In this tutorial, I take you through the build process step by step. I show you how to make a screen ready sci-fi prop rifle/blaster for $4 from a dollar store toy water gun mash up.
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In this tutorial, I take you through the build process step by step. With a few items from a dollar store, I show you how to make a screen ready sci-fi prop staff weapon for under $10.
Be sure to watch my video channel for more Sci-Fi filmmaking giddy-up.
Any good Sci-Fi project is going to need a Blaster, Laser Gun, Ray Gun, Photon Rifle, the list goes on. There are many ways to go about making these weapons for your sci-fi arsenal be it for a film, a cosplay or simply for display. In this article, I want to share with you an inexpensive and fun solution. I’ve come across a lot of craft builds with recycled plastic bottles lately and I thought hey, I have an overflowing recycle bin with a bunch of material for some Blaster building so I figured I’d give it a try. Here I’m going to share with you what I came up with.
First I dug into my recycle bin and found some bottles that were interesting and got out some tools.
I roughly arranged some silhouettes for my recycle bin blaster and this was the winner.
I start by cutting the bottom off of the water bottle.
I merge it with a ridged chip container.
I cut off the top of a cleaning bottle to make a hand grip. I saw that in some online video and it stuck in my head, it’s very clever and works nicely. I hot glue these parts together.
What I learn here is that the hot glue melts this plastic bottle that is my barrel which was not what I wanted. I had to cut off the damaged excess and I decided to take this opportunity to add some more dimensions. I added a hand soap bottle as a collar that I slid over the damaged area and that cleaned it up and looked good. A happy accident as they say.
Then I add the trigger. I simply repurposed the trigger from the cleaning bottle. To make it fit I rough out a hole in the handle with a Dremel tool to pressure fit this trigger in the handle. You could also cut a hole with an Exacto blade. It is not a practical trigger so I just secure it in place with glue.
Next up is a spent deodorant bottle added to the top as some sort of scope. Also, I add the ball from the deodorant model to the bottom of the handle and this interesting sports bottle cap finishes off the profile nicely.
Everything gets a light sanding so it will better accept the paint.I base coat it with a flat black primer and just dusted it a little bronze over that.
Painting is done with a dry brush technique. Using a metallic paint with a very light amount on the brush that is further lightened by brushing onto a paper towel. The paint is applied by just lightly brushing the surface and a brushed metallic look is achieved. To add some dimensionality I add some gold metallic by extra lightly brushing the high points and that gives it a nice glow. The final touch is introducing sparse green metallic highlights in places that might be buttons or decorative just to give it a little more life.
To make the Blaster look real and to give it some character a weathering pass is needed. That is simply some watered down brown and black paint that is washed over the entire piece. It is then quickly wiped off with a paper towel. The dark wash remains in the low points, cracks and crevices, this gives it the illusion of being an actual object.
Who knew space blaster hiding out right in my recycling bin! Now if I was doing a sci-fi project and I wanted to suspend your disbelief make you believe it was a real future or a parallel universe I probably wouldn’t use this prop Blaster. However, if I was doing a sci-fi fantasy like a Barbarella or a comedy this is exactly what I would use.
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In this tutorial, I take you through the build process step by step. I show you how to make a screen ready Sci-Fi Blaster Gun from recycled plastic bottles.
Be sure to watch my video channel for more Sci Fi filmmaking giddy-up.
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