BRDencklau
Well-Known Member
I wanted to build a Maliwan SMG from the first time I layed eyes on one. I searched the web for Borderlands 2 props for months looking at all the fan creations and started getting excited. When I saw a thread by another member of therpf, Jonny, working on an amazing replica I knew I had no choice but to join in the crusade.
This is the shape I most enjoy from the Maliwan SMG line:
It's been a while since I have built a prop out of anything other than what they would be made of in reality, (AKA: my white oak and mixed metal Kreig's buzz axe) so I started out with a pile of small cardboard boxes and a fresh roll of 3M +301 tape to get the feel for the shape and start hashing scale:
I read on a different thread buried in this subsection that dry floral foam could be used as a sculptural base for props. So I experimented with what I could get my hands on immediately: floral WET foam.
Not-ah-so-good-ah... but it did give me the confidence to move on to more substantial media, the dry foam. So I bought a case on Amazon and set to laying out the overall shape.
I roughed the majority in over the next day, hoo-ray weekend! The blocks are held together with little bits of adhesive back velcro to help with lining up the plains.
The next chance I got I roughed the trigger and thumb hole out of the fourth block and glued the first pieces together.
More blocks and shaping.
As the foam is fairly easy to carve, I just stack bricks as I need and carve them down. I use old kitchen knives. The serrated bread knife and fillet knife are my faves.
The first full rough in:
I felt like this shape was too skinny. The game is built around crazy disproportionate guns and Maliwan makes some sexy sexy guns... So I put some more figure on this prop and cranked her up to an eleven.
And shaped it all back down:
Here is a picture of my wife (Maya cosplay next season) holding the foam core of the prop for scale.
Next I piled o the Bondo. I have a ton of photos of this process as the plains of the gun are kinda wonky. Here are some highlights:
Here she is back from the shop and waiting to be worked on again:
Until next time....
This is the shape I most enjoy from the Maliwan SMG line:
It's been a while since I have built a prop out of anything other than what they would be made of in reality, (AKA: my white oak and mixed metal Kreig's buzz axe) so I started out with a pile of small cardboard boxes and a fresh roll of 3M +301 tape to get the feel for the shape and start hashing scale:
I read on a different thread buried in this subsection that dry floral foam could be used as a sculptural base for props. So I experimented with what I could get my hands on immediately: floral WET foam.
Not-ah-so-good-ah... but it did give me the confidence to move on to more substantial media, the dry foam. So I bought a case on Amazon and set to laying out the overall shape.
I roughed the majority in over the next day, hoo-ray weekend! The blocks are held together with little bits of adhesive back velcro to help with lining up the plains.
The next chance I got I roughed the trigger and thumb hole out of the fourth block and glued the first pieces together.
More blocks and shaping.
As the foam is fairly easy to carve, I just stack bricks as I need and carve them down. I use old kitchen knives. The serrated bread knife and fillet knife are my faves.
The first full rough in:
I felt like this shape was too skinny. The game is built around crazy disproportionate guns and Maliwan makes some sexy sexy guns... So I put some more figure on this prop and cranked her up to an eleven.
And shaped it all back down:
Here is a picture of my wife (Maya cosplay next season) holding the foam core of the prop for scale.
Next I piled o the Bondo. I have a ton of photos of this process as the plains of the gun are kinda wonky. Here are some highlights:
Here she is back from the shop and waiting to be worked on again:
Until next time....
meep going
