Props Halo Infinite M247 Machine Gun Turret Tutorial/Build Log (505Forge and 405th SouthWest Collab)

KGSupreme

Member
tahu505 Took on a commission from me to make the 3D model for the M247 Machine Turret from "Halo Infinite". I think he did a spectacular job. After posting the model to his Etsy page he mentioned that there have been some people requesting a tutorial to assemble the thing.
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So here we are, I will attempt to layout a thorough tutorial for anyone that would also like to build this absolute beast of a prop and have it on display. Be prepared to read a bit, I will also have plenty of photos to make it easy to understand. I originally started writing this as I was building it, but now I'm going back through and modifying it to be more "Lego Inspired".


**Disclaimer : There will be plenty of things I don't mention in the best detail, under the assumption that you may elect to do this in a different way. The main thing I want to get across is what parts of the models are where and how they connect. As an example, I'll be using adhesives that maybe you don't want to use or have a different preference, I'm not saying this is the only way to do it. Get creative. I may also miss something, I'll do my best to grab as many photos as I can as I go but remember I am also trying to figure this out as I go ahead of writing anything down here, it's possible I will forget. Feel free to ask questions.

The first thing I would recommend is the use of a 3D modeling program that gives you the full picture before you print anything. This will at least require you install/open something like 3D Builder(A free Microsoft 3D modeling program that I use, it's really simple). This is a great way to understand how the whole thing assembles before you might make mistakes with physical parts. It's also the program I am using side-by-side with the real thing. When you have the program open and you load all of the files from tahu505, the 3D models will position themselves into the fully assembled prop. It may take some adjustment to get things in the right spot depending on how you load each file, but that'll help learn how it goes together :D

Things you might need:
  • Adhesives and fasteners. I'll be using E600, Super Glue(Cyano Acrylate), and some miscellaneous screws/bolts. Hot glue could work, but with how big this thing is you really should find much stronger alternatives.
  • 3D Printing capability. I don't own a 3D printer anymore, but I have many friends that contributed their printers to get this done. Including BlazingForge / Insta, thatdubejobo, GalacticWombat / Insta . SalLyrisse / Insta provided emotional support and finishing
  • Paint. I'm using spraypaint and acrylic
  • Tape of different types, for mock-up, glue support, and painting
  • 3D Modeling program like mentioned above
  • PVC Pipes, screws, bolts, wooden dowels, metal studs. tahu505 's files provided a part list for essential items, I will likely use some extra stuff.
  • The 3D models from 505Forge. tahu505 did a great job building this thing in a very expensive 3D modeling program from scratch. He did not pull models from the game and modify those(definitely a no-no for TOS). Please support creators like this, without them we would not have highly detailed models for us to use. If you feel like supporting me, buy me a drink when we meet up at a convention(GO TO C2E2).

Approach the MG slowly, it doesn't like to be startled
I'm dividing this whole project into 4 main sections. This is how I sorted all of the parts before sending it out to print with each person that helped, and also how I tried to organize my thoughts with assembling this thing ahead of time. I will try my best to color code any words I use to describe what parts I am talking about with their corresponding section. Just to make it a bit easier to navigate some of my ramblings with associated photos
The Frame: Parts that really keep the whole thing together or need to be really strong. Better to bump up the wall count and infill on these prints
The Barrel and Shield: Don't need to be the strongest, better to make this light/low infill. A PVC pipe will reinforce as the core
Details: Good to make these with high detail and quality. More intricate than the other parts, depending on where they are on the whole build will change how strong you need to make the prints.
Tripod Legs: Make it really dense to give the whole assembly a great foundation, there will be studs to fit the legs to reduce print material/ add strength. No need to worry about weight as much here



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*Using a mannequin model with the same height as you can give a great perspective for how huge this thing is.


Assemble the MG with care, it never forgets...

