Props The Skookum Halo Props Thread

[TurboCharizard]

Some of you folks may know my alter ego, some may not so the thread title may be lost on you but the gist of this thread is that I needed a repository for all of my Halo themed weapon and prop builds that's separate from several planned armour and costume builds.

The first post is reserved as an index with links to individual props and then each prop will have one or more posts dedicated to it depending on the build complexity and the media included to showcase the build. Expect basically an concept post, a build post and an "in the field" post showcasing the build somewhere that isn't on my workbench.

Questions are always welcome and if I don't cover something clearly just give a shout so that I can make sure everyone is on the same footing and can learn some sweet tricks from my trial and error.

Halo 3 Props
M7/Caseless Submachine Gun

• M7 Construction
• M7 Completed Photos

Halo: Reach Props
Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle "Spartan Laser"

• W/AV M6 G/GNR Construction
• W/AV M6 G/GNR Completed Photos

Halo 4 Props
Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher "Needler"

• Type-33 Construction
• Type-33 Completed Photos

 

[TurboCharizard]

M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
Halo 3 Variant

Build Concept
I'm kicking the thread off with some new content because that's what's honestly the most fun right? My visit to 343i for Halo Community Day was going to be the last hurrah for my two year old ODST costume since I've grown so much as a builder and I know all it's faults and inaccuracies that it's become the shunned costume in my storage room. Then I got to the Halo Museum prop weapon wall.

Some of you may recognize this one from about 1:27 onward.

I spent two evenings fiddling around in Fusion 360 to make as close to game accurate as possible a replica from Halo 3 while still matching the "We Are ODST" props that were in the museum. The main difference between mine and the museum piece is the build materials, I'm currently planning on leaving mine as a 3D print and not moving forward to resin casting. The museum piece also had a semi-movable priming bolt but I'm always hesitant to add details like those and triggers on my props for not wanting to be SWATed reasons. Additions that my version has that are not on the museum prop are a magnetized removable magazine and hinged folding foregrip.

The current setup is to allow a sleeve attachment for the extended suppressor and a bolt to be added to lock the red dot sight to convert between the Halo 3 and Halo 3:ODST variants. The Halo 3:ODST up-rev attachments will be added on in a later post.

As is usual, I'm giving myself a stupid short deadline to build this prop so between model start and debut convention was 9 days, I've currently modelled, printed and surface prepped everything in preparation for paint in six so buckle up kiddos. Next post is about all good things to do with PLA, adhesives and paints.

 

[TurboCharizard]

M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
Halo 3 Variant

Construction

Assembly for the current version of the M7 Caseless Submachine Gun was relatively simple and helped show the errors in the original model that needed rectification before making parts kits for sale to others and sending out to friends.

The model was split into ten pieces for printing on a Tevo Tornado (300mm x 300mm print bed) and would be required to be further split up for printing on a smaller print bed.

M7 Pieces according to .stl file naming

• M7Barrel
• M7Foregrip (2 required, one mirrored)
• M7LeftBody
• M7Magazine
• M7RightBody
• M7SightInsert
• M7Stock (2 required, one mirrored)
• M7StockExtension

Time was of the essence in this prototype build so the slight peel up on the handle of one half of the main body was allowed to continue and save redoing a ~20 hour print and potentially delaying the project. The only downside of this was that there was a little bit extra Bondo and sanding to do but it's a trade off of time occasionally, two hours of extra body work and surface finishing or wait until the next day for the part to hopefully finish correctly.

Because I might as well ease my way into posting videos of builds, I did a quick show off of the pieces in their test fitting. Once I have my crafting dungeon set up in a better way that's accomodating of audio and video recording you might be seeing more videos that are actually /helpful/ instead of just waving a prop around. Would videos be something that folks are interested in?

The M7 prototype was being built alongside a few other pieces in con-crunch for Fan Expo Vancouver so apologies if it's not the primary focus of all the photos. First up was a coat of Duplicolour automotive filler primer. This makes it easy to spot anywhere that may have been missed by making everything one colour and filling some surface imperfections and remaining layer lines. Low spots and cracks that weren't immediately visible before priming were filled with Bondo Glazing Putty, let dry and sanded with 220 grit sandpaper. Another coat of filler primer was then applied and then a pass of 300 grit sandpaper was the final cleanup before colour coats.


After that I moved onto a base colour primer that suits the needs of the prop. For guns with moulded plastic and rubber parts I like to use a satin finish paint to save on effort later on so this was a job for Rustoleum Canyon Black Satin.


