Props FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- SAW is finished!!!

[MorganWolfblood]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

My Forerunners! You're an inspiration with your foam skills. I'm new to eva foam and I'm working on an armor now as well as some props and seeing what you've pulled off is a good motivation. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[Blade137]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Great job.

 

[ROBOBOY]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

that is some amazing foam work I wish I had that talent with foam I always screw up somewhere along the way.

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Thank you very much for the kind words guys! As for screwing up... that's half the battle, especially with scratch builds and no blueprints! (Same goes for armor, not just weapons) There's a lot of cutting out a part and hoping it matches the scale and shapes you need, but that's what makes scratch building so much fun, in my opinion!

 

[tomboy]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Can I recommend using a spray adhesive or multi-purpose glue instead of hot glue? While great for connecting joints, I find that hot glue leaves things a little... bumpy. I use Loctite spray adhesive for either very large pieces or when I have to connect the backs of EVA floor mats. For detail pieces, I use Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky glue, but I think any multi-purpose glue should work. It gives it a smoother, flater finish.

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Can I recommend using a spray adhesive or multi-purpose glue instead of hot glue? While great for connecting joints, I find that hot glue leaves things a little... bumpy. I use Loctite spray adhesive for either very large pieces or when I have to connect the backs of EVA floor mats. For detail pieces, I use Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky glue, but I think any multi-purpose glue should work. It gives it a smoother, flater finish.

Thanks for the tip! I have used spray adhesive on a few other props, and I have issues with the parts delaminating, despite following the instructions. I agree that hot glue leaves the thin foamies quite bubbly/wavy, so I think I'll give contact cement go. A bit longer on the drying times, but should give me a smooth and strong result.

 

[tomboy]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

I have used spray adhesive on a few other props, and I have issues with the parts delaminating, despite following the instructions.

Sorry to hear it. I haven't had this problem much. All I can think of is apply more glue, pressure and time. The foam can absorb a lot of that glue before it can work, so I use a heavier application than advised, pile books and weights on whatever I'm glueing together, and leave it overnight. After that, my stuff doesn't come apart without some serious effort.

Or maybe your materials just need a stronger glue or something designed for porous materials? I hope the contact cement works for you!

 

[Minishdude1]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Nice build! Where did you go about getting a template? or was it all done by eyeing it?

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Nice build! Where did you go about getting a template? or was it all done by eyeing it?

Thanks! All of my foam work is completely scratch built, so no templates. Usually I just look up the rough dimensions online (length, for the most part) and then determine all of the shapes and sizes from there!

 

[m00sem4n]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Thanks! All of my foam work is completely scratch built, so no templates. Usually I just look up the rough dimensions online (length, for the most part) and then determine all of the shapes and sizes from there!

Well just keep doin' what you're doin', because your work comes out looking mighty fine haha. I saw your M6 a while back and never got around to asking, how are those coats of modge podge holding up? Any creasing, cracking? Does it retain the foam's flexibility? Having never used the stuff I am really curious because it certainly looks fantastic and I want to experiment with foam prop making after seeing what you've been able to produce!

Also, any chance we'll see some work on that sweeeet SAW you started? *hint*hint*

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Well just keep doin' what you're doin', because your work comes out looking mighty fine haha. I saw your M6 a while back and never got around to asking, how are those coats of modge podge holding up? Any creasing, cracking? Does it retain the foam's flexibility? Having never used the stuff I am really curious because it certainly looks fantastic and I want to experiment with foam prop making after seeing what you've been able to produce!

Also, any chance we'll see some work on that sweeeet SAW you started? *hint*hint*

Thanks for the encouragement, Moosem4n!

The mod podge seems to be holding up pretty well, and has only worn away a tiny, tiny bit where the prop has seen a little too much contact with other objects haha. As well, the foam is still slightly flexible.

All of that being said, I will likely just plasti dip(possibly not even plasti dip) and spray paint my next props. I find spray paint cures better than the acrylics I used on my m6g.

