Say Hello to the 3D Printed Airsoft Thorn Hand Cannon – A Replica That Actually Shoots!

Over the past couple of years we have seen a lot of very well designed replicas of movie and video game props 3D printed and shared via the internet. This has become an art form of its own, lending to the development of more realistic looking cosplay, with fans of these films and games actually being able to create their very own props for themselves. Thanks to various 3D printing repositories, a plethora of these props have been made available entirely free, for anyone with access to a 3D printer to create. One designer, whom we have covered in the past, has taken the idea of creating simple 3D printed replicas of video game props to an entirely new level.

Kirby Downey, a designer who frequently posts his creations on MyMiniFactory, took a design that he created a while back for the Destiny Hand Cannon, and actually turned it into a working Airsoft gun.

“I have always been passionate about Destiny and have been recreating props from them for a while,” Downey tells 3DPrint.com “Recently I have started taking up Airsoft and have been enjoying it. I decided to mix the two things I am passionate about.”

Taking his original design for his 3D printed Thorn Hand Cannon he used it to encase an electric CYMA Glock 8C AEP airsoft pistol. The 3D printed gun acts as a shroud for the standard pistol, bringing it much more of an aesthetically appealing look (at least if you are a fan of Destiny).

In total, the design consisted of 10 separate 3D printed parts which took a total of 48 hours to print out. Other than the pistol, the only parts which were not 3D printed were acrylic domes and metal support rods which run through the model.

“I used Solidworks as my designing software,” Downey tells us. “I used my existing thorn model and adapted it to fit the Airsoft pistol. To get the volume of the gun I took a photo of it, outlined it and extruded a box around it. I printed this out, fit the gun and made the changes needed to make it work. I also tested the barrel length to see if the bbs would pass through with out interference. Once I was happy I put it together, printed it and it worked the first time!”

As you can see in the photos, the gun has a very realistic finish to it. This was done by a colleague of Downey’s named Catherine Wood. It has a base coat of matte black followed by a coat of dark silver over top and varnish to seal it up.

“With my work being officially recognized by Bungie, creators of Destiny, this has pushed me to create these amazing and detailed models even on a more frequent basis,” Downey explains.

For anyone interesting in creating their own Destiny Hand Canon Airsoft pistol, they can download the design now from MyMiniFactory for free. What do you think about this unique creation? Discuss in the 3D Printed Airsoft Thorn Hand Cannon forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the gun being fired below.