Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle: FINISHED! See p.5
- Thread starter Volpin
- Start date
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- Tags
- mass effect
Agent RayBans
Sr Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
You sure do like to keep yourself busy Volpin! The gun looks great!
You sure do like to keep yourself busy Volpin! The gun looks great!
astrocreep_22re
New Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
As always you are doing a great job. Looks great!
As always you are doing a great job. Looks great!
Shin Yodama
New Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Absolutely brilliant. More!
Absolutely brilliant. More!
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Likewise with your armor - and thanks for detailing that build process so thoroughly!
So far this puppy is about 5lbs. Not too bad, and not likely to get much heavier than that. 5.5-6lbs at most for the wooden version. Once its done, I'll be tinkering with the idea of making a mold of the whole thing for resin copies.
so with the continuing idea of spending $0 on this project, I went digging through my bucket of derelict electronics looking for a battery holder for the LEDs. I found an old XM radio controller from back in my days as a car stereo installer. I probably have 30 various little remotes like this lying around.
Cracked it open and sawed off everything around the battery box, then sank it into the handle. There will be a plate to cover this made later.
From here I started routing wires. You can just barely make out the microswitch at the front of the trigger in this shot - this will turn the muzzle LEDs on and off when the trigger is pulled. I might put a spare 555 timer chip in there to make them strobe, if I have time. That project might have to wait though.
THIS STUPID PIECE. ugh. Took me way too long. Lets not talk about it anymore.
Trigger guard cut from the same random nylon bar I carved the trigger out of. I sorta forget how well this stuff takes paint, but I want to say poorly... oh well, we'll find out soon enough.
Also contoured the back, um, plate things. These can be glued in place once I chamfer the edges. The edges on the small trapezoid thing below it have also been beveled.
And finally the gun assembled (once again!) and in its component pieces. I started carving seam lines last night, looking pretty good so far. No pics yet, but I'll update again at the end of the week.
Thanks for all the compliments guys! New goal is to have all the primer work and building done in 1 week from today, ready for paint by next weekend.
Likewise with your armor - and thanks for detailing that build process so thoroughly!
So far this puppy is about 5lbs. Not too bad, and not likely to get much heavier than that. 5.5-6lbs at most for the wooden version. Once its done, I'll be tinkering with the idea of making a mold of the whole thing for resin copies.
so with the continuing idea of spending $0 on this project, I went digging through my bucket of derelict electronics looking for a battery holder for the LEDs. I found an old XM radio controller from back in my days as a car stereo installer. I probably have 30 various little remotes like this lying around.
Cracked it open and sawed off everything around the battery box, then sank it into the handle. There will be a plate to cover this made later.
From here I started routing wires. You can just barely make out the microswitch at the front of the trigger in this shot - this will turn the muzzle LEDs on and off when the trigger is pulled. I might put a spare 555 timer chip in there to make them strobe, if I have time. That project might have to wait though.
THIS STUPID PIECE. ugh. Took me way too long. Lets not talk about it anymore.
Trigger guard cut from the same random nylon bar I carved the trigger out of. I sorta forget how well this stuff takes paint, but I want to say poorly... oh well, we'll find out soon enough.
Also contoured the back, um, plate things. These can be glued in place once I chamfer the edges. The edges on the small trapezoid thing below it have also been beveled.
And finally the gun assembled (once again!) and in its component pieces. I started carving seam lines last night, looking pretty good so far. No pics yet, but I'll update again at the end of the week.
Thanks for all the compliments guys! New goal is to have all the primer work and building done in 1 week from today, ready for paint by next weekend.
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Wow, I love it!!! Great skills!
Wow, I love it!!! Great skills!
Eclipse
New Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
I really love that last picture for some reason. It makes it fee like a real rifle in a way in that it can be assembled from all the parts. Anyway, the progress on this continues to be amazing and I am extremely excited to here that there may be resin copies made available!
I really love that last picture for some reason. It makes it fee like a real rifle in a way in that it can be assembled from all the parts. Anyway, the progress on this continues to be amazing and I am extremely excited to here that there may be resin copies made available!
EvilFX
Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Looking good! Thanks for posting more progress photos, they will be a big help for me finishing my super low tech foam versions.
I too have drawers, boxes,,.. hell even rooms full of random crap and electronics to rip apart and use on projects. I think some call it hording.
Looking good! Thanks for posting more progress photos, they will be a big help for me finishing my super low tech foam versions.
I too have drawers, boxes,,.. hell even rooms full of random crap and electronics to rip apart and use on projects. I think some call it hording.
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
its... not really as glamorous as it seems. This is an old pic, but the general theme is the same - I really just operate out of half of a garage. Still, beats the old days when I had all my crap stashed away in a friend's garage.
