Props Spartan Laser Metal & Fiberglass Airsoft Prop (Fully Functioning Electronic Replica)

[Brandon McClain]

I really wish I could see this thing in person. I have always want to add a splaser to my collection.

 

[blackout11c]

This thing is looking incredible!

 

[Tyvern]

This weapon prop, it is to awesome.

 

[Redshirt]

holy energy sword on Johnson's hip that is sweet! this is what you need if you want to be a pro at a cost play. plus once every thing done what's the first con our you going too?

Thanks! Though I think 'cost play' was an unintentional misspelling of cosplay, I think cost play really describes this project!

I really wish I could see this thing in person. I have always want to add a splaser to my collection.

I'd like that too. Let's chat after I get this thing done. I may want to make fiberglass molds of the major components and rubber molds of the minor parts if for no other reason than to provide spare parts.

This thing is looking incredible!

Thank you. I appreciate the following.

This weapon prop, it is to awesome.

Thanks again Tyvern!


Today's update is the detailing of the stabilizer parts that run between the front shroud and the upper receiver. These parts are metal and need metal details added to handle the ceramic coating as well as be tough enough for the field. I don't have a mill or any means of cutting the details into the aluminum. That means I had to get creative. Again.

In this Bungie file photo, you can see the stabilizers sticking out of the side and that they have some detailing. Upon closer inspection, the details show as a pattern of horizontal grooves. Since I started this project, I've been trying to figure out how to do this. The arrival of the USC All Metal filler finally gave me some inspiration. This high-temperature filler made principally from aluminum powder has lots of possibilities.

I smeared fresh Bondo onto a piece of scrap aluminum.

Rounded up the small miter saw blade and fixed it to the protractor guide on the band saw. I used this to guide the blade uniformly across the Bondo. This took a couple of tries.

Here's the end result. Not straight everywhere, but enough areas were perfect for what I had in mind. I painted the whole thing down with mold release.

I cut a square piece of a very thin, but hard grade of aluminum and roughed up the surface on both sides for good adhesion. I coated one surface with catalyzed All Metal.

I then pressed the All Metal surface against the Bondo mold put the whole thing between to thick metal plates and compressed the assembly in a vice overnight as it cured.

The next day I peeled of my new part away. Ta Da! Tough aluminum grooved surface!

I cut out the shapes I needed. Here they are before I tidied them up and bonded them to the stabilizers.

Here are the detailed stabilizers. I bonded the parts on with JB Weld. After this photo, I came along with more All Metal to fillet in the edges and make the details look machined rather than grafted.

One more project wrapped up. I'm afraid the final stretch of fiberglass work is next. The upper receiver is almost paint-ready! I'm also working on the BB feed mechanism. Getting close!

Redshirt

 

[Redshirt]

Time for another update!

The truth is, I just couldn't bring myself to post the boring work of filling-priming-sanding-priming-filling-priming-filing endlessly to bring the upper receiver into perfection. That project is close, but photos don't show the progress well.

Fortunately, there's real progress in metal. I've reworked the magnetic latch on the foregrip. I've also been busy (finally) on the BB feed mechanism.


The fore grip just didn't stay open as solidly as it should. It would knock partly closed very easily. This would be more than a minor annoyance because the fore grip actuates the master power switch and the shroud actuation circuitry. This would cause the shroud to open and close randomly, possibly during firing (very bad).

I wedged the grip in the milling vise and patiently, if not precisely, enlarged the hole to fit two stacks of rare-earth magnets side by side. If these are so 'rare-earth', how come they are so cheap at Harbor Freight?

I did the same thing with the frame for the fore grip.

After getting the holes set, I added side by side stacks of magnets into each side sunk into JB Weld.

I let the epoxy partially set to a thick gel consistency and shaved away the excess.

I then joined the two components together separated by a piece of masking tape. With the epoxy only partially set, the magnets could move vertically and laterally to find their natural orientation with each other to ensure the strongest latching. The result was incredible. The fore grip locks into the open position with a solid thunk and won't break lock without considerable effort. This upgrade really raised the quality feel of the whole project, just like the difference between shutting the door of an economy car and a solid luxury car. The brown sheets are automotive gasket material. Pieces of this material will be glued to the sides of the grip frame after they are coated. The gasket material will shim the play in the assembly and keep the metal parts from rubbing against each other.



