First the pics, just some cell phone teaser shots for now. I'll drag out the real camera when the paint is on it:
Mostly done.
Primer on, minus a couple areas that I crudely masked.
Part of the reason for this build was as a large-scale study model to check the proportions before doing it full size. I think it's a cool and iconic weapon, but it's also completely ludicrous. It seems like half the full-size builds look like a refrigerator with a little tiny handle attached, and the rest try too hard to make it more like a real-world gun and it loses the "look."
Being a completely ludicrous weapon, I know it's hard to compromise between scaling up the blocky miniature and making it look like something that could actually exist in real life, so I pass no judgement on those who have come before me. But I also do want to get it right because I can't stand it any other way.
I'm also hoping I got the scale right, in line with 12" GI Joes. I know they're a bit oversized for 1/6, but at the moment mine are buried in storage so I shot for 1/6 and am hoping I went slightly over. If it works then eventually I'd like to do a full set of Space Marine armor in 12" Joe scale. If not, then it's a cool piece for the bookshelf.
Some build details: The core is wood, which I cut using a paper model as a template. The black is ABS. All the metal is aluminum, save for some brass tubing as internal structure and pinning and brass screws. The rest is styrene and various autobody fillers. The two purple jewels (if you can make them out) are cut and polished from an Anakin's Podracer sprue. I wanted red, but all my kits with tail lights and nacelles all had them in clear. Go figure.
The design is a mashup of some of my favorite details found on various versions of the bolter, most notably including a rounded front grip, rather than the square ones common to most 1:1 builds, and the ergonomic pistol grip, rather than blocky. I also tried to make the sights a bit more realistic, like you could actually aim with them if your targeter went down.
The biggest pain was definitely the front grip. I first attempted it (twice) with thin aluminum, but the saw just wanted to chew it up with such thin strips between the cuts. Then I did it in styrene, got it prefect, and proceeded to completely melt it to goo with the heat gun when I was bending it to shape. Finally got it right- styrene with VERY careful application of heat.
Anyway, I'm still trying to decide on a paint scheme (traditionally they just get dabbed with black or silver paint on the miniature), but when I do it'll be done. Only took a couple months to make this little tiny thing.
-Rog
