EVA Foam M-3 Predator Pistol (Mass Effect 2)

[GeneticSpartan]

This is an M-3 Predator pistol that I am creating out of EVA foam for my friend's Mass Effect based fan film. This is my first time working with EVA foam, as well as making a prop weapon. After this gun is finished, I will be working on a foam Eclipse Mercenary armor, also for the film.

This is the template I made of the gun. I didn't add in all the details to the template since I just wanted to use them to cut out the main foam pieces. The template was traced from screenshots of the gun model that came directly from the game, so it has nearly accurate proportions.

My dremel tool had recently broke near the beginning of this project, so I had to sand everything by hand. XP

After marking the details down with a sharpie pen, the lines, holes, and such were made using a wood burning tool. I tried my best to make as straight of freehand lines as possible, so I went pretty slow. The pill-shaped insets along the barrel were first burned in with a disc-shaped bit on the wood burning tool, and then sanded smooth later.

I tried using several layers of tacky glue to cover up the seams between the layers of foam, but the glue caused smooth spots to show after the plasti dip was applied. This photo was taken before the plasti dip stage.

I was planning on using PVC pipe for the two muzzles of the gun, but I decided to save the trip to the store and just use foam from an old Thanksgiving decoration. X]
I used a Rose Art marker to bend the foam around to create the circular shape, and it happened to turn out just the right size.

This is the finished foam version of the gun. The thin foam pieces used for the different raised grip details of the two handles were also taken from the Thanksgiving decoration. Recycle. :3

And this is currently what the gun looks like after applying 3 layers of the black plasti dip spray. I'm not sure if I like how the texture of the foam is still apparent in the plasti dip, so I may first seal the foam with the PVA glue method before the plasti dip for the Eclipse Mercenary suit I'll be making later. That should provide a smoother surface for the plasti dip coat.

I've also applied the Dupli-Color adhesive promoter, so it's ready for the paint job!

 

[Sepheus 13]

Wow! That looks just amazing! One of the best mass effect weapons I've seen on these forums

 

[DesertFare]

holy whoa, THAT is some quality foam work :x

 

[sidheman]

That's some awesome work! Mind if I snag that template off you? I've got a friend who wants to go as an Asari and wants me to make her dual pistols.

 

[Unity]

Fantastic job man! And welcome to the 405th!

 

[Shaymin Sky]

Awesome pistol. What grit sandpaper did you use to get such a smooth curve?

 

[GeneticSpartan]

Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone! Glad you like the gun

That's some awesome work! Mind if I snag that template off you? I've got a friend who wants to go as an Asari and wants me to make her dual pistols.

Ya, go right ahead! I'd be happy if you used my template.
Let me know how the guns turn out when they're done.

Awesome pistol. What grit sandpaper did you use to get such a smooth curve?

If an area required a lot of sanding, I would first carefully try to remove chunks of the foam by cutting it off with the razor attachment on the wood burning tool. I used an 80 grit sandpaper to sand off a majority of the foam, then I would go over those areas with 320 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. For areas that didn't need too much sanding, I would just use the 320 grit. After sanding, I would quickly shoot it with a heat gun to tighten the surface of the foam.

 

[drack]

This is truly awesome man! I too am on a few foam builds atm and this has inspired me to up my game. Cantwat to see it all painted up.

 

[GeneticSpartan]

Okay, so the majority of the gun is painted...

First, I started with a flat black base coat.

The rest of the painting was all done with acrylic paint, using the dry brush technique. I went with this technique because I wanted to give the gun a scratched metal look. Really easy to do, and you can get pretty good looking results. The paint I used for the metal areas was FolkArt's sterling silver.

For the metal areas that are just a bit more blue, I added a very small amount of cerulean blue paint to the sterling silver. The silver was also used for various scratches around the gun.

Here's a photo to get an idea of the gun's scale.

All that is left to do now is add the decals.
If anyone has any ideas on how I should go about adding the decals, please share. ;]

 

[sidheman]

That's just awesome. Well made, GeneticSpartan! And thanks for letting me swipe your template. Can't wait to see more of what you make!

 

[Kwameninja]

absolutely incredible! I have a good amount of eva foam from failed armor attempt, i may try to make a weapon from it

 

[GeneticSpartan]

It is complete!

I attempted to use masking tape to create the decals, but it wasn't giving me the straight lines I wanted. So, since I'm pretty good with a paintbrush, I did all of the decals freehand. Then I used the dry brush technique with silver and black paint to give the decals some weathering
For the "lights", I first put down blue paint. Then I put dots of hot glue over that, and the paint shows through it.
Finally, the whole gun got a glossy clear coat to give it that shine it has in the game, as well as protect the paint. XP

Now it's time to work on the Eclipse Mercenary armor :3

 

[drack]

Amazing work man, very impressed!! Really looking forward to seeing the armour you make.

 

[jsobin]

What thickness EVA foam are you using? I assume you are working with several different ones

 

[GeneticSpartan]

What thickness EVA foam are you using? I assume you are working with several different ones

Mainly 3/8 inch foam mats, and thin craft foam for some details.

 

[BlueSol]

Wow that's absolutely amazing foam work. Nicely done I mght have to look into getting a wood burning tool

 

[Prettyfloralbonnet]

Well now this is just plain impressive. I've worked with foam before but I have to ask what specific tool(s) did you use to help give you those curved edges on the outer layers? I've tried both regular sanding and the dremel sanding tubes with questionable results.

 

[LilTyrant]

Great looking gun! It looks like you've got some pretty neat tricks for detailing the foam...and I like your paint + hot glue method for the lights. Hope to see more soon!

 

[BioDelta]

ok so im a noob at eva foam why did you plasti dip it?

 

[Prettyfloralbonnet]

Plastidip seals edges, seams, and pits and gives you a paintable surface that is less likely to crack and peel.