Alex, this resin comes already black...no dyes to mess with...50/50 mix by volume (not weight) it's easy.
I use those translucent disposable plastic cups with graduations in them. Makes mixing a snap.

Just picked up- a trijicon ACOG scope today...and an accessory rail which I will replicate and bolt everywhere one will fit..

<M>

The trijicon ACOG scopes are awesome! That'll look perfect on your AR-15... very appropriate.

So do you think that the resin you use would be the type of resin whose parts are made with it could handle the punishment of skirmishing? Also, is black the only color it comes in, or can you specify other colors, through say, a pantone chart? Now that would be cool... imagine being able to have pre-dyed resin consistently made to a perfect OD green... or a perfect bess brown! Whoa.

-Alex



"The M41-A. When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mofo in the room. Accept no substitutes."

It's gonna be scary dropping the ACOG into the silicone...it's an $800 scope! But its a milspec scope and all the caps and joints are sealed against moisture, so it should be ok.

Sadly I do not believe that this particular company can do that...but It may be possible with another company...it's hard to say...What PMS # is Brown bess anyway?

The only way I can envision mixing decent brown bess is using the clear (vagabond 2011) formula and dying it. If you pre mix the deyes to the color spec the resin will come out pretty consistant. BUT That particular formula is a notoriously bubbly resin. not shure why it just is...

If you use the deyes in the white off white formulas its a real guessing game trying to get a specific color, they will always end up being on the pastel side due to the color shift when the resin cures.

Matt

Heres a quickie bash Of an SD version...(integral supressor).

[img]http://www.image-hosting.net/images/messageboard/knightshayd/M-16SD.jpg[/img]

Nice feel to it, and with a 9 inch barrel it's strictly CQB..


Matsuo prepares for a night on the town...

[img]http://www.image-hosting.net/images/messageboard/knightshayd/beta-C.jpg[/img]


Note Beta-C preped for molding, I had to try it in the gun to make shure that any "claying" did not interfere with the basic operation of the replica. Adjustments were made and the plan will procede.....My god have mercy on my soul....

Matt

Matt
Edited by: [url=http://pub217.ezboard.com/bthealienslegacy.showUserPublicProfile?gid=guardianmatsuo>Guardian Matsuo[/url] at: 12/31/03 4:30 pm

What are you... some kind of a gun nut!?;)

Oh yeah!! Oh yeah!!

Big guns for big bugs!!

I think this forum should be "Fun with Superior Firepower"!:twisted:
Kevin
The Sarge's Site
[url=http://ca.photos.yahoo.com/bc/ssgtburton/lst?.dir=/Sarge%27s+Pics&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t
&.done=http%3a//ca.photos.yahoo.com/]Sarge's Pics[/url]

"Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat."

Woah Matt! Is that whole thing resin, including the forearm?
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

which forearm..mine or the guns...LOL

Yes...the free float tube is resin.

The only thing real is th the QD mount on the front verticle grip. And of course the C mag which is of course going to take a silicone bath any minute now..

More coming every day..

<M>

Hey that's impressive (your forearms too!:lol: ).

I think you know that given you have made this like a kit -- I think there are a lot of people that would like these; they are very unique as I haven't seen anybody else do this, at least as good as yours. Good work Matt!


"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

More stuff.

The top one is the newest, it has the standard forend and an ACOG scope attached to a detachable A-2 carry handle...below is the detachable rear A-2 sight.

The eject port covers are real since the resin ones are way to flimsy.

[img]http://hooverae.com/upload/files/MVC-038S.jpg[/img]

Much more coming soon.

Matt

If you would like Matt, I'll drop by one of the AS shops and pick up a trade-in gearbox and donate it for your cause -- just to see if you can get them working as AS guns ...
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

Shure sounds great. theres plenty of room inside I don't see why it wouldn't work...but I've been wrong before.

Heh those .50 cals now thats a different story...
I'm thinking a constant feed air supply and a 1000 round hopper..LOL

The Mg42 I'm working on should prove usefull in that respect as well...hell if nothing else cheaper than anything out there to date.

Matt

I think the best way is to find a donor AS gun, so that we can have the inner barrel with hop up unit, magazine, mag release, and all the little stuff.

I think it will be no problem to adapt working AS harware, given that the mould were from real steel or AS I presume. The question/fun part would be to see how many rounds the resin receiver will be able to handle, and under how much stress .....
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

Wheeew! Did you say Barret .50 Cal. Wow!:shock: I'd like to see that in resin. Matter fact -- I'd like to see that in metal as well. You do welding, don't you Matt ??:lol:
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

No Not Barret..The M2HB (ma Deuce)

[img]http://www.image-hosting.net/images/messageboard/knightshayd/8.50.jpg[/img]

Remember?....

Matt
[img]http://www.drstranglove.com/upload/imgs/mtag1a.jpg]

Guardian Matsuo:



Oh the pain............ I can almost smell the gun powder:roll:

If you keep this up Matt you might as will make a VP70 and start making some money bro. I'll be the 1st in line

TiGeR

I for one would really like to see these wonderful things Matt is making become a new development in AS. I know that in Japan -- there had been low quantity producers/specialty AS makers if you will, who had done limited edition releases. The most recent one being a MP-7(?) PDW, HK's replacement for the MP-5 I presume. No large AS makers had even planned to make the MP-7 yet. In fact prior to Tokyo Marui's release of their HK G-36, the same specialty maker had made a kit G-36C. Though the kit alone cost around 200 bucks -- it was the only option at the time if money was burning holes in your pocket and you had to have a G-36.

