Strap in, boys, girls, and my enbies. We are on the final stretch of this bad boy. Pow Pow. Jinx's main weapon and honestly, the hardest I've ever worked to create a weapon. This prop took me 18 hours straight to build, but please pace yourself. I was exhausted and in so much pain from all the floor sitting I had to do. This is also a really messy project, with a lot of foam dust, and glue everywhere, so make sure to clean up really well afterwards (I still have dust on the floor, and I've swept at least 4 times since I finished her.)
Anyway, this is going to be a photo heavy post, so that you guys can make sure you're doing it right. Pow pow is made with three (3) .75 inch pvc pipes (they are 2.5 feet long), 2mm foam, 6mm foam, and 10 mm foam. I also used bias tape for the handle, and created a strap from cotton and used thumb tacks to make it look like it's more secure. I used contact cement, and a heat gun (Please use these outside, or with a LOT of ventilation) I also used a dremel (which you will need goggles and a dust mask for.)
So, we'll start off with the barrels. I had bought a 10 foot pipe for Fishbones, and had it cut to different sizes so that I could make more Fishbones later if I wanted to. I took a piece of 10 mm foam about 12 inches wide, and wrapped it around a smaller cut of the pipe. I thought I was going to use the pipe in the actual Pow pow, but realized it would be so much lighter if I didn't. I kept the piece wrapped around the pipe, not gluing it down. Then measured a second piece that is smaller width-wise on top of the first piece. This time, you will glue down the second to the first, so that they will stay together. You'll then take about 5-6 pieces of 6mm foam, cut into rectangles the width of the top piece of foam by about an inch and a half (1.5in). You'll also space them about as far. For the bottom piece, you'll make a spiral looking pattern. I did have to draw this out on paper, as it looked harder to me than it actually was. You'll also space those out about one length apart, then cement them down. I dremeled the top pieces so that they are beveled. It makes it look cleaner and more professional. It should look like the photos below.
I also added a circular piece that would house the pipes at the end of the long piece. It's supposed to be a little bit bigger than the tube, and it's also rounded on the edges. You'll dremel these, then draw a circle around where the holes for the pipes will be. They don't have to be clean holes, you'll just need to make sure your pipes are snug so that they don't wobble everywhere. You'll also want to make triangles that are a bit bigger than the pipes, which stabilizes them at the end. I cut out 4 triangles, since there are two sets of them, glued two together each, then cut out the pipe holes. I beveled the edges for both sets, then slid them onto the pipes. The pvc pipes were a bit long for me, so I made them go further into the base so that when I glued the body to the barrels, I would have extra stability for the barrels. I then cut out three "knives", when I only needed two, and beveled those as well. Honestly, you could probably cut out 4, glue pairs together, and bevel the edges in order to make them more stable. You'll want to remember to glue strips of foam around the base of the pipes, since I forgot right before I plasti-dipped, then I sprayed it silver.
I actually decided to paint this piece before moving onto the next part because I didn't want to be overwhelmed by all the painting. So I took acrylics to it, and used a sponge to get the hammered out metal. You can also buy hammered metal spray paint. It's pretty legit. I just wanted to go that extra mile. You'll finish off by throwing that Zombie green paint on there and then we move onto the body!
Pow pow's body is more rounded, but I accidentally made him more oval, but honestly, he looks pretty good as is. You'll make the body as long as you want (I think mine's about 24".) Then make strips the length of the body. Cut two of those, then bevel the edges with your dremel. Take a strip about 6 inches wide, and make it the length around the body. You'll need two pieces, and make sure to bevel the underside so that it'll fit on the body better. Glue those bad boys down, and let them cure for about 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, make sure you're hydrated, go to the bathroom, take your meds, etc. I wouldn't shower, since it's going to be a really messy process after this. Lol
Next up, you'll want to close off the front and back. It's important to leave this step till after you make the strips so that it will be accurate. Cement those on, then round off the corners with your dremmel. I then made the "exhaust port" out of 6 mm foam. You'll cut a circle, then cut out the middle like a "Do not" sign. I cut out that strip so that it would be easier to dremel and make cleaner, but that is not entirely necessary. I then started working on the "engines" by making stacks of foam from the 10 mm. I think I was a set or two of alternating sizes too short for the normal model, but you can make it however you want. It does get a bit tedious for this part, but if you do it right, it comes out looking gorgeous. I used my wood burner to make the damage to the engines, once the glue was dry, then painted these before attaching to the body.
You'll make the engine carriage on the side now. to do this, I created strips of 10 mm foam, then glued those on, then made two "hill" pieces, meeting with the regular strips for the sides. Hopefully, the pictures do a better job of explaining.
It was then time to paint the body that gawdy blue. You can use spray paint or you can use acrylic like I did. I weathered it a bit with a slightly darker shade of blue, sponging it on like a madman. I then created the back handle, cutting 4 pieces of 6 mm foam and gluing them together. I made sure to round it out with my dremel, then create the Ouija piece to go under it. It fits nice and snug, but only after I painted it and let it dry. I used brown bias tape to wrap around the handle, but you can use faux leather. Just make sure to glue it under the handle so that it doesn't show the end of it. You'll glue that towards the end of Pow Pow's body, and glue on the engines as well.
I built the second handle out of four 10mm pieces, and two longer rectangles so that I could have a sturdy grip. Dremel these pieces before you paint and glue it to the base. I also took bias tape to wrap around the grip, and again, you can use faux leather, either works fine. I then started working on the pipes. You'll want to use pvc, as the foam pipe covers I used did not hold the paint well, and did not want to stay glued. If you do use my way of doing it, make sure you use at least two layers of mod podge on them, since the glue (whether hot glue or contact cement) will melt the pieces. I used a piece of foam to create that pipe fitting part, and glued it to the body. I did the same for the 3 smaller pipes, and held them to the body and the main pipe. Once those are dry, you'll take a strip about 16 inches by 5 inches, heat it up to make a bump, then glue that to the body. You want to make sure that the large pipe can fit underneath it, since that piece keeps the pipe from flailing everywhere.
Finally, to put the barrels together with the body, You'll cut out where the pipes fit (I just cut out a triangle for the convenience.) then glue the pipes and the triangle, plus, where the barrel hits the body. This gives it extra security, even if the barrel wiggles off from the body, the pipes will keep it steadfast until you can glue it back together. Make sure to throw some green on the body as well, then make a strap (mine was two 3inch pieces by 60 inches) and glue it down to the body. I made sure to contact cement, since that stuff could probably glue a cow to a barn, and clear coated everything. Pow Pow stands about 3.5 feet from the tip of the knives to the base of the butt.
So, we are finally done with Slayer Jinx. I really hope these tutorials have been helpful to you. If you enjoy them, please let me know! And if you'd like to show your support financially, you can commission me for props or send me a ko-fi! It's only $3 and currently gets you put into the raffle for the 3rd gen quilt raffle! You can see my progress on my facebook page as well as my instagram! If you click the links to the right top corner, it'll take you there. Thank you so much friends! I may have a tutorial for Rukia and Ichigo, but I'm not sure at this time! Let me know if you'd like to see them and if I get enough interest, I will post them.
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