The Expanse Big Build - Holden EVA Helmet added 04/22
- Thread starter Birdie
- Start date
Wow! These are amazing!
Amos' shotgun...a beast of a build 
The base gun is the fairly familiar FN Scar rifle. This was the only build where I used a cheap and cheerful plastic springer rather than the AEG airsoft the prop builders used. Most of the weapon is covered by custom shrouds, so I couldn't justify the much higher price of an AEG, particularly given the cost of the numerous add-ons, which came to about four times the price of the base gun
So, this is what I had:
Amos wields the shotgun:
This lead to a fair bit of additional work - filling lots of screw holes, sanding down and filling seams and re-modelling the stock to match the correct model Scar handle. I also had to cut off the bottom of the handle and add a custom insert to simulate an AEG battery cover. Everything else fell into place fairly easily, a fun build.
The add-ons proved somewhat interesting. The scope appears to be an Eotech 558 holographic sight, but finding the correct replica proved illusive. Finding one with the correct side-mounted controls and locking mechanism - yeah, okay... I finally found one on Ebay in China, and despite assurances that what I would get exactly what was in the pictures, the one I eventually received had the correct lock, but the controls on the front. As a compromise I replicated the side buttons as a cosmetic feature.
After a bit of research I discovered the front flashlight/laser is a DBAL-PL. Replicas are produced by a company called Target One in plastic and aluminium. The plastic one lacks the screen accurate silver screws, so this part proved the most expensive piece of the build. That, along with the Tokyo Marui shell holder also had to be sourced from China, so having put together most of the gun I had to sit back and wait for various bits to arrive.
I lucked out with the shells. A few years ago I had a bunch of cut to size aluminium tubes sourced for the barrels on a Space 1999 Commlock run that never came to pass, that turned out to be just the right size, so I just had to add the top caps and 'iris' inserts.
The pump is functional, I'm not sure if that ever featured on the show, but was shown on the Tested video.
And here it is!
The base gun is the fairly familiar FN Scar rifle. This was the only build where I used a cheap and cheerful plastic springer rather than the AEG airsoft the prop builders used. Most of the weapon is covered by custom shrouds, so I couldn't justify the much higher price of an AEG, particularly given the cost of the numerous add-ons, which came to about four times the price of the base gun
So, this is what I had:
Amos wields the shotgun:
This lead to a fair bit of additional work - filling lots of screw holes, sanding down and filling seams and re-modelling the stock to match the correct model Scar handle. I also had to cut off the bottom of the handle and add a custom insert to simulate an AEG battery cover. Everything else fell into place fairly easily, a fun build.
The add-ons proved somewhat interesting. The scope appears to be an Eotech 558 holographic sight, but finding the correct replica proved illusive. Finding one with the correct side-mounted controls and locking mechanism - yeah, okay... I finally found one on Ebay in China, and despite assurances that what I would get exactly what was in the pictures, the one I eventually received had the correct lock, but the controls on the front. As a compromise I replicated the side buttons as a cosmetic feature.
After a bit of research I discovered the front flashlight/laser is a DBAL-PL. Replicas are produced by a company called Target One in plastic and aluminium. The plastic one lacks the screen accurate silver screws, so this part proved the most expensive piece of the build. That, along with the Tokyo Marui shell holder also had to be sourced from China, so having put together most of the gun I had to sit back and wait for various bits to arrive.
I lucked out with the shells. A few years ago I had a bunch of cut to size aluminium tubes sourced for the barrels on a Space 1999 Commlock run that never came to pass, that turned out to be just the right size, so I just had to add the top caps and 'iris' inserts.
The pump is functional, I'm not sure if that ever featured on the show, but was shown on the Tested video.
And here it is!
Great_Bizarro
Sr Member
I have been watching season 3 thinking how some of these props could be made as they look great. Good to see people starting these.
Yes, those parts, along with the custom shrouds were drawn in Adobe Illustator, then cut in various thicknesses of acrylic sheet on a 60w laser cutter, then assembled. The areas around the square patterns on the slide are laser engraved to about 0.75mm, which leaves a texture similar to 3D print lines. That then had to be sanded and sprayed with filler primer.
