How I Built a Working Fallout Pip-Boy Prop with a Phone

Matt
2 hours ago
4 min read

Check out the full video - Fallout Pip-Boy prop built with phone - below!

I thought printing the Pip-Boy would be the hard part. Turns out… that was the easy bit!

The shell came off the printer looking great, but without a working screen it just felt like a chunky plastic bracelet. Cool shape, zero life. And a Pip-Boy without that glowing green interface just isn’t a Pip-Boy.

That’s when I remembered the drawer in my workshop full of old, retired phones.

You know the one. The “I might need this someday” drawer.

And suddenly the idea hit me: instead of building complicated electronics, what if I just hid a phone inside and let it power everything?

Finished Pip-Boy from Fallout TV show replica

It felt either genius… or incredibly dumb could I make a Fallout Pip-Boy prop built with phone

So obviously, I tried it.

Here’s exactly how this Fallout Pip-Boy prop build with a phone came together.

Step 1: 3D Print the Pip-Boy Shell

I started by printing the Pip-Boy body in sections so everything would fit nicely on the printer bed and be easier to finish later. After removing the supports and dry fitting the parts, everything technically worked… but it definitely looked 3D printed.

Layer lines everywhere. Very “plastic toy.”

pip-boy 3D printed parts ready for working on

That’s normal. At this stage, we just want the shape right. Paint and finishing will do the heavy lifting later.

Step 2: Modify the Model to Fit a Broken Phone

Next came the real problem: the phone didn’t fit inside the shell at all. Not even close.

So I jumped into Tinkercad and made a quick 3D block that matched the phone’s size. Then I subtracted that shape from the inside of the Pip-Boy to create a custom cavity. Basically carving out a perfectly sized phone pocket digitally.

After reprinting the updated part, the phone slid in like it was designed for it.

That moment when something fits first try?

Deeply satisfying.

Fitting a Mobile phone into the 3D model of the PIP-BOY

Step 3: Vacuum Form a Curved CRT Screen Lens

Modern phones are flat. Pip-Boys are not.

They have that old-school curved CRT look, and that curve is what sells the illusion.

Since I don’t own a vacuum forming machine, I built one from scrap wood and a shop vac. Nothing fancy — just a box with holes and suction. Then I sculpted the screen shape in clay, heated a sheet of clear plastic with a heat gun, and pulled it down over the mold.

My first couple attempts were wrinkly disasters.

Using a Vacuum forming machine to create a CRT screen for the Pip-Boy

But eventually I got a smooth curved lens.

And instantly the prop started looking real.

It’s amazing how one tiny detail can completely change the believability.

Step 4: Fill Layer Lines and Paint a Metallic Finish

Raw prints scream “3D printer,” so it was time to smooth everything out.

I brushed on a thin slurry of glazing putty mixed with acetone to fill the layer lines, then sanded everything back smooth. After primer, I hit the shell with a metallic spray paint.

This is always the magic moment.

sanding and removing layer lines in the pip-boy

Suddenly it stops looking like plastic and starts looking like cast metal.

Huge transformation.

Pip-Boy 3D panted and coated with metallic silver paint.

Step 5: Add Magnets and Assemble the Shell

I wanted the Pip-Boy to open easily without visible screws, so I embedded magnets into the shell using epoxy. The parts now snap together cleanly and feel surprisingly professional.

adding magnetic clasp to the pip-boy which has been 3d printed

Little tricks like this make props feel less “DIY” and more “movie prop.”

Plus it makes maintenance way easier.

Step 6: Weather the Pip-Boy for Wasteland Realism

This is my favorite step every single time.

Weathering is basically cheating.

I used brown and black acrylic washes, dry brushing, and paint worked into the seams to give the Pip-Boy that “200 years in the wasteland” look. Instead of clean and shiny, it now felt used, worn, and grimy.

And that’s exactly what makes it believable.

Nothing in Fallout is factory fresh.

Step 7: Load the Pip-Boy Interface onto the Phone Screen

Finally, the payoff!

I created a looping video of Pip-Boy UI screens and loaded it onto the phone. Once mounted behind the curved lens and powered on, everything came alive with that iconic green glow.

Light spilled into the side dials. The curved plastic caught reflections. The screen felt deep instead of flat.

working screen inserted into the pip-boy model

For something powered by an old junk phone, it looked shockingly convincing.

Honestly, it looked like something straight out of the show.

Final Thoughts on This Fallout Pip-Boy Prop Build with a Phone

This build was a great reminder that you don’t always need complicated electronics to sell an effect.

Sometimes the best solutions are simple: hide modern tech, fake the optics, and let practical effects do the work.

Turning a broken phone into a working Fallout Pip-Boy ended up being easier, cheaper, and way more fun than I expected — and it feels exactly like the kind of clever shortcut a real prop department would use.

If you want to see the full process, fails and all, you can watch the complete build here: