Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I would like to make my tac marines' bolters look more like a full assault rifle with a shoulder stock and/or extended barrels as well as scopes potentially. Does anyone know any easy ways to convert these easily? I'm thinking if I buy a mess of plasma guns online, then I can clip their stocks off and attach them to the bolters. As far as extending the length I haven't decided if cutting the gut in the middle of the foregrip and adding extra foregrip would work better than just attaching an extra length of barrel. Increasing the barrel length would be easier, but it may not look right. Any suggestions for materials or techniques?

Take a look at some pictures of the MP5SD3. It's still a very aggressive looking gun even with he silencer on the front. The SD3 model is the sliding stock version, which may give you some ideas of how to model the stock without having to necessarily add a full stock.

Catachan las guns would be a cheaper source for stocks but plasticard would be cheaper still.

I put 1/35 MP5 on Imperial guard and it looked pretty decent. So that's another option.

Kid_Kyoto- do you have any pics of your MP5 equipped IG? I'm kinda thinking MP5's won't have the same profile I'm looking for. I'm wanting something more akin to a G3 with collapsible stock as opposed to the submachinegun look the bolters already have. Also, can you tell me where you managed to find them so I can check them out, please?

Kyoto is the king of alt weapons. But as I am online and he is not.... Think about these...

http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/pack.php?pack=781

or

http://www.hasslefreeminiatures.co.uk/pack.php?pack=974

They may work for you better than modifying every single bolter... Certainly cheaper than buying plasma guns and cutting them up.

Also, if you do use the pulse rifles I will say you are the coolest cool that has ever cooled.

ender502

I have to agree, the pulse rifles look truly harsh. I'll probably prowl Ebay some before I make any purchases, but still 5 guns for what amounts to around $3 is cheap. I just have to worry about the shipping costs potentially being high and having to wait an eternity for the models to show.

Sure, check out this thread.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/63387.page#63387
and this gallery
http://www.pbase.com/kidkyoto/swat


The Assault Group also makes some 28mm modern guns.

http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=23

For the barrel I would use two different sections of brass tube...one for the barrel, and the other for the muzzle-break. The muzzle-break would be a size larger than the barrel. You could drill a hole in the muzzle-breaks side so it would resemble a existing bolter.

The stock is a funny deal, you kind of want to model it on after you have attached the gun to the model. Doing it the other way around will dictate what your poses need to be, which can be a big pain in the posterior. I recommend green, or brownstuff for this part. Sculpt a rough shape of the stock, and when the GS has cured carve the stock a little with a hobby knife to polish the shape.

If you have a bolter that is independent of a marine holding it, I would suggest using plastic card to make the stock like Kid_Kyoto said.

The clincher with this whole project is whether you want to do it for 30+ models, or if this is just for a few here and there.

I plan to be doing 15-20 models this way. For my chapter's fluff, they depend on long range patrols to find their enemies in deep jungle terrain and once located they relay their position for the main force to arrive. The patrol portion will have the regular bolters because they already look submachinegun-like and a smaller, easier-to-handle weapon would be better for them. The main force though will get the full length rifles.

15-20? I would go for it, but I am pretty into doing conversions. I say that you should do a proof of concept model, get it to look as good as humanly possible, and then judge if thats how you want to do the whole army.

You should definitely check out this thread from B&C. There are some really great ideas with lots of pictures of them all.

Any suggestions for materials or techniques?

I'd suggest you think about modelling the gun you want with styrene, green stuff, etc. Take the time and make exactly what you want.

Then make a RTV mold and duplicate it.

It's tricky, but a gun is a very easy subject to do in an RTV mold, and you'll have a totally custom piece that's exactly what you want.

themandudeperson wrote:Kid_Kyoto- do you have any pics of your MP5 equipped IG? I'm kinda thinking MP5's won't have the same profile I'm looking for. I'm wanting something more akin to a G3 with collapsible stock as opposed to the submachinegun look the bolters already have.

Glad I saw this thread. I bought a box of Dragon H&K guns years ago intending to use them with SM, but the scale didn't look quite right. It had two each of pretty much every model you can imagine of both MP5 and G3- all different stocks, silencer options, underslung GLs on some G3s, even the briefcase MP5. I forgot I had them, and now I'm doing IG, with whom they might look fine.

Grand Preceptor wrote:

themandudeperson wrote:Kid_Kyoto- do you have any pics of your MP5 equipped IG? I'm kinda thinking MP5's won't have the same profile I'm looking for. I'm wanting something more akin to a G3 with collapsible stock as opposed to the submachinegun look the bolters already have.

Glad I saw this thread. I bought a box of Dragon H&K guns years ago intending to use them with SM, but the scale didn't look quite right. It had two each of pretty much every model you can imagine of both MP5 and G3- all different stocks, silencer options, underslung GLs on some G3s, even the briefcase MP5. I forgot I had them, and now I'm doing IG, with whom they might look fine.

Always happy to help. Post pictures when you can!