Props Spartan Laser Metal & Fiberglass Airsoft Prop (Fully Functioning Electronic Replica)
- Thread starter Redshirt
- Start date
- Status
- Member DIN
- S980
Awesome work so far man, I'm really glad you're getting work done on this again, can't wait to see it finished, I might have to pay you a visit
Come by anytime. The project moves fast, yet has gone on forever. I need to get this done and devote attention to an engine rebuild.
Redshirt
shadowyeti032
New Member
I wanted to make an airsoft rifle like and AR or BR. Not sure how obtainable that would be but the spartan laser is really nice
- Member DIN
- S980
Back To The Internals
Now that the metal frame is together, it's time to get on with the long job of welding up the internal components. The positioning of the mechboxes will drive where everything else goes. When I started this, I was certain that there was no shortage of room for the three mechboxes. Not true. This is an absolute shoehorn job. I started with a plan for a squared-off cage for the mechbox, but actually had to tightly tailor the cage frame around the front of the mechboxes to make it fit inside the fiberglass upper receiver.
Here's the configuration I'm trying to lock the three Echo1 version 6 mechboxes into. This gets the three BB barrels close enough to fit inside the Spartan Laser barrel with the LED tail light between them. The big issues for the two boxes that are side by side was to make sure there was enough room for air to feed the cylinders as well as keeping the motors far enough apart that their overlapping magnetic fields wouldn't drag down the RPMs and raise the current draw.
How cool is this? Three mechboxes all locked together. This is the back end of the cage, designed to be disassembled to remove the mechboxes for service.
The front end. Here's how it all locks together. This end is welded together. You can see how I had to profile the top to fit into the fiberglass upper receiver. I've kept the trigger mechanisms attached, but may remove them later as they are cut out of the circuit.
Side view of everything. This is just cool to see them all work together. they make an awesome sound all together.
Thanks again to Echo1 for supporting this build.
Redshirt
Now that the metal frame is together, it's time to get on with the long job of welding up the internal components. The positioning of the mechboxes will drive where everything else goes. When I started this, I was certain that there was no shortage of room for the three mechboxes. Not true. This is an absolute shoehorn job. I started with a plan for a squared-off cage for the mechbox, but actually had to tightly tailor the cage frame around the front of the mechboxes to make it fit inside the fiberglass upper receiver.
Here's the configuration I'm trying to lock the three Echo1 version 6 mechboxes into. This gets the three BB barrels close enough to fit inside the Spartan Laser barrel with the LED tail light between them. The big issues for the two boxes that are side by side was to make sure there was enough room for air to feed the cylinders as well as keeping the motors far enough apart that their overlapping magnetic fields wouldn't drag down the RPMs and raise the current draw.
How cool is this? Three mechboxes all locked together. This is the back end of the cage, designed to be disassembled to remove the mechboxes for service.
The front end. Here's how it all locks together. This end is welded together. You can see how I had to profile the top to fit into the fiberglass upper receiver. I've kept the trigger mechanisms attached, but may remove them later as they are cut out of the circuit.
Side view of everything. This is just cool to see them all work together. they make an awesome sound all together.
Thanks again to Echo1 for supporting this build.
Redshirt
the rice shield
New Member
You may have answered this already but what are you planning to use as a magazine?
- Member DIN
- S980
The BB feed will be three side-by-side modified M-4 mag mechanisms all wound from a common shaft. This setup will sit at the back of the Splaser under a big BB hopper. BBs will feed via three tubes (like an M249 box mag) forward to the chambers. There will be LEDs inside the hopper as well as at the hop up units to charge red glow in the dark BBs to rock night games.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Test Fit
Here are some update photos of the mechbox (gearbox) cage test fitted to the lower receiver with the upper receiver in place. Bear in mind that I don't have any mounting points complete for the upper receiver to the lower in these pictures, so everything is just in approximate positions.
Here is about where the cage will sit in the lower receiver. Unsurprisingly, it's very top heavy. This location is far enough back for the hop up units (BB chambers) to fit between the front of the cage and the rear of the front shroud. The down side of this unavoidable placement is that I'll have to remove the upper receiver to adjust the hop ups. For the non-airsoft guys, the hop ups are devices that put a back spin on the BBs as they shoot to give them an aerodynamic "loft" as they fly, resulting in flat trajectory for a much longer distance. It is also where the BBs are fed to from the magazine.
