Props Another One - CMA VK78 Commando

[Negativecacti]

So I've been really getting into make props to increase my arsenal and this time I've decided to make the commando. I always liked the Reach concept for the L73 LMG and now that it's sort of in Infinite with the CMA commando and seeing BlazingForge model his I knew it was time to make it. So now here's another guide on how I did it so you can make your own if you so choose, this is how I did mine and by no means do you have to do it exactly like this. Do what's easiest for you and your abilities.

Things you'll need: 2, 3, 5, 10mm foam, 5/8 wooden dowle, sheet of plastic (like a funko box protector), craft knife and adhesive (super glue or contact cement)

I choose to keep with the 85% scale which fits me perfectly (36" long for this one). To print this correctly from Paint > Print Preview > Page setup > Adjust to 100% normal size. which should give you 8 pages in total but only using 6 for the template.

(Commando compared to the foam MA40 I made)

Now that you have everything printed out and taped together for your template, you'll need 3 pieces of 10mm foam 2 going one way and 1 going the other way for correct orientation. The middle one is where you'll want to place a wooden dowel for the barrel and to add rigidity to structure to the prop and Dremel out the inside face of the other the the barrel can sit relatively flat in-between all three layers. When choosing a dowel for the barrel I try to keep in mind what would look rather realistic. I guessed on 5/8 and seemed to look rather nice which I also wrapped in 2 & 3mm the muzzle and consistency.

I had to make it so it could magnetize to my back like the AR and BR so here is what I did and what I used. I got them from amazon and if it's your first time doing this, you'll need 4 magnets and they come in a pack of 2. --> 2pk 1" neodymium cubes <--

I'm going to leave this here for now so I can think of how to word and structure the rest of this guide.

 

[Negativecacti]

I thought that it'd be helpful to make a legend on what foam I used where and what thickness so here is that.

This part can be a bit tricky so be careful. I started with the front and while I forgot to take some pictures while doing this section it, I'll try to explain it the best I can.

The upper shroud and going all the way back, the hand guard and front of the mag well. I beveled and sanded about 1/4" to get a rough round shape to wrap with foam. The hand guard is 3mm based with 2mm over to give it the slots. The upper shroud has a 2mm base and 5mm over it to give it some bulk to mimic the overhang on the model its self, with a 2mm strips in-between the shroud sections. Now for the "floating" section where the picatinny rail is, I used 2mm pvc board like sintra. The barrel is also wrapped in 2mm foam with 2 & 3 mm to build it up for the muzzle device. The front should end up looking somewhat like this once it's all done. I've added some templates for the hand guard, sight, and ammo counter

 

[EchoCosplay]

The foam thickness guide is brilliant and super helpful, thank you!