Crossed Shotguns, a Star, and a Clay Target
The Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi is a Compak Sporting championship — a clay-target shotgun discipline run under FITASC rules, in which competitors shoot from five fixed stands at targets thrown from a bank of traps. “Grand Prix” is the shooting sport’s own term for a ranked international fixture, and has nothing to do with motor racing.
Crystal Arc was asked for the championship’s placement trophies: one sculptural form, produced across first, second and third place. The design sets two shotguns crossed at the barrel, rising out of a twisted ribbon and carrying a five-point star at the top. Set into the star is a roundel with a clay target and a second pair of crossed guns — the discipline stated twice, once in silhouette and once in miniature.
Cast, Primed, Sprayed Gold
The body is cast rather than fabricated. A master pattern was moulded in silicone, and each trophy was drawn from that mould, cleaned back by hand and checked for the fine detail the barrels and the ribbon depend on.
Finishing was done in the spray booth. Each body was primed, mounted on a turntable and given an even gold coat with no pooling in the undercuts where the guns cross. The warm wooden base was made separately, so the gold reads against timber rather than against more metal.
The Plaque Carries the Placement
Every trophy in the set is identical above the base. What separates first from third is the engraved plaque: the championship name, the year, the placement, and the two badges the event runs under — the national shooting federation’s emblem and the FITASC globe.
Engraving was done on our own benches, which is what makes a placement set practical to produce. The same body is finished once and the plaques are cut to order, so a late change to the field or the podium does not send the whole run back to the start.
Checked, Then Boxed
Each finished piece was inspected for coverage, edge definition and the seating of the body on its base before it left the bench. A trophy handed over at a prize-giving is looked at closely, from a short distance, by the person holding it — a harder test than a display case.
The set was packed into rigid boxes cut with foam to the shape of the piece, so the barrels and the star points are supported rather than resting against a wall of the box.
Made Entirely In-House
The result is a placement set that states its discipline plainly and survives being picked up: cast, finished, engraved, inspected and packed at Crystal Arc’s own UAE facility, with nothing in the project subcontracted.