The Frame:
We're gonna start with the most complex section first and get it out of the way. As mentioned above these will be parts that really contribute to how strong the overall print is, it really provides all of the structure and the ways that you can carry it. Don't skimp on the density for these parts, it may add to weight but you'll appreciate it not breaking too easily. You can see in the 3D model above how all of the frame wraps around and supports the tube and the details then meets up with the legs.
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The rear of the frame is your "triggers" and operators position, these are labeled as "Left Grip" and "Right Grip". There are 4 handles on this thing, two you would grab to make bad guys go away, and two that allow you to feel like Jorge for a bit(there is an Etilka version provided by 505Forge if you want that variation). These go together easily. Make sure you pay attention to the pointy engravings on the lower parts that stick into the frame, they line up with it.
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Main Frame. It holds the back of the Barrel, as well as the handles, and the hip. It's essential. Luckily these parts can only really fit one way, and you'll be able to click them together and try it out before final adhesives. These are in the "Brackets" folder labeled as "Bracket 5(x)"
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I started with the... Gunner Board? Idk what to call it, it's part of Bracket 5 group in the files. It's the part that I imagine marines would use to curate and display their Crayola Charcuterie when the gun is disassembled. Red is the best flavor btw
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I held off on attaching the Gun Handles/Triggers right away during my build process. It's easier to balance and store this part of the frame until later when more of the whole thing is assembled. This is how it'll be done later. There are points engraved on each handle that align with the baseplate of the frame or whatever I called that. Crayon dishware I think.
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There are miscellaneous other parts of The Frame and The Details that connect or overlap with each other. I'll try my best to make mention of how they fit together and the order in which you should assemble them. Here is an overview of what I am talking about.
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This cap with a hole in it near the rear of the tube that intersects with many other parts. Keep that off to the side for a bit along with it's detail friend. It incorporates the rear carry handle, a detail/control box, the rear end of the tube, and the bottom arm(part of "bracket 6" file) of this whole assembly that comes up from the gun hip. Don't get ahead of yourself, avoid attaching this one for a bit. The parts pictured here are labeled as "grip box" "grip box bracket" and "mid grip attach point". Below that is "bracket 6" and it's greeble
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Here is "the hip" that I have mentioned several times already, labeled as "female hinge", "mount beam", "mount pin", and "mount point" . It's where the tripod mount meets the frame of the whole gun. It's designed to fit a PVC pipe up from the tripod mount. There will not be a locking mechanism by default so you can pick up the gun easily(Do you even lift?). It's also not designed to tilt, so the whole gun will turn left and right but will not point up or down. The hip is made of 3 parts, the hip itself, one cylinder that slides in through the sides, and a cube into the top. The top cube will cradle the tube later. Pretty straightforward, just need to pop these parts into place and adhere.
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Here is a wrap around part that goes around the rear tube and connects to the box magazine. You will need to attach this to the tube as part of the final assembly. These are labeled as "Middle bar", "tube end", "middle body segment" and "middle body segment 2" in the files.
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The rear handle and the mid handle. These should be made strong as you can so you can pick up the whole gun and feel like a boss. Labeled as "handle left", "handle right" "handle", "mid grip attach point" and "mid grip". Save these until you have the entire frame and tube ready for final assembly. This also has a set of pins that fit into each hole on the model. They are in the "handle pins" folder and are of different length for a reason.
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That will be it for all of what I consider the frame. Moving on to the next section.

