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Smartgun build (w/scratch built & cheats!): Pretty much DONE
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Author:  bigbisont [ Fri May 22, 2015 4:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Smartgun build (w/scratch built & cheats!): Pretty much DONE
While I have a few correct parts and a nice airsoft MG foundation, I am going to try to scratch build & cheat my way through a good chunk of this build.

My goal for this thread is to focus on the less "sexy" parts and keep these boring bits as cheap and easy as possible. Maybe they might be useful to others and of course I hope to answer some questions of my own.



First up are the handles.

I am using 7/8" steel tube. I had heard it is the modern 'standard' handlebar size and I confirmed it does allow for snug fits from the switch box and lever brackets.

For the rear handle, I actually just friction fit the tube. I warmed up some PVC pipe with a heat gun so that it wrapped around the tube. Then I cut the newly shaped pvc bits so they fit snugly in the hole where the stock had previously attached.

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I literally just hammered it all into place and it is VERY snug.




For the front handle, I used my absolutely terrible welding skills once again. I cut and welded a right angle, then cut 3 'fins' out of some scrap sheet which I welded to the base tube.

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A word of warning, the vertical post is very easy to get 'too high'. It was WAY too long in those pics and twice I had to cut it down to get a good relationship for the height of the handle to the gun and bracket.

So then I just dropped some washers above and below the barrel cover, and slid a lag bolt through the top of whole thing. The nut is on the underside of the barrel cover and can't be seen. It is actually pretty sturdy.
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So in a related topic, my first "cheat" is adapting the 'wrong' switch box into a more correct one.
As documented in 'M56SmartOne's thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14382&start=100

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I had long ago purchased the 'wrong' switch box, but they are soooooo close! The only difference is that red toggle witch vs. a black rectangle. So I gutted my 'wrong' one and simply REMOVED the red toggle. (also hit the parts with some paint while I had it apart).

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Now, I will simply glue rectangle piece of plastic to cover up that hole. Who would know the difference?! No one. That's who. :wink:


Now on to the drum mag cover...
Author:  577_ops [ Fri May 22, 2015 6:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Good start!
You want regret to weld the front handle as front & rear plus the arm connector have to hold the weight.
Good luck with your build!
Author:  ObiHahn [ Fri May 22, 2015 8:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
Smartgun build threads are never, ever boring.
Author:  Outcry27 [ Mon May 25, 2015 8:59 am ]
Post subject: 
Echoing what Frank has already said - the effort you're putting in now to weld that grip on will save you so much potential grief in the future. Welding just isn't an option for resin, hehe.

Hang in there, and keep pressing forward!!
Author:  MattRendar [ Wed May 27, 2015 7:48 am ]
Post subject: 
Looking good ! A sturdy front grip is a plus . I need one for my gun as well ;)
Author:  bigbisont [ Wed May 27, 2015 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Thanks everyone.

I have been a bit under the weather the last week so haven't accomplished much.

Quick question for those 'in the know': Where is the source of this 'extended' counter plate that protrudes out past the drum? I see it on numerous builds and it is even used on the HCG prototype.
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However, from what I can tell, on the screen used one it actually dives straight down at the edge of the drum? no?
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Anyways, I clipped these out of common 22g sheet and some PVC pipe (heated and slightly flattened).

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Needs a lot of cleanup, but I like where it is heading. And essentially free! (as it was made from scrap).
Author:  Bug Stomper [ Wed May 27, 2015 11:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Well spotted!
There also seems to be some kind of knob/cylinder mounded on the front of the magazine...

Looks like it's time to watch the movie again. :D

Cheers,
Stefan
Author:  577_ops [ Thu May 28, 2015 11:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
At least the Matsuo V2 M56A2 has a knob/cylinder mounded on the front of the magazine.
This resin kit also has the extended counter part.

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Author:  bigbisont [ Thu Jun 18, 2015 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Nice pic of matsuo's kit. Its really a shame that part is covered by the steadicam arm on virtually any image you can see (screen cap or other kit)

Anyways, I finally got something done on mine. This is how I decided to attack it.

I used a cap from one of my kids dried out play-dough/gak/goo things. It is almost certainly not "accurate" but I thought it had a decent look to it.

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I may need to round of some of the sharp corners and I now think maybe it is a hair small, but I am fairly happy with it.
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So with that wrapped up, it will be on to the Nozzle! The plan right now is to use common 1-1/2" pvc pipe. It isn't nearly as cool as the metal ones, but it is dirt cheap and better than nothing, eh?

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Author:  bigbisont [ Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Nozzle fairly done. I need to dull that gloss black down and figure out how to attach it.

