Star Trek TOS Phaser Rifle

bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
To create the clear sleeves I used .007 Clear-Lay 8.5 x 11" Film by Grafixarts. I bought it at Hobby Lobby. I thought about .015 clear plastic (too thick) or some overhead projector acetate or office supply sheet protectors (too thin). I even cruised the stores looking for some kind of plastic container/packaging on some product that might work, but that was a complete bust. In the end, the .007 film worked really well by bending easily while still being strong and clear.

To get the clear on as straight as possible I placed each sheet flat on my cutting board with the edges lined up with the lines on the mat. I put some Super Glue gel on the white ends of the cylinder and set it square on the edge of the clear film.

NOTE: As part of my planning I made sure as I assembled each part of the cylinders I kept the seams of each part lined up so they are all in line with each other. This played a big part at final assembly.

I slowly added small lines of the gel glue onto the film in front of each white end and slowly rolled the cylinder forward. I kept steady pressure on the film and allowed more than enough time for the glue to set before I repeated the process. Instead of trimming the film so the seams met up I trimmed it long so the film overlapped the old seam slightly. I tried to use the gel glue to glue the film together but it didn't hold. So, I went back to the tape and used a strip of transparent tape to hold the seam down. I was also careful to not get fingerprints or dirt on the inside of the film.
 

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bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
The last (and easiest) part was to glue the three cylinders in place. I chose to put the red one at the top because that's how it looks when Kirk blasts Gary Mitchell! I positioned all the cylinders so the seams faced inward toward each other so you really can't see them. Now I have lovely straight, smooth cylinders.

First, I glued the cylinders to the back piece using regular Papercraft Gel Glue at the center and Super Glue gel at the edges. I used little dabs of Super Glue gel where the cylinders touch to lock them in place. Finally I glued on the front section, using my desk to keep the whole thing level.
 

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bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
MAIN ASSEMBLY

I attached the bottom "U" shaped part of the housing to the front and rear body parts after attaching the cylinders. If I'd done the cylinders last there's no way I could be sure they'd fit in the opening. I used a liberal amount of glue on the bottom piece, positioned it where I wanted and set the top part down. Using the desk to keep everything level, I pressed down with even pressure on both ends until the glue set. I let it sit overnight, then went around the edges with a slight bit of Super Glue gel on a toothpick. That locked everything in place. Then, I put some Super Glue gel on the base of the barrel and locked that down. She's really looking like she means business!
 

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THE DC

Highly Esteemed Member
HANDLE

The handle was next and it was pretty straightforward. Again, everything got glued to 1mm chipboard and I used files to score the folds. This time, to help with the sharply curved areas at the top and bottom I used a flat file to remove as much of the chipboard as I could where the curves were located. This made the material much easier to glue into shape. As before, I file the edges to angles to make a more flush seam.

The gray areas of the handle should be recessed but I opted to leave this version as-is. All the edges were reinforced from behind with Super Glue gel. Lastly, the trigger was glued in place. If I make another I’ll make the trigger functional.



Making notes on all your processes; including the substantial contribution of Twix, evident in the corner of the first photo (f.1)...

Really enjoying this thread.
 

zathros

*****SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR*****
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
This really is quite a work. The colors and feel of the model. It's really excellent. :)
 

bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
Making notes on all your processes; including the substantial contribution of Twix, evident in the corner of the first photo (f.1)...

Really enjoying this thread.

@THE DC : No Saurian Brandy so I went for the chocolate buzz. Left and Right Twix were consumed with no preferential treatment.
 

bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
STOCK

I was unsure how the stock was going to turn out since it had such an odd shape, but it’s not too bad. As previously done, all the parts were glued to 1mm chipboard, the edges were trimmed to about a 45 degree angles, scores were done with an angled needle file and everything was edge colored with black Sharpie.

The center piece is a simple box shape with angled edges to match the curve of the outer frame. I scored it on the back with a file as done previously. To know where I had to score, I marked the fold lines on the front with an ink pen. I cut triangles at the marks to give me points then lined up my ruler on the back at the points. That showed me where to score. I glued it all together with Super Glue gel. I used a BBQ skewer to put Super Glue on the inside seams for extra hold.
 

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bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
I used the same triangle-cuts method to score the side piece. I cut out the center first, then carefully cut out the outside edges being careful to cut easily and not tear the piece.

Once the outside skin was cut and scored I glued it to the edge piece starting one of the folded edges. From there everything was slowly glued in place using a sharpened toothpick to apply Super Glue Gel. More Super Glue went on the inside seam.

The inside skin went on in the same manner. I eased it into place and got it all lined up before gluing the edges with Super Glue Gel. I was afraid the thickness of the chipboard would throw everything off but it went together pretty well. From there the center piece was glued in place.
 

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bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
To make it stronger, I glued the mounting button to chipboard, added scraps of chipboard to the inside, then glued the other side to chipboard. I scratched the ink away where the button glued to the handle since it’s printed on glossy paper and I wanted the glue to get a good “bite.”
 

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bgt01

Exemplary Confidant
FINAL ASSEMBLY

Finally, the handle and the stock are glued in place and I am ready to take out Gary Mitchell on Delta Vega! It’s been a long, slow build and I’m pleased with the results. It’s a pretty impressive paper model at this size. As usual, I see a lot of ways I could have detailed it out more but I probably would never have finished it. I’ll need to build some kind of holder for it. You can’t let it rest on the stock or you’ll pop the little mounting button off. You definitely need some shelf space if you build one at this size, as you can see from the pic of me holding it and defending my vintage Realistic stereo (that one's for you @zathros ). Hope you all enjoyed the build.
 

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THE DC

Highly Esteemed Member
Thanks much for sharing this great build thread; awesome tips and it was nice to see this full size!
 
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