Malcom Reynolds Firefly/Serenity Gun (Snap-Together!)

This is one of several props I put together for a Firefly/Han Solo/Hellboy inspired Steampunk Space Pirate costume for a costume party.

The original gun model by dan0nator is fantastic, but I wanted something that could be snapped together quickly, rather than printed in halves and glued. Since I was at it, I split the handle from the rest of the gun so that it could be printed in a different color. Props to Tony Buser for his perennially useful pin connector library.

Print instructions

Category: Props Print Settings

Printer Brand: MakerBot

Printer: MakerBot Replicator

Rafts: No

Supports: No

Resolution: 0.25

Infill: 15%

Post-Printing

Print Order and Assembly

Note: If you've got your printer tolerances dialed in, it will take a little bit of force to insert the pins, but it is well worth it. The prop I printed holds together as if it was printed as a solid piece. Every part snapped together tightly with zero post-processing.

1. Print at least 14 pins. I would recommend 16, just in case you lose or break one (~20 minutes)
2. Print the two parts for the handle (~90 hours)
3. Start printing the two parts for the "trigger" area (~2 hours 30 minutes)
4. While the "trigger" parts are printing, use two pins to snap the two handle halves together. Add four more pins to the edge of the handle that connects to the rest of the gun.
5. Start printing the single part for the gun barrel. (~75 minutes)
6. While the barrel part is being printed, use four pins to snap the two "trigger" halves together. Add four more pins to the edge of the "trigger" area that will connect to the barrel.

7. Once the barrel part is done, just snap it into the rest of the gun

   How I Designed This

   I added almost nothing to dan0nator's creation. I used OpenSCAD to orient and split the model into 5 large pieces for easy printing and aesthetic purposes.

   The handle was split off from the rest of the gun so that I could print it in brown/copper while the rest could be printed in grey/silver. I split the handle down the middle so that when it was done the handle would appear to have a wood-like grain. The "trigger" area was also split down the middle so that it could be printed without supports. The barrel was printed as a single piece, oriented upright, so that it wouldn't have any seams and would help hold the model tightly together.

   I did make one minor change to the model. Rather than splitting the left from right sides, I focused on getting just the left side done as perfectly as I could - then mirroring the file. This way I didn't have to worry about whether I was cutting the model exactly in half.