mustang2500
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, I said before I would make a tutorial on my method of making my MA5C AR, well here it is.
To start off though, I have some bad news. The gun was supposed to be a Laser Tag gun; however, it did not turn out. For some reason, even after months of planning, something went wrong. Even though I'm not too happy about this, I'm very glad to show off my AR to everyone! I might not be able to play Laser Tag with it; but that only leaves more space for new things!
On with the Tutorial:
MUSTANG2500's TUTORIAL
To do this, you will need:
"What makes this design so much better than the other methods?" This is a question you might ask yourself when reading through. Here are some of my reasons.
Method: Pepakura Skill level: Low-Medium
Pros: Easy to find, light-weight, easier for beginners
Cons: Resin is somewhat expensive, very fragile, warping is a problem
Method: Wood Skill level: High
Pros: Very strong, somewhat easy to find, does not need Bondo
Cons: Very hard to do, you must know how to use power tools, solid wood is expensive
Method: Casting Skill level: High
Pros: High amount of detail, easy to make, can be duplicated
Cons: Expensive, hard to find, a cast must be made (or bought)
Method: Cardboard Skill level: Low-High
Pros: Costs can vary- but usually low when done the quick way, cardboard is easy to find, stronger than Pepakura
Cons: Not very much detail (depending on skill), ruined if wet, not as strong as wood or casting, can be expensive when done the right way
MY METHOD Skill level: Medium-High
Pros: Very tough, somewhat cheap, has a hollow body that allows you to runs wires through, easily comes apart for maintenance
Cons: Must have medium-high amount of skill
Now, what is my Method?
My method is done using wood as a base, Pepakura for detailed and raised areas, using Bondo for the outside, and allowing it to come apart by un-screwing a few bolts. (Or whatever you choose) Additions can include LED's or a sound module.
This might have been done before, but I'll show you step-by-step how to do it.
STEP ONE: PLANNING
The first and most important step is planning. For those of you who have never planned, here's what's involved:
The first thing you will want to do is choose what weapon you will want to do. This might be hard for some people, but I recommend either doing something small (like a Magnum), or an Assault Rifle as I did, that way it will be easier to plan.
Once you have your weapon of choice, give Wizard of Flight a visit at this topic. He has a few blueprints for weapons, which will help A LOT. Print the picture off, and follow another tutorial on scaling it. (Topic thanks toXtreme TACTICS 101) I'd help there, but I honestly don't remember how I did mine...
When you have your blueprint done, it should look like this:
You should then print out 2 copies.
Next, decide where the gun will come apart. You should be looking for places where the colours are different, or elevation has changed. This is pretty much only useful on the UNSC weapons, as they aren't as curved.
Here's what I mean:
You can see where the gun comes apart. Don't worry about how to comes apart until the next step.
The last part of planning is decide what the gun will do. Will it make a sound? Will it shoot BB's or Nerf darts? Will it have lights?
Looking at weapons in the game will help. You will see on many guns where parts light up, which parts move, or how it fires; all of these things will add a lot of detail to your project.
Once you have the gun planned, move onto the next step.
STEP TWO: CUTTING THE WOOD
This step involves cutting the wood you will use to support the gun.
You should now have two copies of your blueprint. The blueprint should be 1:1 scale, or this will not work. If it isn't, you will have to make it 1:1.
Take a blueprint and cut it where it will come apart. You will have separate pieces of paper for each part.
///WARNING\\\: I am not responsible or any injuries that happens while doing this step. You must have experience with the following power tools:
A Table Saw
A Jig Saw
A Miter (Chop) Saw/Radial Arm Saw
A Belt/Hand Sander
If you do not know how to use these, get someone who does to do it for you, or learn how.
The wood you should be using is Fiberboard.
This is just wood fibers and other waste that has been glued together. It is cheap, readily-available, and has the strength you need for this project. Fiberboard will cost different prices all over the world, so I can't help you there.
Depending on your gun, you will need different sizes of wood. Calculate how much you will need by going through the width and length of the gun, and don't forget the sides too.
As for thickness, I just used a 1/4" thick board in our shop. It worked fine.
Any curved parts will have to be something else, preferable Pepakura, cardboard or Bristol board. I say this because it is impossible to do it out of wood. For instance, the top of my Assault Rifle is Bristol board. (See below)
Lay out your blueprint pieces onto your wood. Trace them, using a pen or pencil. Using either a Ban Saw or a Jig Saw, cut the pieces out. Keep in mind that you will need two of each piece (for most guns).