The next project was the BB feed mechanism. I've been fretting over how to do this for years going all the way back to the beginning of the project. In the end, I cobbled together the basics in half an afternoon! I originally conceived of this system as a hand-wound mechanism consisting of three cannibalized M-4 magazines with a common shaft turned by the large round disks on the rear of the game model. I came to realize two things: I'd give up a lot of space and BB capacity to align the winders with the external disks and I'd be constantly winding to keep up with this beast. Thanks to Killbucket, legendary airsoft customizer, I switched to an electric winding system using a modified RC aircraft servo. This will either be switch activated or automatic whenever the sighting laser is energized.

I started with cutting an aluminum frame for the servo that will mount low in the rear of the Splaser turning a cogged belt to drive a pulley on a common shaft running through all three winder mechanisms.

I cut off the excess components of the M-4 magazines and modified the internals by removing an existing plastic shaft and widening the hole to allow the transit of a sizable allen wrench. Each mechanism was already molded to fit an allen wrench on one side. I simply modified each magazine assembly to fit the allen wrench on the winder side and pass through the other side without interference. The top example is modified and the bottom is as original.

And just like that, I have three feed mechanisms operating from a common shaft. I'll add a pulley in the middle somewhere, align it with the servo and I have an auto-wind, three-tube, high-capacity feed mechanism.

Still a ways to go, but progress on the final bits of the airsoft system!

Redshirt

 

[Mstruvmgc]

O.O my brain hurts from the awesomeness lol. Very good work Red.

 

[Jen A266]

Oh my sweet buttery holy mother of Halo! This is disgusting, in a good way of course +1 sub!

 

[Fudz073]

Very impressive work, Red. Your attention to detail is commendable. This project has a little of everything; fiberglass, metal work, and electronics. I also love the fact that you build your own tools to suit your projects. I WILL be emulating your air file. I've tried my own variations in the past with no success so I'm curious to see how my attempt at your design pans out. Continue the fantastic work and can't wait to see more!

73
Fudz

 

[Redshirt]

O.O my brain hurts from the awesomeness lol. Very good work Red.

I'm just glad to be doing something other than fiberglass again. Thanks!

Oh my sweet buttery holy mother of Halo! This is disgusting, in a good way of course +1 sub!

Ha! Thanks!

Very impressive work, Red. Your attention to detail is commendable. This project has a little of everything; fiberglass, metal work, and electronics. I also love the fact that you build your own tools to suit your projects. I WILL be emulating your air file. I've tried my own variations in the past with no success so I'm curious to see how my attempt at your design pans out. Continue the fantastic work and can't wait to see more!
73
Fudz

The air file is actually right off the shelf from Harbor Freight. I have broken the handle off of some of my micro needle files and got them to fit into the air file. That is really sharp for fine details. Harbor Freight also has a very small pneumatic belt sander about the size of the air file. That item is awesome as well. Thanks for following. AWESOME Covenant cruiser model BTW!


Sorry it's been so long. Inspections, travel, and work crises have kept me out of the shop. I was finally able to get busy today and make some progress on the airsoft bits. I did just a little more work on the winder mechanism before going whole-hog on the BB feed assemblies.

I found a smaller cog belt and needed to determine how far the winding servo had to be displaced to do the job without slipping the belt. Looks like this will work out well.

I drilled out a hole for a setscrew to secure the BB feed tube.

Tapped! Ready to test.

Here's the completed setup with the feed tube locked in place.

Here the test. BBs feed through without binding. I'm excited about this, I think it's going to work in an outstanding way.

I also cut a slot down the spine of each BB feed assembly to accommodate the Madbull hop up tracer unit. Once the assemblies are coated, these tracer units will get mounted up permanently. I'll use red glow-in-the-dark tracer BBs for night games. This unit will flash-charge the BBs just before they're fired down the barrel.

Here you can just see the row of super intense LEDs that will charge the BBs as they pass through. The idea here is that with three airsoft gear boxes working to send 2100 glowing BBs/min while being backlit by a massive red LED taillight bulb will make a fair approximation of a ginormous laser firing.

Done! Three complete BB feed assemblies outfitted for tracer units. I still have to add setscrews to adjust the hop-ups, but these assemblies are basically ready to go. Unit 'C' on the left is fitted together around the nylon airsoft chamber as it will assemble on the gun.

Redshirt

 

[NoMaybeYes]

Wow this is starting to come along rather quickly. The glowing BB's idea is a really nice trick. During night games it will have a very cool 'lazer' effect going on.

