Commissions

We're taking new clients. If you've seen one of our pieces in the wild and came looking to find us, welcome.

Lead time runs ten weeks and up. The first month to six weeks is a matter of planning. Sketches and drawings are the starting point after an approved quote. This is basically the science of art--there are unknowns that only become discovered once they are discovered. If you want to be safe, start more than 6 months prior to the date you want to have your piece in hand.

One third of the quote is due in order to start after a baseline concept has been finalized and reference materials have been identified and agreed on.

The second third is due after the completion of realized production engineering drawings; a roughed 3D mockup will also be produced in most, but not all, cases. Usually this is dependent on size. A scale or virtual model may be substituted.

The final third is due at project completion and is required for the piece to ship.

We do charge a consulting fee up front. The fee will be applied to the job if you decide to go forward.

How we're different

There are some fantastic prop makers out there. But they take a screen mentality. On close inspection, items take on the appearance of really nice toys or living art, often having an almost cartoonish feel to them.

What these are are three foot props. They can be seen close, but not too close. We hold our standard at building hyper realistic three inch props.

How this is accomplished:

Most prop makers approach the job like most resin production houses do--a single piece is cast and then precision painted, textured and shaded. Again, this totally works on screen, but not in person. What's missing is the difference between a prop and a replica. Prop handguns are one piece plastic. Replica handguns are metal moving parts that are manufactured and fit together.

Manufacturing makes the difference. Pieces have a different look to them when they are parts built into sub assemblies built into complete replicas. When there are parting lines instead of paint lines this difference becomes very clear.

This is how Reactive accomplishes a real-use look. By essentially reverse engineering something that wasn't engineered in the first place, what would normally be just a facia becomes something that goes deeper and passes muster when being handled. We use alloy materials that go beyond the paint job, so when the enevitable scratches and scrapes happen, the piece looks battle damaged rather than increasingly fake.

Our commitment to belief is the driving force in our art. We want the piece to be the next step in drawing onlookers into believing the person holding it is who they are dressed as. We want people to fully suspend their disbelief, if only for a second. We want you to believe it yourself.

So, if you want to take the next step in the evolution of your costuming, if you want your stage production to have an extra dose of wow, if you want to build something for the screen and have it available to audiences with zero turn around, then welcome to Reactive. The singularity of mech and tech.