"Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" Inspired Prop Gun
This gun was a project for a props class taught by Marty Aikens. I was prompted to create a gun based on a certain time period, so I chose fantasy post-apocalyptic. I drew a lot of my inspiration from the animated series, "Kilo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" as well as the game "Tomb Raider." The end result is a handheld gun made of foam and Epoxy, that both glows and makes noise when it shoots.
Research and Rendering
I do not claim to own my research images. The only image in this gallery that belongs to me is the rendering for my prop gun.
Base Gun and Progress Shots
I started out with a water gun from my company's props stock. I then cut out the cylinder and replaced it with a whiskey shot bottle filled with LEDs for that magical floating bullets look. I also rigged up my sound system at this stage. It is just a simple sound recorder/speaker I found online. I then bulked the piece with foam and covered it with Epoxy and air dry clay before sanding and painting. the last step of my process was aging the gun and giving it that post-apocalyptic, overgrown feel.
Final Shots
More than anything, this project was a learning process. I Learned by making this gun that air dry clay is not my friend if I want to make durable, lightweight props. The easy sculpting and sanding was not worth the long dry time, cracking, crumbling, and breaking I had to fight with during the sanding stages. Overall, though, I am incredibly proud of this project and love the way it turned out.
