Halo 3 Gravity Hammer Build

[BansheeRose]

So, I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out how to mount the hammer head and the blade to the PVC pipe. I sort of have a method going but it's still paning out to be pretty difficult. I'm hoping that when I get it mounted I can focus on the details before I have to paint it and I need to be putting primer on by Wednesday to meet my deadline. I have had a ton of fun making this prop as much as it has been frustrating. Also, I hate working with worbla and I'm going to have to do more of that tomorrow so I can mount the blade when it is ready, fingers crossed that it isn't too heavy. In the mean time, I finished the handle of the hammer minus the fabric I'll be wrapping after it's painted. I also found it funny because I was testing the durability of the worbla piece coming of the side of the handle while video chatting and someone was afraid I was going to break it, but I didn't which is why I tested it! Always test your builds when you can fix them!

 

[BansheeRose]

Also, I wanted to share something to sort of explain my reasoning for making my own pattern and working out the shape of the hammer solely based on photo references rather than using the resources provided by the forums as suggested by others when I started this project. When I started cosplaying, I did so with the intention of becoming a competitive cosplayer as well as turning it into a potential career. Something that gives cosplayers a competitive edge is making their own patterns which has come in handy as a custom cosplayer. However, I have no interest in becoming a competitive cosplayer anymore because of a few really bad experiences I had in cosplay contests early on. Now, I can barely bring myself to watch a cosplay contest without experiencing debilitating anxiety. So, why do I still use these competitive techniques even though I don't do contests? It's because I'm trying to prove a point to myself, that I can do it despite being told that I couldn't. I have the issue of constantly comparing myself to others so instead I try to compare myself to who I was yesterday. It's boiled to a "why not" mentality, which I don't mind. I like what I do and it's what I've always done. All of my cosplays are custom with only my last Halo Spartan build having roughly 30-40% influence from external patterns that I did not create however, all external patterns I did use I modified in some way. I am however, following the patterns for my ODST more closely with only a few custom touches because I want to attempt to make something more accurate and recognizable, but we'll just have to see how many changes I make as I build it due to things like fit and mobility. I eventually hope to make patterns/blueprints for other people since some people, like me, may find them easier to understand them or some people may want to use them for scaling. I like having a pattern to follow along to so I can measure that everything is aligned properly. Anyway, I guess that is the short versions of why I cosplay the way I do. I'm hoping to always improve and make some more impressive things in the future. I'm happy that I've been able to share this and that this is such a welcoming community that's made me feel comfortable enough to do so!

 

[Benton188]

So, I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out how to mount the hammer head and the blade to the PVC pipe. I sort of have a method going but it's still paning out to be pretty difficult. I'm hoping that when I get it mounted I can focus on the details before I have to paint it and I need to be putting primer on by Wednesday to meet my deadline. I have had a ton of fun making this prop as much as it has been frustrating. Also, I hate working with worbla and I'm going to have to do more of that tomorrow so I can mount the blade when it is ready, fingers crossed that it isn't too heavy. In the mean time, I finished the handle of the hammer minus the fabric I'll be wrapping after it's painted. I also found it funny because I was testing the durability of the worbla piece coming of the side of the handle while video chatting and someone was afraid I was going to break it, but I didn't which is why I tested it! Always test your builds when you can fix them!

I can share the way I mounted my hammerhead to the PVC to maybe give you some ideas. Out from the top of the pipe I ran 3 pieces of oak wood strips, roughly 1" wide x 1/2" thick. Length will vary on how far you choose to run it up. 1 of the strips of wood was placed in between the foam pieces in the middle section of the hammer, while the other 2 were placed on the outside of the foam. All 3 pieces hung off the bottom by 3-4 inches. I then ran bolts through all 3 pieces, essentially clamping the foam together, while locking the pieces of wood together as well. I then shoved the extra hanging off the bottom down into the PVC pipe, then filled it with spray foam. After letting the foam dry, I ran another set of bolts through the PVC and wood to lock them together. Here's a picture of the outside, I too am bad at remember to take important pictures half the time lol

 

[BansheeRose]

I can share the way I mounted my hammerhead to the PVC to maybe give you some ideas. Out from the top of the pipe I ran 3 pieces of oak wood strips, roughly 1" wide x 1/2" thick. Length will vary on how far you choose to run it up. 1 of the strips of wood was placed in between the foam pieces in the middle section of the hammer, while the other 2 were placed on the outside of the foam. All 3 pieces hung off the bottom by 3-4 inches. I then ran bolts through all 3 pieces, essentially clamping the foam together, while locking the pieces of wood together as well. I then shoved the extra hanging off the bottom down into the PVC pipe, then filled it with spray foam. After letting the foam dry, I ran another set of bolts through the PVC and wood to lock them together. Here's a picture of the outside, I too am bad at remember to take important pictures half the time lol
View attachment 333808

If I need to hold more weight this will definitely be the way to go! Thank you very much

 

[wildkat315]

Just out of curiosity, what foams are you using? I’m tempted to eventually make one although I’m an odst. I know my brother wants to 3d print one. I haven’t even attempted anything in foam yet and I’m learning to print soon working on getting my 3d printer set up).

