Tri Forged Studios

3D Printing - Casting - Mold Making - Production

Halo Reach M6G Magnum (2013)

 
 

This was my first weapon molding and casting project. I chose to build the M6G Magnum from Halo Reach and began working on it in 2013 while learning the basics of silicone molding and polyurethane casting resin. The M6G became my introduction to this process, and I learned a great deal from building the first mold and producing the initial castings.

The original model was built using a Pepakura file sourced from 405th.com. The templates were transferred onto matte board, the material commonly used for picture framing, which provided more rigidity than standard paper. Once assembled, the surface was reinforced with fiberglass resin.

Bondo auto body filler was applied to the exterior to refine the shape, followed by multiple rounds of sanding and primer. The final finish was achieved using a mix of acrylic and aerosol paints, allowing the prop to be displayed either as a clean factory finish or with weathering, depending on the version.

After producing several copies from the original mold, I began experimenting with pressure casting and new materials. Around that time, we purchased a vacuum chamber for casting clear resin without air bubbles. With some extra clear resin on hand, I poured a test cast using the M6G mold, which resulted in a fully transparent Magnum. The clear casting closely resembled the active camo weapons seen in the Halo series.

Further testing showed that lightly sanding the clear resin and applying a clear coat produced a very smooth surface while maintaining clarity.

Following a later update in Halo 5: Guardians, 343 Industries introduced a custom variant of the Magnum called the War Fighter. This version removed the aim-down sights, scope, and light or laser, added a hand guard, and featured an extended magazine. Using this as inspiration, I created my own custom War Fighter version of the M6G Magnum. Starting from an original cast of the Reach Magnum, the prop was heavily modified. Many elements were removed, and a cast Picatinny rail was added so real-world style attachments could be mounted beneath the barrel, where a laser, light, or rangefinder would normally be placed.

Below are photos documenting the process of building and modifying the Halo Reach M6G Magnum.