You can then screw them together using a block of wood in the middle for support, or go ahead and glue them. I would advise though that you do
put in supports, or else it will fall apart when dropped. Also I would advise not to drop the weapons.
For the final stage in this step, you need to make the parts that the bolts slide into. All you need to do is cut out some square pieces a few inches wide, and glue them on with part of them sticking out. When they are dry, put the pieces together, and drill a hole where the bolt will go through. Make sure the drill is strait! I'd say each piece should have at least two bolts.
NOTE: If you wanted to put in sound, you must have put into consideration that a speaker will be placed inside the gun. You must also have a space for the trigger to move.
STEP THREE: PEPAKURA
Using Pepakura to raise up parts of the gun, and add detail
Find a Pepakura file for your gun. Hopefully you have already read the stickies and found out many of them can be found here, or even here.
Print out any pieces that must be done with Pepakura, and get started. Chances are, the scale is not 100% same as the blueprints; you will have to get creative here. The good news is it's just paper, it won't be too hard.
Here is the Pepped grip. You get the idea.
STEP FOUR: BONDO
Using Bondo Resin and Body Filler for protection.
Hopefully you've heard of this magical stuff called "Bondo". It's great for what you need to do now.
Here's basically what you need to do:
Anything wood, use body filler first.
Anything Pepakura, use Resin first.
WOOD:
For the wooden parts, mix some body filler up. There has been too many times when I mixed too much hardener and it dried too fast for me. Search around here for some mixing techniques if you need help.
Apply the filler on, making sure to get it as flat as possible. This will save a lot of sanding. (And for you that don't know: Sanding=
)
When it is dry, use a Hand Sander to sand it down. When the Hand Sander is too big to sand some parts, use regular sandpaper or a file.
Depending on the part, it will need a couple coats before it is satisfactory.
My Special Tip: When there are too many little holes in the gun from the Bondo spreading unevenly, use Drywall Spackle. It is cheap, easy to work with, and fills the holes in easily. Do not use this instead of Bondo however, it is very fragile.
PEPAKURA:
For Pepakura, use Resin first. A couple coats should harden it up. Then use body filler so you can sand it down to get some minor detail. Getting high detail with body filler is usually pretty tough because of it's thickness. A file may come in handy.
When you have gotten the detail you want, you might want to add another coat of Resin to the whole gun for extra-strength. Also note: if you used Drywall Spackle, you must have another coat of Resin to protect it.
STEP FOUR: SPECIAL FEATURES
If you want to add other things like lights or sound, you must prepare these things before you continue.
This step is for special features. make sure you have planned where everything will go to make sure it works. If you want LED's, you must have already bought them. Drill holes where they will go, and make sure they fit. But do not start gluing them in!
For sound, you must have a speaker, and a working trigger with a momentary switch. The speaker can be out of any old Computer speakers, or even out of an old surround-system unit like I did. The speaker must have a place to go, and one side has to be open to allow the sound to come through. You can solve this by cutting out a hole like I did.
It is just common sense that you will need batteries to power the whole gun. Calculate how much power you will need, along with resistance. Note that you must have a resistor in the circuit, or you won't have LED's for long. Also, don't have too much power for the LED's to handle; hooking up a single LED to a 9v doesn't work. Trust me.
If you do not understand how to calculate these things, either post your question, or ask a few of the members around here. Just don't annoy them- they might not be too happy I told you to do that .
RECORDING SOUND
This step is pretty easy, depending on what your doing. All you need is a sound module, a cheap little device that records you voice. You probably know what I'm talking about. You can find them pretty much anywhere, Walmart, electronic stores, discount stores, and eBay.
This is what you're looking for.
Can't find one? Go on eBay. Your bound to find one there.
Recording the sound is where the fun begins. You first need the sound. If the gun sound you want is from Halo (1,2 or 3), go into multiplayer, get the gun, and start shooting. Put the module close to the speakers, but not too close. Try and play with the sound levels, and see what you like. For Halo 3, to get the best sound, I found going to Forge with unlimited ammo on the lower level of Sandbox works very well. There is next to no background sound, and you can get any gun you want.
Or, use this.
Now, besides using the Mic in the unit, there is another way to get the sound. Get the two Audio cables from the XBox or TV, and connect them with the negative/positive terminals on the module's Mic. The sound will go directly through the wires to the unit, recording it. I have found however that different modules are better for different types of recording. So you'll have to play around with it to see what you like better.
