Conversion Corner: Bolt Pistol

"We fell into it; like a daydream, or a fever."

It has been a few years since I converted a smaller firearm on this blog for a tutorial or otherwise. While I have converted a variety of boltguns in the past, I never made a smaller bolt pistol. The newer plastic Sisters of Battle have a smaller pistol design than the typical Space Marine one, so I decided it would allow me to convert a smaller pistol for subsequent Space Marine conversions. I could also create a silicone model to create casts of the final creation, so I would not have to convert it each time I wanted one. When working on it, I also made a separate hand with their finger off the trigger, holding onto the pistol grip of a firearm. By making this a separate piece from the pistol, I could create a mold of it, allowing me to use it for future firearm conversions.

The Sister of Battle bolt pistol is a great starting point for a smaller bolt pistol conversion for Space Marines.

The Sister of Battle Bolt pistol did not need much modification. Two pieces of interlocking brass tubing replaced the barrel, and plasticard was used to make a front and rear sight. Three different-sized pieces of brass tubing also created the relaxed trigger finger of the Space Marine.

With the relaxed trigger finger, I added a new trigger to the pistol grip with a small piece of carved plasticard.

One of the silicone molds we made and the resulting casts! After pouring the resin, I put the mold and liquid resin in a vacuum chamber for a short time to remove bubbles before transferring it to a pressure pot to cure.

Some examples of the case bolt pistols, each with a different colored dye added to the resin.

The pistol with one of the cast hands with the pistol grip and trigger.

A Space Marine with the new bolt pistol and hand. Despite it being much smaller than the normal ones, it is still a large pistol.

Although tiny, you can see the front and rear sights on the bolt pistol.

- Adam Wier