Search the Community

http://i39.tinypic.com/6gc09t.jpg Getting autocannons can be a real pain, luckily they are one of the easiest weapons to make at home. While I'm not particularly skilled, it just goes to show you how easy it really can be. A few brass rods, a couple tools, and some plasticard odds and ends will take you far. The first step is getting the tools together. You will need the following: A Hobby Knife, a Pair of Flush Dikes, Super Glue, a Ruler, a Razor Saw, and a few drill bits. http://i48.tinypic.com/16kdr86.jpghttp://i50.tinypic.com/34nr19j.jpg Optional extra tools include: a Hand drill, a Hobby Vise, and a couple Pairs of Small Pliers. This is the basic toolkit. There are other useful tools to have as well, but for the vast majority of scratch building this is all you need. For building Auto Cannons you need to make a trip to the hobby store for Copper or Brass Tubes, Styrene Sheets and Tubes, and a small jewelry chain. The only other thing you will need is a piece of sprue or a sheet of 1/8th inch styrene. http://i50.tinypic.com/11hc4s6.jpg You will need at least two different sized widths of copper or brass tube. Ensure the interior diameter of one matches the exterior diameter of another. The actual size is up to you, I like my autocannons to be about the size of the GW Havoc autocannon. I use 3mm and 2mm brass tube. You will need an assorted bag of styrene card and tubes. Evergreen Scale Models manufactures a bag called "odds and ends" which happens to have everything styrene needed to make multiple autocannons. Sheets of styrene can be purchased separately, you will need a very thin sheet 0.1-0.2in and a thicker sheet, 0.4-0.6in. Lets get started: 1. Using your dikes, cut a piece of sprue down to about 2cm. I use my dikes to ensure I get a nearly square cut, and I cut a little extra off and file it down to where I want it.http://i50.tinypic.com/2cnv2bc.jpg 2. Using your razor saw, cut a couple pieces of your smaller diameter tube, one should be about a cm shorter than the other. Now cut another two peices of tube, this time from your larger diameter tube. One only needs to be 1cm long, the other needs to be about 2cm shorter than your longer piece of small tube.http://i48.tinypic.com/kbf5on.jpg 3. Get Drilling. Specifically two small holes down one side of the sprue like the above picture. Make sure you use a bit that is the exact size of your smaller diameter tube. Drill deeper for a shorter barrel, shallower for a long barrel. Try your best to keep them square. While sprue is soft enough that you can turn the bits between your fingers, a hobby vise and hand drill are useful here if you have them. Next cut a small square of your thicker styrene, large enough to contain another two holes spaced the same as the ones in your sprue piece. This will be your spacer.http://i47.tinypic.com/2wr0lmf.jpg 4. Now you should have the following parts:http://i46.tinypic.com/33o1xcm.jpg 5. Assemble them like this photo and insert them into the holes in your sprue. Play with the proportions till you find what you'd like, then add just a bit of super glue to each connection.http://i47.tinypic.com/v7cbbm.jpg 6. Now you have the basic design down, it's time to add smaller details. I started by adding an extra heat shield that resembles GW's model. Most of the details added are going to be made from your thin sheets of styrene, while the rails along the top look better when they are made of thicker styrene. Also if you want to add a notch to the back of the weapon, now is the time. Most GW weapons have them even if their Havoc autocannon doesn't. I cut one by removing a 45 degree slice from weapons posterior. 7. Before you get too crazy with detailing its a good idea to think about where your magazine will sit. If you want standard marine arms to carry this weapon, you will need to use a bolter or other gun, for reference, to place the magazine between the hands. I greenstuff my hands around the weapon so the magazine you see in the photo will not allow for un-altered marine arms. Usually I build box magazines like the one on the GW model, however this time I decided to change it up by using a bit of tubing and sealing the ends with styrene.http://i50.tinypic.com/2db6ixv.jpghttp://i48.tinypic.com/2d1a60z.jpg 8. Now is a great time to clean op the spacer. Take your flush dikes and carefully cut back the square so that it becomes a rounded rectangle, conforming to the barrel and support strut. You'll need to smooth out the cuts to keep a nice continuous edge all the way around. If you want a bayonet, a thicker piece of styrene cut into a very acute triagle will suffice, you can give it dimension by running the edge of your hobby knife along the longest side to form a blade. I cut a couple notches into mine to complete the effect. Glue the finished bayonet like the following photo:http://i47.tinypic.com/mlggug.jpg 9. Finish the bayonet by cutting a couple of small rectangles from your thinnest piece of styrene. Carefully cut them into an L shape. Attach them with super glue like the following photo (it helps to use the point of your hobby knife to grip the smallest pieces. Just tap the point into the part and then twist after the glue starts to dry to release):http://i45.tinypic.com/2uibzgz.jpg Don't forget to do both sides! 10. Final touches include any little detail work you want, however you should save adding a chain lanyard for last if you want one. Cutting a single link from the jewelry chain carefully enough to keep half of it on the chain attached is very very hard. Gluing it to the weapon is even harder. It is also a very delicate join, and will break off every time you add a new detail without fail. Nothing says you need exposed rounds to make this thing an autocannon. I happen to like them though. However I've discovered through experimentation that its very hard to make ammo belts from scratch so I ordered these from dragonforge. While they are a bit small, I've found them to be extremely useful and time saving. http://i47.tinypic.com/m76z34.jpg Here is the completed product:http://i48.tinypic.com/2gwfafp.jpghttp://i45.tinypic.com/15ytc88.jpghttp://i48.tinypic.com/2s1vor7.jpg While it looks a bit plain, I'm waiting on an order of brass etch to fill in some details for me. I'll be adding the chain lanyard once the etch is firmly in place. http://i50.tinypic.com/2efjk91.jpg Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, or if there is something you'd like another look at or more information on. If there is any glaring errors please let me know as well. Thanks!

I'm remaking some Apothecaries made from scratch and I want to put on them the traditional backpack. I want to make from scratch too, but I lack of inspiration or ideas. Which bits are most recommended? The light is easy with Necromunda's Delaque targeters, but the "scanner"?