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

[Redshirt]

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

Thanks Foxleader! Good results today!

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

Fudz, Thanks! Here it is . . . .




I got busy yesterday afternoon. By the time I had everything together it was late. So, I decided to test it with the glow BBs. That worked great, but I wasn't really setup to film that. Don't worry, when everything is completed and painted, I'll commission a good-quality night video showing the full light and laser effects.

I cut, ground, bent, and cursed the hop-up chambers into fitting all together. Still a bit crude-looking, but you know I'll clean it up.

Here are the feed tubes all in place. SHOULD be no issues with a nice straight run.

So, time to dig the electronics out of storage from a year ago. OMG, it's a rat's nest! Cat searches for stray BBs in hopes of running up a vet bill.

You wouldn't believe it, but everything needed for the testing is hooked up. None of the wires are run where they will eventually go. The rumble motors and batteries are hooked up, but just kind of tucked into the BB hopper. This was the configuration I used for my night test. Don't laugh, the first atom bomb didn't look much different for its initial test.

"Gadget" atom bomb just prior to "Trinity" test 16 July 1945.

All lights working, ready for the live test!

For the day test, I installed the sighting laser and reinstalled the backlight LED taillight to solve some sparking issues that cropped up.

I needed the laser to work so I could adjust the hop-ups and try to get all three barrels aiming in parallel.



Here's the promised video of it shooting. Enjoy!

Clearly I still have some work to do before it's ready for painting, but a great day nonetheless. The feed mechanism still needs some toughening. Once that is ironed out, I only need to make the electronic circuit for the shroud lift and we're ready for prime time.

I do want to thank a couple of people who helped with this aspect of the build:

http://echo1parts.com/
Larry Lovett of Disruptive Airsoft in Tucson, AZ
SparkyD on Airsoft Retreat
Killbucket all over the airsoft community

I look forward to your thoughts.

Redshirt

 

[foxleader]

.....................................................................................(speechless)

 

[NayrDeath]

This is looking better and better! Have you considered eventually replacing those brass barrels with tightbore ones? I just put one in my SCAR and it's accuracy is insane now.
-Ryan M-082

 

[Redshirt]

.................................................. ...................................(speechless)

Thanks! That was so good to see it work. Sorry about the resolution. I've gone HD for this week.

This is looking better and better! Have you considered eventually replacing those brass barrels with tightbore ones? I just put one in my SCAR and it's accuracy is insane now.
-Ryan M-082

Right now I'm just focusing on getting it to work in a basic fashion. If I reach a point where the BB feeds, gearboxes, and other components are 100% reliable, I'll start looking at high speed motors and tightbore barrels. I'm for accuracy, but I'm also trying to avoid upgrades raising the FPS because most 'hits' will be by multiple BBs. No one wants to be hit by 10 450 foot per second BBs at once.


Last week's test was great for a proof of concept, but still a ways away from reliable. The BB feed was all hand wound for that test and fed very inconsistently. This week I've poured a lot of attention into getting the electric winder working as well as improving the reliability. I also built the white light diffusers that will go into the lighted details along the sides of the upper receiver.

I started building the diffusers with a scrap of 1/4 inch LEXAN from Lowes. They sell scrap pieces. I had to invest a whopping 35 cents in this piece!
I sanded down both sides with 100 grit sandpaper and cut a slot for the LED to insert.

I plastic welded on thin strips of white styrene to hold the LED and reflect at the source. Then I spray painted one side and all the edges with white plastic and vinyl paint to act as a reflector and provide the white background.

I then painted the same areas black to keep any light from escaping to the inside of the model--no light leaks.


These will be installed in the model with special high-temperature black hot glue to further prevent light leaks.

Here's the test. Nice even light distribution to give away my position. I may add a switched resistor to help with that.


Much harder was to collect last week's lessons learned and modify and finish the BB feed.

I had stray BBs get into the works and stop the winders by jamming this counter weight.

Closed off all of those leaks, but still plastic welded on a shield to each of my winders.

The plastic hex fittings for the allen wrench shaft weren't up to the task and would eventually strip. I cut apart some set screws and made metal hex inserts.

Job done!

Finally, I modified the servo motor to spin as a motor. This involved removing stops, cutting some new gear teeth, and removing all of the circuitry in the servo and directly wiring leads to the motor.

The new servo required a new mounting--back to the welder!

I also made a larger sprocket for a faster drive. Here's everything installed, shimmed, and ready to go.



After I reworked everything, I was ready for a test.

It works! There are still some feed and jam issues that have it not ready for prime time. I've got some other mods cooking, but I've reached a point that I know I could field this gun. More improvements for the next update and work on automating the lift mechanism.

