It's tutorial time folks! I decided that most of the
G1-styled rifles that have popped up recently from 3rd party sources were just not within the budget. So while they're nice and even gimmicky (lights), I knew I could do one just as cool, if not better for practically nothing.
Anyway, I took my old
G1 Ultra Magnus rifle, my old
G1 Optimus Prime rifle, and planned out a nice
G1 Classics-styled update to the Autobot leader's original weapon. The first pics you'll see were a quick mockup using only the
G1 Ultra Magnus rifle. While it looked cool and did the trick, it just didn't seem much like the original OP weapon. So as you see in the next pics, I decided to fuse the two into one and it all started coming together. For those looking to follow along themselves, I'll list the steps I went through.
1) Obtain
G1 Ultra Magnus &
G1 Optimus Prime rifles - these can be found in your old toy bin, in your little brother's mouth, in your dog's "accident" over in the corner, other
TF buy/sell forums, or eBay for those that need them NOW.
2) Using your dremel (or hobby knife--which could take YEARS), cut the handle off of the stock of the gun (the "butt")--this is the handle that Magnus held the gun with while claiming he was dealing with things. You won't need this piece again (unless you keep odd parts and think it could be useful on another 'bash down the road).
3) Flip the gun over so that you now have the other handle facing down (this was the handle that Magnus or Prime could use when not loaded with armor). You'll see an area where a trigger might be, if this were real. Cut that small piece out, then use your dremel (or cutting tool) to cut right up next to the handle. You will continue cutting until you reach the "open" area under what appears to be a scope of some sort.
4) Now, return your attention to the rear of the weapon. You should see a piece between the stock ("butt") end of the gun and what could be that scope-looking piece. You'll want to cut this small piece out also--not the scope, but the small piece that is in between the stock and scope thing (you'll see why as the pictures progress).
5) You should now have completely cut off the rear half of the weapon. Now, turn your attention to the
G1 Optimus Prime rifle. These things were prone to snap in the middle (the narrow part) I can't begin to tell you how many times I had to superglue that sucker as a kid growing up with it. That's where the idea came from. Once I cut that half of the
G1 Magnus rifle, it hit me to use the rear end of the
G1 Prime rifle.
6) If yours is still complete, snap it in half (or cut it) and make sure it is sanded on the tip (to help it sit flush with the
G1 Magnus gun front). You will need to score a bit into the
G1 Prime rifle to allow the scope piece from the
G1 Magnus gun to help everything sit flat and straight. Also, cut off the old handle that used to fit into the
G1 Prime toy. You will need this again, so use a thin dremel cutting disc and be careful not to damage the peg or your fingers. Now you should be able to simply glue these two gun halves together.
5) Once they are dry, look at the trigger on the
G1 Prime gun end. You will need to cut the original
G1 handle off here, while leaving the trigger intact.
6) Now, take that original
G1 Prime handle/peg, sand it flat on the end you cut, and glue it into the place where the "fake"
G1 Prime handle used to be. Now he can actually hold the gun where the trigger is, instead of halfway down the rifle.
7) Now for the clip. Here's where the junk hunting begins. I took a round plastic piece from the leg of my WIP Universe Jazz custom (removed from the shin area so that shin guards could be built and the legs could fold up better to allow for more clearance). You can use practically any piece of plastic you want. You just need a piece that can be sanded (either by hand or dremel--I chose the latter) and shaped into a small rectangle, about the size of the handle that sits under the trigger now). Once you've found something to use and sanded it to the shape you need, glue it on where the old
G1 Prime handle sat (in front of the trigger--the place the toy originally held the weapon).
8) After these parts have dried, turn your attention to the stock ("butt") of the
G1 Prime rifle. You'll want to cut the entire stock off completely (flush with the inside part of the stock). No real modding here, you just want to cut the stock off, clear away and sand the rough edges, and slide it up a bit so that the stock's bottom end now sits flush with the line that the top of the trigger is on (again, pay close attention to the pics). Glue it on and let it dry.
9) Once the parts have all dried, the last tiny details can be added (if you want them). Here, I took the front end of the rifle (the
G1 Magnus part) and used a very small dremel drill bit to drill out each of the vent holes on the side of the weapon. I went very slowly, bit by bit on each side so that I could get a clean drill hole straight through to the other hole on the other side. I did all 4 vent holes this way. Once I finished that, I swapped out for a cutting disc and cut the "nipple" off the front end of the gun--trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. I then swapped out for a slightly larger drill bit (larger than the one used on the vent holes) and slowly drilled down into the barrel of the rifle. I drilled down and stopped between the 1st & 2nd vent holes. This gives the illusion that the entire barrel is open and that something could come out (yay for cheezy realism!). The last touch I added was a small strip of styrene to glue under the barrel to mimmick the old
G1 Prime rifle--the part where the hose would attach.
10) Last, prime it, paint it, do whatever you'd like to it (within reason, of course). You should now have a nice Classics
G1-styled rifle for Optimus Prime to kick Decepticon tail with. I mean, someone's gotta use it, since Magnus apparently couldn't handle it or deal with it.
Just wanted to share up a cool little tutorial for making your own. Just toss me some credit if you go this route, if not, I look forward to seeing your own. Now go marvel at the Prime rifle and my
G1 obsession! (and yes, for those wondering, I have a nice Classics Prime in the works--modding and repainting Classics Prime to look a LOT more "
G1"--this is nearing completion, so you'll be able to see the rifle in his hands before long).
Enjoy! (and build!)
Classics Optimus Prime G1 Rifle - Tutorial! 
)
