Themaninthesuitcase F-11D Standard build

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I printed a full F-11D kit using @The5thHorseman files probably around when TLJ came out.  I'm finally beginning to do something with it.

 

I started with a full inventory and assessment of what I have. 

 

 

 

 

I have come a fair way in printing and also now have a resin printer which changes things a bit also. I am going to be reprinting most of the smaller parts again on the resin printer to give better detail for less prep work.

 

I did start this 2 days ago but a silly mistake ruined a full plate of parts, so that's currently back on the printer.  I'll post pictures once I have some.

 

I also want to add some basic electronics to the weapon.  I want to have the red LEDs in the magazine and Hengstler, and also the front torch.  I am struggling to source the one listed in the build guide PDF.  Instead I have found the smallest one I could on eBay and will see if I can make it work, modifying the parts as needed.

 

The rough plan is to run all of this off a single battery and 2 switches.  I have modified the magazine file to add a place for a switch and hollowed out the Hengstler as a possible battery location.  I have also added some wire paths to some files, but on others I will drill the prints out and then fill the exposed infill.

 

 

The modified magazine file.  Once I prove these work, and any other modded files, I'll make them available to anyone who wants them.

 

For the front torch I want to be able to choose when it's on or not for photos/effect in darker rooms.  I am hoping I'll be able to gut it and run some wires down the barrel to the battery and switches. 

 

I have bought some 12mm tactile switches which as luck would have it are almost perfect for the blaster trigger.

 

 

They are meant to be PCB mount so I have modded one slightly to fit in and still have somewhere for the wires to go.  Mine are 6mm height, so a 7mm would probably be even better.

 

 

 

I'll solder on some wires and then glue the switch to the trigger, and a thin EVA sheet to the other side as a bit of filler/padding.  

 

I will be reprinting the handle for better quality so will run some tests on the old parts to check it works.

 

Biggest issue with this project is fitting it around the armour build so I can get parts sanded and primed for paint once the world reopens.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice, I also use the momentary switches, can fit them in lots of confined places, great for small blasters.

 

Looking forward to the progress

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Here are yesterday's batch of resin parts, less the scope mount which was a complete disaster.

 

 

I reprinted the scope mount and a number of other parts and they came out well for the most part.  Slowly getting the hang of the resin printing. Requires a fair amount of thought at the slicing stage.

 

You can also get unlucky and stuff will warp:

 

 

I also got a few deliveries.  

 

I now have a full set of hardware (should be enough for 2 blasters, more for most screws) and what I hope will work for the torch.

 

 

They are a fair bit bigger than the spec item but they are pretty bright and I think I can make something work.  I've cored out the middle of the mount to accommodate it but the biggest issue is length.  It's too long, but as I plan on making it work using the trigger I'll be gutting it anyway and possibly sawing it down.  If I can saw one down I'll be able to solder on some wires and run it off the core battery.

 

Also these have a focus zoom, I can choose from a spot to reasonably wide.  I'm tempted to go for the spot option so if I am ever in the dark I can really use it to nice effect.

 

I'll probably run off a new mount and ring and see how they fit tomorrow evening after the days armour print run.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Looks like you're getting a handle on the resin printer, they look nice and clean.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

And lo there was much sanding.

 

 

I found the 120 I was using was actually too much and blunting too fast.  I swapped to a 3M Sandblaster 150 paper and it was both faster and gave a better finish for less hard work.  It actually managed to save a few parts I was going to reprint

 

Next step is to get all the modified parts printed out so I can test for wire routing before I start messing about with any primer.  Doing a quick holding things together I found 1 or 2 more parts I need to modify before reprinting. For some parts I'm just going to take a drill to them.

 

I also printed my modified torch ring and mounts.  Pro: they fitted perfectly.  Con: the torch is too long (but I'll saw it off anyway to get to the wiring) and well, there wasn't much meat left:

 

 

So it broke into many pieces as I wasn't very careful removing it from the bed.  I've redesigned the part adding in as much meat as I can, I don't need access to the torch now so I no longer need to leave space for access.

 

Finally I was digging through the reference and discovered the TLJ F-11Ds all have a pica tinny rail on them.  

 

 

I couldn't find an accurate enough one on amazon/eBay and so modelled one up from the specs on Wikipedia and the reference images.

 

 

I might tweak the end angles but looks close enough for government work to me.  I'm going to print this in resin and possibly try add a light texture to it to break up a solid mass of satin black.  Maybe use a different brand of paint too to give a slightly different hue and again break up a solid mass.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

The new torch holder worked much better.  Filled up as much space as I could with part and it seems far more solid.  Also added a notch for the wiring.

 

 

Also ran a quick test of the picatinny rail and it looks like it should be great.

 

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Okay some more progress on the torch which is totally worth all this effort I am sure..... At least it's a distraction from breaking the 3D printer.

 

So I ordered 2 of these torches from ebay that looked small enough.

 

 

In practice they are too long and only just about fit down the available space, after a big mod to Germain's file to make it.

 

First job was to cut one open and see what I had to work with.  I measured down the inside of the barrel to see where I could cut.   Once inside I could pull the inner section out of the outer metal barrel and found it's just a 5mm LED in a holder that runs off 3 1.5 LR44 batteries.  Sadly the leads on the LED are too short to solder to with out melting the holder but a standard 5mm LED fits the holes just fine.

 

 

The first torch I destroyed modified I cut very short, and a bit sloppy.  These have a zoom function where pushed in is wide angle and pulled out is focused.  The location of the cut was perfect for the LED mount but left no options for the focus.  With that in mind I cut the second a fair amount longer, about 25mm from the chromed ring.  This seems to be about perfect.  I cut the inner down to the minimum for easy access when soldering.

 

I also sourced some VERY bright LEDs, so bright that to run off a 9V I should be using a 1 watt resistor (I didn't but it was short bursts) and it projected a spot on the wall across the room.  The cool thing about them is they are 3.2-4.5V so I can run one right off the 3.7V LiPo without any resistors.  They also are projecting LEDs as I think they are meant to make torches with.

 

I have a stash of JST RCY connectors that are nice and easy to connect.  They may be a bit big for some of the other connections but here I think it will be perfect, Though I have some smaller ones too if that doesn't work.  The plan is to solder a short connector direct to the LED with heat shrink to prevent shorts.  This will then connect to another wire in the under barrel which will run down the length, through a hole into the main barrel and then through to the core of the blaster where I can wire in the switch and the power as required.

 

 

I'll probably wait until I get the soldering iron out to weld the next armour sections before I do this work.

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

You could rig up a switch under the front grip so when it folds down the light turns on.

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I wonder if I could fit a normally closed Microswitch in the hinge block or something.