The Barrel and Shield:
This is what I would consider the least complex section of the whole MG. The Barrel up front, the tube in the back, and the shield on top. Assemble each of these separately from each other and save for later.
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The Barrel fits together like this. Make sure the details line up with each other, should be a flush surface from one part to the next. PVC pipe will fit through this barrel, if you find the right size PVC and print these models to scale without adjusting it, it'll be an easy fit. These are labeled as "rectangular base" 1-3 in the files.
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The tube, or rear barrel if you wanna call it that(Labeled as "round base" 1-3 in the files) . This part needs a bit more attention than the front barrel. There are multiple parts of the frame and some detail parts that fit into the tube in a specific way. I glued the middle and rear part of the tube together first, the middle part does not need to be aligned in any particular way other than meeting with the rear section. Get your PVC pipe in here and glue it, hold off on adhering the front part of the tube until later. You can see in the photo below how this entire section is where a huge majority of parts meet. There are holes and grooves that line up with other parts. Like I said above, practice assembly of the physical parts once you have them all printed before you adhere any of it permanently.
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The rear of the tube has this small hole in it and a cylindrical groove on top. The smaller hole will fit the rear handle, the top groove cradles that rear gunner sight portion of the frame from earlier.
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The front part of this tube assembly attaches to box magazine, feed tube, rings that fit around the tube, supporting braces for the shield, and the front handles used to lift the gun during your Jorge impersonation. There are at least two holes on opposite sides that match up with several other detail parts later on. It's hard for me to put into words how to assemble this. Practice on your own and figure it out from there, luckily Tahu designed all of this so it is easy to know where each part goes as they only fit one way.
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In this photo I have all of these parts and pieces fitting together as a mock-up, not glued together yet. This should give you a better idea of why I am mentioning this now, do not glue stuff together until you know exactly how it lines up.
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Gonna say it again. DO NOT GLUE/AFFIX THIS PART OF THE TUBE UNTIL YOU KNOW HOW IT LINES UP.

The Shield SHOULD be pretty straightforward Most of these parts will only fit with their corresponding pieces. They are very much like a simple puzzle, you'll know it works with how easy they fit together. Luckily me and Tahu actually agreed on what to call this, so in the files it's in the "Shield" folder along with the greebles.
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I would recommend assembling the top-half of the shield first, then the bottom-half, then glue the two together. Practice assembling the whole thing before you glue it together(I know I am saying this a lot, but it will catch mistakes before they become permanent). The top-half of the shield leans back towards the rear of the whole gun, towards the operators position.

Some photos of the shield as I was assembling it. An example of how they slot together so you get an idea that they should only fit together one way.
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If you are able to, use epoxy, bondo, or some other reinforcing material to fill in the gaps and clean this up later. Gaps and seams between parts are noticeable

There are some greebles, caps, studs that attach to the shield. Attach these whenever you would like, the pointy studs face forward on the shield, the rounded caps fit on the back side of the shield towards the frame and triggers.
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*Remember not to confuse the shield studs with peanut butter Cups. Unless you like eating 3D Printer plastic? I'm not judging(I am judging you harshly but silently)

Last thing that I labeled as part of the frame, but is likely more a part of the barrel. It's this supporting arm that runs under the length of the barrel. Easy to assemble, match the shape and plug in the slots. Can be attached to the barrel whenever you like, but I would say hold off until the muzzle is attached to the barrel. Labeled as "bracket 2" folder with 1-3 parts.
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The Details:

Miscellaneous parts that fit in random spots on the gun, but don't contribute to overall structure or form of the barrel and shield. Most of these can really be attached whenever you want, will just depend on how you want to paint/finish. I kinda glossed over this stuff earlier just so you could see where they fit.
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Box Magazine and Support ring.
Even though it's not the most complicated assembly, there are a lot of parts for this. Box mag itself, a small box on the back, a feed chute, and others. All contained in the "mag" folder as attachments, greebles, or just the mag itself. You can assemble this whole thing as one part then attach to the rest of the build later, the ring slides over the rear tube easily and fits with the handle pins.
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*My box mag got split in half to make it easier to print, it is a very large part.

