Destiny Sniper Rifle build

It has been too long since I have written a build blog, so here is the write up for the Destiny sniper rifle I built last year!

The first thing I did was find some really awesome reference pictures that Bungie was nice enough to release to the general public for us prop makers and cosplayers to use, thanks Bungie ! I took the side view to the local print shop and had a few copies printed to scale to use as blueprints and from that, I cut out the core of the rifle from mdf (medium density fiberboard). Here I have also cut out the barrel from pvc pipe.

The next step was to start layering Sintra and Styrene to start building out the rifle body.This let me built it out in layers and have a much better surface in the end for sanding and painting. In this photo I have also cut out the muzzle and started on the foregrip. Once again, the plumbing section at the home improvement store was a life saver!

I had to notch out the foregrip for a round detail and needed a nice snug fit, So I used the Bondo-Squish method I learned from Bind Squirrel Props! I coated one part with painter's tape and squished it into the other part. I then removed it just before the Bondo set also letting me trim off most of the excess while it was still semi-soft.

I then kept adding layers on it, using patterns I made by cutting up extra copies of the blueprints. I also made the magwell from 6 mil Sintra. It's starting to look dangerous now!

The rear half of the barrel had these 2 raised bits that ran the length, I just carefully hand cut the 4 strips from 6 mil Sintra, sanded the curve into them so they would seat properly on the round barrel, and carefully glued them down after marking the guide lines on the barrel.Easey peasy

I made the ammo clip and added little rare earth magnets inside the magwell and embedded in the clip to hold it in place.

I wish I could find more pictures of the scope build, but that's what happens when you don't keep up with build blogs and wait 8 months to catch up. It is pretty much made from plumbing parts,but that damn black eyepiece stumped me for over a week. One day I was thinking it would be nice to just mold one of my resin mixing cups as it was perfect when the light bulb over my head flickered for a second. I just poured some resin in the cup with a generous helping of black tint and slushed it around until it hardened, BAM! I had my eyepiece !

The scope had this armor plate on it.I took an appropiate size pvc scrap and heated up a piece of Sintra and formed it around it. I made a few prototype patterns from eva foam and used that as a pattern for the finished piece. I was dreading this part but it really went together pretty well! You can also see a better shot of the ammo clip.

Everything else was pretty basic as far as paint and weathering goes,I wish I could find more pictures of how I did the stock and such and I will update this blog if I can find them. Thanks for reading !

Fallout Laser Rifle AER3

I got a commission to make the AER9 Laser Rifle from the video game Fallout 3, I knew Volpin Props had already made a really nice one so I bought the vectors from his website and had some blueprints made up. I also referenced his build blog throughout the build.

I cut the main frame out of MDF and cut out the empty areas with a band saw and jig saw

I made the box/barrel out of MDF also.

I started cutting and shaping the shapes and raised details to add on to the exterior of the rifle out of Sintra and styrene using the blueprints. I usually have a couple copies of the blueprints made so I can cut one or two up for patterns.

Here I have cut a long strip of 6 mil (1 inch) Sintra and glued it down around the edge of the stock, carefully using a heat gun to bend it to shape. I have also notched out the receiver and turned the power cell out of resin on the lathe.

I made the front and rear boxes out of Sintra also. To get the nice panel lines, I actually made 3 separate boxes, beveled the edges a bit, then glued them together.

I free-handed a pattern out of cardstock to make the part under the front of the barrel, using the final pattern to cut out a piece of thin styrene which I then wrapped around the "steeple" -looking part in the picture above this one.

Here I have cut out a disc from styrene as part of the assembly that holds the power cell. I then sculpted the gray part with Free-Form Earth, which is Smooth-On's version on Apoxie Sculpt.

I cut out the fins for the business end of the rifle. Do not look directly into the business end of a laser rifle unless you are getting lasik !

There are several of these fiddley bits on the rifle, so I made one and cast copies.... Easey Peasey !

The foregrip was made with an MDF spine, sandwiched between 6 mil Sintra, then shaped.  I formed a solid piece of Sintra around it, then cut the stips out. This ensured a good fit !

And, the mock up so far !

The ejection latch was made from styrene, and the raised bit on the lever is half round strene rod which should be available in a hobby shop, or online.

The bottom rod that runs parallel under the barrel was made from a wood dowel shaped on a lathe and a piece of plastic tube .

Here is Boba Fett admiring the bevels I did by hand. I glued some course sandpaper to a scrap wooden dowel to get them smooth and uniform.

The tube on the top was an old drinking tube from a hydration pack. I ran some armature wire though it to hold the shape I needed and filled it with Smoothcast 321, then painted it!

After the base coat of paint, I made the graphics by printing out the designs on paper. I had no access to decals so I had to improvise by glueing them to the body and later coating them with super glue to seal them in. After a few coats of satin clear, and some light sanding, they looked pretty legit !

Thanks for reading !!