Rigel17
Jr Member
Hey everyone! this was a smaller project I wanted to do as an addition to my ODST kit, i think it's interesting enough to post here if someone wanted to try something similar. The idea was to make just the energy sword hilt to attach to my armor as if it were a collected trophy from a fallen elite.
I used some free files i found on thingiverse by "sammie1053" the model was simple enough and seemed like a pretty faithful rendition to what we can see in game. i wanted to try and make a prop that was as close to the game as i could. this was great practice for future projects too, especially painting, since i feel like im not that good yet.
In Game Reference:
parts were printed in 2 pieces based on the files and these simply slotted together. i printed 2 versions. the regular scaled version, (which felt too small, only measuring around 6 inches) so i upscaled it to around 122% and the hilt came out about 7.5 inches in length. from what i could find in the forums and online, the in game scale is around 8 inches long for just the hilt, so it was close to game accurate while still being somewhat comfortable to hold.
after sanding to a smooth finish, i used some kwik seal to help cover some of the deeper grooves. i would have preferred to use filler primer but i didnt have any at the time and felt i didnt need it for this smaller project. i was just using leftover black, silver, and blue paint i had as well.
for the covenant symbols on the edges, i used a woodburning tool and did my best to replicate them. i actually love how they turned out! but after painting, i realized i should have etched them in a little deeper cause they are not as indented as i would have hoped.
did a full black coat of spray paint, then taped off the hilt to match the reference silver the best i could just freehand. then i hit it with a coat of metallic silver.
finally, did a black wash with about 50/50 acrylic black paint to water ratio. the thicker wash helped the paint stick to the smooth finish better IMO, and it gave the finished product the grit i was looking for. the only issue was that the covenant symbols were barely visible, so i went back over all of them with a black dry brushing doing my best to get the paint inside the grooves. this helped them stand out much better despite them being pretty shallow.
and i wish i could have figured out real LED lights for the blue, but again, this was a cheap and simple project, if i maybe revisit this one day, i will just make a full sword with lights. for now just dapped it with some blue paint dots.
here is the finished product! i think im just gonna string this up with some paracord and hang it off of the back of my kit, i also had a few people tell me i should spatter it with purple paint as if it were elite blood, and i love that idea! i would just need to get some paint for it, so maybe down the road. thats all for now, see you guys in the next one!
LMK if you have any questions.
I used some free files i found on thingiverse by "sammie1053" the model was simple enough and seemed like a pretty faithful rendition to what we can see in game. i wanted to try and make a prop that was as close to the game as i could. this was great practice for future projects too, especially painting, since i feel like im not that good yet.
In Game Reference:
parts were printed in 2 pieces based on the files and these simply slotted together. i printed 2 versions. the regular scaled version, (which felt too small, only measuring around 6 inches) so i upscaled it to around 122% and the hilt came out about 7.5 inches in length. from what i could find in the forums and online, the in game scale is around 8 inches long for just the hilt, so it was close to game accurate while still being somewhat comfortable to hold.
after sanding to a smooth finish, i used some kwik seal to help cover some of the deeper grooves. i would have preferred to use filler primer but i didnt have any at the time and felt i didnt need it for this smaller project. i was just using leftover black, silver, and blue paint i had as well.
for the covenant symbols on the edges, i used a woodburning tool and did my best to replicate them. i actually love how they turned out! but after painting, i realized i should have etched them in a little deeper cause they are not as indented as i would have hoped.
did a full black coat of spray paint, then taped off the hilt to match the reference silver the best i could just freehand. then i hit it with a coat of metallic silver.
finally, did a black wash with about 50/50 acrylic black paint to water ratio. the thicker wash helped the paint stick to the smooth finish better IMO, and it gave the finished product the grit i was looking for. the only issue was that the covenant symbols were barely visible, so i went back over all of them with a black dry brushing doing my best to get the paint inside the grooves. this helped them stand out much better despite them being pretty shallow.
and i wish i could have figured out real LED lights for the blue, but again, this was a cheap and simple project, if i maybe revisit this one day, i will just make a full sword with lights. for now just dapped it with some blue paint dots.
here is the finished product! i think im just gonna string this up with some paracord and hang it off of the back of my kit, i also had a few people tell me i should spatter it with purple paint as if it were elite blood, and i love that idea! i would just need to get some paint for it, so maybe down the road. thats all for now, see you guys in the next one!
LMK if you have any questions.
