The SMG (submachine gun) was the first of the Project Boom Stick weapons that I created over the 2024 summer. The description that my colleagues gave me was that they wanted the gun to simultaneously look militaristic and mass-produced, but also like it had been well used with somewhat minimal upkeep, as if it had seen a lot of combat while using "futuristic batteries" as an ammo source. To that extent, I took heavy inspiration from some of the gun designs from Armored Core 5 and Armored Core Verdict Day for the back elements around the stock and muzzle. I then combined that with a real-world assault rifle and SMG elements around the front end and top of the gun while adding in a plug-in holder for some batteries that I designed myself to stay within the limited scope of the concept art that the team gave me. After the modeling, I applied a series of metal and plastic materials with grunge & damage generators before painting out some of the excessive wear, so that it still looked somewhat usable.

concept art by John Emerich