* Directed Energy Weapons - ANDROMEDA - PROPOLOGY A division of Molnar Motion Picture Props, Inc.

Directed-Energy Weapons
for the principle cast of the TV series ANDROMEDA

In total… we produced 4 hero weapons for the principle cast. The most elaborate was Try's "Over-Under" assault rifle (depicted here).

Major components.

Before we were assigned this project, production had already purchased a number of plastic replica guns that were to be the basis of the ANDROMEDA weapons. The Art Department provided us with some crude renderings of the modifications and additions required. This image depicts Tyr's assault rifle nearing completion.

Major components.

It may interest some to know, that the rather uneven quality of these archive photos, is due to the rather primitive digital camera that was used. Our then, "futuristic", SONY MAVICA, only possessed 2 MP sensor, and recorded images to 3" floppy disks!

Here's how it appeared every week in the season 1 & 2 opening title sequences.

Today this prop is in the hands of a private collector "Sandman779" who posted this image on "Your Props". (Note the larger "power pack" added later.)

As he so astutely points out on his webpage: "…if you look at the rifle you'll see they used two hero working prop pistols to create the rifle body and handle…" (He's right!) This image depicts Tyr's pistol, just as it had been completed. We thought it would be interesting to portray Tyr's weapons as part of a integrated system… with many field-swappable components… hence the integration of pistol components into the assault rifle design.

Major components.

Here are some of the primary components that when into Tyr's Pistol (and assault rifle).

Components described.

Here's how it looks today, in the hands of "Your Props" collector "rkpetersen".

Other than a hasty repaint (no doubt done on set) and some expected wear-and-tear, the prop has held up pretty well.

Here's an image I'd wish we'd gotten while we still had custody of these weapons. Thankfully "rkpetersen" produced one. All of the weapons had some kind of LED effects that cycled when the trigger was pulled. FYI: the round cap in the centre of the dial was originally painted light-bronze.

This is a photo of Harper's pistol just before it was completed. It looked very little like the design submitted by production, as the replica they'd asked us to base it upon, wasn't really a viable choice to work from.

Initial component layout.

Final component choices identified.

This shot depicts the pyrotechnic "squib" firing circuit. All o the ANDROMEDA hero weapons had the ability to sequentially fire squibs that were loaded into sockets, housed in each weapons machined aluminium muzzle.

Battery compartment detail.

Harper's pistol completed.

Here's the prop in use on set.

This Becca's weapon at the time of its completion. Astute observers will see similarities to Deckard's sidearm from BLADERUNNER.

Major components.

Production had provided us with a commercially available model of the iconic BLADERUNNER gun with a crude sketch indicating changes. We finessed the design somewhat to make it more "balanced-looking" and to accommodate the working mechanisms. (The small detail piece missing from underneath the barrel is yet to be installed.)

A rubber casting, moulded from the hero weapon. It was produced at a later date, by another vendor (probably our colleagues at Micheal Calluri's PROPWERX).

Here it is in-play, on ANDROMEDA!

Months later, we noticed that the Becca action figure came with a very tiny version of her pistol!

Other directed-energy weapon props were provided by us to ANDROMEDA as rentals. These were actually originally built for other productions, but would be called upon from time to time.

Becca's "Hero" Sidearm Sells at Auction

(Prop Store Live Auction of Film & Television Artefacts #10)

Color scheme has been modified from the original one used in the early episodes.

Four LED segments light quickly in sequence whenever the trigger is pulled (just as it did, when originally delivered to production).

Modifications to the original cowl. It appears to have been rebuilt.

If you look closely, you can see the squibb fire control electronics through the translucent pistol grip.

The purpose of this added fastener is unknown, as it was not included in the original design. Perhaps it serves to limit the travel of the trigger, in order to prevent mechanism breakage.