 

[N8TEBB]

So, I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out how to mount the hammer head and the blade to the PVC pipe. I sort of have a method going but it's still paning out to be pretty difficult. I'm hoping that when I get it mounted I can focus on the details before I have to paint it and I need to be putting primer on by Wednesday to meet my deadline. I have had a ton of fun making this prop as much as it has been frustrating. Also, I hate working with worbla and I'm going to have to do more of that tomorrow so I can mount the blade when it is ready, fingers crossed that it isn't too heavy. In the mean time, I finished the handle of the hammer minus the fabric I'll be wrapping after it's painted. I also found it funny because I was testing the durability of the worbla piece coming of the side of the handle while video chatting and someone was afraid I was going to break it, but I didn't which is why I tested it! Always test your builds when you can fix them!

View attachment 333800View attachment 333801

on the hammer I got from Schankerz he used one of them T-connectors at the top.

(Like this, but without that weird turn.) Because the large T-connector has a lip on each connection, he could just build the hammer hear with a hole that fits around the small part of the connector. It wouldn't fall off because of the lip.

 

[BansheeRose]

Just out of curiosity, what foams are you using? I’m tempted to eventually make one although I’m an odst. I know my brother wants to 3d print one. I haven’t even attempted anything in foam yet and I’m learning to print soon working on getting my 3d printer set up).

So, it's a mixture of floor mat foam from Harbor Freight and eva cosplay foam from Michael's craft store. I'm using 10mm, 5mm, 3mm, and 2mm thickness to achieve all the different layers. The blade is insulation foam covered with worbla so it's completely stiff.

 

[BansheeRose]

on the hammer I got from Schankerz he used one of them T-connectors at the top.
View attachment 333848
(Like this, but without that weird turn.) Because the large T-connector has a lip on each connection, he could just build the hammer hear with a hole that fits around the small part of the connector. It wouldn't fall off because of the lip.

I think I have figured out a way that will hold, it's just mostly going to rely on the strength of glue at this point but it's working so far for the rest of the hammer, so fingers crossed but thank you for your suggestion!

 

[HydrationPatrol]

Hi BansheeRose here! I started working on my next Halo build, the Halo 3 Gravity Hammer that I hope to have finished for a convention at the end of July which means I have a lot of work to do. I'm starting by making a flat blueprint on Inkscape, a free software program. I prefer this method because I not only really enjoy using the program but I also learned how to make 3d props from KamuiCosplay on YouTube, and she usually starts with a blueprint, and in the interest of saving time, I decided to use this method rather than Pepakura because there is still a lot for me to learn with translating pepakura to foam. Once I have the pattern done, I'll be printing it on cardstock at home or going to fedex or staples where they can print it out in one go without any seams. For this build I will be using insulation foam, eva floor mat foam, craft foam, and worbla. I want to include electronics but that will probably have to come later after the convention in July. I look forward to sharing this build with the forum since it will be my first time doing so! I'm hoping to get plenty of feedback as I work on this prop since I am trying to learn all I can and level up my cosplaying skills.

View attachment 332913

Can’t wait to see how this comes along. Gravity hammer gotta be one the coolest halo weapons.

 

[BansheeRose]

Can’t wait to see how this comes along. Gravity hammer gotta be one the coolest halo weapons.

I wanted something big I could show case since I haven't made a Halo weapon yet, despite having made three Spartan suits! This has been my most challenging build so far but I'm so glad I picked it!

 

[BansheeRose]

Alright, it's been a hot second since I've updated you all on my progress! I have gotten a lot done, and after some final touches tomorrow, I'll be ready to start priming and painting. My main form of primer will be plastidip, but I will also be using sanding/filler primer for part of the blade and wood glue for the worbla bit on the handle. I have gotten everything assembled and all additional details on the back and the shape of the hammer itself was all improvised since I was dealing with a 2d pattern and worked based on visual references. So, the hammer is by no means screen accurate but I like having something that is uniquely mine. I am leaving a small gap on the underside of the hammer head to be available for if I ever want to add electronics, that way I will have a space to insert and remove a battery pack. I have to admit, this has been a frustrating project, especially while working on the assembly of the back side. There are some gaps I wasn't able to hide so I will try to fill them with some kwik seal since I couldn't figure out a way to cover them which is how I dealt with some of the larger seams, but of course that will come after heat sealing. This is also my first time using bondo, and now I get the hype, that stuff is amazing. I am using it to smooth out the edges of the blade to smooth out the worbla. It is far from perfect and I ran into a lot of issues while working with the worbla it just reinforced how much I hate working with it. I ended up melting the foam underneath in a few spots so there are craters that I will get away with by calling them battle damage. We don't make mistakes, just happy little battle damages. I will need to go back through before heat sealing and add some intentional battle damage to the rest of the hammer to make it look more realistic. I'll also be going through to make sure everything is straight and do any sanding if I need to. The paint job will have to be quick and may be left unsealed for this weekend's convention but I'll be able to do touch ups when I get back. Then of course, after painting, I'll be adding the fabric wraps to the handle and attaching the blade with an ungodly amount of hot glue. I actually created some ditches for the attachment so there is as much contact between the foam and the blade as possible to hold it in place. The last foam pieces I have to add are some details on the underside of the hammer head and the claw like bits that attach to the end of the blade, which will also be attached after painting. Fingers crossed the last two days go well y'all!

