Gun help please?

[General Koibito Cross]

I need to recreate this gun for my General Cross cosplay from D. Gray-Man



What I'm hoping for was a replica gun with a long rectangular barrel that I could slip a cardboard piece on that has the designs on it.

If anyone has a link, or can make something like this, or could provide any help of the sort I have a few requirements.

One, that this gun can be made to look almost like if not exactly like the gun I'm trying to portray.

Two, that it be durable or at least wont fall apart due to fast movement, I do intend to spin it on my finger.

Three, that it have some weight to it like a plastic gun (I've never had a cardboard and ductape gun before but it seems like it would be really light).

If someone could make this for me for a commission that'd be great as would a direct link to a page where I can buy a gun replica that I can modify slightly.

Can anyone help?

[General Koibito Cross]

Anyone at all?

[gaggingonglitter]

maybe an airsoft gun, altered and painted?

[tuesdayDrama]

I don't know if you are still interested in ideas of how to make the gun, or not, but I gave this a lot of thought, and I thought I would share my thoughts of how I would tackle this task (as well as all the other ideas I had).

Okay, I think your best bet would be to use a cardboard box. Now, you'll want one that is very thin but long. I have two suggestions for this: 1. The Great Value (or any brand) gallon storage bag box. It has the dimensions of 11.0625" long x 4" wide x 2.1875" deep 2. A VHS box (not the plastic ones just the paper slip). The one I measured was 7.25" long x 5.125" wide x 1" deep. If you used the storage bag box, you would need to apply a strip of duct tape to the top of the box (where the perforations are) without having any excess hanging over the sides. To remove the baggies, open one of the ends and slip them out of the box. Apply a small strip of duct tape over the end that you did not open as a means of reinforcement.

To weigh it down so it is not too light, I would suggest using uncooked rice. You would use a funnel and pour it into balloons (I'd say about an inch, inch and a half tall/wide, then tie them off). Why balloons? Well, when you're spinning the gun around, you don't want any of that shifting and making noise. So, the rubber balloon balls of rice will pack nicely and shouldn't make noise because they really shouldn't shift or allow the rice to move. Depending on your box, you may have three balloons full or several to pack in the space.

You will also want to get green floral foam (it's used to make floral decorations). It would be best to pick thickness that is similar to the box of your choice (you will want the foam to take up all the space it can. You can also cut down a square block, but it's quicker and less of a hassle to pick an appropriate thickness at the beginning. You will need two pieces (one noticeably longer than the other) for this project.

Another thing you'll need is a western style pistol with the noticeable round chamber. Measure the barrel of this gun (length as well as circumference) and make note of it. After you've done that, you will want to carve out a hole near the top but not at the very top, to slide the gun barrel into. Depending on the box, you may need to carve out the hole in one or both pieces of foam. The storage baggie box should only require you to carve out the first piece of foam while the VHS box will need box carved (although I didn't test it out myself, I sketched out how it should work and added those images further down).

Once the smaller piece of foam is prepared, slide it into the open end of the box (it should be a fairly tight fit). Push it all the way to the back. One that's in place, take your rice balloons and stuff them inside (you may need an unsharpened pencil to pack them in tight)*. Slide the other piece of foam into the box. Add elmer’s white glue or Mod Podge sealer to the top of the foam (making sure not to cover the holes you've carved out). Let it dry. *Note, if you use the VHS box, you won't stuff the balloons of rice all the way across the space. You'll need to leave room for the tip of the gun barrel to access the second piece of foam.

Take the toy gun and slide in into the foam—it should be snug. Here's the example of what it would look like, in theory, on the inside (please excuse the rough quality)
with the storage bag box:
and with the VHS box:

Apply another layer of white glue or sealer over the foam as well as around the gun where it touches the foam. You'll want to add enough layers that the pores of the foam are no longer visible (this may take three or four coats), letting each layer dry before applying another. Also, add a layer of white glue around where the gun enters the foam just as added strength. I would suggest doing that, letting it dry, then applying a little more. If you wanted, you could try and smooth the glue while it's wet then letting it dry, adding another layer, letting it dry, and so on until you're satisfied it will hold.

You would also want to add a strip of craft foam or something to make the extra details at the base of the barrel.

Once the gun is assembled, you can add the decal using 3D fabric paint or white glue. Let that dry, then spray paint the entire project. Then, add a sealer over it (I recommend avoiding a Gloss finish because that's what I have and have not been happy with it—I go to all the trouble of crafting a weapon only to lose those details in photos because of the intense light reflecting off the glossy surface).

