Sometimes the problem is taking on too many projects.
Sometimes The Answer is to start another one anyway.
This build started while the Hydra Mk II was in the conceptual stage, alongside commissions and another personal armor set. I had been itching to print another weapon, and once the idea hit, The Answer was obvious.
For this project, I used the UNSC SAW Halo 4/5 base files by misterchiefcostuming to build a full-scale version of Halo 5’s legendary SAW variant.
The result was a 42-inch, 3D printed Halo prop that pushed a lot of lessons forward, especially around weight reduction, seam filling, sanding, and paint.
A Note on This Build
This build was completed back in 2018, so the tools, materials, and techniques shown here reflect what we were using and learning at the time.
A lot has changed in our process since then. Some of the print settings, finishing methods, materials, and assembly techniques we use today may be different, but this build log is still a great snapshot of the project and the lessons we learned along the way.
Project at a Glance
Project: Halo 5 “The Answer” SAW
Build Type: 3D printed Halo-inspired prop weapon
Project Year: 2018
Base Files: UNSC SAW Halo 4/5 by misterchiefcostuming
Printer: LulzBot TAZ 6
Scale: 1:1
Finished Length: Approximately 42 inches
Finished Weight: Approximately 5 lbs
Print Settings: 5% infill, 3 walls, 0.2 mm resolution
Primary Goal: Build a full-scale version of The Answer while experimenting with lighter print settings and new seam-filling methods.
Surface Prep: Sanding, filler primer, PLA seam filling, Bondo/filler work, masking, paint, black wash, clear coat
Paint Scheme: White base with orange, green, black, and grey details
Starting Another Weapon Build
The Answer is one of the most recognizable legendary weapon variants from Halo 5, and if I was going to make a SAW, it made sense to make the most powerful version in the game.
The first parts went together quickly. I had sections gluing almost immediately, with the goal of getting the front half of the weapon assembled early in the process.
Front section printed
Printing on the TAZ 6
This build was printed on my trusty LulzBot TAZ 6.
At the time, that printer was carrying a lot of the workload. Between personal projects, props, armor, and commissions, it was running constantly. The SAW took advantage of the TAZ 6’s build volume, and I was able to print multiple parts at once to keep the project moving.
The front half came together first, followed by additional sections and the drum magazine.
Drum mag taking shape
Full-Scale and Full-Size
I wanted this build to be 1:1 scale.
The Answer is not a small prop. The finished weapon is approximately 42 inches long, which makes it a large print project even before finishing begins.
Once all the parts were printed, I was finally able to do a proper mockup.
For scale, I set it next to the Hydra, which made for a pretty fun comparison. The SAW was large, but thankfully it was also much lighter than the Hydra.
Next to Hydra for scale
Weight and Print Settings
The finished SAW weighed about 5 lbs, which was roughly half the weight of the Hydra.
The Hydra had taught me a few lessons about carrying large props around at conventions. It looked great, but it was heavy. With The Answer, I experimented more with print settings to reduce weight while still keeping enough structure for the prop to survive assembly and finishing.
The parts were printed at 5% infill with 3 walls at 0.2 mm resolution.
That low infill worked better than expected. There was only minor pillowing on a couple of the parts, and anything that did show up could be addressed during post-processing.
The main lesson was that there is always a balance between infill, wall thickness, weight, and structural integrity. For a prop this large, the goal was not to make it indestructible. The goal was to make it strong enough while keeping it light enough to actually carry.
First mockup, gotta love painters tape
Full Assembly
Once all the printed sections were ready, the SAW was fully assembled.
At that point, the build moved from printing into the part of the process that usually takes the most time: hiding seams, filling gaps, sanding, and making the prop look like something other than layered plastic.
Fully assembled Answer
Experimenting with PLA Seam Filling
The big experiment on this build was using a printed PLA “glue stick” with a hot glue gun to fill seams.
The idea was simple: print a stick out of PLA, heat it through a glue gun, and use the material to fill gaps in the printed prop.