Moulded plastic sections were masked off after the black primer was given a day to full cure. Vallejo Model Air paints were used for this one so that the metals matched the M45 and M6 on the wall once mounted. First I did two heavy coats hitting everywhere with Metallic Black for a good base colour. From a high angle to exaggerate highlights and fake light hitting raised sections I used Gunmetal being careful to avoid deep recesses. Aluminum was then applied to extreme corners and high spots. Dark Gray was then added into the recesses to mute some of the possible shine from the paints. If there's a general tip I can offer for painting, build up depth of colour to make things look more natural looking and add highlighting that exaggerates the form of the prop in its natural held position.


A Krylon Crystal Clear coat was then applied to protect the airbrush paint and make the weathering step easier. This was allowed to cure for two hours and then the el cheapo dollar store paints came out along with the chip brushes for some dry brushing. Light scraping around edges and protrusions (magazine edges, receiver, stock corners) were brushed on using FolkArt Silver Anniversary. For plastic sections I took a similar approach but focussed more on points of contact with gloves and hands wearing down material and went crazy with DecoArt Storm Clod Grey.


As a last step, I use acrylic vanishes to protect the paint job with a hard top coat because I'm clumsy and every bit of protection helps! It was my first time using these and I'm definitely a fan. A little goes a long way and the cure time is super quick, especially when you use thin coats as directed. For a large-ish prop like this I poured a little bead onto a spot of the region I was working in and spread it out with a foam brush.

A bolt, two washers and a nut were installed to secure the foregrip and then the M7 got to go meet it's big brother!

Materials Used
eSun PLA+ Gray
EconoFil PLA Orange
LePage 5 Minute Epoxy
Dupliolor Filler Primer
Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X Satin Black
Krylon ColorMaster Clear Gloss
P3 Khador Red Base
Folk Art 506 Silver Anniversary.

 

[TurboCharizard]

M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
Halo 3 Variant

Completed Photos

I like you guys so I'm going to give you an advance look at a bunch of stuff from this weekend that was shot by cywhphotography took this weekend that showcase both the M7 and awildshannon 's convention debut of her Noble 6! We also met a new friend! dezwings (going to be making a 405th account) was super nice and I'm really happy we bumped into her in her Master Chief for some photos together.

This post will be updated in the future as more photoshoots and glam happen surrounding the M7.

No more words, just pictures. Enjoy.

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[Sean Anwalt]

Epic prop in 6 days. Yay!

 

[TurboCharizard]

M7 Caseless SMG posts are updated and a poll was added to the top of the thread. The plan for the poll is to let it run for a week, do a bunch of posts and then refresh the poll by removing the most popular option.

As I build more Halo props, I will update the poll options on a regular basis.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher "Needler"
Halo 4 Variant

Build Concept
This build was one that was taken on as a challenge for a child's costume nearly two years ago so the photo documentation of the process wasn't quite as consistent and the skills employed were... lesser. The important thing though is it taught me concepts required to complete the Fuel Rod Cannon and other large XPS builds.

The challenge was for a child sized Needler that could light up, be convention friendly and stay within a materials budget of $30.

To do this I made use of the most lightweight materials that would still be able to withstand the trials of a seven year old that I had excess of and sample pieces (free) from the local plastics store.

A quick pattern was designed in SketchUp and printed to approximately 60% in game scale (which is still goofy big because Needler).

 

[TurboCharizard]

Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher "Needler"
Halo 4 Variant

Construction

Being light enough for a child to carry around and inevitably be thrown into a bag by a parent to be carried the rest of the day was the name of the game here. XPS in thin sections is relatively fragile but when layered up it is exceptionally light and if layered correctly will be resistant to snapping. With a hard shell of Worbla over the parts that are most likely to be banged and dented the majority of the downfalls of the material are mitigated.

The body was two 3/4" sheets of C-200 XPS foam that were taped together for a temporary bond when shaping. Being able to split the two halves before final assembly and cleanup was necessary to install the electronics within the front end of the prop. The basic shape was cut out using a scroll saw to guarantee perpendicular cuts, this step can be done by hand with a knife but more sanding and shaping might need to be done to match the two halves. Curvature was added using a rasp and sanders while planar sections at lower levels were cut out using a router and then cleaned up with a rotary tool. Everything was then hand sanded.


To keep the cost of the prop within the build budget 25 bare LEDs with no controller or fancy business were used to illuminate coloured Worbla TranspArt to make the familiar pink glow the Needler emits. The LED array was laid out on a breadboard and thoroughly tested by mashing the big red button that was to be used as a trigger.


