Harrison Krix of Volpin Props blogged about the step by step process of creating an incredible N7 Rifle for the Mass Effect team at E3 2011 here.

In July of 2011 Harrison said:

“Its been roughly a year since I worked on anything from the Mass Effect universe, but E3 2011 was ripe with news from the third installment of the franchise, due out next year. I’m a huge Mass Effect fan, so when the guys at Bioware asked if I’d be interested in making a weapon for them as a part of the press push for Mass Effect 3…well, I think you can figure out what my answer was.

This is the N7 Rifle (which, at the time of this writing, I don’t think has even been formally announced yet!). It’s an Assault Rifle which takes cues from the weapons included in the Collector’s Edition of Mass Effect 3. Its style mirrors the already-announced N7 Pistol, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle and SMG.”

Check out his blog to see the really cool process. Here’s how the final product turned out:

There’s many more process photos on my Flickr, and in much higher resolution for those interested in seeing more detail. I may be returning to the world of Mass Effect very soon, so keep an eye here or on my Facebook page (which I try to update as often as possible with WIP shots) for more info.

The M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle

This is the most authentic representation of this weapon available on the market. The M-8 is precisely hand-finished and hand-painted by the artisans at TriForce.

Intricately crafted and cast in polystone, it is a 1:1 scale replica that stands a massive 34″ in length, 12″ in height and weighs 20 pounds. Limited Edition of 500 made! Now on pre-sale at the BioWare Store

This is a pre-sale item with an estimated ship date of the first Quarter of 2012. (This date will be updated as more information becomes available.)

While I truly appreciate them making such an awesome replica for me to get my nerdy hands on…the $650 price tag hurts my poor heart. No doubt, the steep price tag is going to keep this excellent piece of Mass Effect memorabilia out of many fan’s lives.

What do you think?

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