[IC] Retro Sci-Fi KeyCap Set

[Krogenar]

I found a free icon set of mostly ray guns here:

http://talent.adweek.com/gallery/Space-Ray-Gun-Vector-Set-Free-Download/4524187

I like the idea of maybe twelve ray-guns on the Function row. What do you guys think? Here's a quick mockup:

Any other ideas for retro sci-fi? I was thinking of using Gort from 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' as a silhouette? Robbie the Robot head? We could do a silhouette of Saturn.

Boilermaker from techkeys.us would be willing to run this as a groupbuy if there was enough interest. Well, what do you guys think?

[Krogenar]

What else would we need for a Retro Sci-fi set?

- rocketship
- atom
- pinup silhouette
- bug-eyed alien
- flying saucer
- bubble space helmet

Any more ideas?

I picture it as solid black for easy dyesubbing, nothing too detailed.

I'm thinking in terms of Buck Rogers, Venture Brothers, Forbidden Planet, etc.

[aggiejy]

Could be cool! Would be on a green base?

[Krogenar]

Could be cool! Would be on a green base?

Green to me is the color of alien weirdness, radiation, etc. so sure. But I'm open to other color ideas. Why, what color would you prefer? For now I'm just scanning anything retro sci-fi for inspiration. I'm thinking the Jetsons, Flash Gordon sort of retro. The icons would have to be pretty simple.

[aggiejy]

Green is cool! Might be neat to match the toxic green in that group buy if possible too?

[mushupork]

Sci fi used to be vehicles, robots, guns/weapons and other props but now it seems a lot of sci fi is internal/hidden.  Kind of like how horror used to be real monsters and now the scariest stuff are the things you can't see and you don't know who the enemy is (serial killers, crazy neighbors, terrorists, big conspiracies).

When I think classic sci fi I think flying saucers, rockets, War of the Worlds ships, air locks, helmets with antennas, tentacles, computer consoles with big buttons and lights, chrome (not the browser),  robbie the robot, landing pods with spindly arms,  jet packs. 

I know most of those are not iconic images themselves but maybe it might spark an idea?

[Halverson]

Can I say one thing?

WALKING EYE!

[Krogenar]

Maybe we should focus on just a single retro sci-fi keycap, as opposed to a set?

Raygun? Or walking eye?

[keymaster]

[Tarzan]

Klaatu barada nikto.  Definitely need a Gort image.

Really, the sky's the limit.  You're probably going to find that you've too much content, so you'll have to figure out some sort of theme to tie some images into a common set.  Images will have to fit key caps, so that means small icons.

Rocket ship (with wings)


Moon


Atom



You could do a number set of planetary symbols, plus the Sun for 10.

[CommunistWitchDr]

Green is cool! Might be neat to match the toxic green in that group buy if possible too?

Toxic green and gray would be cool. Novelty caps for a set that would otherwise be hard not to clash with.

[Krogenar]

How about a saturn icon (like Sci-Fi Channel) doubleshot -- toxic on black?

[i3oilermaker]

If SP is going to do the dye-sub it needs to be black legends or any color on white.

IMSTO / qtan might have some more flexibility.

[eth0s]

Well you definitely need a flying saucer.



Also I think a Mutant from This Island Earth from 1955 is a classic Sci-Fi Icon:

[mushupork]

No supplier offers a silver keycap do they? 

The Atom is very cool.  Primary color molecules on Silver with black lines.
Flying saucer is a must.  Black on silver.
Ray gun of course.  Blue on silver.
Saturn too.  Orange on Silver.
Rocket ship with wings is excellent.  Red on Silver. 
Bug eyed alien.  Green on Silver.

The Moon would be tough to do well because it is the shading that makes the moon recognizable from a sphere I think. 

Maybe a Robot Head with antenna?

[Elrick]

I picture it as solid black for easy dyesubbing, nothing too detailed.

I'm thinking in terms of Buck Rogers, Venture Brothers, Forbidden Planet, etc.

What about having any of your Sci-Fi Images on a DSA key-set?

That way we truly have a key-set from the 1950's (not that they had any such form back then, but who knows).

Try and design the whole Key-set so that it mimics something from long time ago, which had hopes of being Futuristic today  .

[MadScientist46]

Also I think a Mutant from This Island Earth from 1955 is a classic Sci-Fi Icon:

Show Image

A MST3K cap, huh? :p

[Krogenar]

A MST3K cap, huh?

(bashes Mute-Ant on his exposed brain with a lead pipe)
Mute-Ant: "Augh!!! There go the piano lessons!"
(Krog bashes Mute-Ant on his exposed brain with a lead pipe, AGAIN)
Mute-Ant: "GAAAH!!! NOW I CAN'T REMEMBER MY DAD!!!"

[Krogenar]

Ok, I've been thinking about this over the weekend, and had an idea. It's probably not possible or feasible, but I figured I wouldn't find out unless I asked. Boilermaker or others will know if it could be done. How about a single, awesome keycap?

This graphic should explain the idea:


An LED Raygun keycap!

We make a number of keycaps with an oval shaped clear polycarb doubleshot. Then we either pad-print or dyesub (pad print seems more likely) a raygun patten over it. In my example I tried to pick a raygun (of the 12 pictured) that would allow us the most flexibility if the pad printing was not exactly accurate, that would still yield a relatively good keycap, even if the polycarb insert was a little off.

What do you guys think? Is this even possible? If so, has anyone ever done it?

[i3oilermaker]

I think the only material suitable to dyesub is PBT so this is likely not possible.

[Krogenar]

I think the only material suitable to dyesub is PBT so this is likely not possible.

What about pad printing? Ink would have to be dark enough to cover transparent section. Or redesign so that polycarb area and pad printed ray gun area don't overlap.... Just a glowing dot at the end of the gun? Probably an expensive key cap.

[CommunistWitchDr]

What about getting techkeys to run it? The wario key is doubleshot then dyesubbed.

[Krogenar]

What about getting techkeys to run it? The wario key is doubleshot then dyesubbed.

... is it really? Website doesn't say if that's so. Boiler, can you confirm?

EDIT: Rechecked techkeys.us, and it reads:

"W Key - $6.50

1x1 Double Shot & Dye Sub PBT Keys will fit any Cherry MX keyboard.  Its profile is designed to fit the W key."

So... how was it made? Double-shot white circle on yellow base, and then dyesub the 'W' onto the circle?

What if we did an ABS doubleshot with translucent polycarb (as seen on the warning cone keycap) and then pad printed or dyesubbed a raygun over it?

[i3oilermaker]

Sounds somewhat plausible, but I don't know how durable the pad print would be over time, and how well it would cover the Polycarb.

[Krogenar]

Sounds somewhat plausible, but I don't know how durable the pad print would be over time, and how well it would cover the Polycarb.

What if the two areas don't overlap at all?



In this case, the translucent polycarb second shot is just a simple circle at the tip of the dyesubbed gun.
The advantage that the overlapping keycap has is that if the dyesubbed image is a bit 'off' it could still look good, if the underlying polycarb was small enough, and the overlay was large enough. But yeah, you're right, the ink may not block the light sufficiently (pad printed) or it may not even be possible.

We could also just do a translucent raygun entirely.

[TheSoulhunter]

Could also look nice in light grey on dark grey or something (black n white movie look)
Anyway, I'd be in for 2 sets...