Check out this video for help.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npqDXlEdG-M[/media]
When the sound is recorded, you have to add a switch. All you have to do, is disconnect one of the wires from the batteries to the switch, then from the switch to the batteries again. When you want the sound to play, the "play" button must be held down. So hot glue something on top of it to hold it. This switch will go behind the trigger. When the trigger is pulled, it will press the switch and play the sound.
STEP FIVE: PAINTING
Adding personality to your props.
For this step, think safely. I don't know who wouldn't know, but any fume isn't good for your lungs- even spray paint. Paint in an open area, like an open garage with the doors open. Not a crowded basement with one window.
This step is pretty easy, just paint. You should have the paint you want picked out. For mine I used Silver, Hammered Gray, and Flat Black. You can use whatever you want.
As for paint brands, I especially like Krylon. It goes on very nicely every time, and is pretty cheap, which is always a good thing.
I'd recommend using primer first, so the paint goes on properly. When it is dry, give it some thin coats of the paint you picked out. If you want to, use some lacquer to seal the paint and stop it from chipping. Use Flat lacquer for a nicer effect. But DON'T use anything on silver paint- it just ruins it.
For the final touch, you'll have to do some dry-brushing. The good thing about dry-brushing (or battle damage) is it actually makes the imperfections look like they were planned. Check out the videos and other Tut's about dry-brushing if you want to do it correctly.
STEP SIX: SOLDERING
In this step, you'll need to know how to solder. If you don't know how, find out how or else, -pardon my language- your screwed.
This also needs basic knowledge of circuits and electricity. Google how to and you'll be on your way.
You'll need to solder the battery holders to the LED's and resistors, with a switch in the circuit as well. You will need thin wires, which you can find at any electronic store. (Well, most anyways...) Hot glue the LED's in place, then put everything in the proper placement. When the switch is turned on, it should work. If it doesn't, you should be able to fix it.
Put the voice module in place. with the switch behind the trigger. Make sure the module is in easy reach for when you need the batteries to be changed. Putting it at the bottom of the closed off grip wouldn't be fun. Wire the module to the speaker unit you put in, and that should work as well.
Put everything together, and you have your very own amazing Halo Prop weapon!
Here's how mine turned out:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQPqxLrkOQ[/media]
To start off though, I have some bad news. The gun was supposed to be a Laser Tag gun; however, it did not turn out. For some reason, even after months of planning, something went wrong. Even though I'm not too happy about this, I'm very glad to show off my AR to everyone! I might not be able to play Laser Tag with it; but that only leaves more space for new things!
On with the Tutorial:
MUSTANG2500's TUTORIAL
To do this, you will need:
- Knowledge with Power Tools
- Knowledge with Bondo
- Proper Wood (See Step 2)
- LED's (optional)
- A Sound Module (optional)
- Bondo Resin and Body Filler
- PVC or other material for the barrel
- Momentary Switch (optional)
- Bolts and Nuts
"What makes this design so much better than the other methods?" This is a question you might ask yourself when reading through. Here are some of my reasons.
Method: Pepakura Skill level: Low-Medium
Pros: Easy to find, light-weight, easier for beginners
Cons: Resin is somewhat expensive, very fragile, warping is a problem
Method: Wood Skill level: High
Pros: Very strong, somewhat easy to find, does not need Bondo
Cons: Very hard to do, you must know how to use power tools, solid wood is expensive
Method: Casting Skill level: High
Pros: High amount of detail, easy to make, can be duplicated
Cons: Expensive, hard to find, a cast must be made (or bought)
Method: Cardboard Skill level: Low-High
Pros: Costs can vary- but usually low when done the quick way, cardboard is easy to find, stronger than Pepakura
Cons: Not very much detail (depending on skill), ruined if wet, not as strong as wood or casting, can be expensive when done the right way
MY METHOD Skill level: Medium-High
Pros: Very tough, somewhat cheap, has a hollow body that allows you to runs wires through, easily comes apart for maintenance
Cons: Must have medium-high amount of skill
Now, what is my Method?
My method is done using wood as a base, Pepakura for detailed and raised areas, using Bondo for the outside, and allowing it to come apart by un-screwing a few bolts. (Or whatever you choose) Additions can include LED's or a sound module.
This might have been done before, but I'll show you step-by-step how to do it.
STEP ONE: PLANNING
The first and most important step is planning. For those of you who have never planned, here's what's involved:
The first thing you will want to do is choose what weapon you will want to do. This might be hard for some people, but I recommend either doing something small (like a Magnum), or an Assault Rifle as I did, that way it will be easier to plan.