 

[Mythosaur]

Unique idea, pro execution... what an engrossing build! I mulled over every picture... which means I've been picking this build apart for the past hour. Keep up the good work!

 

[Brandon McClain]

I can't tell you how stoked I am to see video of this thing firing in the dark or just firing in general.

 

[Redshirt]

Wow this is starting to come along rather quickly. The glowing BB's idea is a really nice trick. During night games it will have a very cool 'lazer' effect going on.

Thank you. I hope it is a cool effect.

Unique idea, pro execution... what an engrossing build! I mulled over every picture... which means I've been picking this build apart for the past hour. Keep up the good work!

Thanks! I've tried to make the pictures illustrate how I do things since I'm making up the methods as I go along.

I can't tell you how stoked I am to see video of this thing firing in the dark or just firing in general.

You and me both! This past week has been some housekeeping picking up some loose ends on the fiberglass and metal that can only be done while the exterior components are assembled. Now I can strip it back down to focus on the final development of the airsoft bits culminating in the first test firing very soon.

While I'm really stoked to be working on the last major engineering for the airsoft system, I had to give a nod to efficiency. Currently, all the major external components are screwed together for final adjustments to the fit between between all the fiberglass components and the metal. As the whole thing is a PITA to disassemble (someday I'll count up the number of components and screws involved), I needed to finish cleaning up panel lines and alignment before I could free up the lower receiver to build up the airsoft system. I'm happy to report that work is done, paving the way to make the final push on the airsoft components. Let's take a look:

This is the start of the details that are on the hinge area of the front grip. If you look at the game model, you'll see that it wouldn't be able to pivot at the drawn pivot pin. As shown much earlier in the build, I had to relocate the point of rotation lower and further aft to make this part functional. It works great with little compromise to the aesthetics. Even so, I needed to add the original details.

I decided to use part of two giant pop rivets.

I used a hollow gasket punch to grab the rivet and hammer loose the stud.

I'll grind these down later, but for now they will align align other parts.

Here are the parts for the hinge details. Up on the frame, the left hole is for the rivet and locating these details. The hole on the right is the actual pivot point of the front grip.

Here are the details JB Welded into place. At this point they are only cosmetic, but I'm going to drill all the way through the solid billet front grip and use this detail to install a safety locking pin. Remember, rotating the grip from the stowed position turns on the master power switch and activates the weapon. A locking pin here holding the grip stowed will serve as the master safety.

Mission complete. Here is everything temporarily assembled in the stowed (safe) position with the allen wrench serving as the safety pin. Later, I'll come up with a more pro-looking pin and 'Remove before firing' streamer.

Here's some of the final Bondo work on the upper receiver assembly. This area is where two major fiberglass pieces mate up and has resulted in significant hair loss trying to get just right.

Same work on the front.

Here's a pair of the 'switches' shown on the side of the lower receiver. I've waited to build these until I decided if they needed any functionality. There are two of these on each side. I may make one on each side functional. One would dim the external LEDs and the other would be a momentary on switch to actuate the BB feed winder mechanism. We'll see if there's room on the inside for the switches.

Here's how they look in place.

Finally, I added the details above the switches. No functionality. I waited to add these until I was done reshaping the fiberglass. The black Sharpie line shows how crooked this are used to be.


Today I'll disassemble the whole thing and start reinstalling the airsoft components that are finished so I can finish the feed system and hop-up systems. Unfortunately, I'll need to make time to overhaul the brand new gear boxes as they have accumulated a lot of shop dust and metal flakes while waiting their turn to shine during countless test fittings and just knocking about on my bench.

Redshirt

 

[Redshirt]

As promised, I've been busy working on the airsoft components. In fact, I may be well on my way to the most awesome box mag ever.

At the end of the day, here's approximately the location for the three cut-down winder mechanisms from some airsoft M4 magazines.

Here are the initial welds for the BB hopper. The holes on the sides align with the large knob details on the outside of the Splaser. A strong spring will run through the hopper to pull the knobs into place. The right knob (aligned with the small hole) doesn't serve any function. The left knob will pull aside to allow me to refill the hopper.

Here are the winders in place. The common shaft and sprocket have yet to be added.

Here's the ramp that goes over the winders to keep the BBs out and feed them to the lowest point in the hopper. I'll cut down the allen wrench serving as the shaft later. The sprocket will align with a servo to be mounted below this assembly. A cogged belt from an RC car will drive everything.