Redshirt

 

[Mstruvmgc]

OMG RED!!!! I just cought up on everything i have missed (been distracted as of late)
and man oh man you are really doing a great job! I love the test videos and am so happy to see it firing. Keep up the great work, sorry not much else to say really. Its just so righteous

 

[Redshirt]

OMG RED!!!! I just cought up on everything i have missed (been distracted as of late)
and man oh man you are really doing a great job! I love the test videos and am so happy to see it firing. Keep up the great work, sorry not much else to say really. Its just so righteous

Great to have you back. Thanks for the words. I've really got momentum with this right now. I'm aiming to take it completed to our local CON in Pensacola at the end of the month.

I met a major milestone tonight. I finished building the last part--a late addition of a switch mount to dim the side lights. While every piece has been fitted and tested, the whole beast has never been fitted and fired together at the same time. That job of running all the wires and putting it all together for a complete shakedown prior to painting begins tomorrow. Those pictures will follow.

The big movement this week was on the front shroud and it's lift mechanism. This thing has been built from scratch twice already and seen at least one major refit of the final piece since then. This week I completed the circuit for the lift mechanism and tested it. The unit lifted smooth and straight when I moved it. Under servo power it bound, lifted to one side, twisted and sheared a welded fitting right off. Most of the blame went to the nasty little braces that run up the side of the shroud. More work.

So here's a refresher of what the lift mechanism looked like prior to the destruction.

Here's a collection of broken parts. The lifting bracket on the far left was sheared. Turns out that maybe my weld wasn't hot enough.

I set out to solve the twisting as well as the overall excess play in the system.

I added this limiter at the front that provides just a little tension when the shroud is fully lifted.

I added a central spine to stabilize the assembly. To that spine I added a spring that provides a little boost to the servo during the first half inch of lift where most of the binding happens. The side stabilizers received numerous sessions against the belt sander to ensure smooth movement.

To the rear I added a massive plate to distribute the lifting forces. More weight!

After all of those changes, the shroud lifts reliably and consistently. I'd like it to be crisper and more authoritative, but I'm grateful to be able to call it reliable.

Here it has the fiberglass piece added and the whole assembly fitted to the receiver for proof testing. I didn't grab video, but I'll get some during the shakedown.

I'll get some pictures of the final parts in a day or two. Thanks for following.

Redshirt

 

[Harri51]

All I can say is....Where do I get one. I been following this build for a while and man. This is a amazing piece Red. Kinda sad to see the end coming but amazing all at the same time.

 

[Tyvern]

This is an absolutely fantastic build man!

 

[foxleader]

I see you got some of that atom bomb wireing worked out, that's good, unless you're going for steam punked laser.

 

[Mstruvmgc]

Looking good, sorry to hear you had another small setback with the lift breaking. but i am glad to hear that you fixed it already
Cant wait to see it painted up.

oh by the way, how much does that weigh now?

 

[Redshirt]

All I can say is....Where do I get one. I been following this build for a while and man. This is a amazing piece Red. Kinda sad to see the end coming but amazing all at the same time.

Thanks! I've toyed with having someone mold it, but it's really complex. I do have a gravity hammer I built for the 12-inch McFarlane figures. Maybe I should start small . . . .

This is an absolutely fantastic build man!

Thanks Tyvern. Glad you keep coming back.

I see you got some of that atom bomb wiring worked out, that's good, unless you're going for steam punked laser.

Steampunked! No, just punked. The sad truth is that I just hid or removed the wiring behind for some of those pictures. Tonight I have some of the work on taming the hydra.

Looking good, sorry to hear you had another small setback with the lift breaking. but i am glad to hear that you fixed it already
Cant wait to see it painted up.

oh by the way, how much does that weigh now?

Thanks. You've been supportive every time I busted something. Last check several months back was 18.1 pounds. I'll weigh it again this weekend during the dress rehearsal. I don't think it will reach 20 pounds. Crazy huh?


The work is meticulous again as I shorten some wires and add to others to accommodate the final internal arrangements. I'm also changing out some connectors and switches. Once I have the wiring harness in place, it's largely just a matter of bolting on the parts. I'm sure there will be some snags and conflicts, but I'm certain there won't be any show stoppers.

I have just this one picture of the bird's nest of wiring all spread out for the work. Each tag records the changes that need made to that section of wiring. The project box is marked for the grommet locations and the mounting points. I finished the work on the wires tonight and will get the project box cleaned up tomorrow.

Here's the initial work on the stencils and decals. These are a compromise between the 'on the ground' model and the 'taking a shot' rendering in the game. Also, the game model just has the left side mirror the right resulting in the lettering being backwards on the left side. I didn't go for that.

Shakedown this weekend! I hope.

Redshirt

 

[Redshirt]

Assembled!

Done! Well almost. I just finished final assembly and bench testing late tonight. It's too late to take it out and shoot, but it works! Hopefully, I'll shoot it briefly tomorrow, then take it all apart for final sanding and finishing. I've got a ton of pictures, so I'll get going:

I have LEDs in the BB hopper to pre-charge the tracer (glow in the dark) BBs. I don't think this will do much really, but there's almost no power cost, so I tacked in 4 LEDs for the job.

