Plexiglass вЂ“ amount unknown we didnвЂ™t keep track because we had a near unlimited source. Spraypaint: flat black, pure white, and clear coat gloss. ItвЂ™s still holding us) Florists Foam (The largest we could find was about 3вЂ™x1вЂ™x4вЂќ, and it worked pretty well once we cut it in half and glued the halves together) Superglue Drywall Spackling Gesso (a very bright white canvas primer) Craploads of sandpaper, from grits 80-600. Here's a more or less complete list: Core: 4вЂќ diameter PVC pipe 3вЂќ diameter PVC pipe 2 4вЂќ PVC couplers Lots oвЂ™ Cardstock (We managed to use about a 30вЂќx24вЂќ sheet over the course of the gun) About a gallon of Bondo + extra hardener (We blew through two quart containers and then gave up and bought a gallon. We bought and used a lot of things to make this project, and it was worth it all. And what a lovely nerd-child it isвЂ¦!) (Thanks to everyone who voted for us in the LED contest!! We managed to walk away with a Kindle, and for that we are incredibly pleased. For the rest of the gun, though, our efforts and skills were combined in such a way that we could probably refer to our creation as our nerd-child. (Though first of all, we need a quick introduction! I, Joe, was responsible for the electronics, and my partner, Shelley, was responsible for the carving and for things requiring a steady hand, which I generally lack. (We also didnвЂ™t have as much money to throw into it.) We studied his pictures and made sketches as though studying for an upcoming test and slowly began our own journey into the world of Portal. It allowed us to create our own path, loosely based on his, that arrived at approximately the same place. His lack of real numerical documentation actually made the process much more fun and interesting as it forced us to rebuild his methods through guesswork and a little luck. Harrison Krix of Volpin Props created the first real ASHPD, and his work also served as the basis for ours. Without his work and documentation (little though there is), none of this would have happened and we would have given up from not even knowing where to start. This instructable is going to start a little differently than most вЂ“ with a word of thanks. As we soon found out, if you werenвЂ™t willing to sink about $350 and four months of your waking life into the project, the end result wouldnвЂ™t be worth the sacrifice.

What we did find was severely lacking in either finesse, materials, or dedication. Of course, the first thing that any Chell costume needs is an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (or ASHPD), and in looking around on the internet, we couldnвЂ™t find that many tutorials (or even people who had actually done it in the first place). Zoey from Left 4 Dead? Gordon Freeman of the fabled Half Life series? Or perhapsвЂ¦ could it be? Yes! Chell was our woman, and our own epic tale in the quest of a Chell costume began.

Valve is a long-time favorite when it comes to awesome games for us, and so it then became a question of which Valve game to work from. Not just any costume prop, mind you вЂ“ a costume prop to rule all other costume props and, in fact, the WORLD! Not really, but we did want to participate in the GenCon Indy 2011 costume contest and didnвЂ™t have any ideas for what to do! Portal came to mind.

Five months ago, two college students got it into their heads to begin building a costume prop.

How to make a lego portal gun