Fallout 3 AER9 Laser Rifle Prop Finished!!!!!

Posted: Saturday, March 20, 2010 by Ryan Palser in
28

Last fall I came across a blog by the name of VolpinProps.  A friend had commissioned him to build an AER9 Laser rifle from the Fallout 3 video game.  Being a huge fan of the game, I decided I had to build one for myself.  I knew I had to wait until I finished up my steampunk keyboard.  Earlier this year I finally started on my version of the AER9.  It is always important to start with a good set of blueprints.

This set of blueprints is were created by NeXXt.  The gun from front to back measures roughly 38 inches.  Going into this build I had decided not to worry about documenting my process.  At the time I was more interested in just building it.  Since I finished, however, I have had a lot of people ask me if I had photos of it in progress.  Sadly I always have to say no.  Looking back now I wish I had documented it.  This is something I will do going forward on future projects.

The gun is made mostly of MDF and various types of sheet plastic with a few other materials for small detail pieces.  Plastic is a surprisingly easy material to work with.  It can be cut and sanded as well as heated and shaped.  The two materials work extremely well together.  The gun was built in pieces and assembled after all of the individual parts were finished and base painted.  The main pieces were the barrel, the nose cap, the rear cap, the stock, the hand grip, the energy cell, and the lower bar.  Believe it or not, the entire thing is held together with glue.  Every screw on the gun is cosmetic.  After everything was assembled, the gun was ready to receive a very heavy coat of weathering.  If you are unfamiliar with Fallout 3, These weapons are supposed to be roughly 200 years old in a post apocalyptic world.  As a result they are very worn and dirty from years of use and abuse.  
Below are a few pictures of the rifle.  To view more photos of the finished gun head on over to my Flickr page!


28 comments:

  1. Anonymous says:
    May 30, 2010 at 10:27 PM

    Fantastic work! I was hoping somebody would make one of these!

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 8, 2010 at 7:32 AM

    im making one of these at the moment, and i was wondering how did you make the microfusion cell?

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    June 8, 2010 at 4:27 PM

    The easy way to do it would be on a lathe. Since I don't own one I used a hand drill and a belt sander. I glued several layers of wood together and drilled a hole down the center which I then put a long bolt through. The end of the bolt went into the drill. At low speed I then sanded it with the belt sander to get the shape I wanted. Each piece was done separately and then glued together at the end. If this is confusing let me know and I will try and explain it better.

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 19, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    ah right. cheers for the info :)

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 26, 2010 at 3:10 AM

    To be precize, this blueprints traced by me and published later at Volpin thread of 405th forum. In your case rather used first Volpin's blueprint - look at trigger and reload lever constructions:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/14455307@N07/3785798551/in/set-72157621944808584/

    NeXXt.

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    June 26, 2010 at 5:44 PM

    I never claim these blueprints as my own and when building it I didn't copy any specific gun or follow the blueprints exactly. It is a hybrid of several versions that I came across as well as changes that needed to me made to make it work in the real world. As far as the trigger goes, I did not like the idea of having the trigger on the side if the rifle as in the blueprint above. No real world rifle would ever be designed that way. It's just bad placement and would dramatically increase the risk of the trigger getting damaged or accidentally firing. So I decided to go with the far more traditional design of modern rifles and have the trigger centered and protected my the main framework of the rifle. My rifle does not perfectly match any set of blueprints that can be found on the internet.

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 27, 2010 at 10:43 PM

    Ok. Meanwhile 'This set of blueprints is an upgraded version of his' is not corrected, agree? :) I made BP with maximum precision, as in the game.

    No doubt, in real life this construction can be easy damaged. Thick trigger, uncover cable, weak lower bridge, tuning handles - it looks like a hair-drier, not a gun. Retro-futuristic fabulous design.

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    June 28, 2010 at 12:39 PM

    Agreed, by upgraded I simply meant that your blueprint is a much more accurate and detailed version and not necessarily directly related to the original set that Volpin created in any way.

  1. shivanta3 says:
    August 6, 2010 at 11:21 AM

    I am interested in buying this exact model most prop artists are booked till 2067. Would you be interested in selling this model or making one for me.

    please let me know if its possible to work something out email me at

    Shivanta4@hotmail.com

  1. Anonymous says:
    August 23, 2010 at 8:10 PM

    Will you sell it?

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    August 23, 2010 at 10:55 PM

    email me and I'll send you a quote to build one

  1. Anonymous says:
    August 26, 2010 at 8:58 AM

    I'm a member of a fallout propmaking forum www.wastelandoutpost.com. Just like to say, a fellow by the name of NEXXT is responsible for the blueprints, NOT volpin. He states on his blog that those are the more accurate ones he found on the 405th. don't mean to be an ass. just wanted NEXXT to get the credit he so deserves.
    sincerely
    Elvis,
    King of the wasteland

  1. The Greatest Untitled Podcast Ever says:
    August 26, 2010 at 1:08 PM

    Ok, I have to admit this is pretty rad.

    Kenny
    1/2 of The GUPE

  1. Anonymous says:
    August 26, 2010 at 3:34 PM

    Im not very artistic.. and even if i have all the tools and blueprint and so forth... ill still fail.. haha but thats just hard truth.. :(.. I can commission you to make one :D if possible that is

  1. Anonymous says:
    September 5, 2010 at 10:44 AM

    hey, i noticed that you said the overall length is 38". but what about the width and thickness of the barrel, because im trying to make a new one, but i don't know if i've got the right measurements.
    so could you possibly tell me the measurements that you worked with?

    :)

  1. Anonymous says:
    July 1, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    how did you build the rear cap and all the little machine parts near the MF Cell? Also how did you make the stock?

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    July 4, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    Volpin Props, the original creator of this gun has a great how to write up on his site. Check it out for details on how to build one of these.

  1. Anonymous says:
    October 12, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    wats the website called.

  1. Anonymous says:
    October 12, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    nevermind i found it. ive been waitin to see some one show me how to build this i love wood wrok and this would be a perfect project im also a huge fan of fallout.

  1. Anonymous says:
    November 8, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    can you post ur email address so we may privately chat?

  1. Ryan Palser says:
    November 8, 2011 at 10:39 PM

    kronosprops @ gmail . com

  1. mrnewvegas says:
    December 4, 2011 at 3:44 PM

    may i ask what are the dimensions for the prop

  1. Robin Boeff says:
    April 23, 2012 at 8:10 AM

    Hmm yesterday i was at a steampunk event in my country, but i still need a weapon for my outfit, and this one seems like a great idea.

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 19, 2012 at 1:58 AM

    how much do you charge for a build of an AER9 laser rifle? please email me, ryangerbal12@hotmail.co.uk

  1. Anonymous says:
    June 19, 2012 at 2:00 AM

    Also, this is f!$ck*ng amazing man, seriously. you're a pro!

  1. ethtrem says:
    August 15, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    how did you make the raised part that goes around the stock? i cant seem to figure it out and i need to know because i am making one right now

  1. Nick Barella says:
    October 25, 2012 at 4:15 AM

    I'm not sure if this how he did it, but the way I would do it is heat a plastic strip and carefully place it around the stock until it cools and hardens

  1. Anonymous says:
    January 16, 2013 at 4:36 AM

    http://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/comments/16nhtq/heres_my_aer9_laser_rifle_prop_i_made/ Someone is claiming your work as theirs on Reddit.