Props A Few Things On The Horizon...

As briefly alluded to in my introduction thread, here are a few pics of the schematics I've drafted thus far for some of the HALO weapons I plan on making available:

M6D Pistol (Measures 7 5/8" long by 8" in height)

MA5B Assault Rifle (Measures 30 1/2" long by 10 3/4" in height)

SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle (Measures 30 3/4" long, minus barrel, by 8 5/8" in height, including sight/scope)

For this project, I was originally only going to do the weapons from the first game, but once I got the above ones done, I guess I kinda got a little carried away and ended up drafting some rough schematics for the equivalent weapons from HALO 2, LOL:

M6C Magnum (Measures 7 5/8" long by 6 1/2" in height)

Comparison between First & Second HALO Pistols

BR-55 Battle Rifle (Measures 28" long by 10 1/2" in height, including sight/scope (still being designed on paper))

Sniper Rifle (Measures 25" long, minus barrel, by 8 3/4" in height, including sight/scope (still being designed on paper))

For the masters, I was at first planning on making them out of some sort of soft wood, which would allow for ease of shaping the various parts. I am now contemplating using layered PVC foam board though, as I found with my last scratch-build project that it worked very well in that respect.

And now, for the piece de resistance... based on very limited reference material (even less than what I had to work with on the basic weapons, which wasn't much to begin with), I managed to come up with what I believe to be a faithful depiction of this:

Covenant Plasma Sword (Measures 35 1/2" long by 11 5/8" wide, at its widest point)

Given the overall simplicity of this design compared to any of the other weapons on my "To Do" list, this may very well be the first one of the series to be produced.

For this, I plan on using 1/4" thick, laser-cut flourescent blue plexiglass for the dual blade, with the handle grip being comprised of built-up, layered sheet styrene or PVC foam board. The idea with the flourescent plexi being that maybe its naturally bright properties will be sufficient enough to mimick the glowing effect of the version seen in the games.

If not, then I'll simply install a small ultra-violet bulb in the grip, and with that I'm confident it'll give just the proper look to the piece.

Anyway, those are the schematics I've come up with so far; some finished (HALO), some still rough and in the process of being cleaned up (HALO 2). Like I said before, the hard part's pretty much been done. Pertaining to the Plasma Sword, since taking the above pic I've made some further alterations/revisions to better reflect the in-game render.

Now all I have to do is draft the front- and rear-facing schematics, to get the proper differing widths between the combined parts, and then I should be able to start on fabrication of the actual master props themselves... the Plasma Sword probably being the first one of the production line.

I can't say exactly when I'll be able to get to work on these, as I'm in the middle of packing everything for a move this weekend, but hopefully sometime a little later this summer I'll have gotten started on these.

Questions and comments are welcome, folks...

good luck :christa:

would you be mad if i used your sniper rifle drawing. im having the worst luck finding a good one.

Wow, thats alot of weapons!

Good luck with everything, can't wait to see your progress.

Interesting idea on the Energy Sword... I'll be glad to offer any assistance I can on that one.

Welcome!

WanderingRon1n said:

would you be mad if i used your sniper rifle drawing. im having the worst luck finding a good one.

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Ron, I wouldn't mind at all if you used my schematic for your own build. I take pride in my work, of course, but unlike some unfavourable individuals I've encountered in the hobby, I'm not the type of person to keep any useful reference material or information to myself.

After all, the whole point to this hobby and type of community is to share our knowledge and experience with others, so that we may all improve in our interests, not horde it away for our own selfish means and gloating "I know something you don't".

So, I actually consider that one of the highest compliments someone could bestow upon me, asking to use my material as that indicates to me that the person thinks highly enough of my work that it's good enough for thier own purposes. Thank-you.

You're more than welcome to use it. PM me and we'll figure out the details of how to get the info to you. I don't have it scanned into my computer, so I'd most likely have to mail it to you.

Sean Bradley said:

Wow, thats alot of weapons!

Good luck with everything, can't wait to see your progress.

Interesting idea on the Energy Sword... I'll be glad to offer any assistance I can on that one.

Welcome!

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Sean, thanks for the kind words. I thought using a combination of flourescent plexi as well as internal LED lighting would do the best job of really bringing out the look of the piece, and would better reflect what's seen in-game.

I saw the Plasma Sword you crafted, and I must say, great job on that. Kudos to you, buddy! When I get around to that piece, I would definately appreciate any and all assistance you can offer. Thanks!

sweet i cant wait to get started. im gonna be making a balsa foam version and making it into a mold hopefully. depending on cost.