Remember, sloppy hot glue is just for this temp fitting prior to painting and final assembly.

Side lights fitted.

Starting to go together. Later, a large red button will appear on top of the electronics box. This is a switched resistor to dim the side markers for night airsofting.

Running the wiring loom past the gear box cage. This went through three routings until I settled on a workable plan.

Barrels, sight laser, LED illuminator, and hop-up tracer units installed!

Not one inch of space that's unfilled. Three BB tubes in place!

Outer barrel and shroud lift mechanism fitted. This took several visits to the band saw or sander until I was happy.

The picture that's been almost three years in the making: An operational airsoft Spartan Laser with a welded metal lower receiver and molded upper receiver.

And now some details:

Here's the safe/storage configuration with the front grip folded and the shroud down and locked. I'll construct a pin to lock the handle closed, ensuring the master power switch can't energize the weapon.

Here's a closeup of the safe configuration you never get to see in the game.

Side stabilizers. Remember, everything shown still has a final round of sanding and filling before painting.

Machined metal details--hand-cut on a wood router! Don't try it without reading up on the hazards and precautions earlier in the thread.

Sighting laser warming things up.

Pwned!

Shooter view with the sighting laser. Hard to take the photo one-handed.


That's it folks. Next post should be the daytime shooting and shroud function videos.


One final thing. I stepped on a scale with it.

22 pounds with no BBs!

Redshirt

 

[CrazedOne1988]

...DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT!!!!!

 

[TomcatHeavy]

Passion can only get a person so far, then things come down to grit and determination - ultimately vision. Making them meet in a graceful execution is an art, and you have done it with an enviable follow-through.

That aside, 22 lbs! That's almost as much as a real-steel M-60 unloaded! Three barrels was a good choice - with that kind of weight you want something that will sling lead - or bb's - to support a squad.

It is one thing to have a smart looking replica, another - to have a smart-looking replica with a few interactive parts, and maybe some lights and sound-effects. Creating a functional sport-ready replica with bells and whistles a-plenty is nothing short of a masterful pursuit.

LIKE A SIR.

 

[AugmentedHuman013]

I think my jaw just hit the floor Congrats doesn't say enough

 

[mkshane81]

I'm excited to see that things are coming together so well on this. As mentioned before, it's hard for words to describe the admiration and respect that one person can have for a wonderfully executed project, that only sheer determination can push you to complete. I'm really looking forward to what is next to come sir, great job!!

-Matt

 

[Redshirt]

...DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT!!!!!

Thank you!! I just stood and stared at it for a bit--couldn't believe I was finally that far.

Passion can only get a person so far, then things come down to grit and determination - ultimately vision. Making them meet in a graceful execution is an art, and you have done it with an enviable follow-through.

That aside, 22 lbs! That's almost as much as a real-steel M-60 unloaded! Three barrels was a good choice - with that kind of weight you want something that will sling lead - or bb's - to support a squad.

It is one thing to have a smart looking replica, another - to have a smart-looking replica with a few interactive parts, and maybe some lights and sound-effects. Creating a functional sport-ready replica with bells and whistles a-plenty is nothing short of a masterful pursuit.

LIKE A SIR.

I can't believe it gained 3 pounds since I added it up last. The hopper and improvements to the lift are the bulk of the weight gain. Thank you for following.

I think my jaw just hit the floor Congrats doesn't say enough

Thanks! I appreciate that. I look forward to my first laser kill--still a few weeks out I think.

I'm excited to see that things are coming together so well on this. As mentioned before, it's hard for words to describe the admiration and respect that one person can have for a wonderfully executed project, that only sheer determination can push you to complete. I'm really looking forward to what is next to come sir, great job!!

-Matt

I appreciate the very kind words. Thank you.



. . . . and tonight I'm back to swearing at it. I have enough testing to tear it down and paint it, but there will still be some improvements cut in while it's apart. I still plan to shoot a firing video tomorrow morning, but I managed to shred my winder servo tonight and jam a couple of feeds. In the end, I only have a reliable feed (hand wound) to one gear box and a partial feed to another. I'll get the demo video, but it will be at half-capacity at best. Still, I'm looking forward to showing it shoot and demonstrating the shroud lift. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again everyone,

Redshirt

 

[Mstruvmgc]

holy cow man! 22lbs?! thats nuts, but man its worth it i think.
Everything is looking good red, very happy to see this baby pretty much in the home stretch

 

[foxleader]

three year's and your almost done, and the semi finished project looks like the real deal, save it won't blow a truck to pieces when it fires but close enough you're just awesome at this, I mean I could see you building a functioning scatter shot or briny rifle. but with this starting to come to a close I've got some questions for you.

if you could do it all over again would you?

when you started did you have a time frame set to finish this beast?

are you planning on making the helmet that goes with the laser?

and lastly are you going to plan a trip to 343 with said weapon and let frank play with it? lol I know I would.

 

[Tyvern]

Absolutely awesome and inspiring man.