Bolto / Akbolto Prime (Warframe)

myminifactory

The Bolto Prime originates from Warframe, a sci-fi third-person shooter game developed by Digital Extremes. This semi-automatic sidearm rapidly fires piercing bolts capable of pinning large objects to various surfaces. In-game players can't use a singular Bolto Prime; only blueprints for the akimbo-only variant, Akbolto Prime, are available. Acquiring these blueprints requires effort since they're meant for decorative purposes. Credit for the original design goes to Digital Extremes' talented artists who created such an exquisite weapon. Scaling and Size Warframe's in-game models provide a basis for the Bolto Prime's dimensions. Assuming Nova's height is 6 feet 1/2 inches, the Bolto Prime measures approximately 470 mm (1.5') long. This length felt excessive, so the printable model was scaled down to match the Smith & Wesson Model 500 Magnum's barrel length of around 15'' (381 mm). The scaled-down Bolto Prime measures 423 mm long, 119 mm wide, and 283 mm tall. To achieve the original size, simply scale every part up by 11.11%. *Source Tolerances and Joining Parts The model's parts are designed to be joined together using an adhesive of your choice. Every surface where different pieces meet should have a 0.25 mm gap for easy assembly. This allows for loose fitting parts, assuming a well-calibrated printer. Durability This model is strong enough to carry around but not robust enough for rough handling or imaginary gunfights. The grip area joining the top-rear decorations and base are relatively small compared to other surfaces. The long barrel shifts the center of gravity, making the grip prone to tearing off, along with the wings. The wings deserve special mention due to their sockets, which join the four left and right wing pieces together, having limited surface area. Use the strongest adhesives available for these areas. Design Process To design this model, I used the following steps: 1. The in-game model and normal map were ripped from Warframe using Ninja Ripper and imported into Blender. 2. Screenshots from the game, the normal map, and in-game orthographic views served as reference images in SolidWorks (or 'Sketch Pictures'). 3. Primary dimensions (bounding box, barrel length, spike height) were derived from the in-game model, while small details were based on the normal map and in-game screenshots. 4. All components were jointly designed in a multi-body part and exported for use in an assembly later on. The entire 3D printed Bolto Prime took around 205 hours to fully model, with the stand requiring another 10 hours. All views in this assembly manual were generated by SolidWorks Composer and touched up with Adobe Illustrator.