Really not sure what to call this thing to differentiate it from other parts(it's in the "Bracket 1" folder, along with the pin). It fits around the back end of the barrel and rests on the support arm in the same area. Comes with it's own little pin that you must attach. Feel free to glue this to the barrel right away.
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Muzzle and front sights. Easily fits together, attach to the barrel and make sure the PVC pipe is helping you align it. These are "barrel connector", "barrel greeble", "barrel", and "sights" in the files.
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Here's how the front end of the gun fits together, with the barrel, muzzle, sights, support arm, and Bracket 1
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Last little part of the details are these.... plates? Labeled as "Bracket 5 Greeble" 1 and 2. They fit into the frame on the rear part of the gun. Add these whenever you like.
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Last part I'm gonna mention is something I grouped as part of the frame, but it does not really add to the overall structure of the prop. This is labeled as "bracket 3", "bracket 3 arm x2", and "bracket 4" in the "brackets" folder. I'm adding it here at the end of the details because it really matters more how it fits to "Bracket 1" and the way it connects to both ends of the tube where they meet below the shield.
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And that's really it for the "Turret" folder in the files you download from Tahu. All that remains is the "Tripod" folder.

The Tripod
Not going to spend too much time talking about these parts. You will need to either buy steel tubing or wood to fit into the feet and hip of the tripod for the legs.

Feet pics ahead. These parts are "foot 2 x3" "foot base 2 x3" foot base x3" "foot greeble x3" and "foot x3" in the Tripod folder. As this is a "tri-"pod you will need to have 3 of these. They are quite large, after I finished building this whole thing I got them reprinted smaller just so they are easier to handle, travel with, and be less of a trip hazard on the con floor. Nothing wrong with Tahu's design, just personal preference.
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And then finally, here is the tripod base/hip. These are labeled as "top leg slot x3" "tripod base greeble" "tripod base" and "tripod bottom". A PVC pipe fits up through the center, and if you cut the length properly you can set the turret on top into the frame.
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And there you have it. A brief overview of where each part fits together with each other. I'm not expecting that this will give you all of the answers, but should at least set you in the right direction to build one of these as well. Next is WIP photos and photos from DreamHack Dallas where I displayed this monster.

Edit 2 - Added more photos, changed text color for more association and easier to read for dark mode users, rearranged some areas to make more sense.
Edit 3 - Added more photos, finished the Frame and Tube sections, started on the Details section. More grammar/syntax adjustments
Edit 4 - More photos, transition from Details(Box Magazine) to the next comments
Edit 5 - Removed some photos, added others, rearranged my thoughts and condensed the whole process. Saving more "work in progress" photos of my attempt for later.
** More To Come will be added soon **
 
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I originally had this comment saved for more assembly instructions, but went back later and condensed that all into the first post. So here is an assortment of random "work in progress" photos during my build. Not gonna comment too much on these, just showing what it looked like as I assembled the whole thing.
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**Not Done yet, more to come**

Edit 1: Starting adding assembly instructions part 2
Edit 2: Changed to my "work in progress" photos.
 
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Love the work... the process... the writeup.. the result. Just great.
FYI: The choice of black text is hard for people with web browsers (or just this site) in `Dark Mode`
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Tip for those that have their browser in Dark Mode: You can select the text in those areas to highlight and read it.
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Love the work... the process... the writeup.. the result. Just great.
FYI: The choice of black text is hard for people with web browsers (or just this site) in `Dark Mode`
View attachment 361005

Tip for those that have their browser in Dark Mode: You can select the text in those areas to highlight and read it.
View attachment 361006
Should be fixed. Gonna add more today, off to assemble more of it.
 
This is absolutely beautiful and amazing. my only real questions is. how much filament/ how long did it take to print.

i see you had multiple people printing it for you but any idea how much?

Also the link to Microsoft 3d builder seems to no longer work. you cant get it from the site or the store.
 
This is absolutely beautiful and amazing. my only real questions is. how much filament/ how long did it take to print.

i see you had multiple people printing it for you but any idea how much?

Also the link to Microsoft 3d builder seems to no longer work. you cant get it from the site or the store.
Really hard to say how much material it took to print as not everyone who helped me out asked for more filament. I'd say at least 10-12 rolls of PLA+, PETG or just PLA. That is likely an understatement. Also really depends on how dense you're willing to print some parts. I had some parts that were 5-10% infil with one or two walls to save weight, but one of my friends went to the extreme of 100% infil to make sure it wouldn't break without some severe impact.
 

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