I bet you're excited about it, buddy. So am I, lol.

Although I myself haven't really done anything with molding/casting yet (haven't been able to make any of my scratch-builds into kits still), from what I know it can be pretty costly.

You have to take into account the expense of the base materials for the master, then the rubber for pouring the silicone mold, then the resin for casting kits (or fiberglass, depending on your preferred medium; I know people in the hobby who do both).

On top of that, there's also the cost of labour involved. So, if you plan on casting anything with the intention of selling them to others, you have to factor all of those expenses into your base price.

Now, most people I know who are involved in that aspect of the hobby tend to charge only a fraction more above the overall costs, as they do it more for the love of the hobby and to help fellow prop enthusiasts, not to make a profit.

I definately plan on getting into the molding/casting angle with the HALO pieces I'll be producing, as I want to be able to offer them to others who I know will appreciate them for what they are.

Anyway, as you can tell, there is a helluva lot involved in the molding/casting process. Really think about whether it's an expense you can afford before going headlong into it.

i was curious to know wether or not if i could use your assault rifle plans and the m6d plans as well if thats 2 much its fine ill keep looking but i was just wondering... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

wow those are extremely good schematics! :mrgreen: Good luck with all of that!

Sorry I haven't been online in the last couple weeks, fellas... moved into a new place and didn't get internet access until late last week, just before the weekend.

xclone16 said:

i was curious to know wether or not if i could use your assault rifle plans and the m6d plans as well if thats 2 much its fine ill keep looking but i was just wondering...

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Clone, as with Ron, I have no problem with you making use of the schematics I drafted for my own builds. I'd consider it the greatest compliment that you want to use mine.

We're all here to share and expand our knowledge with one another, after all *wink*.

Btw, aside from the AR, did you want/need the schematic for both the first-game and second-game versions of the Pistol, or just the first-game version?

Give me your mailing address through PM, I'll make a copy of my original schematics and then send them your way...

:shock: wow thats amazing... BEST OF LUCK :dee:

Thanks, Jeb! I really am looking forward to being able to do something with these.

So far, I've only gotten to this point with the conceptuals for each piece, as with recent matters I haven't really been alotted any free time to get started on any of the physical masters, but I am hoping to get to work on at least or two of these before year's end.

I just have to see if work and my personal life will allow me to squeeze in some time to do these, lol.

For the time being, at least I'm able to be of some assistance to others here looking to do the same thing, by providing them with reference material (ie. schematics) for thier own prop builds. So, at least I'm in some way contributing here...

EDIT: I've received PM's from Ron and one other member regarding copies of my schematics, but I'm still waiting on hearing back from xclone16. Send me your mailing address and I'll get the schematics you requested out to you sometime later this week...

hope everyhitn goes well, the plans look great, bet they will turn out great too, where do you live btw?

i will send you a pm with my adderess so you can send me a copy of the AR + BR plans

Thanks, fellow Spartan!

Considering how much of a stickler for detail and accuracy I am, I don't doubt that the masters I make from these schematics will be exact to what's drawn, heh heh.

I mean, that's always been the end result of every other scratch-build I've ever done. I take great pride in being that exact in my work *grins wide*.

You know, if I'd known my artwork was going to be in so much demand, I would've thought of charging something for these copies, lol.

PM received, btw. I'll get to work on your request along with the others...

P.S., As indicated in my introduction thread, I reside in Ontario, Canada. I would've updated my profile to reflect that info, but I can't seem to do any updates to it... *scratches head*

lol yeah, thank you for doing this for me.

No problem, Spartan. Just trying to help out where I can, is all... :lindsey:

nice designs, no doubt you got the measurements already. how do you plan on making the parts that bulge out of the rifle (e.g. the hand grip on the BR and the AR)?

Thanks for the compliments. Much appreciated.

Yeah, I did manage to procure some measurements of the weapons prior to drafting my schematics, but they seemed a little too large to me so I scaled them down just a wee bit to better fit someone not seven feet tall, lol. Wouldn't want these pieces looking rediculously huge in someone's hands.

As for the "bulging" parts on some of the weapons (ie. grips on the AR and BR), I plan on simply sculpting them to shape using layered PVC foam board. It's a light material and very versatile, and when layered is very solid/strong, so it should work rather nicely...

Really thought this whole process through, now the only thing you still should try to make is a rocket launcher :dee:

A rocket launcher would be awsome!!!