Tight fit, with no room to play at the front. This has to go as far forward as possible as I still have to make room for the batteries, electronics, and feed mechanism in the space behind.
You can kind of see to nozzles through the frame. This setup puts those nozzles as high as possible to barely line up with the Splaser barrel location without the tops of the mechboxes sticking out of the top of the gun.
It just barely fits under the mid shroud. That's what all the modifications to the front of the cage were about--getting the profile low enough for the shroud to fit. I could not make this fit into the Reach or Halo 4 Splaser designs because they lack the mid shroud.
The mid shroud will be easily removable to allow BB refilling, battery charging/balancing, etc.
Until next time.
Redshirt
Here are some update photos of the mechbox (gearbox) cage test fitted to the lower receiver with the upper receiver in place. Bear in mind that I don't have any mounting points complete for the upper receiver to the lower in these pictures, so everything is just in approximate positions.
Here is about where the cage will sit in the lower receiver. Unsurprisingly, it's very top heavy. This location is far enough back for the hop up units (BB chambers) to fit between the front of the cage and the rear of the front shroud. The down side of this unavoidable placement is that I'll have to remove the upper receiver to adjust the hop ups. For the non-airsoft guys, the hop ups are devices that put a back spin on the BBs as they shoot to give them an aerodynamic "loft" as they fly, resulting in flat trajectory for a much longer distance. It is also where the BBs are fed to from the magazine.
Tight fit, with no room to play at the front. This has to go as far forward as possible as I still have to make room for the batteries, electronics, and feed mechanism in the space behind.
You can kind of see to nozzles through the frame. This setup puts those nozzles as high as possible to barely line up with the Splaser barrel location without the tops of the mechboxes sticking out of the top of the gun.
It just barely fits under the mid shroud. That's what all the modifications to the front of the cage were about--getting the profile low enough for the shroud to fit. I could not make this fit into the Reach or Halo 4 Splaser designs because they lack the mid shroud.
The mid shroud will be easily removable to allow BB refilling, battery charging/balancing, etc.
Until next time.
Redshirt
masterchief2323
New Member
I just wanted to say outstanding job man, I glad to see someone "going all the way with it". That's awesome that you have the skills to take it there quickly also, I'm jealous.
EmpireSpartan
New Member
looking good. when do we get to see this beast fire?
- Member DIN
- S980
!%$^&* Trigger Group
Grrr. After several abortive attempts, I've finally welded together the shell of the trigger group. Because of the numerous small parts in close proximity, parts that had been welded tended to come unwelded when I worked in adjacent areas. It was very difficult to get everything into the correct angles, but I have finally got it. There's still a long way to go and lots of prettying up to be done, but progress nonetheless. I fear the rest of the project (foregrip, feed mechanism, front shroud) is going to be made up of small sub-assemblies that take lots of time to make.
Finally, the upper and lower portions of the trigger assembly roughed together. I'll still need to fill in some metal once I join it all so I can lose the homemade / Frankenweld look.
Here's a look inside showing the trigger slot. I cut the slot into bar stock on the router table, an imprecise job to say the least. Next, I cut the part around the slot to be sure the slot ended up centered. The welds appear black due to an oxidation process that occurs between the weld and the heat shield clay I had to cover completed welds with to keep them from shifting while making adjacent welds.
Here's the pile of all the failures! Good times.
Redshirt
Grrr. After several abortive attempts, I've finally welded together the shell of the trigger group. Because of the numerous small parts in close proximity, parts that had been welded tended to come unwelded when I worked in adjacent areas. It was very difficult to get everything into the correct angles, but I have finally got it. There's still a long way to go and lots of prettying up to be done, but progress nonetheless. I fear the rest of the project (foregrip, feed mechanism, front shroud) is going to be made up of small sub-assemblies that take lots of time to make.