Now, my other ideas aren't nearly as logical as the one I just explained. I thought taking a toy pistol, sawing off the barrel, then gluing a thin piece of scrap wood (after carving out the details) to that end would give it the right weight. There is also molding the gun out of newspaper or cardboard then adding layers of paper mache over it (I've created two guns this way, and I must say I am not skilled at paper mache). Also, there is scouring ebay and the like for guns that are similar. After doing a quick search earlier today, I realized that this is not an easy task.

I hope something I said can be of some use to you!

[General Koibito Cross]

*Whistles* Wow! That was an amazing entry of info, thank you so much for that!

I'm diggin' the first example, the storage bag box. If I'm correct I'll need:
- A toy gun to make up everything behind the barrel
- A storage bag box that will make up the barrel
- Duct tape
- Floral foam to fill the barrel
- Uncooked rice and balloons to weigh it down
- Glue

Could I perhaps have a list of where to get the items? (I know where to get duct tape, glue, rice, and balloons though)

[tuesdayDrama]

You're welcome! Yep, that's about it. You'll also want some spray paint.

I would suspect that every item could be found at a Walmart Supercenter. I've checked and found these items at my local one, anyway. Here is the list of the remaining items and where it's possible to find them at walmart (I will add other stores at the end). Of course, all walmart stores are different from each other, so the items may reside elsewhere than where I

Toy pistol - I just checked on Friday, and my local store had these in the toy department back where the NERF guns and other toy weapons are kept. It's bright orange, so you would probably want to add a primer paint over it just in case the color bled through the final silver coat. I would use white and spray the entire gun before doing anything else with it.

Floral foam - Although I haven't checked on this in a while, my store still has the floral aisle, so I would suspect the green foam is still there. Used to, they had varying sizes available to use. If you cannot find the long 12" or so rectangle, it's alright to get the squares that are about four inches all the way around. Two would be fine.

Storage bags - These are in the same aisle as the trash bags, paper plates, paper towels, plastic cutlery, and napkins. Since you aren't using the bags, it's best to get the Great Value brand with the red slide zipper (it's the brand and style I measured anyway).

Spray paint - Found in the hardware department, but I'm not sure where they've moved it at my store. I USED to be where the regular house paint was, but they changed it's location. You will need Krylon Metallic Silver and White (if you wish to prime the gun before assembling it). Other brands might have the metallic silver, but I'm not sure. My can that I use is Krylon.

Spray paint sealer - This is located with the spray paint. It's made by Krylon, as well. Remember, get Matte Finish if at all possible. Gloss will cause major light reflection when photos are taken.

Craft foam - Found in the craft aisles next to were the kids craft items are They come in sheets about the size of a piece of paper. You would only need one (You will be cutting strips from it and gluing them on top of each other until they are the desired height of that bar that runs along the bottom of the gun barrel), and I would suggest using white.

Exacto knife (This could be substitued with Wood Carving utensils. If you can find them, that's what I find works best on the floral foam. My store no longer carries them since crafts was cut back.) - The exacto knives and replacement blades are located where the acrylic paints are. I would think the standard blade would be fine.

•To carve out the floral foam, you could probably use a butter knife, too. I've never tried it, but the craft foam is very easy to cut through. It might also be a better solution if you cannot find the wood carving utensils. Just make sure it is an old knife that you will no longer be eating off of. I'm not sure what the craft foam is made out of, but it sticks to everything like glitter, and I wouldn't think it would be safe to consume. Oh, and when handling the craft foam, rubber gloves are optional. The pieces that get carved out sometimes irritate my skin (but I have sensitive skin). It probably isn't an issue, but I thought I would note it.

Small or large funnel - both sizes are found in the automotive department in the same aisle as the quarts of oil.

Mod Podge - this is found in the craft aisles next to the acrylic paints. It's considered a sealer, but I think Elmer's glue might be very similar to it. They sure smell the same and tend to dry with the same translucency. Of course, the sealer comes in matte and gloss finishes where Elmers just dries rather glossy.

3D Craft Paint - made my a brand called Tulip It can be found in the craft aisles where the iron-on and clothing embellishments are. It's at the end of the aisle with the yarn for me. But, if you find the stick on, or iron on stud embellishments, there should be fabric paints there, too. Since the designs are gold, you would try and find a gold color to save yourself the headache of painstakingly painting the dried paint designs by hand.

Aside from the toy pistol and storage bags, most JoAnns stores have all of these items. I would suspect that Hobby Lobby and Michaels would, too. If you want the wood carving utensils, you might want to check those stores, first (calling them would be the quickest way to find out if they carry them, and it also requires no driving from store to store).

I've seen the toy pistols at Walgreens, Dollar General, and Deals. It makes sense that Dollar Tree would carry some form. But, I saw one at walmart that had a moveable round chamber, if you were going for realism.

If I've left out an item, just tell me and I'll add it. Good luck crafting!