If I re-do it, I will use a thinner plastic 'wrap' to simulate the high spots. The ridges are very subtle on the real machined one and they look a little too pronounced on mine, but I think it turned out OK considering the material (and cost :wink: ).

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Author:  88reaper88 [ Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Looks good mate.

Could you not mount it on a drill and sand the high spots down, like a DIY lathe?
Author:  bigbisont [ Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Yeah that could work. I actually have a drill press I could probably have mounted it to (or may yet mount it to) then just be real careful with a dremel. I'll have to see how it looks actually attached to think if it needs re-worked.
Author:  88reaper88 [ Tue Jun 30, 2015 10:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
I wouldn't use a dremel (I've used this method in the past and it's an extremely bad idea!).
Just hold the sandpaper against the surface and it works a treat, nice and controllable.
Author:  bigbisont [ Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
You know it doesn't stick out so bad when actually on. I'll probably run it this way a while.

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Author:  bigbisont [ Tue Jul 14, 2015 2:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
So progress is pretty slow. Went back into the drum cover. I decided it was too flat, so I added another layer of PVC to give it some thickness.

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Then I wrapped the edges with some plastruct and repainted. I think it looks much better now.

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This was the 'fake button' mod to the "wrong" switch housing, btw. Finally glued that square over the hole.
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I have some aluminum on the way to make the rear lever hand guard assembly. In the mean time I will try to scratch build the regular trigger cover block out of PVC pipe. Updates to hopefully follow soon.
Author:  bigbisont [ Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
So working on my trigger cover. That is one hard item to find good shots of!

Grabbed these.

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Noticed there are some greeblies on the underside. A cylinder nub of some type and maybe an old style PC printer port? Its real hard to see.

Another fun thing is the housings for Vaz and Drake have subtle differences.



Anyways, I built mine, again, with flattened PVC pipe. Heat gun and some weight left me with a few sheets of PVC and I layered them.
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It attaches the exact same way the original handle did, so I can swap it out with just the single bolt.

I need to add the greeblies and give it a good paint job to sell it, but I like it. Durable, light, and cheap.
Author:  bigbisont [ Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
A bit more progress on the rear end.

For the rear block, I decided to use aluminum for strength. I started with a 1" thick block of aluminum and cut it to to the rough shape. I must say milling out the holes on this thing with only a drill press and a dremel was one of the most tedious, time consuming, PITA tasks I ever started. But it did get done.

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For the tube that covers the brake line into the trigger, I have both a 1/2" CPVC (different from regular PVC. a bit smaller) and its couplings that were cut to various sizes. I will probably end up using 1/2" copper line in the end (they are nearly identical in size)

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2" od aluminum tube comprised the hand guard. I drilled and milled out a small slot for it to get some traction into main block. This, too, was a monstrous PITA and it is not very deep. Hopefully the "steel stick" holds it all together well enough.

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I do have the correct lever connector, but not the correct lever. Some day, but for now it will do.



Next up is accurizing the charging handle, building the 'camera', and then on to the counter weight/arm connection assly.
Author:  88reaper88 [ Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Spot on mate! Nice work
Author:  577_ops [ Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Great progress!
:like:
Author:  bigbisont [ Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Thanks guys
Author:  retrogarde [ Sat Aug 01, 2015 1:09 am ]
Post subject: 
This is all looking great! Awesome work man.
Author:  Outcry27 [ Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:24 am ]
Post subject: 
Very, very impressive, Bison. :) I absolutely love seeing the ingenuity and problem-solving that goes into scratch-builds like this.
Author:  bigbisont [ Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
Most minor of updates (and probably not the update everyone was looking for).

I did the charging handle, painted a bit and tightened things up.

Getting the foam grip on clean was my primary concern. I didnt want a full 'slit' up the side that needed to be re-sealed/taped. So I came up with this plan.

-Cut out a hole in the middle of the foam grip.
-Chop half the stock handle off, leaving only one protruding side.
-Stuff the one side into the foam grip.
-Replace other half of handle with combo of pipe and spacers. Elongate other side with spacers. Restore rigidity with more spacers, pipe and bolts.
(I may have over-engineered this one!)

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So after a little paint on some of the earlier parts and tighting it all up. I am left with this.
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Still needs a camera and the counterweight/bracket bit, but I think I will be taking a break from this project to get after my latest armor idea.
Author:  577_ops [ Fri Aug 21, 2015 6:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: The 'boring' parts of a Smargun build (mostly scratch bu
For such great work you do deserve a break. :)
Were you are pausing now others didn't come that far. It looks great.
Author:  M56 Smart One [ Sat Aug 22, 2015 2:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
This build kicks ass...enough said!
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