Current project on your bench

General
283

Thanks. Great information

The A1 AUG shells are ABS. I usually strengthen the screw bosses by adding additional tubing around each boss that is glued to the shells with model cement. Damaged screw holes are filled with a mix of model filler and super glue and then drilled out. Additional strength can be added with epoxy filler/putty.

Shells reach end-of-life when the head of the screw pulls though the boss. When you repair the boss the heads of the screws end up poking out past the outer edge of the shell.

It’s a problem with Gen8 screw together shells. The more you pull them apart to modify or upgrade, the more damage you cause

284

Good tips! I have had to do this on my old ump workhorse, screws stripped out from over 5 years of modding and use.
My wifes vector after upgrading heaps would keep breaking the gearbox case where the anti reverse latch is held. I designed and 3d printed a support that reinforces the post everywhere possible, then super strength epoxy it in. It has never broken since doing it about two years ago. Also have done similar on a few other blasters.

I am thinking of getting another UMP shell (there are two left at a local shop) for something to fiddle with over the break. Also going to attempt to print the vector mag Nadda3d MPX, with a vector folding stock and front wired handguard. Just because gen8s still make awesome outdoor field workhorses!

285

Oh…… ABS Plastic sucks!
Most older car interior parts are mostly ABS and a nightmare to fix/repair successfully.
And yes, it’s ironic that the more you look after them the more you are doing damage every time you touch them :roll_eyes:

It’s a shame they weren’t made from a better quality material, but can always make a pretty good wall hanger in the end I suppose :thinking::sunglasses:

286

AR latches were also the bane of my existence with highly modified Gen8 style early gearboxes.

I did come up with a very easy bulletproof solution, but many gearboxes were destroyed in the process :joy:

I love the UMP’s, they had the most solid frames when first released (non-gearbox versions) and they were improved by a couple of manufacturers since then to be pretty tough, simple and reliable blasters……. Which the Gen8 Gearbox certainly helped out with making them such great old workhorses :+1:

287

My modelling skills are a bit rusty but I decided to make my own HK style lower to fit my hk53 abomination, currently it is to spec and works but it’s definitely still a prototype and needs more detail, still it’s the first thing I’ve put together in like a year so I thought I might show it off

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288

Whilst I’m giving away all of my old Gelblaster trade secrets, I may as well finally let the Cat out of the Bag on my indestructible AR Latch modifications :joy:

Believe it or not, the standard/aftermarket bushes are a perfect fit between the rear of the gearbox housing and the factory location of the AR Latch posts/holes.

To make it even better, the bushes are the same internal diameter as the AR Latch pins on most early model nylon gearboxes.

I would simply remove the old original latch posts within the gearbox halves, select the exact right size O.D. diameter metal bushings and fit them hard up against the rear of the gearbox shell, then glue/resin/JB Weld or whatever to hold them in place.

The glue never really had to take any stresses, as the AR Latch axle damage was always through them being forced to the back of the gearbox.

Once they were made a single solid part between the rear of the gearbox housing through to the axle force itself…… the latch/axle would basically have to break through the whole rear corner of the gearbox shell to be able to fail!

Being same axle size as the gears, then could use shim sets to perfectly align the AR Latch height with the teeth on the bevel gear.

The stock AR Latch axles could some be too loose or short for the job, so would use correctly sized Roll Pins as axles instead :ok_hand:

The only reason why the old 400+ FPS nylon gearboxes failed was always the AR Latch posts, so once they were made unbreakable, then the 430-450 FPS numbers were able to be achieved in the nylon Gen8 Singularity Gearboxes quite reliably!

Remember that these were the days before aftermarket Alloy Gearboxes and nylon was all we had available to play with……. not that I would ever think that an ultra rare Gen8 metal gearbox would ever hold together with such high FPS abuse anyway :roll_eyes:

More old school bush mechanics that actually works, and might still be useful information for anyone looking to upgrade/repair any old nylon gearboxes that might otherwise just get chucked into the bin :frowning:

Crappy old pic I posted elsewhere showing one of many busted Gen8 AR axle failures, but unfortunately have lost all of my old build pics on an old IPhone that no longer exists.

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But gives a good example of the area that I’m talking about :+1:

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289

Now that’s the kind of mod I like! :+1: thanks for sharing that, Doc… pretty invaluable advice. I used to strengthen the AR posts of my blasters by building up around the post with cornflour and zapping it with thin CA glue, but your method’s far better.

