Browncoats, now you can make your own Firefly. Quantum Mechanix Inc. (QMx), a privately held developer of licensed, high-quality entertainment replicas, today announced the Official Serenity Blueprints set, the first studio-approved blueprints to document every aspect of the Firefly-class transport's systems and design. Those blueprints, 10 images of cutaway and detailed schematics, are on display at Second Life’s largest “Firefly” fan settlement, Washtown, from April 1 to April 22.
Five hundred years in the future, “Firefly” is about a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft, Serenity, that’s just trying to survive despite the dangers of the smuggling life and the government agents looking for their fugitive passengers. The FOX show, by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” creator Joss Whedon, was cancelled after 14 episodes despite critical acclaim. Studio interest and the successful sales of the DVD set led to a big-screen sequel, “Serenity,” written and directed by Whedon and starring the original cast. Fans of the series, called “Browncoats,” have formed a powerful online community and regularly hold events to raise money for charity.
A limited-edition run of 750 sets signed by creators, Geoffrey Mandel (graphic designer, Serenity) and Tim Earls (illustrator, Firefly; set designer, Serenity), the Official Serenity
Blueprints set contains 10 18" x 24", full-color, heavyweight matte-finish sheets of the ship, Serenity. This blueprint set is the definitive resource for any Firefly or Serenity fan interested in the design and function of Serenity, including the shuttles and mule.
“If you're a Browncoat or you just love spaceship design, you will want one of these sets," said Andy Gore, QMx director and project manager for the blueprints. "When we started this project, our goals were to tell collectors everything there is to know about Serenity, make it all make sense, and make it so beautiful, you'll have a hard time deciding which ones to hang on the wall." "The deeper we went into this project, the more there was," Gore continued. "What started out as a nice set of blueprints turned into a Ph.D. dissertation on advanced materials, aerospace engineering, theoretical physics and classical art. They turned out just so, well, shiny."
The Official Serenity Blueprints set encompass months of work verifying every aspect of Serenity, distilled from hundreds of set photos, architectural drawings, CGI files, and volumes of background material used to produce Serenity, the movie. They represent the sole official and complete documentation of Serenity's design, layout and systems, revealing details not seen in the movie or TV series or in any other previously published source material, either official or fan-made.
“For the first time, fans will be able to answer important questions like, 'Where are Serenity’s showers and how does the ship get refueled?'" said Steve Dymszo, president of QMx. “Fans will also learn where the life support and the ship’s armory are, that Serenity has escape pods, and that both the fresh water and passengers reside awfully close to the reactor.”
In Second Life, Browncoats have formed Washtown, a small town in Burnet that simulates the Chinese-Old West feel of the show. After you finally stop wandering the decks of the Firefly ship Raven you can walk the streets of Washtown and visit the Firefly-themed shops and businesses. And for three weeks, you can see the Serenity Blueprints on display and get a free promo book.
The display is at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Burnet/137/104/46/