This is something I've been working on for a little while, here is the prototype, serial number 000 All these shaped ingots got me to thinking about what I'd want in a shaped silver ingot and realised that there's no reason why I couldn't just get it done myself. Hopefully this will be the first in a series of shapes and sizes. This is a 5oz Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in .999 fine silver. The final product will have a small base/stand for display. Prices will be competative with other shaped ingots ( and in my book this is a little cooler than a cube or a dog bone ). The first series F-104 will be limited to 104 serial numbered pieces. It'll take a little while to get the next mold with the base sorted and the little box/coa plus a few other logistical hurdles but I was so excited to get this back from the casters I had to show it off to the one group of people I knew would appreciate it! Source:
Damn.. That's beautiful.. Bloody good job mate, I'm definitely interested in 1 when you roll them out.
Satin finish was deliberate! Although I've been toying with high polish "proof" and hand finished antiqued versions. Ask and ye shall recieve! It more or less fits in the footprint of the $5. Source: Me! Bare in mind that this one still has some clipping to have done and the final one will have a silver base to have it stand up flat, straight and true rather than banked like this one.
buzz maybe different finishes on different parts .. shiny on glass and such.. but as it is. still best 5oz ever seen.
Stamped on the underside of one wing "5oz .999 fine silver" on the other "F-104 RA000". Last one is the serial number, RA for Rara Avis (rare bird in Latin) which is what I'm calling the series and in this case the number will go up to 104 for the 104 pieces plus a couple serial 000 pre-production pieces. When they're ready I might take the first, serial number 001 piece, and auction it off for charity. Kick things off with some good karma. ETA is about 5 weeks, a little busy with uni for another couple weeks anyhow.
Haha I'd love to but I hate to think what Fox would want to licence it. Although if the back to the future producers can make it work...
No actually, it's much stronger than I thought, you could grab the edge of one wing and shake it as hard as you could without it flying out of your fingers and it won't bend. Couldn't say fir certain that dropping it tail first on to concrete wouldn't cause a ding but it's actually really sturdy. The limitation is that it can't be more than about 7.5cm wide (though can go about 15cm deep) so it can fit in the crucible/form and so we could do the A-10 but because of it's wingspan it would be a smaller scale and likely lighter ingot. Once I've got a few designs going I'll explore larger casting options to make aircraft with larger wingspans and also just larger aircraft (1kg F-22 Raptor anyone? ). The A-10 is a classic though, it's definately on the list of prospects. Been thinking that I could cast the B-2 sideways though, since it's so much wider than it is long, so could do a fairly large one with the current size limitations.
That's a really nice piece of kit, well done! My first thought was 'oooh pure silver Warthog ' Yet another temptation to lure me away from low premium generic :/ Will be watching with interest. thanks phrenzy
Thanks very much for the interest and support. I thunk I've replied to all the PM's but if I've missed anyone please PM me again and berate me until you get a response : ) As I said I have to finish up at uni but hopefully it's only about 6 weeks away from being up and running. I'm slowly looking into having a local dealer carry them as well as finding a US dealer who can better accommodate domestic orders there (had a number of enquiries from the states). I'll likely hold on to some of the low serial numbers for individual sale here on the forum, but that's something to look at closer to the day they're actually ready. Again, thanks everyone!
I love the A-10, its hardcore. The B-2 would be interesting but it really needs to be black with some silver detail only I think. While we're giving you our wishes, I'd love to see a 999 silver Delorean
