Alberta Industrial Models
Overall Rating: 10 - Satisfies my desire to own what I perceive to be an accurate replica.

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This is a full scale replica of the laser pistols used by the Sentry Robots in the underrated 1979 Disney movie "The Black Hole".

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The props used in the film were rather crudely made, as many props are, but this kit of the pistol gives you a great replica without looking as crude as the originals due to better finishing and good casting.

What You Get

The gun consists of two over-and-under barrels attached to a double crescent shaped handle. The gun is almost completely symmetrical about the X an Y axis except for the trigger and some of the cylindrical detailing toward the front of the model. The main barrel assemblies consist entirely of various sized rods glued together to form the overall shape. A very simple design, showing that simplicity itself with a bit of imagination is all it takes to make a sci-fi prop!

How accurate is the kit? At the time of this writing I have no where near enough information to make a good comparison (although I know I saw a closeup picture of an original prop someplace- just can't remember where!), but I'm sure that given AIM's usual attention to detail, that the replica is about as authentic as you can get without acquiring an original. I have, for this review, studied the DVD of the movie to check, and I cannot see anything that makes this replica inaccurate. If I was told it was a re-worked original prop casting, I'd have no proof to believe otherwise.

Assembly & Finish

The model will be very easy to build, requiring only some light cleanup work, minor filling and sanding, and assembly with superglue. The hardest part to clean up will be the flash and seams on the "spring coil" parts.

If you will be handling the model a lot, I recommend making some modifications by drilling holes into mating parts and fitting metal rods or wooden dowels to strengthen the joints and glueing them together using epoxy. This will make the model able to stand rougher handling better than the brittle superglues that would normally be used.

As far as colour scheme goes, the instructions state that the prop should be painted metallic charcoal gray with silver "wear-and-tear" highlights and red barrel tips and trigger. This appears for the most part to be accurate, but upon studying the DVD it looks in some shots like the cluster of rods around the rear and front of the main twin bodies may be high gloss silver or chrome, with the rest of the gun either high gloss black or very dark gloss metallic gray. The "springs" on the barrel coils are definitely silver or plated. However this is pure conjecture on my part since as we all know things look quite different in the film than they may in real life. No question about it though, the robot S.T.A.R.'s pistols were entirely chrome plated!

Overall, I think this is a fabulous kit to get if you want a replica of this rather unusual looking laser gun.

Many thanks to Jims' wallet for providing the review sample. Manufacturers and retailers, interested in getting your wares reviewed and publicized on a site averaging 3000+ readers a day? Contact us!

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the reviewer.
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This page copyright © 2002 Starship Modeler™. Last updated on 10 September 2002.