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Chewbacca's2k

wookiee bowcaster + At2k integration

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#1 ambushbug

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 12:35 AM

A few months ago, a buddy gave me a Wookiee Bowcaster (Hasbro/Star Wars).
The thing sucked out of the box; probably < 15 feet. I first tried to do a CPVC barrel mod but even though the CPVC added about 10 feet to the range, the tiny plunger and length of hose from plunger to muzzle were clearly killing it. Since I had an AT2k hanging around (and though I know many seem to love the 2k, I personally am not a big fan), I figured that a transplant could turn the very cool-looking wookiee blaster into a usable one. The existing design also made me think that this might be a particularly good one to "breech".

here's what I started with (this pic is post-CPVC). The cosmetic "bow" is not in the pic.
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Check out the internals. The brown pipe hides the airtubing. No wonder the thing has crappy range.
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Just to give you an idea of the plunger size (or lack thereof)....
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The first thing I did was pull the airtank from the AT2k. I got rid of the orange goo-meter and used some plumber's goop to connect the pump hose to the tank. I cut a small stub (~ 2") of 17/32 brass and used some e-tape and goop to secure it to the tank nozzle (I shaved about 3/4" off the nozzle). The forward facing end of the stub was filed down to facilitate smooth sliding of the breech/barrel (discussed further down)
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Next, I cut out some space in the bowcaster's casing to make space for the airtank.
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Same goes for the pump. I made space in the stock. Both were secured to the casing with goop.
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to be continued... (maximums on images...)
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#2 ambushbug

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 12:36 AM

I cut out a rectangular piece (the breech) in a 12" pipe of a 9/16 brass. This was destined to become the barrel (extension) and a sleeve over the 17/32 stub. I had to sand down a little of the casing to accommodate the brass barrel.
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Finding a way to keep the existing trigger was a bit of an issue - I'm not crazy about using a key-ring for a trigger. Plus given the location of the tank, a key-ring would be difficult to pull with the "trigger hand". I tried a few things (which resulted in a few unsightly holes in the casing) but eventually settled upon a "wheel" as a point of leverage for my trigger system. This is actually just 2 old rollerblade bearings sandwiching a rubber o-ring and held together by duct-tape and hotglue - I hope it holds. The wheel fits over an existing screw mount in the casing (which I trimmed and wrapped with a tiny bit of e-tape). I ran a piece of (picture frame-hanging) wire from the trigger to the pressure-release pin on the the tank.
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I used one (ball-shaped) tip of the "bow" to make a handle for the bolt. I secured this to 2 adjustable ring/hose clamps with some spare screws. These already had holes to accommodate the screws. I put a small piece of craft foam between the clamps and the barrel to secure them to the barrel without warping the barrel from overtightening (because the screw heads are in contact with the outer diameter of the barrel).
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I kept the ammo-holders on the side of the gun (had to cut out some plastic to allow it to be screwed back in its original postition. I also kept the scope (but moved it to the outside of the casing and secured it with velcro - so its removable). Yeah, like all scopes, not very useful but it looks cool (and was part of the original look).
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Finished! Just had to lube up the barrel assembly.
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How it works (in case you haven't already inferred...): using the bolt, the long barrel is drawn forward to open the breech. Dart goes in. Pull back the bolt to seal the barrel. A few pumps and ...fire. In the future, I may also try to add a SSPB in the casing below the barrel.


Shortcomings:
-pump handle - In retrospect, the pump handle being the stock/grip makes for a less than comfortable grip - and the grip was tiny to begin with. I considered installing it underneath the barrel (like the original 2k) but given the shape of the casing and the length of the pump hose, I stuck with the stock. Still alright for two-handed use).
- trigger - the trigger is a little hard to pull (depending on how pressurized the tank is) but I haven't thought of a better, smoother way. Yet. Given that, I might add some rubber tubing to the front edge of the trigger to make it a bit more comfortabel when pulling the trigger.
- range - I'm a little disappointed because I heard so many good things about singled at2ks. This one only gets about 50 feet (stefans). The airseals all seem fine. The barrel might be a little long (about 10 'effective' inches). I know my stefans suck - sometimes they don't leave the barrel, partly because the FBR is crooked and partly because they are not a great fit. I've tried using stefans made from broken stock darts and they seem to do much better. I'll have to tinker a bit more.


Anyway, still not my favourite in my arsenal but I'm happy that the gun is alive and I managed to overcome some technical difficulties. Only my second integration and my first breech so it was a learning experience. Any comments/advice is appreciated.
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#3 southpaw

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 07:16 AM

That's a really nice integration. I'm liking the rollerblade bearings used for the trigger. The pump looks like it would be tough to use, facing backwards and all. I think it would have been better to put it where the scope is facing forward.
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Sup?

#4 CustomSnake202

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 04:29 PM

Awesome job on relocating the 2k innards to the chewbacca bow; people's ability to keep the original trigger to fire the gun always amazes me. The reason for your short ranges could be because your trigger assembly isn't pulling back the air-release pin fast enough on the air tank. Stefan quality is also a factor, but I'm not sure if those two things are causing range loss.

As for some advice, relocating the pump to run along the bottom of the stock would probably be more comfortable when its resting against your shoulder. Everything else looks great. Nice job once again.
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#5 Uncle Hammer

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 05:41 PM

Try some vinyl tubing to relocate the pump. That way you can use as little or as much as needed and not the amount that comes stock.
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#6 rusty

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 06:33 PM

That very nice, it almost looks like the gun came that way. Did you remember to plug the overpressure release valve on the at2k?
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#7 ambushbug

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 08:08 PM

That very nice, it almost looks like the gun came that way. Did you remember to plug the overpressure release valve on the at2k?

Thanks for the comments. I may take peoples' advice and relocate the pump. And I didn't plug the over-pressure valve in this one but I frequently swap it with an extra pump handle that is. That way, when I loan it to someone who might forget about over-pumping, I let them use the "safe" handle.
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#8 Uncle Hammer

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Posted 14 November 2005 - 10:03 PM

Try and 8 inch barrel with a plugged pump and your ranges should sky rocket.
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Don't mess with Texas cuz its bigger than France, bitch..
QUOTE (Talio)
Catagory 5 hurricanes are the mighty dick of God.  You don't mess with that!  You don't mess with Gods dick!


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