[General Koibito Cross]

Wow you rock, hearts for you <3<3

Alright questions:
The toy gun, as you can see in the picture its not just barrel resting against trigger, there's like.. how to say more metal between the start of the barrel and the trigger is under that. Is there a toy gun that would supply that style of gun?

About the storage bags, do you mean like ziplock bags? if not then what kind of bags are these?

Would painting by hand be acceptable? I ask because I already own regular paint and while it'd take more time, itd be cheaper than buying spray paint.

Last thing: will it be possible to make the gun almost exact to what I'm trying to get? I'm a picky cosplayer and I hate having things not exact or close to. I mean is it possible to get all the detail on it?

[tuesdayDrama]

Okay, this is very close to the gun I saw at Wal-Mart: www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?mode=Browsing&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&sku=25/9023

So, it does lack that extra metal at the base. It's also longer than I realized. 10", and the box is over 11”. But, you would not have to worry about the barrel slipping out of the foam seeing as it would go almost to the end of the cardboard/foam.


• www.buytoyguns.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/84/products_id/226?osCsid=4uu20ciaienqspsdkinap39fb6

This gun is quite close, maybe as close as you'll be able to get from a toy gun base (although, the short barrel might prove problematic in getting it to stay in the foam). But, you would have to buy it from that website (I know nothing about it, and I couldn't find a yahoo or wiki answers on if anyone had ever purchased an item from them to check their reliability). You could make the extra metal on the left of the trigger by using the craft foam (it's what I meant by the bar on the bottom. ^^; ) Although, it seems there is a cylinder shape there, and it's curved funny. So, perhaps foam wrapping around a small, thin cylinder (like the lid off a roseart pencil-like marker). You would glue the foam to the lid and rubber band it until the glue dried. Then, glue it to the side of the gun in addition to the bottom of the barrel. You might have to tie it up with string to keep it secure until it dries. Extra glue may be required after it is dry so you are sure it's sturdy.

Here’s an eBay link to toy gun that's similar: cgi.ebay.com/TOY-SNUB-NOSE-REVOLVER-CAP-GUN-8-SHOT-RING-864-CAPS-/120658797013?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c17d321d5

and another

cgi.ebay.com/Toy-Super-Cap-Gun-Plastic-Revolver-Detective-MOC-NEW-/260661580470?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0a412b6


•Yes, they're ziplock bags but the ones that are considered "One-zip" with the tab zipper on the top rather than zip across with your fingers to close it. Although, I'd assume any of the Gallon sized bag boxes would work.

• Painting by hand works, just be sure to add two or three coats or else the brush strokes show up when it dries. For me, a discouraged perfectionist, I end up happier when I spray paint my work. But, yes, painting by hand definitely does work. For the gold decor on the guns, add a bit of shading below them to make it appear as if they are 3D.

• I understand, I'm one of those cosplayers that; if I can't do it right, I don't want to do it at all. But, I think you can it is possible to get a gun just as you want (even if you have to forgo using a plastic base and do it with paper mache...although, it might be possible to construct the gun and put duct tape in the same manner as paper mache. I'll have to think about that for a little while).

Use the sheet of craft foam to cut out a circle (or two to get the desired height) for the end of the barrel. Glue those pieces together, allow them to completely dry, then glue them to the end of the barrel. That piece on top of the barrel's end looks as if it's inset. You would end up having to cut out a hole for that, too, and filling it with a foam construction (one piece for the base—with the fancy holes poked into it—and two for the smaller middle circle that protrudes).

Now that I look harder at the details, the inside design needs tweaked. You'll need to make sure there is a strip of foam that runs along the top (it can be several pieces glued together instead of one solid piece) so that you can make notches. That's okay! Take my sketch above and picture three pieces of foam instead of just two. But, the two pieces of foam will be shorter by half. So, the continuous piece will be the same height as the smaller foam rectangles (they'll nearly be squares by that point. Also, using the storage box, you can even up the sizes of the front and end foam (I don't think it would hurt). So, one long piece on top, two smaller side pieces, and a space between the two smaller pieces to put balloons of uncooked rice. The process would still remain the same. You carve out a hole for the revolver's barrel to slide inside NOTE: just be sure not to get about 1/4" (.25 ") to the edge. Ugh, if I was at home, I’d draw up a quick sketch to better explain it because that seems a little confusing.

To get the notches out of the top of the barrel, you would simply use an exacto knife (or cardboard box cutter) and cut shallow marks that are about .25 (1/4)" or also five millimeters would work, apart. Once the cardboard is removed, carefully cut out the same .25 inch wide slot in the foam. Now, that is a trying task because you have to go slowly and cut out small squares at a time over the entire length. Or, I do because I tend to cut crooked and get a little shaky.