Easy to see that’s your auto background with this mod, Doc… blasters are similar to cars in that it’s not hard to increase the power but the effort’s got to go into making all of the components strong enough to handle it and last longer than a couple of mags.

Maybe we should create a “Tips and Tricks” thread for all these mods so that newbies can benefit from the experience of the members who have "been there, done that, solved the problem …

Although I’ll go out on a limb and say not too many newbies are up for reaching for the tools these days. :person_shrugging:

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290

Finally! The Doc Bob Gen8 450hp bored and stroked is revealed :grin:

291

Bwahaha exactly mate!
That sort of FPS out of nylon Gen8’s took everything mentioned above throughout this whole topic plus many more little tricks to achieve getting those numbers without everything exploding inside the gearboxes :joy:

All the air sealing work and testing of different parts to find the perfect air volume performance took a lot of time to fine tune as well……… but was only for shits’n’giggles, because whats the use of having a 430-450 FPS Blaster anyrate! :roll_eyes:

280-320 seemed to be the sweet spot for smoothness, accuracy and reliability for those old machines and used to have trouble de-tuning many builds to stay around those numbers :ok_hand:

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292

That’s a great idea about a “Tips & Tricks” or “How to” thread topic, which I thought we already had here, but a quick search tells me otherwise :joy:

That is the whole point of these forums though for sure, to share the combined wealth of knowledge and experience with others in the community both new and old :+1:

It was certainly people like @Maiphut , @Tiger and others who taught me lots of things when I was new to this hobby to get an understanding of what it was all about and how everything worked!

Nobody’s an expert and we all learn something from each other’s experiences gained through the years that’s made all of these little tips and tricks develop in the first place :sunglasses:

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293

What Tigger didn’t know anything besides how to run his mouth and demonize everyone…

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294

Hahaha, I knew that would get a bite!
@Cruise was the good bloke I was going to mention, but @Tiger had a lot of advice and opinions from a bloke who didn’t actually own any Gelblasters for a very long time until the very end of the GBF :roll_eyes:

295

I never knew that about the orange and black striped cat usually found in India, Sumatra and Indonesia… :wink:

But I do remember every now and again thinking “Now there’s a great example of why people say opinions are like arseholes”. :laughing:

296

Going to be trying out a few little tips and tricks and other voodoo I’ve picked up along the way on this particular Gen 8 gearbox over the holiday season… my last project for the year. Just have to source the right 460 short motor for it before all the blaster shops close. :wink:

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Some might ask “why bother?”… what can I say, I’m a SCAR guy and I love a well built Gen 8 gearbox. :person_shrugging: This will be blaster #3 to run a 300FPS+ Gen 8 box, #4 if you count my Kriss Vector.

It’s beginning to look a lot like an ol’ school Christmas… :rofl:

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297

Believe it or not, my go to on every stupid build Gen8 Gearbox was the Red ChiHai 460 Short Rare Earth Magnet Motors.

Cheap as chips, but by christ they could power anything that you could throw at them with the right battery and upgraded wiring/trigger systems these bastards would pull like a freight train :ok_hand:

As we all know, it was never about the RPM speed of the motor, like me building Hot Rod Engines, it’s all about the Torque capabilities to operate some pretty insane springs with ease :ok_hand:

298

@Friendly_Fire
Hey mate, finally got my shit together and realised that this was the category that I was thinking about that I was sure on here somewhere as a building/modifying/technical resource for the members here old and new.

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299

Oh yeah, I’ve used those motors before on Gen 8s with great results. I was flipping between the Chi Hai red motor and the black for this build, I’ve never put a black 460 short into a Gen 8 before though, so I’ll probably save a buck or two and go with what I know.

The price difference makes it a bit of a no brainer too. Looks like a trip to X Force is on the cards for today. :+1:

Good times! :sunglasses:

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300

Great motors… My ump has had one in it most of its life, burned out two actually from so much use in the last 5 years… the commutators wear done eventually. But, they got through some serious use and abuse for a ton of gels, and for the price are great.

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301

Christmas shopping’s done… too easy! :stuck_out_tongue:

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So the BOM are saying mid to high 30s for the next week… 38°C next Friday. Good day to hibernate inside with the aircon and build this Gen 8 up. :+1:

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302

I have 3 or 4 of them packed away in an old drawer somewhere and are still funny to try and keep them separated from each other!

The rare earth magnets are very strong and the little bastards always kept finding each other and everything made of metal rattling around in the drawer :joy:

Can even feel the magnets through the pistol grip and have metal parts sticking to them!