Once you have your weapon of choice, give Wizard of Flight a visit at this topic. He has a few blueprints for weapons, which will help A LOT. Print the picture off, and follow another tutorial on scaling it. (Topic thanks toXtreme TACTICS 101) I'd help there, but I honestly don't remember how I did mine...
When you have your blueprint done, it should look like this:
You should then print out 2 copies.
Next, decide where the gun will come apart. You should be looking for places where the colours are different, or elevation has changed. This is pretty much only useful on the UNSC weapons, as they aren't as curved.
Here's what I mean:
You can see where the gun comes apart. Don't worry about how to comes apart until the next step.
The last part of planning is decide what the gun will do. Will it make a sound? Will it shoot BB's or Nerf darts? Will it have lights?
Looking at weapons in the game will help. You will see on many guns where parts light up, which parts move, or how it fires; all of these things will add a lot of detail to your project.
Once you have the gun planned, move onto the next step.
STEP TWO: CUTTING THE WOOD
This step involves cutting the wood you will use to support the gun.
You should now have two copies of your blueprint. The blueprint should be 1:1 scale, or this will not work. If it isn't, you will have to make it 1:1.
Take a blueprint and cut it where it will come apart. You will have separate pieces of paper for each part.
///WARNING\\\: I am not responsible or any injuries that happens while doing this step. You must have experience with the following power tools:
A Table Saw
A Jig Saw
A Miter (Chop) Saw/Radial Arm Saw
A Belt/Hand Sander
If you do not know how to use these, get someone who does to do it for you, or learn how.
The wood you should be using is Fiberboard.
This is just wood fibers and other waste that has been glued together. It is cheap, readily-available, and has the strength you need for this project. Fiberboard will cost different prices all over the world, so I can't help you there.
Depending on your gun, you will need different sizes of wood. Calculate how much you will need by going through the width and length of the gun, and don't forget the sides too.
As for thickness, I just used a 1/4" thick board in our shop. It worked fine.
Any curved parts will have to be something else, preferable Pepakura, cardboard or Bristol board. I say this because it is impossible to do it out of wood. For instance, the top of my Assault Rifle is Bristol board. (See below)
Lay out your blueprint pieces onto your wood. Trace them, using a pen or pencil. Using either a Ban Saw or a Jig Saw, cut the pieces out. Keep in mind that you will need two of each piece (for most guns).
You can then screw them together using a block of wood in the middle for support, or go ahead and glue them. I would advise though that you do
put in supports, or else it will fall apart when dropped. Also I would advise not to drop the weapons.
For the final stage in this step, you need to make the parts that the bolts slide into. All you need to do is cut out some square pieces a few inches wide, and glue them on with part of them sticking out. When they are dry, put the pieces together, and drill a hole where the bolt will go through. Make sure the drill is strait! I'd say each piece should have at least two bolts.
NOTE: If you wanted to put in sound, you must have put into consideration that a speaker will be placed inside the gun. You must also have a space for the trigger to move.
STEP THREE: PEPAKURA
Using Pepakura to raise up parts of the gun, and add detail
Find a Pepakura file for your gun. Hopefully you have already read the stickies and found out many of them can be found here, or even here.
Print out any pieces that must be done with Pepakura, and get started. Chances are, the scale is not 100% same as the blueprints; you will have to get creative here. The good news is it's just paper, it won't be too hard.
Here is the Pepped grip. You get the idea.
STEP FOUR: BONDO
Using Bondo Resin and Body Filler for protection.
Hopefully you've heard of this magical stuff called "Bondo". It's great for what you need to do now.
Here's basically what you need to do:
Anything wood, use body filler first.
Anything Pepakura, use Resin first.
WOOD:
For the wooden parts, mix some body filler up. There has been too many times when I mixed too much hardener and it dried too fast for me. Search around here for some mixing techniques if you need help.
Apply the filler on, making sure to get it as flat as possible. This will save a lot of sanding. (And for you that don't know: Sanding=
)When it is dry, use a Hand Sander to sand it down. When the Hand Sander is too big to sand some parts, use regular sandpaper or a file.
Depending on the part, it will need a couple coats before it is satisfactory.
My Special Tip: When there are too many little holes in the gun from the Bondo spreading unevenly, use Drywall Spackle. It is cheap, easy to work with, and fills the holes in easily. Do not use this instead of Bondo however, it is very fragile.
PEPAKURA:
For Pepakura, use Resin first. A couple coats should harden it up. Then use body filler so you can sand it down to get some minor detail. Getting high detail with body filler is usually pretty tough because of it's thickness. A file may come in handy.
