Starcraft II C-14 Gauss Rifle - WIP *Pic Heavy*

[MWiggs]

Hi all! First real post here and I'm looking for some help. First off let me say I'm completely overwhelmed and amazed at the amount of talent and dedication the members of this community possess! I hope to be half as good as you guys and ladies!
That being said, i'm hoping one of the geniuses here can help me out. I've started a rather ambitious first build and part of it is an oversized rifle. I'll be more specific:

It's a C-14 Gauss Rifle from Starcraft II! (Behold!)

If you havent guessed yet, the rest of the build is a Starcraft II Terran Marine! I've admired this suit ever since the game came out and recently i've thought i'd really like to make one of my own! I'm putting together a thread HERE on my current build of the suit, but i'm coming up short on the rifle.

My requirements are: great detail, durable, and as lightweight as possible. I've been lurking around here and the 405th to see how it's been done and i can't decide which way would yield the best final result. I've debated the pink insulation foam, EVA mats, craft-foam, expanding foam, foam core board, balsa wood, PVC, styrene sheet, plexiglass or polycarbonite, and i've even been researching trying to figure out how to make hollow castings. I'm completely new to this sort of thing as thus am completely clueless on methods for ideal results.
My biggest concern is weight and rigidity. This thing is five feet long! so i'm wondering what the foam/bondo combo would end up weighing... can't be great...
Any help here would be greatly appreciated! I'll post my suit progress soon, I've only got until September to finish it!
Thanks! :cool

 

[laellee]

Re: Oversize lightweight rifle - NEED HELP!

Welcome to the RPF!

For a gun that size, weight is pretty much unavoidable. The approach I would take would be to build the best-quality weapon you can (ignoring the final weight), and then mold and roto-cast it. You can get a fairly light and very durable final piece, with the bonus of being able to cast more than one. This can get quite expensive though, the molding and casting material bills add up quickly. For a more affordable one-off model, foam is a good way to go. An EVA foam rifle like that will (even at 5 feet long) weigh less than 10 pounds, and then could still be coated with an epoxy resin if you wanted it more durable. Good luck!

 

[PukkaLemons]

Re: Oversize lightweight rifle - NEED HELP!

If it is 5ft long i would use a bit of steel bar through the middle to give the foam some support.

 

[novacat17]

Re: Oversize lightweight rifle - NEED HELP!

I think this post should answer some of the issues
http://www.therpf.com/f9/starcraft-ii-agr-14-c-14-rifle-210659/

Not sure if you looked into it, but it provided a light and beautiful result. He solved the weight issue rather well too.

 

[MWiggs]

Re: Oversize lightweight rifle - NEED HELP!

laellee - Thanks for the tips! I think i'll look into that roto-casting. Never heard of it before now, but it sounds like that could be an awesome way to go! But how pricey is it? I've begun construction on the rest of the suit in EVA so if time runs short maybe i'll just use what i know.
@novacat - I saw that one a while back - looks incredible! I'd love a result like that. I'm lacking the laser cutter... and from the looks of it the time... i'm hoping to have this complete by our ComicCon here in Utah at the end of September. Haven't ruled anything out so far tho! Wonder if he sells copies...

Sounds like i really need to figure out this casting thing. seems i'd need quite a large rig for multi-axis rotation. how do people manage this without spending a fortune? Thanks for the help so far! I'll update this thread with progress once i make a choice.

 

[novacat17]

Re: Oversize lightweight rifle - NEED HELP!

NWiggs,

One way to handle the size is to work in smaller parts and then assemble and hide seams. This allows for easier casting and less mistakes with expensive materials (im still learning the casting art, but it is great to get a good pour to work). As far as the laser cutting, you could use a service like ponoko; however, you can also just use thin wood, trace on templates, and then build up the design. EVA, however, is a great option. I have seen some amazing work with that stuff (it still baffles me to a degree). Using EVA also removes any issues dealing with Con-safety. It would be awful to show up with a great rig and prop only to be told it violates one of the many rules. A hybrid approach may be the way to go. Do the larger bits in EVA and some detail work in styrene, build up casted parts, and other materials.

 

[MWiggs]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I've made a decision and running with it. EVA all the way! Like you said, work with what I know. I'll have to address the issue of stiffness but I've got a good start. This past weekend I got the clip for the thing done. I built my scale model in Solidworks then sliced it up into pieces that correlate to the foam I have access too. Mainly 1/2" floor mats and 1/4" Foamies. I printed out the templates, traced them onto the foam and started cutting! Remember folks, a sharp blade makes for happy foam. I had to stop to sharpen my blade so often it made for quite a long process so far. EVA dulls it much faster than the foamies FYI.



This thing is so big I can fit my phone, keys, water bottle and probably even some swag from the con in there! Speaking of which, I'm aiming to be done with this and my main costume (HERE) before September 24th so I can be a part of my local con, SLCC. (in no way associated with SDCC) Kind of a short time to finish all this but I'm hopeful. Thanks again for the tips! More updates to come. Thanks for watching!