And I spent even MORE time in that shop over the past couple of days. My friend Tom (who is making the M4 pistol in an earlier shot) and I have determined that, in the future, right angles are no longer relevant. We've dubbed this the "Galactica Effect" wherein all facing 90 degree surfaces must be beveled to a 45 degree angle. I've had a lot of quality time with my dremel these past few days.
Here's the panel lines for the upper shroud. The boxed area in the center is cut past the angled sides - the overcuts will be filled with putty later. I tried this on bare wood only to find out spot putty won't bind to bare MDF. Oh well.
I was NOT looking forward to carving these. I ended up drilling a hole top and bottom, dremeling a slot between them with a cutoff wheel, then using an engraving bit to remove the material left behind. Tedious, tedious, tedious. I only have 2 more to do, on the grips, and I realllly don't want to.
The boring work is paying off though, she's starting to look more and more detailed daily! We'll be in primer by Sunday.
its... not really as glamorous as it seems. This is an old pic, but the general theme is the same - I really just operate out of half of a garage. Still, beats the old days when I had all my crap stashed away in a friend's garage.
And I spent even MORE time in that shop over the past couple of days. My friend Tom (who is making the M4 pistol in an earlier shot) and I have determined that, in the future, right angles are no longer relevant. We've dubbed this the "Galactica Effect" wherein all facing 90 degree surfaces must be beveled to a 45 degree angle. I've had a lot of quality time with my dremel these past few days.
Here's the panel lines for the upper shroud. The boxed area in the center is cut past the angled sides - the overcuts will be filled with putty later. I tried this on bare wood only to find out spot putty won't bind to bare MDF. Oh well.
I was NOT looking forward to carving these. I ended up drilling a hole top and bottom, dremeling a slot between them with a cutoff wheel, then using an engraving bit to remove the material left behind. Tedious, tedious, tedious. I only have 2 more to do, on the grips, and I realllly don't want to.
The boring work is paying off though, she's starting to look more and more detailed daily! We'll be in primer by Sunday.
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Yep, some bondo to smooth the edges. Don't know what I'd charge yet... for a scratchbuild like this it would be pricey, but if I were to make a mold, then much less.
So far I've always just shot it with a few coats of primer and let that soak in, then sand, then another coat of primer. The MDF soaks it up pretty well and you can get a good smooth surface out of it.
By the way, are you still making copies of your Spiker? I've always loved that piece.
The last of the slots cut into the grips!
Here's the MDF pieces drying after a coat of primer.
You can see the issues with fuzzy edges and nasty crap in them in these 2 pics.
Here is a shot of one piece I cleaned up and shot with a second coat of primer. You can see how much the detail improves.
I carved the slots out of the lower piece for the LED lighting to show through. The black and white bit ahead of it needs to be molded so I can make 12 copies to go along the lower barrel shroud.
And a test with the LEDs. The hotspots here weren't visible at all in person, but the camera picks stuff like that up.
And, as always, a recap of the assembled piece. Today? MORE SANDING!
Yep, some bondo to smooth the edges. Don't know what I'd charge yet... for a scratchbuild like this it would be pricey, but if I were to make a mold, then much less.
So far I've always just shot it with a few coats of primer and let that soak in, then sand, then another coat of primer. The MDF soaks it up pretty well and you can get a good smooth surface out of it.
By the way, are you still making copies of your Spiker? I've always loved that piece.
The last of the slots cut into the grips!
Here's the MDF pieces drying after a coat of primer.
You can see the issues with fuzzy edges and nasty crap in them in these 2 pics.
Here is a shot of one piece I cleaned up and shot with a second coat of primer. You can see how much the detail improves.
I carved the slots out of the lower piece for the LED lighting to show through. The black and white bit ahead of it needs to be molded so I can make 12 copies to go along the lower barrel shroud.
And a test with the LEDs. The hotspots here weren't visible at all in person, but the camera picks stuff like that up.
And, as always, a recap of the assembled piece. Today? MORE SANDING!
smick6
Well-Known Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Wow, each set of pics is better than the last. Cant wait to see it finished.
Thanks for the primer tip and pictures.
I can make a spiker any time you want one. If you decide to sell these or maybe a fallout gun we could work out a trade.
Wow, each set of pics is better than the last. Cant wait to see it finished.
Thanks for the primer tip and pictures.
I can make a spiker any time you want one. If you decide to sell these or maybe a fallout gun we could work out a trade.
00MrNotWrong00
Sr Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Fantastic build
thumbsup:thumbsup
Fantastic build
thumbsup:thumbsupKyozoKicks
New Member
Re: Mass Effect 2 - M8 Assault Rifle
Great build, always love videogame stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Great build, always love videogame stuff. Thanks for sharing.