The line immediately under the notches, you COULD cut a thin, shallow line with the exacto upon the cardboard box. But, it could also be achieved with black paint at the end. Come to think of it, using an ultra thin sharpie (or any sort of marker/pen as long as it draws thin lines) would do the trick, too.

That small cut out at the beginning of the barrel, you would cut out the top layer of cardboard and carve the left and right edge of the foam to make it an arc shape. Just make diagonal cuts at the corners to get rid of the square shape.

As for the details on the rest of the gun, it's very had to make good estimates from the angle it's facing. I have an image from the manga saved (I had checked cosplay.com to see if anyone else had asked this question, but it was back in 2007 and they were suggested modifying an airsoft gun), and those details aren't there.

I've also tried thinking of a way that would be easier and, for lack of a better term, better. But, sadly, this construction is all I can come up with. Making guns are a real headache, sometimes.

[General Koibito Cross]

Yeah, so difficult lol. Well you've been a wonderful help and if I have any questions I'll send you a message. Thank you so much, you rock! More hearts for you <3 haha.

[tuesdayDrama]

Sorry I've been away so long! If that method seems too tedious, and you haven't started on it, I might have another suggestion.

Last year, for ASTL 2010, my friend used a floral foam base covered in a layer of drywall spackle and plaster to make a Desert Punk helmet. I've sent him a message asking what all of the materials were that he used as well as a quick run down of how he made the surface of the foam smooth. I have old messages from him. So far, I think he used: green floral foam and wall spackle (to fill in the holes of the foam and smooth the surface). I'm not sure if he did use plaster, now. He may have just used several layers of the spackling compound, instead. I'll modify this once I find out for certain.

I bring this up because I think you could carve the shape of the gun entirely from the foam, smooth out the surface with the wall spackle, and build up a few layers (I'd say 5 to 6) so it's thick enough to carve out the fine details. Once that's finished, you would simply paint it. It seems A LOT easier than my method. Also, it would all be in one piece, so there is absolutley no risk of it even remotely coming apart.

A few details I'll have to find out: 1. if my friend used a plaster finish over the spackle; 2. is it possible to let one layer of spackle dry before applying another (or must several layers be applied all at once), Answer, YES. You can let one layer dry before adding another. 3. can spackle be carved the way fresh plaster casts can.

NOTE: I believe you could use plaster of paris and smooth it onto the foam the same as you would drywall spackle if you can't find drywall spackle.

[General Koibito Cross]

Oooh thatd be good because I have spackle already! Hmm.. maybe I could mold it around a gun, what do you think? because I have no clue how I'll make the revolver or trigger.

[tuesdayDrama]

While I've made a paper mache gun with a moveable trigger (rigged up with the trigger piece made out of a paperclip hooked onto horizontal paper clip buried inside the body of the gun), I don't know how to do one properly. I, also, haven't the slightest idea (at the moment) how to create a moveable revolver chamber.

Using a toy gun would work just as well because you still have a base you are going off of. Although, you may want to mold the barrell out of the craft foam (and carve out a hole large and long enough to slid the toy gun's barrell inside)to get it the right size. You would just have to be careful when applying the spackle so you didn't get any in the way of your revolver's moving parts.

My suggestion would be to carve out the main details in the body of the barrell (like the slots cut out at the top, as well as that grove missing from the body of the barrell, carve away the end so the muzzle of the gun is raised, carve out a hole inside of the muzzle) in the foam before adding it onto the toy gun. Yes, you'll have to carve them out, again, once the layers of spackle are applied, but I think it will make the process a lot easier.

Once the foam barrell and the toy gun are together, then you would put the first layer of spacle on one side, let it dry, and do the other. You'd continue to add layers, in that manner, until you felt it was thick enough to withstand carving and/or a drop, or two (anything can happen at cons, so you want to be prepared for the worst). It will probably need to be sanded so it's all smooth and level before you carve the details. Carve the details, or clean them up depending on how much the spackle blocked when it was applied. Then, it should be good to go for painting. Apply however many coats it takes to appear smooth and even, add the painted decal on the sides, and spray seal it (again, use matte so it doesn't have a freaky shine to it).

On a side note, my friend did not end up using foam for his helmet he made. He used paper mache on a large balloon, but he did use drywalll tape, wall putty, and dry wall spackle to form the layers.

[Mansopp Longnose]

Um Cross? If you already started making the gun, then ok, but I just saw the thread and, Cross's gun is Vash the stampede's gun from Trigun, with added mods. ebay and amazon sell a plastic vash gun for around 20 bucks I believe. It's even the right size. youd onyl need to add the lettering on the barrel. Just sayin'.

[General Koibito Cross]

I havent, I've thought of the vash gun but I cant find it anywhere.

[Mansopp Longnose]

ebay doesn't have it?