How to Make Juliet Starling's Lollipop Chainsaw

A film maker friend of mine commissioned me to make the lollipop chainsaw from the new game.

so this is how i went about creating the prop from the game.

This is but one way to make this prop. im not an expert so there are probably better ways to make parts of this, this is just a guide to make it how i made it.


The second photo is one i found on the internet that i used to make my chainsaw . it is from here:  http://stuffpoint.com/lollipop-chainsaw/image/24173/juliets-chainsaw-picture/

Materials :

Blue foam.
Acrylic plastic. or 9mm wood or something like that.
spray paint.
car body filler. P38 polyester filler is what i used, but there are many affective fillers.
glues of many types, two part epoxy resin, wood glue, super glue.
masking tape, lots of tape. double sided tape. electrical tape.
nuts and bolts. dome nuts (m5) m5 threaded rod.
random bolts and screws and washers for detailing.
thin card or thin styrene

main part materials are the back handle and top grip. i got mine from eBay
Bike chain.




tools.
files and sand paper.
cutting tools, lots of snap off craft knives and scalpels
jnr hacksaw, large hacksaw blade. saw of some description.
A rotary tool is always useful
Drills

workshop tools like clamps and a Vice and work benches will always be useful to hold work while working

gather the first set of materials for this step.

the handle and the blue foam.

i googled Lollipop chainsaw and set the image size to large and i came up with a lot of shots and took them and i drew some good plans from it and then tested the main body onto my handle as mine wasn't exactly the same as the one in the game i had to edit my plans after i had printed them out (see the second photo.)

when the plans are correct trace them onto the blue foam.

i test cut the plans and placed them inside the handle of the chainsaw to make sure it would fit and look correct.

start by making the middle section of the body by either by sticking the blue foam to get the correct thickness then cutting out the outline from the plans you made. or cut out the template on many layers of foam then sticking them together (it depends on how long the blade you are using is) (and how confident you are)

then sand the edges to the size of the template.

then place it inside the handle to make sure it fits.

because the blue foam i used was quite thick i had to draw out the outside sections and then cut them in half to get the correct thickness's.
create these sections the same way you made the middle section.

make sure that the side that holds the blade has a cavity cut into it the size of the base of the blade you are going to make. the blade needs to be inserted after the body is completely finished so make sure the blade will fit. use either the template you drew up for the blade or don't glue this side panel on until the blade has been made then check it fits. then glue the side panel on. 
 once this is done make sure there is a way to insert an L bracket to secure the blade to the bottom of the handle.

always check that the body will fit inside the handle easily.

once the body is the right shape and fits in the handle take a retractable snap off blade and extend it out (be careful when handling blades.) and trim the corners of the foam so there is a chamfer around the blocks (see the fourth and fifth photo)

paint the blue foam with an emulsion to seal it from the filler and spray paint.

after the paint has dried give it a light sand then another coat of paint and once that coat has dried give it another sand then use the filler to correct any faults or imperfections then sand them down to flat again.

then paint and sand and fill and sand etc. until you have a good smooth finish on the body.

i used the plans i made to get the blade.

the plans were used to cut out three layers of the blade at 3mm thick each.
the reason behind this is so that the middle layer had pegs on to hold the bike chain.

the placement of the pegs depends on the size of the bike chain you have, i measured it and tested it a few times to make sure they fit, also make sure to print it out and test it over the curve at the end of the blade as the pegs will be different after the curve, i didnt do this so i had to make the middle layer twice to get the chain to fit.

this part could also be made from thin wood, dint in the same way. if the wood is too thick to fit inside the chain you dont have to have pegs but you will have to make sure you use strong glue.


i glued all the layers together then drilled a series of 5mm holes and cut the m5 bar to 20mm lengths to go in the holes with dome nuts on either side. not only does this look good but it also makes the blade a little stronger.

Then give both the body and the blade an undercoat primer layer of paint, and if there are any imperfections you don't want fill and sand then spay again.

on the side where your left hand will hold the top handle (the back) the side opposite to the blade side, add a detailing sheet of thin styrene or card.

in this case it was a sheet the size 2mm smaller than the outer face with a large circle cut out (where the air vent for the saw would be.

and the side where the blade will be attached make a similar sheet but don't stick it to the body as this will be used to hide the bolt holes that hold the blade secure.  use the plans to make the detail section in the front side of the chainsaw.


spray this part too. :)

spray the body of the chain saw and the removable side plate and the blade all black. and then wait for them to fully dry.

then using reference photos mask of the areas that will be gold on the main body and pink on the blade and side panels.

spray the bod gold. wait for it to dry and remove the tape, then re tape just exposing the areas that will be pink.

spray the blade body and side panels pink.

also paint the dome nuts pink.

once everything is dry remove the tape.

take some bolts with large heads. i used 5 x 15mm screw head bolts.

Drill into the body, use a slow setting so you don't crash through all your hard work. 

Then place the bolts in the holes. Once they fit in the wholes put some epoxy resin in the hole and push in the bolt.

Leave the whole thing on its side until the glue is set.

Repeat on the other side.. Put washers round the bolts for detailing where you want..

Use the plastic to create various knobs and switches and the air vent for the back Side of the body..

Use the plans you have made or reference photos to get the style of knobs and switches.. 

I made two small ridge turn knobs and one large one, I also made a small rectangle slide switch and a large turn switch. 

The air vent I made was of my own design.

Paint all the detail parts a slightly off black grey colour so the stand out on the black body. 



Then stick them on the body of the saw.. The two small knobs and the slide switch were put on the separate side plate which will cover the screw bolts that hold the blade in place.
while the glue on the other parts are drying paint the white section on the side panel and the black block where the slide switch is..

Bolt the pink dome nuts through the holes in the blind. 

When you have put all the bolts through place half the first half of the bike chain over the pegs and use epoxy glue to secure them on while they are setting use tape to hold it in place.. Once dry wrap the chain round the tip of the blade and onto the lower pegs and glue it all down with epoxy and tape until set..

Then the blade is done. 

Take some red electrical tap and wrap the top handle, two wraps should make a good covering.

I used tape as I didn't have paint that would stay on the handle and the tape was a little more hard wearing. 

when every thing is dry its time to drill the blade and make it secure.

place the blade inside the cavity you have made then put in the L brackets up from the base and make sure that they will attach to the lower part of the handle.
Drill through the side panel (make sure the holes will be covered by the side panel.) and make sure they line up and go through the L brackets once these holes are drilled these will be what makes the blade secure.

use L brackets to attach the body to the handle and blade etc.

put them where ever you can get a nut and bolt through..

once you have secured the parts together use some epoxy resin to fill in gaps. i poured a lot of the glue into the cavity where the blade is inserted into the body. 

also drill into the body through the L brackets and put some epoxy glue in there and put some bolts in to secure it more.

more fixing places are always better.

when all the glue has dried its time to weather and get bloody.

acrylic paint is used to weather the body of the saw,

dry brush some silver paint onto the high points and corners of the saw. this will give it a worn look, then over dry brush some light and dark browns to make it look dirty and rusty.

this is also a great way to cover up any imperfections that may have been missed. on mine there was damage sustained to the top of the body under the top handle so i added some rust to it. (makes it look like you meant to do it.) 

once all the weathering has dried get some very bright Red paints and paint some bloody splashes and stains.

this is all done to taste, i went with a weathered look as the handle i got was a used item so was scuffed so it wouldn't right to have a clean new body and a used handle so i scuffed up the body.

once all is dry use a matte lacquer to seal the whole lot, this makes it a little more hard wearing.

then you are free to kill zombies in your cheer leading outfits! :)