The LEDs were soldered and labelled so that proper channels inside of the XPS could be cut to embed the lights.


Using painters tape a rough pattern of the XPS body was made to produce a Worbla shell for the high wear areas of the prop. Heating the Worbla and then forming it to the XPS body to get the proper curvature made everything nice and simple.

This prop is the only time I've had moderate success using Worbl TranspArt and I personally don't recommend it to anyone. I made a small shape to form the Needles over, heated the Worbla and then pressed it over the Needle form before trimming away any excess. Worbla TranspArt likes very hot temperatures to start being malleable and it's self adhesive properties don't really kick in until even hotter, if you've ever played with FinestArt this is similar but infuriatingly different.


Tape holding the XPS halves together was removed, wiring channels were cut into the foam and then everything was assembled with 3M Spray Super 77. Commence fancy flashlight testing once everything is set up.


Painting for the most part was a quick and easy affair. Exposed sections of XPS foam were coated in acrylic gesso to give a protective layer that paint will bond well to. Once that was set pink illuminated sections were masked off and everything was given a black primer coat. From there blues were added and worked up to a purple/pink that is seen on the final piece. I know that this was one of the first props I painted with my airbrush, I cannot for the life of me remember what paints were used.


Some smaller details were brushed on by hand and a clear coat was added before sending this Needler off to it's new home.


Materials Used
C-200 XPS Foam
Worbla Finest Art
Worbla TranspArt
3M Spray Super 77
Momentary Push Button
25 Cool White LEDs
9V Battery Connector
20 AWG Solid Core Wire
Perfboard
Acrylic Gesso
Paints of an airbrush variety

 

[TurboCharizard]

Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher "Needler"
Halo 4 Variant

Completed Photos

 

[TurboCharizard]

Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle "Spartan Laser"
Halo Reach Variant

Build Concept
The honest concept behind this build was an offhanded comment about making some dumb meme photos to go along with the Area 51 raid that was announced over the summer.

The idea was simple, answer the question of what they were hiding in Area 51 and how can we best show off the sweet loot found within. I went to the drawing board with a few ideas of things I wanted to make and compared them to my scale model of myself in Armorsmith along with another prop of known goofy size. A size comparison of all UNSC weapons was also extremely useful for scaling things properly.

Originally I had wanted to make a Focus Rifle (some day I will) but it being over five feet long, two feet wide and two and a half feet tall made it a bit of a pain to transport. Enter the slightly more realistically sized but still gosh darned goofy W/AV M6 G/GNR.

With concept art and Armory files in hand I went off into the world of Fusion 360 to knock out a giant build within three weeks of build time.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle "Spartan Laser"
Halo Reach Variant

Construction

No matter what, this was going to be a big model with need for extra structural support and as much weight reduction as possible to save time in printing, cost of material and ultimately the shoulders of the poor bastard (me) who has to carry this thing. With that in mind the design process focused on blocking out the main body shape of the laser and then shelling them before the level of complexity increased beyond the point that Fusion360 can handle.

The overall form of the laser body changed slightly between concept art and the in game version. The concept art was a little more streamlined and less "tall". I have a feeling that it was intended to be even longer than it ended up as in it's final form and was adjusted to what we know and love.

From the references and in game files it showed that the laser is almost mirror symmetric along it's body except for a few additional warning labels on the right side and extra controls on the left side. This made modelling simple since one half could be completed, mirrored and then extras added onto the base form.


To further reduce demands of printing, materials already available were integrated into the design to add structure without having to strain the print robots. 5mm steel rods, 2" OD ABS and 20mm aluminum square tubing were used for support rods, the barrel base and the upper shroud housing support respectively.


The upper housing of the main body is removable to store a battery pack and the absolute mass of wires needed to toss the 18 LEDs into the removable panel and the 9 LEDs throughout the rest of the body. The foregrip rotates to lock into two different positions. The model allows for the upper shroud to close but for stability and strength of a clumsy operator (me) it's locked in place currently. Please enjoy some renders of the big goofy space laser model.

All said and done the main body of the laser was 39 separate files for printing excluding 32 hex-bolt and other fasteners modeled to be added on after painting to reduce amount of masking required in the paint step. Each main body section roughly was 36-48 hours of print time and the entire model consumed 4kg of filament plus or minus some tail ends of spools.