The last of the big guns: The UNN Long Gun, seen in the first couple of seasons. Original prop on display at SDCC 2017
The gun is based on a H&K SL8 Airsoft.
The build primarily consisted of the barrel handguard & taser unit and the top handle and scope, along with creating numerous graphics.
And on to other things!
The gun is based on a H&K SL8 Airsoft.
The build primarily consisted of the barrel handguard & taser unit and the top handle and scope, along with creating numerous graphics.
And on to other things!
Miller's hat, watch and Chiappa Rhino pistol.
The original trilby hat used on the show is a Goorin Brothers Guido Delgado stingy-brim fedora. These are very hard to find in the correct olive green colour, and pricey. I found a similar one on Etsy, and just had to add the feathers and hatband badge.
The watch is a Nixon Dork talking watch (!) These are fairly rare, and I wasn't able to get one with a screen accurate strap, so I will need to swap that out at some point.
The Rhino 50DS is a buildup of a Traywick Designs 3D print (nice kit, btw). I added a textured grip and modified the cylinder to replicate the futuristic shells seen on the show:
I created the shell tops by laser engraving composite metallic acrylic sheet:
The original trilby hat used on the show is a Goorin Brothers Guido Delgado stingy-brim fedora. These are very hard to find in the correct olive green colour, and pricey. I found a similar one on Etsy, and just had to add the feathers and hatband badge.
The watch is a Nixon Dork talking watch (!) These are fairly rare, and I wasn't able to get one with a screen accurate strap, so I will need to swap that out at some point.
The Rhino 50DS is a buildup of a Traywick Designs 3D print (nice kit, btw). I added a textured grip and modified the cylinder to replicate the futuristic shells seen on the show:
I created the shell tops by laser engraving composite metallic acrylic sheet:
A drop of Ganymede Gin....
The gin bottle is actually Esprit de June liqueur.
I got myself a bottle (quite nice, a little sickly sweet...) and was able to scrape the original text off with the help of some acetone and a razor blade. I tried creating a clear vinyl sticker for the lettering, but it just looked a bit...rubbish?
In the end every letter had to be laser cut from coloured adhesive vinyl and carefully applied to the bottle. The Rocinante cups are Esma City cups, with the letters applied by the same technique.
Lastly, Amos' devil pin. A nice ebay acquisition:
The gin bottle is actually Esprit de June liqueur.
I got myself a bottle (quite nice, a little sickly sweet...) and was able to scrape the original text off with the help of some acetone and a razor blade. I tried creating a clear vinyl sticker for the lettering, but it just looked a bit...rubbish?
In the end every letter had to be laser cut from coloured adhesive vinyl and carefully applied to the bottle. The Rocinante cups are Esma City cups, with the letters applied by the same technique.
Lastly, Amos' devil pin. A nice ebay acquisition:
QuinnPrime
New Member
Love this work. Is there any chance that you would be willing/able to cut additional adhesive vinyl pieces for both the bottle and the esma city cups? I have the cups, and can get the bottle, but have been having trouble finding good versions of the letering for the MCRN logo at the right size.
The problem with cutting vinyl lettering that is very small (like on the bottle) is the difficulty in removing the backing without destroying the vinyl letter. The technique I usually use is to remove the backing first, then stick the vinyl to a steel plate, cut the letters, then lift them off with a craft knife to attach to the surface of the prop.
So, yes, I could cut them for you if you can safely remove the backing and apply them.
So, yes, I could cut them for you if you can safely remove the backing and apply them.
QuinnPrime
New Member
Understood!
Could you, perhaps share the files, and I’ll look into creating the vinyl stickers myself? Having them lazer-cut would obviously create the cleanest lines, but I can definitely see how removing the backing after a cut would pose problems.
Thanks again for replying and for your help! Awesome work too!
Wow! Those are really cool builds.
Obviously this is not personal, as you are a new member, and I don't know you, but unfortunately I don't share graphics files any more. The RPF has long had a community of sharing and sadly this has lead to a lot of digital recasting and seeing your work turn up on Ebay generating profit for those who have no creative skills making profit for work that was intended to shared for free. For that reason I only share files with friends now.
