Fallout cosplay rifle prop
My latest ‘foamidable’ prop build is here, the AER9 Laser Rifle from video game “Fallout”. Foamidables are of course my props made from compressed foam, thus the name… formidable foam props aka Nerfenstein’s ‘foamidables’! Thought I’d better explain in case you missed my previous foam builds, the Warhammer 40K Bolt gun or the Halloween props.
Right… so if you’re a regular here or over at my Nerfenstein Facebook page, you’ll probably already know that Interplay / Bethesda video game “Fallout” is one of my favorite gaming franchises. I’ve done a few Fallout inspired blasters, including a mini AER9 Laser Rifle from MDF, but I wanted to do a cosplay prop from foam, this is the result of that idea. It’s light so you could carry it around a convention all day, which you couldn’t really do with a full size MDF AER9 build (though I’m working on that still for display).
I used Ethylene vinyl acetate – EVA foam – for most of this build and it worked really well, spent a lot of time on all the little details and thanks to – my idol – Harrison Krix, had some great images and decals to use as reference points. I also took a few lessons from this build that I will be implementing in the next incarnation, so expect an AER9 Laser Rifle V2.0 at some point in the not too distant future.
For kicks I added a multi LED green tube down the center on the inside, so when you turn it on (button in the rear panel) it glows green out of the hole in the front, kind of pointless, but in a dark room it looks kick ass. The V2.0 version will have a more obvious sunken section at the front, so the light can leak around the edge of the entire inside block, thus making it a more obvious addition.
The AER9 Laser Rifle is a brilliant looking weapon, because – like many of the “Mass Effect” blasters – it’s so iconic, you know it as soon as you see it. I tried to be VERY detailed with this build, adding in all the venting, buttons, switched, screws etc. Needless to say it needed to be weathered so it resembled the in game weapon.
Hope you’ve liked this latest prop build, if you want one you can commission it, but be aware it took 20+ hours and materials weighed in at over $100.
Till next time people… what do we say?! ….
DO GOOD THINGS!
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Originally written for GirlyGamer.com.au home blog of Nerfenstein / GirlyGamer / BoardGameGran. Catch up with me on my Facebook page, or if you Tweet… there’s always Twitter and guess what, I actually reply!
Great work! Very impressive stuff.
Where on earth did you find the EVA foam? I’ve looked in Bunnings and Mitre 10, and I keep looking around building sites around Adelaide, but haven’t seen a scrap of the stuff.
Hmm I got it in Bunnings, maybe check there again ;p
It was on the end of an aisle if that’s of any help, I know most Bunnings follow the same floorplan, so you never know.
Good luck!
That is not foam? For realz? How long and heavy is this entire thing? You said you could carry it all day? For realz? Like your blog posts, wish I could buy this for a con i have next year, but my mum would murder me. Looks so good!
It is indeed foam yes 🙂 Even I could carry this all day no problem, it only weighs around 800g! As for length, it’s approx 90cm long (slightly longer). Always listen to your mum, they’re smart 😉
Hmmm, OK, bit confused now.
What exactly is this Eva FOAM? Are you using those foam interconnected floor mat tiles? The sort of thing they sell at K-mart and Bunnings for home-gym floors?
Yes, that is EVA foam… what did you think it was?
Ahhhh.
I knew the floor mats were EVA foam, and that the floor mats have been used for armour (Mass Effect!) for some time.
However, what I didn’t know is that you were using floor mats for weapon building. I haven’t seen that done before.
By “foam”, I thought you were using the kind of insulation foam found on building sites. The “pink” or “blue foam” that Americans seem to be able to buy most anywhere.
Like Kiwi Andrew (http://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper) who uses blue foam to make Halo weaponry.
Anywaaay, now that little mystery is solved…
Are you layering the mats, gluing them together to build up thicknesses?
Cheers.
I like to try different things and decided… ‘that might work’ layers layers.
As for the insulation foam, I have searched for months for that stuff, to no avail, it seems like in Australia they just use those fiber bats as opposed to the stiff foam board.. really annoying. If you find any, let me know! I’m familiar with Andrew’s videos, he’s always so polite, that’s why I like him lol.
HOT DAYAM! Wouldn’t a guessed it were foam…… never.
GG, had you considered holding workshops at all?
Alas, I’m in Adelaide, but I’d think there’d be quite the demand for someone with your abilities and experience.
Cheers.
Hey David,
you know in reality I’m one of those people who sits in the back of the room and keeps to herself.. ie shy. Things are easy online of course. I’d like to attend workshops more than hold them (looking into that at the moment actually), after all I’m always learning things myself. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing YouTube tutorials, but I never seem to have the spare time. I really appreciate you think a workshop would be helpful though, thank you.
GG, I’d LOVE to see you do some YouTube videos.
(To be honest, I spend far far more of my time these days watching how-tos on YouTube, than I do reading blogs or even watching TV. No wonder Channel Nine and Ten are doing so bad!)
There’s just something so satisfying about watching people create.
Can I bug you for more info again Nerfy? I’ve finally done the big trip to Bunnings, got myself MDF, foam mats, eva craft foam, box cutters, exacto blades and a jig saw.
Now I just need to summon the courage to actually start!
What are you using to join the foam bits? Just PVA craft glue, or maybe hot glue?
After you assemble the foam, how are you priming it? I suppose the foam wouldn’t react well to an enamel primer like the Export paint series? Or does it? Do you use something like Gesso?
And how are you doing your paint work? By hand, paint can or airbrush?
(Sorry for all the questions!)
Cheers.
Hi David,
always happy to help if I can.. right…
To join the foam I just use super-glue for the most part, as it sets really fast. If you try using PVA or craft glue I think that will have zero stick or it will take an age. You can also use hot glue if you prefer. EVA is closed cell foam so you can use super-glue no problem 🙂
EVA foam is fine with spray paints, don’t be fooled by the open-cell foam issues of it melting. I have used Gesso from time to time on various things also, it’s totally up to you. If you’re using a foam other than closed cell, cut a piece and test it BEFORE spraying your actual project.
I do most of my paint by spraying down a flat base and then hand painting. I do have an airbrush, but have rarely used it on any mods, other than the ‘Achtung Panda’ when I had an aerosol based airbrush kit.
Now grab that courage by the hand and skip with it David ;p
Thanks for that nerfy! The help is much appreciated.
(I tried to reply directly to your message, but received a “Can’t find the ‘commentformid’ div.” message from Chrome.)
Big cheers.
Ugh I’ll get that looked into. Good luck with your project 🙂
Aaaaaand… I give up! 🙂
I have no idea how you are able to make those delicate shapes with EVA foam. I’ve used sharp knives, from box cutters to Exactos, I’ve heat-treated the foam with a heat gun, I’ve taken extreme care when cutting, and I’ve dremel drum-sanded the rough bits where I could, but it still looks pretty nasty.
Hats off to you A. I think you’re going to reign supreme in the Foamidibles sector for a long time to come!
David
Aww thanks David, don’t give up though! I buy those cheap packs of box cutters in the hardware or cheap stores and use a metal ruler, they usually cut really well. For the Dremel, here’s a tip… use a drum-sander tip that is really well used (ie useless for anything else) and it’s better than the rough ones.
Thank you for your lovely words though, I am still learning as I go too 🙂