Finally, the upper and lower portions of the trigger assembly roughed together. I'll still need to fill in some metal once I join it all so I can lose the homemade / Frankenweld look.
Here's a look inside showing the trigger slot. I cut the slot into bar stock on the router table, an imprecise job to say the least. Next, I cut the part around the slot to be sure the slot ended up centered. The welds appear black due to an oxidation process that occurs between the weld and the heat shield clay I had to cover completed welds with to keep them from shifting while making adjacent welds.
Here's the pile of all the failures! Good times.
Redshirt
Admiral Tiberius
Jr Member
Gotta be one of the more ambitious projects i've seen! Great work though, keep at it, looks like if anyone can pull this off, it's you!
hyundai2806
Active Member
this thing is hella ridiculous btw....
im completely loving every bit of it
cant wait to see it finished an painted
im completely loving every bit of it
cant wait to see it finished an painted
- Member DIN
- S980
Tipping the Scales
OK, I've fielded some interest on the airsoft forums where I'm also running this build. People are asking just how much this beast weighs. So, I weighed all of the components and came up with (drum roll) . . . .
18.1 pounds with batteries, but without BBs!
I'm certain that figure will be within a pound of the final weight. Not so bad considering an M249 is 15.3 pounds without batteries or BBs. Here's a breakdown:
Lower Receiver (all metal) 5.894 pounds
Mechboxes & cage 4.980 pounds
Upper Receiver (all the fiberglass) 3.364 pounds
Mags and Feeds .836 pounds
Batteries (3) .980 pounds
Brass Barrels .606 pounds
Electronics (including laser & lights) 1.436 pounds
Interesting breakdown. The receiver weighs less than I figured, the fiberglass weighs more, and the mechbox collection is much more of the total than I expected.
Redshirt
OK, I've fielded some interest on the airsoft forums where I'm also running this build. People are asking just how much this beast weighs. So, I weighed all of the components and came up with (drum roll) . . . .
18.1 pounds with batteries, but without BBs!
I'm certain that figure will be within a pound of the final weight. Not so bad considering an M249 is 15.3 pounds without batteries or BBs. Here's a breakdown:
Lower Receiver (all metal) 5.894 pounds
Mechboxes & cage 4.980 pounds
Upper Receiver (all the fiberglass) 3.364 pounds
Mags and Feeds .836 pounds
Batteries (3) .980 pounds
Brass Barrels .606 pounds
Electronics (including laser & lights) 1.436 pounds
Interesting breakdown. The receiver weighs less than I figured, the fiberglass weighs more, and the mechbox collection is much more of the total than I expected.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Time for another update on the trigger work. Having made to the two major components of the trigger group, next up was the trigger itself as well as the guides to make the trigger move smoothly as well as set the stops for trigger travel
Once again it was time to don all the safety gear and try to work metal on the router table.
Here's the actual trigger after the first pass through the router. Because the piece was small and the cuts were deep, it was very difficult to get smooth even cuts.
After a couple of passes, I got a smooth enough finish that I could do the rest of the cleanup with the sander. Now to machine the other side.
Once it was all welded up, I got the bright idea to fill the gaps and imperfections with a mix of JB weld and aluminum powder. To keep the mix from sticking to the receiver instead of the trigger group parts, I applied this PVA mold release to the receiver. You can see the purple film on the receiver in the background.
Here's the welded up trigger group set in place. You can see the aluminum and JB Weld mix applied. The JB Weld mix is tougher and better able to handle the coating cure out temperatures the receiver will get at the end of the project than Bondo. Unfortunately, I discovered I needed to weld some more, resulting in burned filler. Oh well.
Here's the trigger group after scorching. Lesson learned, I won't add any more filler to the receiver until all components are fitted and the welding is all done. The trigger assembly is all removable for service and adjustment. You can see two of the retaining screws in the grip. Every screw in this gun is the same size, thread, and uses the same allen wrench to remove. I will build in an allen wrench inside the upper receiver cover for field maintenance.
Next up is to engineer in the springs and switches for the regular trigger and the override trigger.
Redshirt
Once again it was time to don all the safety gear and try to work metal on the router table.