 

[N8TEBB]

I am leaving a small gap on the underside of the hammer head to be available for if I ever want to add electronics, that way I will have a space to insert and remove a battery pack

Lights in the hammer would be so sick!!

We don't make mistakes, just happy little battle damages.

LOL so true XD

The hammer looks GREAT! Can't wait to see it all painted up!

 

[SubXzeroXhero]

I admire how quickly you have put this together especially with trying so many new processes! Almost to the finish line! Keep it up!

 

[BansheeRose]

I admire how quickly you have put this together especially with trying so many new processes! Almost to the finish line! Keep it up!

Thank you so much! A lot of the techniques I used to fill in the spaces to the back of the hammer reminds me about how I made my Spartan calf armor. I started with the front and side patterns that I sketched out on graph paper, but I filled out the back by taking specific measurements and following the curvature of the side piece to know what bevels to cut into each piece and it turned out super well, my calf armor is my favorite piece out of all the armors I've built. There weren't many new techniques I used overall, but I've never built a prop with so many individual pieces or details and it's the only one I've made that's detachable, so working with the PVC pipe and connectors was brand new! And good thing too, the thing is massive!

 

[BansheeRose]

So, I spent yesterday priming and painting and the one skill I am greatly lacking in when it comes to cosplay is painting, I hate it...I never think it looks that good and I'm very impatient when it comes to drying time. Since I am leaving tomorrow for a convention and wanted to save today for packing, I rushed the paint job so it is rather sloppy and not quite the look I'm going for. I did a ton of silver dry brushing for the metal parts and two layers of blue for the inner bits of the hammer head and the other light up spots. It was the most chaotic paint job I've ever done but at least it will do for the con and I'm leaving it unsealed so I can repaint it later. I want to use a darker gray base for the metal parts with light silver dry brushing to give it that metallic look so it appears more like genuine metal. I also have to buy more paints for it since the cheaper acrylics are not flexible enough for most cosplay props and crack easily. I'll be repainting over the blue with something that is a bit more purple in color, which I actually have on hand I just didn't use because it takes a lot of layers to get good coverage. I may also customize the paint job by adding an additional secondary color to go along side the gray to give it a more custom appearance, but that's what I'm all about. For the blade, I just used silver spray paint before dirtying it up a bit with brown and gray for the shadows. Full pictures soon to come! But note it is still a work in progress because not only do I want to repaint it, I completely forgot about a piece I was going to add and I remembered at 9pm at night, so it's going to wait until after the con now.

 

[BansheeRose]

Well, here it is in all its glory! The hammer is officially con ready for this weekend but more updates are to come once I get back and rest up for a few days. In the mean time, I'll post a few break downs for specific things I did to create the hammer, such as certain attachments or materials I used just to give a deeper inside look of my crafting process. I can't believe that I made this in only a month, and honestly, it probably would look a bit better if I had more time but I like that I am getting better at my scheduling and timing which will help out as I start taking commissions. My next prop builds for Halo will probably be a couple magnums and grenades, I need something smol to follow this behemoth of a build.

 

[BansheeRose]

Here's a picture with me in full costume holding the hammer. It was a big hit at the convention!

 

[N8TEBB]

could say it was a... SMASHING HIT
you really NAILED it!
XDDDDD

...ill see myself out

 

[BansheeRose]

could say it was a... SMASHING HIT
you really NAILED it!
XDDDDD

...ill see myself out

Yep, there's the door, don't let it hit ya on the way out!
(Hahaha but no for real, thank you )

 

[BansheeRose]

So, I've made the decision to customize the Gravity Hammer even further than before by adding two additional things to the build. First, I will be adding some red metallic paint so it matches part of my ODST's color scheme to make it part of the character. Sort of as though my ODST found the Gravity Hammer in the field and decided to modify it. I will also be adding glitter, cause...I like glitter. I'll be adding a light blue/purple color shift glitter to the areas of the hammer head that are meant to light up so it will shine without having to light up if that makes sense. Also, a lot of my cosplays and prop builds include glitter so I like the flare it adds. I may however change my mind on the red because I'm not sure how well it's going to match with the glitter color so I might do some tests just to see if they compliment each other before I fully commit to it. I'm hoping that the color of the glitter is subtle enough to not over power the other colors I want to use. I may also change the color of the wrappings. And if you're wondering why the handles are as thin as they are, it is because I have tiny hands. Yeah, so we'll see how this goes. I am currently recovering from the convention so it may be a little while before I make any more progress.