Right.. Well this is my first tutorial, so I hope you all like it... Comments and critiques are welcome and asked for really!
Step One:
Select your bolter! This is actually more complicated than you might think! A lot of Imperial Bolters have aquillas on them, which is a
BIG no-no unless you are doing an Emperors Children marine.. Pre-Heresy, that was the only Legion allowed to display the Aquilla, other than the Custodes.
Note: for the purposes of this tutorial and others, the Marine in question *will* be an Emperors Children marine... So there *will*be Aquillas)
This bolter will also need to be a 'banana clip' type. Chain fed bolter won't really work for this method, though by all means if you feel like THAT much GS work, be my guest *shudders*
For this demo, here is our bolter:
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Step Two:
Grab a cutting mat. Self-healing is best... Staedelter I belive, makes a self healing mat with an xacto knife set. 3 handles of varying size and about 10+ blades come in a nice little carrying case, and a self healing mat, for about $20 bucks.. Best $20 I ever spent. Otherwise, get something thikc, even a kitchen cutting board will do. I don't advise any protective gloves, you need your manual dexterity, though I can not emphasize enough the following:
CUT AWAY FROM YOUR OWN BODILY APPENDAGES! IF YOU CUT YOURSELF, RUN THE WOUND UNDER COLD WATER AND APPLY PRESSURE! Step 3:
You will want the typical #11 xacto blade. Take the bolter and carefully remove the clip and the grip from the body...
The hardest part here is to not damage the barrel or trigger when removing the grip & clip.
I simply stabbed down with the point of the blade at the back of the grip, and cut towards the barrel, then stopped, and stabbed right before the barrel then reversed the cut, then just pressed down a bit between the barrel and the grips body and voila, it came free!
The same process as above can be applied to the grip, though I have found it nigh impossible to keep from damaging the trigger guard.. A little bit of GS can rebuild it though. Also, you can (if you're just doing showcase, or have extra bolters) clip the handle/trigger from a spare bolter! It's up to you..
Once you are done, the results should be thus:
Step 4:
You may notice the slight dip/shelf between the body of the gun where the clip was.. Do NOT panic though! This is a simple fix! Take a
PINCH of green stuff or the like, and fill that gap in, using a sculpting tool to smooth and flatten the GS (or the flat of your xacto if you have no other tool).
When you are done, it should resemble this:
Step 5:
The first step is to attach the grip just in front of the trigger guard. Ideally, you should let your GS cure for 30 minutes +...
PLUS being the most ideal.. If you can't wait though, it won't ruin things, you may just have to re-smooth and shape the GS as you move along!
Now, once the grip is attached, let it dry FULLLY in place. If it shifts in these following steps, the result will look rather funny! Make sure, also, that super glue is what you use in this step, as the surface is not a full plastic-to-plastic bond, so polystyrene cement will lack the bonding power.
Step 5's completion should be thus:
Step 6:
Now, to attach the clip. There should be a rather natural little shape/cradle where the clip can fit, and if you have not let the GS cure for a period of time.
I can not stress it enough now that you should just walk away from this project now and let it do it's magic and cure... If you are that impatient, you can be clipping and filing and sanding and smoothing the edges for a second one while you wait!
Make sure, also that you have used super glue on this step as well, due to GS being the primary surface to bond to. You want the edge of the piece above the clip to be flush and straight with the end of the bolter where the barrel is.. I have heard suggestions that if you can't get it to line up, you can splice the barrel off and use a blade to help line it up, though I didn't find it necessary.
Step 6:
Your bolter should be completely, hopefully with minimal accidents, blood shed, or cursing! It goes without saying that every bit clipped from the bolter should be sanded or filed smooth before GS or glue is applied, and that you should use the minimal amount of GS you can when called for. The finished result should resemble this:
After the GS and glue have COMPLETELY cured, you will need to file the GS smooth, fill in cracks, and all other sundries.. Since at the time of publishing, the materials have not FULLY cured (24 hours is the given usual), the finished product pictured will look rough shod..
Some also debate and say the grip should be GS filled and made to be leather. I think however, just painting it such a color is fine. It is a personal choice though!
I hope you've found this informative and helpful, and please ask any questions you have, I'll try my best to answer!
Tutorials to come(in no particular order):
Bolter straps
Leather Belts w/ buckle (Black Templars convertors alert!)
Woven belt ropes (for those Dark Angel Lovers!)
Robes and hood (both pulled up over helm and lowered)
Toga/tabard
Pre-Heresy Power Armor Shoulder Pads