Props Resistance Crossbow - HL2

Ok, I'm going to try and make a Resistance Crossbow from Half Life 2 as a test bed for ideas that I've got.

If you've never played Half Life 2, this is the weapon.






I've been trying to figure out ways to make this without needing to put too much effort into it, and I'm begining to think it might just be faster to use wood and metal.

The trick I want to test out is - casting a mold that glowing bolt (just a rebar), then pouring a clear resin into it while submerging a cold cathode LED tube (like the ones used in PC mods), then painting the 'glow' color on top of the cast.

I did have a few small questions tho... The first is scale. Anyone have a good guess on how long/wide a crossbow normally is?

The metal wire... I could use the real thing, but I was wondering if anyone had ever found a trick to substitute it for something easier to handle/distress?

...and the Cathode Tube. I've done electronic work before, and the LEDs use a DC conversion unit... I should be able to wire one up to a battery right? I'd have to find out what resister goes in circuit with it? ...Sorry on this last one, I should know it.

you could get a cheap compound bow from a sporting store for the actual bow part. This gun looks like a makeshift weapon made from a compound bow.

Huh... You know, I hadn't even thought of that.

And it might be better to just do that than to craft the arms myself...