As for the saw, it is way on the back burner right now. I really want to finish off my suit before anything else, as well I have 3 vehicles that are constantly in one state of repair or another lol, and other toys in the garage that also require a lot of time and attention. On that note, would anyone in the edmonton ton area like to buy a right hand drive subaru!? Lol

 

[Eldwain]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

WOW! Just WOW! amazingly fine work. and that first set of magnum photos, im gonna be using those as reference for my next build. Very well done sir.

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

WOW! Just WOW! amazingly fine work. and that first set of magnum photos, im gonna be using those as reference for my next build. Very well done sir.

Thanks dude! Hopefully I'll be able to get back to this and bang out the smg's once my armor is completed!

 

[ScarletOkami169]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Nice craftsmanship there Phil, but could you make a MA-5C Assault rifle, or atleast link a Tutorial? im on a project for some MK VI armour... but i keep running into the problem of "foam or custom made airsoft?" but it seems like Foam is a good place to start (can you do the same for a Energy sword hilt?)

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Nice craftsmanship there Phil, but could you make a MA-5C Assault rifle, or atleast link a Tutorial? im on a project for some MK VI armour... but i keep running into the problem of "foam or custom made airsoft?" but it seems like Foam is a good place to start (can you do the same for a Energy sword hilt?)

Thanks man! And sorry for the delayed response!

If you have a look through the halo props sub forum, I believe there are a couple ar's that have been built using the same methods I use! It's really straightforward, you just need to look long and hard at reference photos, and decide how you are going to layer it all together, make certain angles work, hide rough cut edges, etc. You could definitely make an energy sword hill with foam (though it wouldn't support a blade), it would just involve some shaping with a Dremel, and a heat gun to wrap thin craft foam around certain parts for detail. My best advice is to take your time, and be very precise with cutting and gluing the parts together. If I recall correctly, I took roughly 15 hours to do my magnum. Not a ton of time, but longer than I've seen some people spend on a foam prop. It all pays off!

On an added note, I've been playing with contact cement on my armor build, and the stuff is awesome for glueing large thin pieces of craft foam, amd doesn't leave any ridges or bumps.

 

[kilroyactual117]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

These are very cool. I've been thinking about trying something like this for a while. I'm thinking I'll have to now.

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Hey guys! I'm back to work, going hard on my SAW to finish it off before the halo 5 midnight launch! My explanations won't be very in depth, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

As per my methods of building, gotta add some more layers!






So many circles.... workin on the mag. Ended up making a small magnetic "door" on the side of the mag so I can store stuff in there... it's a good place to easily toss photographers' business cards and stuff at cons.







And here is as she sits for the moment!

 

[Meatwad]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Wow man, as always, very impressive. I can't wait to see more!

 

[FlyinPhil]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- Dual SMG's too!

Wow man, as always, very impressive. I can't wait to see more!

Thanks Meatwad!

So another update for you guys. I coated any remaining styrofoam board with two generous layers of wood glue. This will prevent my plasti dip and spray paint from eating away into it. It will also prevent my contact cement from eating it where I need to add some thin foam details, especially around the grip area.



Next I cut up some pvc and abs with my angle grinder, drill, and files to make the barrel. I had to add one 2mm foam layer between the abs and the pvc to account for a slight diameter difference. This was assembled using contact cement as well.





After adding the barrel, I realized the front of the gun was quite heavy, so I decided to add some scrap 1/4" steel plate pieces to the rear to even it out. There is one piece on each side, and it feels far better now! These will be covered in the next couple of steps.



And here she sits! I added quite a bit of detail to the mag and other parts, though it's not super noticeable in this pic. Once painted I'll be able to snap better pics of the details. I still have to make the rest of the barrel shroud assembly and add some detail around the butt. It's looking more and more like a saw though!

 

[Dystorted Props]

Re: FlyinPhil's fantastic thread of foamy weapon goodness- SAW updates!

Please Dude! STOP!

You are too good at it! Making me want to create foam weapons man...

Keep it up! This is too good for my eyes to bear. :lol
~Dystorted Props~