Fallout 4 Stealth Boy [Made of Cardboard]

Happy (late) new year everyone!

For just about every Instructable I've published, there have always been suggestions to make a more accessible Instructable with everyday tools and supplies; what could be more accessible than cardboard!? And what better excuse to make a cardboard prop for the Cardboard Contest! I've opted for a favourite Fallout item of mine; the Stealth Boy.

The Stealth Boy is recognisable by any Fallout 4 fan and is remarkably simple in design, perfect for replicating in cardboard. The majority of supplies are accessible to everyone, not much more than a ruler, a utility knife, some glue, a couple colours of paint and of course, cardboard!

This Instructable acts as a bonus if you want to make a faux canvas pouch/box to display and store your goods, or even for cosplay use.

Step 1: Materials & References

Included are Letter & A4 sized PDF's for all cardboard pieces; these pieces are designed that variance in thickness won't affect assembly, bar a few areas that can easily be adjusted for material. These templates can be used for laser cutting as a bonus.

Disclaimer: In conflict with the suggestion that the Stealth Boy is made from cardboard, it is actually made of mountboard, a higher quality form of paper based sheet material, however this can be made with regular cardboard in exactly the same fashion, so don't let the appearance put you off!

Materials:

• Cardboard/Sheet Material (Cardstock, Cereal boxes, Mountboard; all alternatives that will have varying results)
• Misc. round plastic pieces +hex nuts (only required if you're making the Stealth Boy unit)
• Command Strip (Alternatives: adhesive velcro, jacket button)
• Armature Wire (Alternatives, Metal loop clip)
• Paints (camo colours + dark grey shades)

Tools:

• Utility Knife (Scissors, Scalpal)
• Printer for templates
• Tack Glue (or any PVA based adhesives)
• Cutting mat
• Steel Ruler
• Pencil
• Brushes & Sponge
• Small clamps/plastic hanging clip

Step 2: The Box & the Lid

Print the box+lid templates in your respective printer size [Letter or A4] and transfer to your sheet material.

Cut out box perimeter pieces, 2 sides and 1 front and back. The 5mm line on the edge is for folding, Run your ruler along the edge and fold to a 45° corner. Glue the sides together along the folded edges, repeat until the perimeter is formed. This method of gluing the folded edges will really sell the illusion that it's roll stitched canvas.

Cut + glue the bottom cap and top cap to the box; the bottom cap is glued flush to the base, the top cap needs a thin edge along the top to seat the Stealth Boy unit into later.

Note: if you want to close the box with the Stealth Boy inside, your top cap will need to be low enough to account for the height.

Cut the lid base + lip edges and fold the lid edge with a ruler for a clean, crisp line. Adhere the front lip along the seam, then the sides.

Lastly, apply glue to the back of the lid flap and stick to the back of the box. Apply pressure with both hands on each side to ensure the bond sticks.

Step 3: Straps & Accessories

There are 3 faux straps to make, a box strap, a lid strap and a back strap. The lid and box strap are made from 22mm strips of mountboard. The box strip is folded in half over a pencil to form an opening at the fold, glue the fold and stick to the box.

The lid strap is folded so the end slightly overlaps the height of the box & a piece of Command Strip is stuck to the inside to open and close; this can be replaced with adhesive backed velcro or a jacket button for the same effect and function.

The back strap is just a piece of 25mm wide mountboard stuck to the back.

To make the loop, I hand bent a piece of 4mm Armature wire into a loose loop shape, inserted it through the box strap and squished from each side to close it in. With this you have a fastening lock for your box!

Step 4: Internal Stealth Boy Unit

:if your intent is only to make a faux canvas pouch, skip this step:

Like the box, print your templates and transfer to your material.

The foundation is made from the unit base and X2 rounded unit cap. Glue the 2 rounded unit caps together, then glue to unit base.

Cut the detail panel & glue to the base. Cut a long strip of 10mm wide mountboard and form around the lip of the detail panel, forming a bezel. Use leftover strip to glue against the top left border of the detail panel.

Cut & glue the top panel along the top left bezel with a 1mm lip along the edge.

Using miscellaneous round parts, glue these pieces to the panel; use the reference for placement. Depending on how accurate you want to be, you can source accurate parts from hardware stores or places like eBay, I opted however to use random plastic pieces I've accumulated over time that kind of resemble the in-game ref.

Step 5: Paint

Time for paint!

The Box:

I made a light desert brown colour for my pouch; the in-game model is a more earthy green/brown mix but I wanted a desert variant, choose whichever you prefer.

The key for a convincing base coat is to stipple the paint with a thick brush, perhaps 1/2-1 inch wide and cover the surface; try to experiment and add extra paint to certain areas to make the surface even more textured.

To break up the monotony of the base coat, sponge light shades of grey/brown on the surface, then lightly go back over some the sponged paint with the base coat to blend the colour; this adds a light weathered effect that canvas bags tend to have in its weave.

The Unit:

Base coat the surface with a dark shade of grey; I made mine with with a base grey mixed with black and a splash of blue for a more flat metal look. A stipple motion, like the box, adds more texture.

Paint the buttons and the top panel with other paints to differ from the base coat. If you're going for complete accuracy, check reference material of the in-game model online and mix shades of paint to match. I used whatever I had mixed and made my own version of sorts.

I added a light application of stippled brown and light grey on the base coat and reapplied the base coat colour over that to blend it all together.

Step 6: Complete

Your Stealth Boy/Canvas box is complete!

A simple and effective weekend craft project almost anyone can make!

However you make your box, it has a lot of potential and use for how simple it is. As mine stands, it can be displayed as a Stealth Boy with the lid kept open by the unit, or as a canvasbox to store away the separate unit along with pens, model making materials and tape. This design can easily be adapted and built upon too.

If you liked this Instructable, consider voting for my Stealth Boy in the Cardboard Contest :)

Want more Fallout? Check out my Nuka Cola Bottle & my inspired Fallout Airsoft Rifle