Here's everything from above. The three feed tubes will join the winders through the front of the ramp and be secured by setscrews through the top of the ramp (not yet drilled). The feed tubes will exit the hopper through the front wall (right side in picture). These holes are also not drilled yet.

A secondary ramp will guide the BBs into the pickup mechanisms.

Looking in the side, here are the holes for the feed tubes into the winders. Also visible is the secondary ramp with the teeth leading into the pickups.

I took a section of 4-inch PVC pipe and cut it to make a lid that conforms to the outside shape of the Splaser. This will maximize the BB capacity.

The lid is all glued and drilled here. I used .060 inch styrene to make the ends and sides. The colors are ugly now, but when it's finished in black wrinkle paint, it will be BA.

Finally, here's the work so far as it fits into the Spartan Laser. The lid sides keep any BBs from ecaping.

Here's the left side. This larger hole will be used to refill the BBs. A quick check shows this hopper will hold about 3,500 BBs.

Here's the front wall. The 3 feed tubes will exit somewhere near the top (around where the arrow pointing up is drawn). The bracket on the right side of the picture will hold the electronics box. I need to do a test fit of the electronics before I determine the final routing of the feed tubes. The area in front of the box mag will be extremely congested.


What do you think? I just need to add on the mounting underneath for the servo and drive belt to complete this project. After that, some finish work on the hop-up chambers is all that stands in the way of the first test firing!

Redshirt

 

[Tyvern]

Absolutely superb work man. Definitely one of if not elite weapon builds I've ever seen.

 

[vshore100]

You've made quite a bit of progress on this Red! Your attention to detail is incredible. Awesome work as always.

 

[Redshirt]

Absolutely superb work man. Definitely one of if not elite weapon builds I've ever seen.

Tyvern,
Thank you. I'm really close to first shots--maybe today!

You've made quite a bit of progress on this Red! Your attention to detail is incredible. Awesome work as always.

Vshore,
I appreciate that you keep coming back and commenting.

Alright, more big progress. I'd hoped to report that I'd actually fired the beast yesterday, but educational setbacks held me down. Maybe today is the day (maybe not). Here's the post-Christmas work:

Drilled and located the feed tubes into the feed mechanism. The black dots indicate where the set screws will go to hold the tubes in place. The feed tubes offset to the right to avoid the electronics package that sits immediately forward of the BB hopper.

Side view of the feed tubes.

Front view. The tubes exit the hopper near the top to travel above the electronics and gear boxes.

Here's the servo mount and belt drive mechanism in place. Black line to the left indicates additional cutting that's needed. I'll use shims to adjust belt tension.

Here go the first BBs in for a feed test. The hopper easily took over 3500 BBs to reach capacity.

Unfortunately, the feed test was only partially successful. One tube fed flawlessly, the other two became jammed by escaped BBs that got out of the hopper and into the winder bay.
They got caught in the mechanism and played hell with the feeds. It was all easily fixed and the feeds now work! I should mention that I've only tested this manually as I need to buy and modify a different servo to complete the auto wind system. The servo in the photos is the front shroud retractor pulling stand-in duty.

With the BB feed sorted, I cut my feed tubes to length. They are still oversize, but I will cut them down further once I sort out the final routing to the barrels.

I also cut the winder shaft to length while I had the cutting wheel out.

Here's the happy place we were looking for, hop-up/chamber in place with the feed tube connected. But wait! The first one took up all the room and there's no room for the other two chambers to fit! Needless to say, there was a lot of cursing in the Redshirt household, sending the little Redshirts running for cover and earning stern looks from Mrs Redshirt. How could I be so stupid as to not foresee this problem? OK. If I cut this down to its narrowest width at the back, recess the screws, and modify the other two chambers, it all should fit . . . . . The Sharpie marks indicate the planned mods.

Here's one of the other assemblies held up for comparison to demonstrate the interference. This also has planned cut lines drawn as well.

That's where I am. I'm headed out to make those cuts. If they work, I'll shoot it today or tomorrow!

Redshirt

 

[foxleader]

if 343 ever needs a near working laser we'll point them to you, because word fail at expressing what you've done.

 

[Redshirt]

IT WORKS!!! For the first time ever it fired. I did a night test with the glow BBs and all three boxes fired. Pictures and daytime vid tomorrow!

Redshirt

 

[Fudz073]

Glad to hear it Red! There really is no feeling like when something you build finally comes together. Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics and vids.

73
Fudz