Aug 7, 2015 | By Simon
As far as using 3D printing to create highly-detailed one-off designs goes, cosplay props have continually been some of the most impressive 3D printed objects - both for their level of detail as well as their often large scale.
Among other impressive cosplay props we’ve seen that were created with the help of 3D printing include an impressive Batman: Arkham Knight full-body suit and a replica of Captain Hook’s Hook from the movie of the same name. More recently however, Jeffrey Tabben of Dutch Props created what is arguably one of the most impressive Halo cosplay props we’ve seen yet.
Built for the Gamescom video game event happening in Germany this weekend, Tabben’s Halo 5 Assault Rifle was built in less than two weeks.
“I'm a Dutch prop maker and a big fan of the Halo series,” said Tabben in an email to 3Ders.
“About half of the props I make and sell are Halo-related and I wanted to be the first one to make the Halo 5 Assault Rifle well. Although I was busy with other projects, I knew that Gamescom would be the perfect place to show it off so I decided to create it with two weeks until the event.”
To create the rifle, Tabben sourced a number of reference images for the yet-to-be released game and modeled the components accordingly in SolidWorks. Along with some help from fellow prop maker Michael Flanagan, Tabben built the assembly around a number of working parts including a trigger, knobs and a removable magazine. In total, the process of gathering screenshots from Microsoft’s press material and online beta and 3D modeling the rifle took roughly two days. Once this was completed, he optimized the parts for 3D printing.
To print the parts, Tabben used both a Wanhao DS5 and an Ultimaker 2 3D printer and gold-colored PLA filament.
While the majority of the printing time was spent on producing just the two main housing components of the rifle, each of those two parts took between 50 and 70 hours each to print. As for the final assembly, every last piece was 3D printed down to the pens that hold the parts in place as well as the stock and switches.
To clean up each of the parts, Tabben used medical-grade filling primer, which he says is the same kind that is used for physical models of CT scans. Once the primer was applied, all that was needed was a wetsand. By using this method, Tabben explains, all of the critical details were able to be preserved.
For those that might be interested in their own Halo 5 Assault Rifle, Tabben said that he will be selling casts of is through his website. Since he made the rifle to scale as it seen in the game (which is one meter), this might be the best route to take anyways unless you plan on creating a one meter 3D print.
As for what’s next for the talented Tabben, he plans on printing a full Masterchief suit that he has designed.
To find out more about Tabben’s 3D printed Halo 5 props or to purchase one, be sure to head over to Dutch Props.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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