ODST illuminating Flash Bangs

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L84

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I think it’s fair to state, if you’ve considered an ODST build, you’ve likely taken a closer look at the accessories that make the shock trooper.

How can any of us forget the scene, when handed the M-7 Caseless Sub Machine Gun for the first time, and seeing those beautiful grenades on the hips of Dutch.

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Need a closer look, no worries, I got ya:

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Look at’em! As beautiful as they are magestic, we can only imagine the effects they must have against the alien scum who’s name is clearly imprinted on the soul of each grenade that leaves the hip of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.....o_O

Sorry, excuse my geek moment...

Back to my original point...

Ok, so we’ve seen these sold as stale props before, but in the images, they appear to be lit up and, because I have nothing better to do, I figure, eh why not.

So, let’s wire’em up and make them illuminate on the hip.

Now, with that said, you guys are following me on this journey. I have not come to any final decision on what this final prop will look like nor how it will function. With that said, there has been a ton of trial and error, which has led me to where I am now. From playing with foam to finding a good container to start the project, let’s just say, it’s been an interesting journey up to this point.

My original thought is simple, Flash Bang structure contains within, individual electronics to illuminate as a notification of arming.

Aka, grenade with push button activated LED internally lights up the yellow screen. Now I know what some of you may be thinking:

“But, But, the grenades we’ve seen come with a grenade spoon, which indicates some sort of pin pull mechanism.”

Yes, I know, but something in me says, hey, we’re 500 years into the future and we haven’t found a better, more futuristic, method of arming a Flash Bang?

So, I’m doing a push button... :lol:

Ok, where to start, ah yes. Some seasoning to spice up this lovely cocktail.


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Now, I’ve found it doesn’t truly matter which spice you roll with, so long as you find one that is similar in size to what you want your flash bang to be. The most important part is that it have a solid lid, not one with any pull parts used to sprinkle the spice onto food. The reason for this, is because I made plans to drill a hole for my push button.

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These can be purchased from the store “LED Supply” online for fairly cheap, and won’t break your bank or upset any spouses to purchase, if ya know what I mean...lol

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FYI, all of the sticker residue, will come right off if you rub some vegetable oil on it, allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes and wash away with warm soapy water. If, after the first attempt it doesn’t all come off, rinse and repeat.

The reason we are doing this is because we want a smooth surface prior to prepping for paint.

Which leads me into my prep work.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING TO THE SURFACE, COVER THE AREA YOU WANT TO BE LIT UP IN YELLOW. You will want this surface to remain clear of any paint so it can still be seen through like a window.

I used masking tape and cut it into a simple rectangle, then laid it simply centered.

Example:

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Always sand or scratch any surface you plan on laying your primer to. It gives the paint something to grab ahold of. I used a soft sanding block purchased at hobby lobby but a scotch pad would work just fine for this. Be sure to leave the tape in place while scratching the surface.

Before you start any painting, be sure to drill the hole in the top of your lid for mounting the push button. In case you were wondering, a 25/64th drill bit will perfectly accommodate the push button. Obviously, start small and work your way up to that size.

Hint: there is a small notch in the bottom of the push button that keeps the switch from spinning once it is in place. Be sure to cut a small notch in your drilled hole to accommodate for the switch notch.

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Now, what paint you use is entirely up to you, but this was the route I took and has proven very affective for me.

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Mind you, I start with the primer first, once dried, I covered the entire surface in the Matte Slate.

Well, if you’ve read to this point, I obviously have your attention. So let’s head over to the reply section to see the progress by steps.
 
Are the spice bottles the correct size? They seam a bit on the small side.
 
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Alright, before we go into paint, let’s make sure we have a good solid prep job done. The entirety of the surface should be good and scruffed up now by either using the fine sanding block or a scotch pad. This includes the lid as well. Remember, leave the tape in place where you would like the window to be, both during prep and your initial paint of primer and base. You’ll know when your surface is ready because it will look like a good dog has rolled over the surface.
 

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Are the spice bottles the correct size? They seam a bit on the small side.

The ones I’m choosing to demonstrate with might be slightly off in size. Keep in mind, the likelihood that you will find a spice container that is the exact measurements to be 1:1 is unlikely, but for what they will produce in esthetics, it’s an acceptable sacrifice.
 
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Remember to shake well and Ensure to clear the nozzle of the spray can before laying the primer and your base coat. I covered the entire surface with the Krylon Gray Primer, allowed it to dry and then applied the entire surface with the Rust-Oleum Ultra Matte Slate.
 
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Now that we’ve laid down our primer and base coat, we can begin with the accenting. Let’s start by masking off the center as seen above.

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Don’t forget to add a small strip above the window. I try to ensure these are roughly the same width as the window, if not slightly narrower.

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Remember to be light in your sweeps. We don’t want runs.
 
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Let’s go ahead and knock out the switch real quick.

Place masking tape around the red button and the lower unit to protect the electronic features it has.

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Once you have masked off the surfaces, scruff up the black portions of the switch we are going to be painting. The only difference here, is we won’t be laying any primer or base, we will shoot the Brilliant Aluminum directly on the switch.

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Once dried, peel back the masking.

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Now this part might sound strange, but will serve two purposes. I want you to wrap all of the components painted the aluminum color with masking tape. The reason for this is simple, once peeled away, the remaining pieces will be left with a nice weathered surface. And that will heal with the props realism.

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The Second reason is because we need to hit the bottom and top of the lid with some of the Ultra Matte Slate as added detailing.

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The lid should look slightly like a flower and prepping lol

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Now, I will say this. Before you hit the bottom, you can either add masking tape cut out into the shapes you want for detailing, or simply hit the bottom straight in color. It’s entirely up to you.

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This part has me thinking. Once your lid is complete, go ahead and install your push button.

If you were going for a more traditional ODST setup, you would never drill a hole in the lid at all. Instead, you would build 3 of these together. Place them side by side and mount the electronics through the back side of the grenades. They wouldn’t be capable of being removed individually and activated individually, but if the grenades are solely there for esthetics, they wouldn’t have to be removed and can hold a nice glow with the electronics constantly running.

Kind of a neat thought.
 
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Now in order to get our Yellow or Blue tint in the window, depending on which you are making, I turn to those see through colored files you can purchase at Walmart. These are typically seen in the stationary section with school supplies.

Once I have a general idea of the size I need, I cut out 2 sheets so it can be double layered.

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As you can likely guess, each sheet gets glued to the inside wall of the spice container.

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And it should come out looking like this in your final stage.

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Now for the final touch in weathering the flash bang. Take a single drop of black acrylic paint into a sauce bowl, or anything really.

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Once you have added a slight amount of water, be sure to mix it really well. You want this stuff to spread good and thin.

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Focus real heavy on the creases of the spice container. You are going to coat those areas and smear everything you place on it. And I mean smear it. Get in there with your hands, and work it into the entire thing, yes even the clear window.

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Don’t be shy about it either. This stuff washes off.
 
Isn't the point of a flashbang to get your way before the other guy knows about it? You know, like to distract him? So basically you'll just have to flashbang the guards and sneak past them. Then, you're all set!

... mostly because you don't have any contraband anymore since you used the illegal flashbang to get into the place where you weren't supposed to have the flashbang.

They should make a red v blue episode about that...
 
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