Wasteland Gun, Sword and Muzzle
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| Photoshoot of the Wasteland set |
These Wasteland props were “quick” projects mainly to develop some skills in creativity (in coming up with new designs) and in painting. I enjoy creating props that look old and tell a story, so what better way to do it than with weapons from a junkyard?
The first
weapon is a Nerf Gun mod, taking the Nerf Maverick and painting it to look
worn. This mod was also paired with a knife, and the two can be used together
to create a ranged/melee firearm.
The second
was a close combat weapon, based on a design I found here. So it’s not actually
my own design, but I took the basic shape of it and put in some of my own
twists. It’s a melee weapon made from a saw, so what other choice did I have
then to call it a “sawd”?
Finally, a
muzzle was created, mainly because I found the pattern for it and thought it
looked awesome.
Wasteland Firearm
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| Wasteland firearm with knife attachment |
Knife Construction:
The basis
of the knife was actually from a failed attempt to create the Voltron Blade of
Marmora dagger. It takes the basic shape of it, being made from two sheets of
8mm EVA foam, and I then turned it into a combat knife, creating the [dip in
the front] and then beveling the edges. Two rectangular holes were cut from the
top of the knife to allow it to be strapped to the gun.
The handle
was simply made from two sheets of 8mm foam stuck together with contact cement,
then rounded to an ellipse in a shape that would reasonably be able to hold the
tang of the blade if it were a real weapon. This was then glued to the blade.
With the
two parts assembled, notches needed to be cut/sanded out of the top of the knife
to allow the rounded extrusions on the Maverick to fit. Once done, cuts and grooves
were cut from the blade to make it look really damaged, while a woodgrain was
added to the handle.
Gun modifications
No parts or
extensions were added to the Maverick, however the screw holes were filled with
epoxy (done badly, however, as it was my first time) and once dry, were filed/sanded
down flat, along with the gun’s logos and text. The paint was then scuffed up
with sandpaper to allow paint to grab and hold better.
Gun/Knife painting:
The knife
was sealed with a few layers of Modge Podge. However, to give texture, it was
not wet-sanded smooth. Once dry, both weapons were given a couple of coats of
black primer. The knife was then given a black wash with a mop brush to allow
it to hold paint better.
All
metallic parts of the gun and knife were done by dry brushing metallic paint in
multiple layers. Areas, such as the wood on both parts, were masked off to prevent
any over-brushing.
The wood texture
was made by creating lighter and darker tones of a burnt sienna paint to give
it different shades. These were applied to the wooden parts by roughly dabbing
the paint onto these parts.
The rust
was created using similar paints above, but also by combining it with reds and
yellows. These colours of paint were again roughly dabbed on, but in places
where water would gather and hence form rust (such as on corners or in grooves).
Everything
was varnished and painting was done!
The bandage
wrap was created from an unknown type of fabric, cut to shape and then sanded
to roughen it up. This was then coffee stained, similar to the Blade of Marmora
dagger. This bandage can be wrapped around the gun’s barrel’s base and around
the holes if the knife to tie the two together.
The gun handle was wrapped with faux leather strips and sanded down, and the knife handle was wrapped with an old shoelace to look like a rope grip.
The gun handle was wrapped with faux leather strips and sanded down, and the knife handle was wrapped with an old shoelace to look like a rope grip.
Wasteland “Sawd”
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| Wasteland melee "Sawd" |
Construction:
Using the image
from here, I took the basic design of the hand saw, metal spine and handle, then added
some of my own flair to it. The shape of the saw was cut out of 8mm foam, along
with the spine. A small trench was then cut/sanded to allow a wooden dowel to
sit inside, adding support to the prop. This was then glued in place with
contact cement and PVA glue. The handle was created in a similar fashion and
glued on.
The edge of
the weapon was beveled and then notches were cut to form the points. Chipped
edges were added along the saw spine and the metal spine, but I then decided to
cut a rough chunk from the blade to make it look even more damaged. It’s likely
not realistic, but I think it still looks alright.
Attached to
the bottom of the handle is a sheet of 3mm foam, cut and shaped to look as if it
was off, say, a car muffler. 3mm foam was also used to create metal straps that
wrapped around the saw and spine to hold everything together. These were also
then chipped.
For the
nuts and bolts, because plastic ones could not be found, metal ones were used.
They were first sanded to allow for paint. Holes were cut in the foam and the bolts
were screwed in, attaching the nuts on the other side. These were all
superglued in place. Before doing all this, a test piece of foam was used to make
sure the weight of the metal would not tear or distort the foam.
Painting:
Everything
was sealed in a couple of layers of Modge Podge. I attempted to add a rust texture
by using a rough brush and dab the Modge Podge on, but it kept leveling out
before it could dry. Salt was planned to be used however I ran out of time to
test it.
After sealing,
the weapon was primed with a couple of layers of black primer, then was also
given a couple of layers of a wash.
Once dry,
everything was given multiple layers of metallic dry brushing, minus the handle
as it was to be wrapped. The saw was not given as many layers as the rest as it
was to be covered in a rust texture.
The rustic
texture was applied the same was as to the gun/knife, however with many more
shades and layers. This texture was also applied to the rest of the weapon,
just not so heavily.
The handle
was wrapped with black and yellow electrical tape to give it some more colour. This
was then sanded down and slightly weathered with a bright sienna colour to look
like sand.
Once again,
after a couple of layers of varnish, the prop was finished.
Wasteland Muzzle
Construction:
The pattern
for the muzzle was created by Kamui Cosplay and can be found here. I cut out the
pieces from 3mm foam, then beveled and stuck them together as instructed. Everything
was heat sealed before moving straight onto painting. Firstly, a couple of black
wash layers were added to allow the next layers of paint to grab better.
Painting colours and techniques similar the wood effect of the gun/knife were
used to create a leather look.
Once dry,
cross stitches were painstakingly sewn on over all the seams (but well worth it).
The back of the seams were hot glued for strength and to prevent the stitches
from becoming undone.
Finally,
the muzzle was sealed with a couple of layers of Modge Podge as I felt the
paint would likely wear off quickly. This also helped to keep the stitches
stuck down.
After that,
the wasteland weapons were complete! I then did a quick photoshoot with my
sister to showcase all items.
Questions? Comments? Be sure to leave them below! I always welcome complements, but I love and encourage feedback even more.
