Advice & suggestions requested for prop gun project

I have a pair of these:



I intend to turn these into something that could've been from an anime like Devil May Cry, Hellsing or Gungrave. The names I coined back on BG, are for these two I'm afraid I have to admit that I intend to do this for many months, now...

What has me stumped, is that I don't know any good way to extend the barrels, which is something I really want to do. If I keep 'em as-is, well, that's just too boring They need anime-esque trappings

Do these game controllers have a recoil function?
If they do, you could make a cool prop that looks like it actually does something.
Extending the barrels and doing other stuff should be pretty simple, if you have access to a reasonably well-stocked hardware store.
I have two of these light-guns for pretty much the same reason.

The image is linked from an eBay auction page, so it will probably "go away" pretty soon.
My idea was to make a copy of Robocop's pistol (Auto-9) and now I realise that there isn't anywhere near enough time to get it done before Friday.

dj_nme wrote:Do these game controllers have a recoil function?
If they do, you could make a cool prop that looks like it actually does something.

I'm afraid not, but, personally I feel that (lack of) recoil doesn't impact their looks

dj_nme wrote:Extending the barrels and doing other stuff should be pretty simple, if you have access to a reasonably well-stocked hardware store.

Perhaps I should've said 'body', instead of barrel...Extending the blue 'tube' could indeed be done easily, but I want to extend the whole body

dj_nme wrote:I have two of these light-guns for pretty much the same reason.

Spoiler:

The image is linked from an eBay auction page, so it will probably "go away" pretty soon.
My idea was to make a copy of Robocop's pistol (Auto-9) and now I realise that there isn't anywhere near enough time to get it done before Friday.

Ah, Robocop's gun...'S a cool one Good luck with that project!

You can actually still buy an airsoft replica of the Auto9. It's basically a reworked Beretta 93.

http://www.japanairsoftguns.com/store/index.php?action=item&id=258&prevaction=category&previd=1&prevstart=0

Just an example of what is available. Admittedly, it's fairly expensive, but then again it's
a working model and not just a static prop. Here's a link to some exploded photos for the Auto 9
as well.

http://www.robocoparchive.com/info/auto9.htm


Prof. D Tremens

At this point, I think I'll admit the Auto9 is an inspiration, too...But I'm still puzzled on how to continue with my project

I always thought the astra 600 was a funky looking gun. you could do a big barrel extension and move the sight out to the end.

photo google the astra 600 to see it.

otherwise, the simplest way to stretch one is to cut it near the front of a straight section, like where the lower frame ends at the the spring housing of the slide.
cut the second gun at the back of that section, where the frame bumps down there in front of the trigger guard.

take the longer cut frame and add the longer cut barrel assembly, that would make it at least an inch longer. you can glue some of the extra plastic cut off to the inside of the frame to bridge the two parts and give the glue some help holding the whole thing together.

to get that anime hardballer look, cut off the front anywhere in there and make a wooden block by holding the cut piece on one end, trace it and saw it to match. fit and finish will be a nightmare. epoxy it to the frame then cut off the very tip and a fraction of the frame from the cut off barrel than add it to the front of the block of wood to finish it up.

have you ever messed with polyester automotive body filler? its used to repair dents and such.
what I would do is cut off the gun just where that small step is out past the trigger guard, sanding it smooth and generally cleaning it up.
then drape some kitchen plastic wrap over the hole in the end of the gun. plop a mixed batch of bondo (auto filler) inside the plastic draped into the gun.push it in as best you can without ripping the plastic or getting it where its going to end up fatter than the opening.
after it firms up to a rubbery state, use a sharp knife to carve the side flat, even with the frame sides and shape the top and bottom roughly. don't worry if its not perfect, just make sure its not too big before it gets too hard to carve. too small is fine for now.
you can pull it out of the gun and remove some of the plastic wrap before its too hard too.

mix more batches and add them to the end, making the gun longer and longer, slicing the rubbery sides as you go. you can stick it back in the gun so you can make sure its going roughly ok. if you have access to power sanders, life will be easy. you can remove your extension and sand the sides flat and radius the top and bottom.
add more bondo to low spots and sand it over and over. you can cover the bare gun plastic with some clear tape so any bondo wont accidentally mar that finish.
once its looking really good either butter the inside of the gun hole with a batch of bondo or epoxy and slide it in for the final placement. keep an eye on straightness so it dries in location. being able to remove it from the frame while shaping it makes it much easier to fiddle with.
dont worry about the seam between the gun and block, you might even want to make sure it's straight and deep so it will be there with repainting.

you can cut off the tip of the old barrel and add it to the front for a finished look.

if no power sanders are about, you could do well with files and sandpaper, except maybe lay sheet styrene hobby plastic panels cut to fit the frame sides and glue in place, to make a smooth paintable surface instead of killing yourself trying to get the bondo perfect.

I 've used bondo for projects for years, it's easy to use but even easier to mess up. unless you're hungry for a project with a steep learning curve, you may want to avoid using it altogether.

Thanks for the extensive reply, Otto I think I will need to reread it partly to get all the details, but I do get the general idea