To supplement the painting I designed some stencils and stickers of warning labels and indicators that appear on the body of the prop. I haven't added them at the time of writing this due to vinyl supply I had on hand being a butt and not cutting properly but soon enough I'll have some glamour shots with the full meal deal.

Printing out these beastly parts was fun watching the real scale of the prop become apparent. When you know the dimensions but don't really think about how big it actually is all together it makes for a giddy maker. I can be quoted as giggling and laying out parts on the floor and chanting "BIG CHUNGUS".


Assembling everything made the weight of it apparent with the extra steel and aluminum supports. This is something that sticks near a booth when in SPARTAN gear or is a team effort with a handler since hefting it for long periods of time will get tiring real quick. Sanding and body work was done over the course of four very late nights and then it was coated with two to three rounds of filler primer depending on the area.


Electronics install for certain parts such as the barrel needed to be done post-paint and pre-final assembly so that they could be reached and properly soldered together in a reasonable fashion without having to feed wires through with fishing line. It was interesting to say the least. The whole prop is powered by a standard USB power bank so it's as easy as plugging your Splazer into the wall to recharge. All said and done there are 27 LEDs that are between 2.1V and 3.4V so resistor values are varied depending on location.

• 2 firing indicator 5mm Red LEDS
• 3 laser emitter 5mm Red LEDS
• 2 forward housing 5mm Red LEDS
• 2 shroud raised indication 5mm Blue LEDS
• 2 triangular indicator 5mm Red LEDS
• 16 emitter housing 5mm LEDS (Red, Orange, Amber, Yellow, Warm White)

And the mandatory "I made a thing" picture at the 98% assembled stage. Tiny Charizard included in image so I can still be identified.

Materials Used
eSun PLA+ Gray - 4kg
5mm stainless steel rod - 3m
20mm aluminum square pipe - 10cm
2" OD ABS pipe - 60cm
Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy
BSI InstaCure+
BSI InstaSet
Bondo Body Filler
Bondo Glazing Putty
Rustoleum Filler Primer Gray
Duplicolor Filler Primer Red
Rustoleum 2X Black Primer
Vallejo 74.612 NATO Green Surface Primer
Vallejo Metal Colour 77.720 Gunmetal Gray
Vallejo Metal Colour 77.712 Steel
Vallejo Metal Colour 77.701 Aluminum
20 AWG Solid Core Wire
Perfboard
Resistors (+/-5% set) various
USB cable
LEDs various
Caffeine - lots
Alchohol - various

 

[PaiganBoi]

*sniff*
So... Beautiful.
*sniff sniff*

 

[Sean Anwalt]

When I grow up, I wanna build props like TurboCharizard builds!

 

[xXDashIVXx]

With all that effort put into electronics, please tell me it shakes a d makes noises when "used"! (You gotta do this)

This is so beutiful. I NEEEEED IT!!!

 

[TurboCharizard]

*sniff*
So... Beautiful.
*sniff sniff*

I still need to figure out a display stand for this since I don't have a mantle or a bar to hang it over.

When I grow up, I wanna build props like TurboCharizard builds!

Good news! You're already kind of grown up and you already do make props!

With all that effort put into electronics, please tell me it shakes a d makes noises when "used"! (You gotta do this)

This is so beutiful. I NEEEEED IT!!!

I don't have a soundboard in it yet but I do have plans to add in the rangefinder screen so options are available! If you have access to a large enough 3D printer you can build your own fairly easily as well.

 

[RandomRanger]

With all that effort put into electronics, please tell me it shakes a d makes noises when "used"!

Electronics in the prop. Hmm. I regret opening this thread.
My guns should make sound.
And update an ammo counter in the HUD.

Curse you.

 

[RandomRanger]

Follow up question: does anyone build their foam props hollow?
I just decided to engineer TS out of my prop.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Electronics in the prop. Hmm. I regret opening this thread.
My guns should make sound.
And update an ammo counter in the HUD.

You'll like the next few fiddly props I'm tinkering on.

 

[PaiganBoi]

Follow up question: does anyone build their foam props hollow?
I just decided to engineer TS out of my prop.

It's not truly hollow but, for the AR I built it has a removable clip.
This is just a guess on my part.
Unless you are using HD Foam, having cavities in a prop weapon for future electronic upgrades would affect the integrity of the prop.
You could aways put in some sort of faom dummy plug to keep it solid until the cavity is filled with the said electronics.

 

[Dirtdives]

View attachment 278411

Reminds me of someone.........Oh yeah........

Gomer Pyle!!!!!