It was not perfect.
For fine seams, it was overkill. The flow was too heavy and not precise enough for detail work. A finer nozzle would have made the process more useful.
But for larger gaps, it worked surprisingly well.
During the build, one part was missing from the base file set. To solve that, I had to use a symmetrical part as a starting point and create the missing piece from there. Since the two sides were not perfectly symmetrical, the fit was not perfect either, which left a noticeable gap.
Originally, I planned to fill that area with Bondo.
Instead, the PLA glue gun method worked perfectly for that kind of gap. It filled the space, added material, and gave the area more strength than filler alone.
Experiments with the PLA 'Gluestick' method
Filler Primer, Sanding, and the Six-Foot Rule
After the first round of seam work, I applied filler primer to help identify the remaining problem areas.
That is when the real sanding and filling cycle began.
At a certain point, I had to remind myself of the six-foot rule.
If you chase every tiny flaw forever, especially on a large prop, you can lose an entire week to sanding and filling. The trick is knowing when the piece is clean enough to move forward.
The filling and sanding
White Base Coat and Masking
Once the main surface prep was complete, it was time for paint.
The white coats went down first.
White is unforgiving. Every imperfection, every edge, and every masking mistake shows up more than you want it to. Once the white was complete, I moved into the part of the paint process I like least: masking.
The first orange sections went on next.
Pulling tape after a color stage is always stressful. It is basically a game of “what is under the tape,” and you do not know whether it worked until the tape starts coming off.
White base coat
Masking for the orange details
After the masking was removed
Orange, Green, Black, and Grey Details
After the first orange pass, I finished the rest of the orange lines.
There was one small issue during touchups where one of the strips got a little messed up. At that point, I called it premature weathering and moved on.
Once the orange had time to settle, I moved into the green.
The first green coat looked a little light right after application, but once it dried it came into its own and matched the look much better.
After the greens were complete, it was time for the black and grey detail work.
For those details, I decided to go old fashioned and hand paint them. That let me keep more control over the smaller areas instead of relying entirely on masking and spray work.
Masking for the green details
Green details complete
Final Paint, Wash, and Clear Coat
As the paint work came together, the final steps were the barrel, a black wash, and clear coat.
The black wash helped bring out detail and tone the overall finish. The clear coat locked everything in and brought the build closer to its final presentation state.
After many trials and tribulations, The Answer was finally complete.
The completed Answer
What I Learned From The Answer Build
This build was a big step forward in how I thought about large 3D printed props.
The first major lesson was weight.
The Hydra had been heavy enough that I knew I needed to think more carefully about print settings. On The Answer, 5% infill with 3 walls gave me a much lighter prop while still keeping it structurally useful.
The second lesson was that low infill can work if the rest of the print settings support it.
There is a balance between infill, wall width, top and bottom layers, and the amount of post-processing you are willing to do.
The third lesson was that seam filling is worth experimenting with.
The PLA glue gun method was not perfect, but it solved a real problem. It was too heavy-handed for fine seams, but it worked well for large gaps and added material where I needed it.
The fourth lesson was knowing when to stop sanding.
The six-foot rule exists for a reason. Large props can trap you in an endless cycle of filler, primer, sanding, and more filler. At some point, the piece has to move forward.
Finally, this project reinforced how much painting can change a build.
The raw print was exciting, but the white, orange, green, black, grey, wash, and clear coat are what made it feel like The Answer.
Final Thoughts
The Answer started as another “I probably should not start a new project right now” project.
It was big, a little ridiculous, and a great excuse to keep learning. It let me test lighter print settings, compare the weight lessons against the Hydra, experiment with PLA seam filling, and push a clean multi-color paint job across a large weapon prop.
The final SAW came out lighter than expected, big enough to feel properly scaled, and finished enough that it no longer looked like a raw 3D print.
It was a fun build, a useful learning project, and another reminder that sometimes the answer really is to start one more prop.
Originally documented on the 405th Infantry Division forum under the username Alpha.
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