MrGreene
Well-Known Member
For those of you who don't already know, I'm a big fan of making props with mechanical details that not a lot of people take on, so when one of my friends decided to be Wolfwood for an upcoming con, I couldn't resist helping out. This is a project I've wanted to do for several years, and I finally have access to all the tools and software that I need to complete it. So here's a thread documenting the build of one of my favorite weapons: The Punisher.
I'm building the anime version of the weapon, which is far more consistently-drawn (and practical, for that matter) than the ones in the manga. Once again, I'm using the official concept art as my primary source:
There are two different versions used in the show. I'll be building version B, the machine gun/rocket launcher weapon that everybody knows and loves.
As you can see, there are several moving panels, all controlled by the central hub/trigger system:
One detail that's consistently overlooked is that there are two triggers. The lower trigger slides back the outer panels on whichever side the central hub is pointed toward, and the upper trigger fires that side's weapon. In the case of the rocket launcher, there are two stabilizer/exhaust panels on the long end of the cross that open up as well.
I've done some work with pre-built lighting and sound controllers, but this will be my first foray into working with servos and custom-programming microcontrollers. Luckily, an arduino is cheap, easy to use, and perfect for this project, so I'll be documenting my build here as I go along.
THE BUILD
I started out by doing a little math on the artwork's height comparison section and determined that with an overall height of around 5'8", the central hub should have a diameter of about 6.5" total.
So, by using the above image as a perfect modeling blueprint and adding a few cutouts, holes, and strategic channels for switches and wiring, I ended up with this:
I made the overall hub diameter 8", since it needs to be inset into the center of the cross. A momentary switch will sit behind each of the triggers, and their wires will run through the hidden center channel and inside of the cross to the arduino.
On one side of the handle, just inside the section that will be hidden inside the body of the weapon, there is a channel that will accept a locking pin. This channel locks the hub to 180 degrees of movement, so that it stays facing whichever direction it's held in.
The outer rim is also beveled inwards. The plan is to lock it in place with a series of wheels around it both to act as roller bearings and to keep the hub from wobbling around.
So, after getting everything modeled, I sent it to my 3D printer.
Half a spool of plastic and 14 hours later, and voila! Something that I can actually start to play with!
Test fit success! It's printed at around 95% infill, so it's basically a solid chunk of plastic that can withstand the full weight of all that mercy.
Did I mention how much I love my 3D printer? Yeah, I love my 3D printer.
..So that's the beginning. Now I'm just waiting for my arduino and switches to ship and searching for the correct servos. In the meantime, I'm reading up on all of the arduino libraries that I can.
More updates soon!
I'm building the anime version of the weapon, which is far more consistently-drawn (and practical, for that matter) than the ones in the manga. Once again, I'm using the official concept art as my primary source:
There are two different versions used in the show. I'll be building version B, the machine gun/rocket launcher weapon that everybody knows and loves.
As you can see, there are several moving panels, all controlled by the central hub/trigger system:
One detail that's consistently overlooked is that there are two triggers. The lower trigger slides back the outer panels on whichever side the central hub is pointed toward, and the upper trigger fires that side's weapon. In the case of the rocket launcher, there are two stabilizer/exhaust panels on the long end of the cross that open up as well.
I've done some work with pre-built lighting and sound controllers, but this will be my first foray into working with servos and custom-programming microcontrollers. Luckily, an arduino is cheap, easy to use, and perfect for this project, so I'll be documenting my build here as I go along.
THE BUILD
I started out by doing a little math on the artwork's height comparison section and determined that with an overall height of around 5'8", the central hub should have a diameter of about 6.5" total.
So, by using the above image as a perfect modeling blueprint and adding a few cutouts, holes, and strategic channels for switches and wiring, I ended up with this:
I made the overall hub diameter 8", since it needs to be inset into the center of the cross. A momentary switch will sit behind each of the triggers, and their wires will run through the hidden center channel and inside of the cross to the arduino.
On one side of the handle, just inside the section that will be hidden inside the body of the weapon, there is a channel that will accept a locking pin. This channel locks the hub to 180 degrees of movement, so that it stays facing whichever direction it's held in.
The outer rim is also beveled inwards. The plan is to lock it in place with a series of wheels around it both to act as roller bearings and to keep the hub from wobbling around.
So, after getting everything modeled, I sent it to my 3D printer.
Half a spool of plastic and 14 hours later, and voila! Something that I can actually start to play with!
Test fit success! It's printed at around 95% infill, so it's basically a solid chunk of plastic that can withstand the full weight of all that mercy.
Did I mention how much I love my 3D printer? Yeah, I love my 3D printer.
..So that's the beginning. Now I'm just waiting for my arduino and switches to ship and searching for the correct servos. In the meantime, I'm reading up on all of the arduino libraries that I can.
More updates soon!
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