From Toy to Prop....A Star Wars Blaster Re Vamp

Welcome to my latest Instructable, this one is really simple but I'm happy to say was so effective and the result was brilliant if I do say so myself.

So some back story, for years now I have been making various bits and costumes, I have made 2 Ironman suits from craft foam, A war Machine, many many various masks and helmets from movies but for some reason never a Storm Trooper or Boba Fett, 2 of the most Iconic Cosplay characters out there.

So after attending OxCon (Oxford Comic Con in the UK ) and unfortunately missing out on London Comic Con I've decided to start my new project,.......A kind of Ironman meets Storm Trooper meets Boba Fett mash but that's still in the planning stage

However the Prop or weapon stage is something I'm much more comfortable doing

So for this normally I would 3D print the parts and make from scratch, but as luck would have it I found a Star Wars blaster at a local Car Boot for £1 and this seemed Ideal to test what type of weapon I wanted to go with the project suit.

So I used / You will need

Toy Gun / Blaster

Black Paint & Primer ( Primer Optional )

Sandpaper

Silver Paint ( Optional for Worn look )

Somewhere open and well ventilated to spray

Now I must admit I got a bit carried away for this and did not document the spraying stage too well.

This blaster I've got also has lights and sounds, so before spraying I carefully used masking tape to stick in the front of the blaster and anywhere where the lights could be seen. Take your time with this stage as rushing and sloppy taping will show up later.....

Now a light sanding is optional but worth it to give the paint something to grip too, nothing too harsh or mad is needed, I used some old wet/dry paper 120 grit I think, if you do decide to sand make sure to clean and get rid of all dust before spraying, when done its spraying time

Set up your spraying area and More to the next stage

Now your set up, all areas covered that need to be and you in a well ventilated area its time to spray.

Depending on the surface I'm spraying I normally do a test area to see if I need to primer, some plastics can be tricky, so do a small light test area first.

Mine didn't need primer so I got straight to work, I made sure the item I'm spraying is not going to move or fall then in diagonal lines about 10-15cms away, one after the other in the same direction "feather" in the paint. Going over the whole blaster in the same direction.

Now the trick her is not to get carried away doing it all in one go. I did 2 coats on each side only moving when the paint was touch dry ( depending on your layers and how thick your spraying ) should be about 30-45 mins to be sure.

When complete check for any small areas you may have missed and angles the paint cant get in a again lightly spray to build up the paint in these areas.

Now the part is dry, its time to inspect, look for any runs in the paint or bits missed.

When your sure its 100% dry remove the tape and inspect to see if any touch ups are needed.

Now here is the finished result............

I know you can buy replicas and others from places like EBAY etc......for anything from £30 upwards but this was £1 and will have the same effect on many cosplay items

But for the Price of £1 from a car boot and a half full tin of black spray paint I had lying about, I feel this kids toy is

now transformed into a pretty decent boba fett / Stromtrooper blaster replica

**I should add spraying blasters and space looking weapons is fine but for your own safety NEVER spray realistic looking toys guns to look real, you can get in trouble and they should always have the orange or coloured tip**

Anyway now that's out the way nope you all like and Vote in the competition,

I will post the costume Instructable when I figure out the details :) :)