When you have gotten the detail you want, you might want to add another coat of Resin to the whole gun for extra-strength. Also note: if you used Drywall Spackle, you must have another coat of Resin to protect it.
STEP FOUR: SPECIAL FEATURES
If you want to add other things like lights or sound, you must prepare these things before you continue.
This step is for special features. make sure you have planned where everything will go to make sure it works. If you want LED's, you must have already bought them. Drill holes where they will go, and make sure they fit. But do not start gluing them in!
For sound, you must have a speaker, and a working trigger with a momentary switch. The speaker can be out of any old Computer speakers, or even out of an old surround-system unit like I did. The speaker must have a place to go, and one side has to be open to allow the sound to come through. You can solve this by cutting out a hole like I did.
It is just common sense that you will need batteries to power the whole gun. Calculate how much power you will need, along with resistance. Note that you must have a resistor in the circuit, or you won't have LED's for long. Also, don't have too much power for the LED's to handle; hooking up a single LED to a 9v doesn't work. Trust me.
If you do not understand how to calculate these things, either post your question, or ask a few of the members around here. Just don't annoy them- they might not be too happy I told you to do that
.RECORDING SOUND
This step is pretty easy, depending on what your doing. All you need is a sound module, a cheap little device that records you voice. You probably know what I'm talking about. You can find them pretty much anywhere, Walmart, electronic stores, discount stores, and eBay.
This is what you're looking for.
Can't find one? Go on eBay. Your bound to find one there.
Recording the sound is where the fun begins. You first need the sound. If the gun sound you want is from Halo (1,2 or 3), go into multiplayer, get the gun, and start shooting. Put the module close to the speakers, but not too close. Try and play with the sound levels, and see what you like. For Halo 3, to get the best sound, I found going to Forge with unlimited ammo on the lower level of Sandbox works very well. There is next to no background sound, and you can get any gun you want.
Or, use this.
Now, besides using the Mic in the unit, there is another way to get the sound. Get the two Audio cables from the XBox or TV, and connect them with the negative/positive terminals on the module's Mic. The sound will go directly through the wires to the unit, recording it. I have found however that different modules are better for different types of recording. So you'll have to play around with it to see what you like better.
Check out this video for help.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npqDXlEdG-M[/media]
When the sound is recorded, you have to add a switch. All you have to do, is disconnect one of the wires from the batteries to the switch, then from the switch to the batteries again. When you want the sound to play, the "play" button must be held down. So hot glue something on top of it to hold it. This switch will go behind the trigger. When the trigger is pulled, it will press the switch and play the sound.
STEP FIVE: PAINTING
Adding personality to your props.
For this step, think safely. I don't know who wouldn't know, but any fume isn't good for your lungs- even spray paint. Paint in an open area, like an open garage with the doors open. Not a crowded basement with one window.
This step is pretty easy, just paint. You should have the paint you want picked out. For mine I used Silver, Hammered Gray, and Flat Black. You can use whatever you want.
As for paint brands, I especially like Krylon. It goes on very nicely every time, and is pretty cheap, which is always a good thing.
I'd recommend using primer first, so the paint goes on properly. When it is dry, give it some thin coats of the paint you picked out. If you want to, use some lacquer to seal the paint and stop it from chipping. Use Flat lacquer for a nicer effect. But DON'T use anything on silver paint- it just ruins it.
For the final touch, you'll have to do some dry-brushing. The good thing about dry-brushing (or battle damage) is it actually makes the imperfections look like they were planned
. Check out the videos and other Tut's about dry-brushing if you want to do it correctly. STEP SIX: SOLDERING
In this step, you'll need to know how to solder. If you don't know how, find out how or else, -pardon my language- your screwed.
This also needs basic knowledge of circuits and electricity. Google how to and you'll be on your way.
You'll need to solder the battery holders to the LED's and resistors, with a switch in the circuit as well. You will need thin wires, which you can find at any electronic store. (Well, most anyways...) Hot glue the LED's in place, then put everything in the proper placement. When the switch is turned on, it should work. If it doesn't, you should be able to fix it.
Put the voice module in place. with the switch behind the trigger. Make sure the module is in easy reach for when you need the batteries to be changed. Putting it at the bottom of the closed off grip wouldn't be fun. Wire the module to the speaker unit you put in, and that should work as well.
Put everything together, and you have your very own amazing Halo Prop weapon!
Here's how mine turned out:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQPqxLrkOQ[/media]
Last edited by a moderator:
