Warhammer 40k Imperial Commissar- Airsoft Bolt Pistol build thread
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 1:57 pm
So- there's going to some folks here going to have a lot of 'Huh?!" going on in this thread and for this I apologise:....Where to start?
So: Preamble
1. There is a desktop roleplaying game called Warhammer 40,000k- This features a huge galaxy spanning Empire Of Mankind living in a horrible dystopia with all kinds of horrors....It is very complex with a huge, deep and varied backstory taking all kinds of sci-fi fun and mixing it up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000
2.The armies of man tend to be conscripts and are unsuprisingly a bit shaky on the morale front when facing 20 foot tall demons that can explode your head, alien psykers who can melt your head and alien xenos who only want to eat you. The Imperial Guard- these armies- are not given a 'safe space' and a Jolly Rancher....No, every Imperial Guard Regiment is provided with an Imperial Commissar- a man with the power to dispense immediate summary execution to anyone (regardless of rank) who retreats, fidgets on parade, shows cowardice, looks like they might show cowardice, mentions heresy against the Emperor.....you get the idea..
Imperial Commissars get a very spiffy peaked cap, a chainsword and a bolt pistol- which looks all rather awesome.
Like so:
Note the Bolt pistol- a .50 semi and full automatic weapon that fires a mass-sensing ceramite tipped rocket-assisted explosive round
3. There are a series of immensely fun books set in the 40k universe by Dan Abnett called the Gaunt's Ghosts series, featuring one Commissar Ibram Gaunt who is- basically- king of the sci-fi badasses.
4. Finally: I used to play the tabletop game as a lad. Since then I've played airsoft and wanted forever to combine the too....I'm never going to be a 8 foot tall Adeptus Astartes Marine- but reading Gaunt's Ghosts back-to-back made me want to do it more....The problem being that the future pew-pew guns don't really look anything like the standard infantry weapons available as off-the-shelf airsoft kit...
Right? All caught up?....got some snacks and a tasty beverage?....Right!
Start point: an Chinasoft plastic bodied M4- one of these:
Why an M4? 2 Key factors (availability and construction)- The front end comes off in one piece as does the stock- that makes conversion easy. Unlike the G36 (another possibility) or G3SAS (another choice) the HOP unit is inside the body, meaning however I decide to build the new body I won't have worry about how to keep it functional.
Plastic bodied for the reason of lightness. I want something I can reasonably use one handed.
So: Hacked the outer barrel and inner barrel down to about 5" (No shorter than the many G&P Tank CQB models). Cut off all the sticking out bits, as we're going for slab-sided. Pull out the cocking handle to save weight.
38mm PVC wastepipe becomes the fake bolt-pistol barrel- the real barrel becomes a fake 'gas tube'
To increase the 'chunkiness' factor, I'm adding another length of tube on the top using miliput straight to the top rail. It's also a place to hide a battery. This gives me a solid core to bolt the 'skin' around....This is where the big profile of the bolt pistol pays off.
Added a trigger shoe and funky trigger guard to mask the classic 'M4' profile a little. Cableties are a temporary measure while building.
So- Lots going on here with the help of a Roadie :)
Body has been fabricated from 5mm matt black acrylic sheet- as with the PVC barrel- my aim is something I can actually LIFT and use all day.
Guts have been sprayed satin silver so that when the 'skin' is bolted on, there's a pretty contrast between the two.
Mocking up stage- waiting for the paint to harden off then glueing in place. Also note I've added a 5mm eye bolt to the rear- this keeps the gearbox supported (no stock bolt) and gives me a locating point for a single point sling.
The skull lanyard is a temporary measure.
Means I can hang it on my gear without the faff of having to create a holster.....Plus a good Commissar keeps his tool of office ready to dispense justice at all times, so no holster for me.
Getting there. Glued in place the side shields- had to create Miliput spacers to keep everything in square.
Grip wrapped in neoprene- this hides the M4 origins a little more.
Weighs about as much as a good target pistol. Manageable with one hand even with a Nimh in place
Hand cut Aquila stencil from standard paper- gold paint sponged on as I'm aiming for the 'mass produced' issue arm look.
Adding a fake cocking handle and tidying up begins
I'm thinking the Bolt pistol is open bolt to aid cooling. Hence cocking handle is back- need to add a little more here to make it look like part of the mechanism
Here's a friendly public service announcement from me- your newly appointed regimental Commissar....I have become my own meme. :D
The weirdos in the Adeptus Mechanicus have purified my tool using magical Purity Seal (Volvo Sunburst Red, aged with black boot polish and paper aged with tea)
(FYI- that'd be NIN Head Like A Hole chorus in Latin in my own fair hand-
"Head like a hole/Black as your soul/I'd rather die than give you control/ Bow down before the one you serve- you're going to get what you deserve").
Converted a pouch and belt buckle for duty too....just need a chainsword now. (watch this space, heretics)
More finishing- ally perforated plate finishes the spaces without adding weight. And looks badass.
Rubber bungs added to the battery tube.
Chainsword has arrived.....for the glory of the Golden Throne!
Made the full width mag full of future pew-pew rocket bullet things and did a whole load more finishing
.....Next up- loadout photos and 'combat' use
So: Preamble
1. There is a desktop roleplaying game called Warhammer 40,000k- This features a huge galaxy spanning Empire Of Mankind living in a horrible dystopia with all kinds of horrors....It is very complex with a huge, deep and varied backstory taking all kinds of sci-fi fun and mixing it up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warhammer_40,000
2.The armies of man tend to be conscripts and are unsuprisingly a bit shaky on the morale front when facing 20 foot tall demons that can explode your head, alien psykers who can melt your head and alien xenos who only want to eat you. The Imperial Guard- these armies- are not given a 'safe space' and a Jolly Rancher....No, every Imperial Guard Regiment is provided with an Imperial Commissar- a man with the power to dispense immediate summary execution to anyone (regardless of rank) who retreats, fidgets on parade, shows cowardice, looks like they might show cowardice, mentions heresy against the Emperor.....you get the idea..
Imperial Commissars get a very spiffy peaked cap, a chainsword and a bolt pistol- which looks all rather awesome.
Like so:
Note the Bolt pistol- a .50 semi and full automatic weapon that fires a mass-sensing ceramite tipped rocket-assisted explosive round
3. There are a series of immensely fun books set in the 40k universe by Dan Abnett called the Gaunt's Ghosts series, featuring one Commissar Ibram Gaunt who is- basically- king of the sci-fi badasses.
4. Finally: I used to play the tabletop game as a lad. Since then I've played airsoft and wanted forever to combine the too....I'm never going to be a 8 foot tall Adeptus Astartes Marine- but reading Gaunt's Ghosts back-to-back made me want to do it more....The problem being that the future pew-pew guns don't really look anything like the standard infantry weapons available as off-the-shelf airsoft kit...
Right? All caught up?....got some snacks and a tasty beverage?....Right!
Start point: an Chinasoft plastic bodied M4- one of these:
Why an M4? 2 Key factors (availability and construction)- The front end comes off in one piece as does the stock- that makes conversion easy. Unlike the G36 (another possibility) or G3SAS (another choice) the HOP unit is inside the body, meaning however I decide to build the new body I won't have worry about how to keep it functional.
Plastic bodied for the reason of lightness. I want something I can reasonably use one handed.
So: Hacked the outer barrel and inner barrel down to about 5" (No shorter than the many G&P Tank CQB models). Cut off all the sticking out bits, as we're going for slab-sided. Pull out the cocking handle to save weight.
38mm PVC wastepipe becomes the fake bolt-pistol barrel- the real barrel becomes a fake 'gas tube'
To increase the 'chunkiness' factor, I'm adding another length of tube on the top using miliput straight to the top rail. It's also a place to hide a battery. This gives me a solid core to bolt the 'skin' around....This is where the big profile of the bolt pistol pays off.
Added a trigger shoe and funky trigger guard to mask the classic 'M4' profile a little. Cableties are a temporary measure while building.
So- Lots going on here with the help of a Roadie :)
Body has been fabricated from 5mm matt black acrylic sheet- as with the PVC barrel- my aim is something I can actually LIFT and use all day.
Guts have been sprayed satin silver so that when the 'skin' is bolted on, there's a pretty contrast between the two.
Mocking up stage- waiting for the paint to harden off then glueing in place. Also note I've added a 5mm eye bolt to the rear- this keeps the gearbox supported (no stock bolt) and gives me a locating point for a single point sling.
The skull lanyard is a temporary measure.
Means I can hang it on my gear without the faff of having to create a holster.....Plus a good Commissar keeps his tool of office ready to dispense justice at all times, so no holster for me.
Getting there. Glued in place the side shields- had to create Miliput spacers to keep everything in square.
Grip wrapped in neoprene- this hides the M4 origins a little more.
Weighs about as much as a good target pistol. Manageable with one hand even with a Nimh in place
Hand cut Aquila stencil from standard paper- gold paint sponged on as I'm aiming for the 'mass produced' issue arm look.
Adding a fake cocking handle and tidying up begins
I'm thinking the Bolt pistol is open bolt to aid cooling. Hence cocking handle is back- need to add a little more here to make it look like part of the mechanism
Here's a friendly public service announcement from me- your newly appointed regimental Commissar....I have become my own meme. :D
The weirdos in the Adeptus Mechanicus have purified my tool using magical Purity Seal (Volvo Sunburst Red, aged with black boot polish and paper aged with tea)
(FYI- that'd be NIN Head Like A Hole chorus in Latin in my own fair hand-
"Head like a hole/Black as your soul/I'd rather die than give you control/ Bow down before the one you serve- you're going to get what you deserve").
Converted a pouch and belt buckle for duty too....just need a chainsword now. (watch this space, heretics)
More finishing- ally perforated plate finishes the spaces without adding weight. And looks badass.
Rubber bungs added to the battery tube.
Chainsword has arrived.....for the glory of the Golden Throne!
Made the full width mag full of future pew-pew rocket bullet things and did a whole load more finishing
.....Next up- loadout photos and 'combat' use