Lasgun conversions Part 4- Lasgun to shotgun

So far in this series I have concentrated on converting the lasgun into other lasgun variants including the hot shot lasgun and the las carbine. Now I plan on looking at the other weapons the humble lasgun can be modified to become. So we shall start off with the most common swap in the codex, the shotgun.

I have always liked veteran squads toting shotguns, but early on I decided that the more bulky space marine scout weapons just didn't suit. I wanted something that looked good, fitted with both the Cadian and Catachan arms and was quick to build. So here is what I ended up with...

We start as always with the lasgun. In this case the Cadian Standard short pattern lasgun manufactured on Kantrael (operating in the nineteen megathule range!:) )

 Once the lasgun is clean of flash and mold lines, its time to begin our cuts. the picture below marks in red any area that needs to be removed. To take them off I either use clippers to take of the bulk of the material and then file down the rest, or use a sharp hobby knife to scrape the excess detail off.

The area marked in purple will stay, but is simply shaped using a hobby knife to blend the contours of the weapon together.

 Once all these cuts have been made you will be left with something like this...

 Then take a sharp hobby knife and make a cut along the top of the weapon casing, this doesnt have to be too deep or too neat, just try and make it as straight as possible, stopping and starting if needed.

 Then using a broader tool (I use a sculpting tool or wax carver, but one leg of hobby clippers can do the same job if you are careful) scrape along this line until you have a large dent in the top of the weapon casing. Try and keep this as straight as possible, but don't worry about neatness too much.

 you should end up with something like this....

 As you can see, my cut wasn't too neat, but if you are worried about tidiness, you can simply scrape a sharp hobby knife along the sides of the groove to clean off any rough bits. Then its time to add the barrel. I use a thin plastic rod, about 1/16th of an inch or 1.5mm in diameter.

 This sits into the groove along the top of the weapons casing.

 Then simply cut the rod to the length you require and glue it in creating the barrel.

 Using the same rod, measure up a smaller piece and add it under the first barrel.

 And there you have it, a quick and simple shotgun.

Here are some more painted examples of the shotgun on my veteran squad.