DIY: Mega-Man Arm Cannon

Wanna cosplay as a classic Nintendo charater? Well you're in luck! I’ll be basing this arm cannon off of the offical Mega-Man arm cannon replica. This means I'll be using the measurements taken from the replica. It won't look exactly alike but it'll more so be a starting point. This prop doesn't require any LED lights or electronic devices to it.

• 10mm Foam                          
• Royal Blue Spray Paint
• Red Paint
• Yellow Spray Paint
• Contact Cement
• Acrylic Sheet  
• Tape
• (Personal addition/Optional) Orange Flashlight top

Tools

• Heat Gun
• Hot Glue-Gun
• X-Acto Knife/ Box Cutters
• Cutting Board
• Pencil
• Black Marker
• Scissors
• Sandpaper
• Clear Siliconized Acrylic Latex Caulk
• (Personal addition) Orange Flashlight top
• (Personal addition) Paper Towel
• (Personal addition) Tuck Tape

Dimensions (As shown in the image above, by Inches WxL)

• The full prop: 7"x15"x6"
• 4x Arm Cannon Pieces: 3.4" (The wider end must be 5") x 10.5"
• Arm Cannon Barrel: 4"x13"
• Cannon Charger: 3"x13"
• Handle: 1.6"x6.8"

Begin by taking measurements from the official, replicate arm cannon this prop is based on. The prop won’t be the same size as the official replica, it’s more of a starting point for what it could be like. Draw the parts of the cannon onto an acrylic sheet with a pencil before cutting it into pieces with scissors, make sure to follow the dimensions listed. After drawing the parts, start with the body of the cannon, as it’s the main part of the cannon. Cut four of the pieces to make the body with an X-Acto Knife or Box-Cutter. Before gluing them together, use the heat gun on the parts to make them more oval-like, replicating the curve in the reference images. After doing the curve for each, hot glue them together before using the Contact Cement to cover the gaps in the pieces. When they’re glued together and all dry, use sandpaper and tape on the glued parts, to make the bends smoother. I used tape because it'll be somewhat covered by the Clear Siliconized Acrylic Latex Caulk, which we'll get to later.

After refining the body of the cannon, we can move on to the cannon's barrel. Transfer the outline on the acrylic sheet to the foam with an X-Acto Knife or Box-Cutter. Hot glue and use the Contact Cement for the ends of the barrel before using the heat gun to make the curve seen in the reference. Make sure one end is wider than the other. Then start sanding it around the ends and glued parts to give it a smooth texture.

Start by hot gluing and using the Contact Cement on the barrel and body together. You'll need to glue the widest part of the barrel to the thinner top of the body. Then use royal blue spray paint on it. Make sure to spray and dry the cannon without having any bubbles or ripples on it. I also suggest you spray paint on top of some cardboard outside or in a basement of some sort, somewhere that you don't mind getting a little messy. After it's dried, use the Clear Siliconized Acrylic Latex Caulk around the tape areas to give the cannon a smoother texture around the body. Wait for an hour until it changes from white to transparent, which is when you can use the blue spray paint on those parts once more.

I used 4 thin pieces, which you can cut with the X-Acto Knife/Box Cutter, of the 10mm foam and hot glued them together to make a sturdy handle. You don't have to do it like this, you can cut the handle as a whole instead of gluing together separate pieces. I suggest hot gluing and adjusting/trimming, with the Box Cutter, the ends of the handle to get it to remain attached to the cannon. I recommend gluing it vertically, so it won't get in the way of the charger piece, as seen in the second image. You don't have to paint the handle, as no one will pay attention to it.

Cut out the piece for the charger with an X-Acto Knife/Box Cutter, transferring it from the sheet piece to the foam. Give it moderately cut lines that are spaced out in cube shapes to replicate the curves and look seen in the references. After that, use the yellow spray paint to give it that bright charged colour. While it's drying, cut a hole into the arm cannon's body using the sheet from earlier. Give it a tight hole where the piece can snugly fit. Then hot glue gun the sides of the charger piece and connect it to the sides of the hole, make sure to hold the cannon close to the piece to hold onto it tightly

This is to replicate the red circle in the barrel of the cannon. There are two methods for the inner shooter. The first one I suggest doing is cutting the circle from the acrylic sheet onto the 10mm foam. Use the heat gun to bend the foam. Then paint the shooter red before hot gluing it into the shooter.

The second method I had to use for my class assignment. I used an orange tube for the barrel/inner shooter. I then taped a two-layered paper towel around the thinner end before conditioning it with the Tuck tape. I did this so the tube could fit into the barrel more firmly. I then used the red paint on a circular acrylic sheet I cut out with scissors before hot gluing it into the orange tube. After the inner shooter dries, I hot glued the orange tube to the barrel.

After Step 6, your Mega-Man Arm Cannon is complete!