One note though, and there ought to be someone with expertise in low-pressure cold-pour materials who can answer this issue for certain. ISSUE: I do believe that in Japan, there are special resins that are available which are much more durable than the type I had used in the U.S. (from an outfit in CA called TAP PLASTICS). I believe that due to certain EPA limitations, the U.S. may not have this type of durable resin available for sale. This same situation had created a grey market in the days before CDs, such that people bought LP albums (Vinyl) made in Japan, swearing that they sounded better than the vinyl that was available in the USA (and also Europe).

Check out this issue for ya'selves ....
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

There are indeed stronger, more durable resins available in the US than what you commonly see people use for prop kits. I've been doing some experimenting with some of them for the smartgun rig. Matt's using a black resin that's already stronger than the everyday stuff, though not as strong as some of the resins I've gotten from Smooth-On.

I think the reason you haven't seen more use of stronger resins, dyed resins, & powdered molds from other prop makers aside from Matt, Hi-Impact, and maybe a few others, is sheer laziness. They don't want to spend the time to research available materials and commonly go for the cheapest they can find to get the highest return on their kits.

Just my $.02

Jesse

"Happiness is a warm smartgun."

I knew you would answer to this calling JD. Nice to know all the ins/outs of lo-pressure cold-pour tricks.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."

Matt,

Like what MAA said, I think there's definitely a market for some of the more hard to find props... especially if they were made for the AS community. As well as all the WWII re-enactors that would be interested in having the 50 cal., there'd be tons interested if they were made for airsoft. One of the most popular AS guns out there in terms of reliable gearboxes, and good upgrades is the TM AK-47. Most AS gunsmiths remove the internals of the AS M60s and replace them with AK internals. The same happened with the M249 when it first came out, until they developed even better after market gearboxes specifically for the M249. Considering how much space is available in the 50 cal. internally, you could easily fit an AK-47 in there, plus a battery to power it (like a high volt battery for an insane rounds per second count). Add to that a battery opperated box mag that auto feeds the BBs into the feed tube of the mag and you're good to go.

Most of the cost would be in the initial R&D of the 50 cal. AS conversion. After that, you could sell them as kits or build ups. If you take a look at some of the exotic AS kits out there, like the the H&K KL-8, the MG-42, etc... their prices are easily in the $1000s. Now imagine selling a 50 cal. airsoft, with AK-47 internals, that's made out of hi-impact plastic to keep the weight low and cost reasonable. You'd easily get buyers... if nothing else than because no one else has made one, but also because it's such a f'ing cool heavy weapon, that uses reliable internals and is aesthetically accurate. You'd probably be able to make a minimum of 35% profit on each one. A lot of it comes down to how strong you'd be able to make the replica... and after hearing yours and Jesse's comments on R&D into high impact resins this all sounds very promising.

The MG-42 would most definitely come under the same criteria.

As for a smart gun... that might be a little complicated to make as an AEG. The motor that drives the gearbox in most AEGs (except the P90, FA-Mas, and AUG) resides in the AEG's pistol grip. If I'm not mistaken, the MG-42's pistol grip used in a smart gun, has been removed. We can't really do that with the AK-47. One option would be to have the motor hang down below the smart gun receiver, which will detract from the overall accuracy of the gun, or another option could be to use a P-90 gear box which keeps the motor parallel to the gearbox instead of diagonal which is common to all other AEGs, including the FA-Mas and AUG. Using a P90 will probably keep the overall aesthetic true to the Aliens smart gun.

This is all hypothetical of course... don't want to break board rules. Does anyone else have "hypothetical" thoughts on the matter?

-Alex


p.s. Sorry for the rant.




"The M41-A. When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mofo in the room. Accept no substitutes."

Isn't there a box attached to the bottom of the smartgun for the rear firing handle to access the trigger? Of course, not that I've typed that I realize that it might not be big enough, but you never know.
_______________
Hey guys, did I always have this gaping head wound or is it new? -- SMT Terrorist

I’m not too sure how much room you would need. The box on the bottom of the Smart Gun is just low enough to cover the trigger. The rest of the grip is removed and the operating cable is run through the pipe out of the rear to the clutch assembly at the back of the gun.



<span style="color:black;font-family:FederationBold;font-size:medium;]Adapt-Overcome-Survive

Which bascially confirms my concerns about making the SG airsoft capable. You can either use one of the more common gearboxes which will require the motor to hang down below the SG's receiver, or consider using something like the P-90 gearbox which should avoid this.

-Alex



"The M41-A. When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mofo in the room. Accept no substitutes."

The lack of pistol grip on the M56 will likely be a problem, but it'd probably work with P90 internals. We'll know eventually

Jesse
"Happiness is a warm smartgun."

The p-90 gerbox's motor is mounted paralell at the bottom. So, it does not need a pistol grip to act as housing. Given the receiver of the m56 is the same as the mg42 which then again is very similar in size to the m60 -- it means that 'yes', it's very likely (95%) the p-90 gb can be adapted to a m-56 AS SG.

In HK, they had been doing type 3 gb adaptation to Top M60s for years. But it requires alot of work -- part of it is changing the angle of the type 3 motor so that it lies paralell to the gb much in the same way as the p-90 (this had been done already before the p-90 was introduced).


"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother."Edited by: [url=http://pub217.ezboard.com/bthealienslegacy.showUserPublicProfile?gid=menatarms>MENATARMS[/url] at: 1/5/04 2:32 pm

Finally found a pic of the P90 version 6 gearbox:



I think there should be adequate room for this gearbox.

-Alex



"The M41-A. When you absolutely, positively have to kill every mofo in the room. Accept no substitutes."