Here's the actual trigger after the first pass through the router. Because the piece was small and the cuts were deep, it was very difficult to get smooth even cuts.
After a couple of passes, I got a smooth enough finish that I could do the rest of the cleanup with the sander. Now to machine the other side.
Once it was all welded up, I got the bright idea to fill the gaps and imperfections with a mix of JB weld and aluminum powder. To keep the mix from sticking to the receiver instead of the trigger group parts, I applied this PVA mold release to the receiver. You can see the purple film on the receiver in the background.
Here's the welded up trigger group set in place. You can see the aluminum and JB Weld mix applied. The JB Weld mix is tougher and better able to handle the coating cure out temperatures the receiver will get at the end of the project than Bondo. Unfortunately, I discovered I needed to weld some more, resulting in burned filler. Oh well.
Here's the trigger group after scorching. Lesson learned, I won't add any more filler to the receiver until all components are fitted and the welding is all done. The trigger assembly is all removable for service and adjustment. You can see two of the retaining screws in the grip. Every screw in this gun is the same size, thread, and uses the same allen wrench to remove. I will build in an allen wrench inside the upper receiver cover for field maintenance.
Next up is to engineer in the springs and switches for the regular trigger and the override trigger.
Redshirt
- Member DIN
- S980
Crickets . . . .
Finished up the trigger group (for now). Eventually it will have components of the front grip attaching to the front of the trigger group.
Here's looking at the inside of the grip at the back side of the trigger. Because I need the trigger to close two switches in order (trigger and override trigger), I need a good amount of travel for the trigger bar itself, but there really isn't much room for it to move before impinging on the grip opening. In the end, total trigger movement amounts to about half an inch. I used two coil springs to hold the trigger forward. I would have preferred a flat spring like a revolver, but I need the space below the trigger for the rumble motors.
I solved it all by placing the switches above the trigger and welding a bar across the top of the trigger to actuate the switches as the trigger slides aft (right in this photo). The ordinary trigger is on the bottom and uses the 'normally closed' contacts. This switch is held compressed (open circuit) until the trigger has moved about a quarter of an inch where the roller on the switch moves down a ramp on the switch bar, closing the circuit and starting the delay timers, rumble motors, and sighting laser. The second quarter inch of travel compresses the top switch which is the override trigger. It uses the 'normally open' contacts. When it closes, the delay timers are bypassed and the coil of the master solenoid is energized, firing all of the mechboxes until the trigger is released.
Could anyone follow that?
Welding up attachment points for the upper receiver.
Next is the front grip. This unit is never shown closed in the game and it doesn't seem physically possible (that's exactly what Jimmy said!) for the grip to rotate at the in-game rendered pivot point to stow in the obvious position. Should be fun.
Redshirt
Finished up the trigger group (for now). Eventually it will have components of the front grip attaching to the front of the trigger group.
Here's looking at the inside of the grip at the back side of the trigger. Because I need the trigger to close two switches in order (trigger and override trigger), I need a good amount of travel for the trigger bar itself, but there really isn't much room for it to move before impinging on the grip opening. In the end, total trigger movement amounts to about half an inch. I used two coil springs to hold the trigger forward. I would have preferred a flat spring like a revolver, but I need the space below the trigger for the rumble motors.
I solved it all by placing the switches above the trigger and welding a bar across the top of the trigger to actuate the switches as the trigger slides aft (right in this photo). The ordinary trigger is on the bottom and uses the 'normally closed' contacts. This switch is held compressed (open circuit) until the trigger has moved about a quarter of an inch where the roller on the switch moves down a ramp on the switch bar, closing the circuit and starting the delay timers, rumble motors, and sighting laser. The second quarter inch of travel compresses the top switch which is the override trigger. It uses the 'normally open' contacts. When it closes, the delay timers are bypassed and the coil of the master solenoid is energized, firing all of the mechboxes until the trigger is released.
Could anyone follow that?
Welding up attachment points for the upper receiver.
Next is the front grip. This unit is never shown closed in the game and it doesn't seem physically possible (that's exactly what Jimmy said!) for the grip to rotate at the in-game rendered pivot point to stow in the obvious position. Should be fun.
Redshirt
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