17 replies to this topic

[makeitgo]

This is the final product of my previous Hyperfire prototype.




Okay Let's begin.
I found both of these at a thrift store.



The red Hyperfire was in really good shape and 'feels' like it has a better build then the green Hyperfire. The SuperMaxx 1500 on the other hand was in pretty bad shape.



Everything inside was broken. The pump head was completely shattered, all the vinyl tubing connections were severed and the tank had a leak... I didn't feel guilty gutting this thing at all.

I began by cutting up the shells. I actually did a Photoshop mock up so I had already decided how I wanted this to look.





Putting all the pieces together, it started to take shape.




I used the rest of the SM1500 to make the pump shell.




I decided to put in a rear loading hole. It's only 1 so reloading is a bit of a pain. I also used a piece of 1" PVC to create a sort of guide and to cover up the huge hole.




Of course, if there's a rear loading hole that means the turret needs some work.
Once the turret was taken apart, I Dremeled out the holes to be wide enough to accept darts.



Then I cut 10 1" pieces of 3/4" aluminum to use as couplers for the PETG barrels.



I used a slice from the stock Hyperfire turret to use as a spacer.



Using e-tape and goop, I put the turret together.




I used Fishin' Glue to fix the small leak in the tank and relocated the input to the side. I used 5/16" vinyl tubing to connect it to the pump. I had to use the pump from a Hornet I picked up at the thrift store.




The 3/4" CPVC is there for structure because the shell for the pump was really flimsy once I cut it up (oops).
Timing the trigger with the tank and the rotation mech proved (and still does) to be the most frustrating part of this mod. I know I'm not getting the ranges I should. You can also see that I've cut up the rest of the Hyperfire turret to help with stabalizing the turret in the shell.




...And now, the drama...

[taerKitty]

Fantastic!

[evilbunnyo]

Well... that has to be the coolest thing I have seen from you yet. Now I assume it gets standard sm15k ranges but only you are the judge. Also how's the seal between the tank and the turret?

[ChaosPropel]

AWESOME! I love how clean the shell connections are! So if I understand correctly, this still autorotates, right? Sweet.

Edited by ChaosPropel, 15 July 2011 - 06:33 AM.

[makeitgo]

'evilbunnyo', on 15 Jul 2011 - 08:40 AM, said:

Well... that has to be the coolest thing I have seen from you yet. Now I assume it gets standard sm15k ranges but only you are the judge. Also how's the seal between the tank and the turret?

That's just it, I'm not getting stock ranges. I'm getting just over 60'. I know it was to be the seal and the timing. I need a better more efficient way to connect the tank pin to the trigger. That rod/wire is really hard to bend with pliers so 'minor' adjustments are actually VERY difficult. Plus, the seal is temper mental. I can hear the differences when I dry fire.

This mod has actually been the most frustrating mod I've ever done. If worse comes to worse. I'll make it a manual turret.

[landstricker]

That thing is really really cool!
But I think you should make it manuel rotate, for a better airseal.

[psychoswan]

Again i am incredibly impressed with your work. Keep us updated as you fine tune this please.

[utahnerf]

That is just........... pure awesomeness. It pretty much solves the problem with the 1500, it only has 4 shots. Now, it has 10!!!!

[Blue]

Very nice shell cutting. Did you glue the slipclutch on the turret yet? I don't know if that will help you all that much, but I know it solves issues in mavericks and quadshots.

[Chadpuff]

Amazing!

[makeitgo]

'Blue', on 15 Jul 2011 - 3:37 PM, said:

Very nice shell cutting. Did you glue the slipclutch on the turret yet? I don't know if that will help you all that much, but I know it solves issues in mavericks and quadshots.

I spot glued the slip clutch temporarily to see if it would help but it hasn't really. I'm really fighting it but I may have to make it a manual turret.

[andtheherois]

This is great! I Love the look of it. Have you tried widening the airflow between the tank and the turret? 21/32 Brass fits over the opening of the tank and provides a larger channel for air than the stock tube. It seems like your trigger isn't linked to the pin. You may have better luck putting it on the trigger and giving it more so that the tank fires at the apex of the trigger pull.

[makeitgo]

I'm finally done! I got my 80' flat (80' - 90'). I have the timing down as good as I can get it. 7/8th circle before air release. The key was to set the tank just left of center so the air releases just before the barrels reach full center alignment. It's literally 2mm just left of center. I also added a piece of CPVC to the end of the tank to provide better coverage over the rear loading hole. Along with the craft foam, it makes a great seal.

The OVP kicks in at 4-5 pumps. I decided not to plug it since the tank had a crack in it already. I fixed it with angler's glue and epoxy but I didn't want to take the chance and blow it.

After all the work and frustration, this turned out to be very worth while.







I also cleaned up the rear loading slot.

Edited by makeitgo, 21 July 2011 - 07:47 PM.

[taerKitty]

Very sweet!

[VACC]

Love that someone is still working on competitive mods, as opposed to all homemades. The franken-shell is awesome. That said...OMG NO HOPPER!?!

[Zorns Lemma]

Really awesome.

Do you have room to put a rear loading hole on the left as well? Looking at the pictures it seems like you would.

This would help if you have to unload most of the turret before you can reload and thus you can put in shots right before they line up to be fired.

I find with turreted blasters without a ton of rear loading ports I usually lose track of which barrels go where and reloading can sometimes be a pain if you have to dump most of the turret.

Edit

Also, when you say you put your turret together with etape and goop does that mean it can no longer be popped off? Sometimes its a lot easier to reload to just pop off the turret rather than having to advance barrels via the mech. Something to consider if it's not already all glued together!

Other than that, this is pretty fantastic given that a lot of rather complex mods have died out with everyone building +bow-derivatives

Edited by Zorn's Lemma, 22 July 2011 - 04:01 PM.

[makeitgo]

I actually don't find Hoppering/Choppering to be all that fun or challenging. Singling any plunger tube or air tank with a 1/2" PVC coupler is relatively simple. Simple to the point, where looking up mods seems redundant. Everything basically becomes a +Bow or a Hoppered 4B in Various shells. Although the Hoppered +Bow is the epitome of efficency, it takes away from the individual creativity that makes modding fun and challenging.

Let's face it. Very few people actually "make" their +Bow. They buy the pieces from Ryan and put it together ala Ikea style. All the pieces are made to fit together. Not to take away from Ryan, all props to him, but the most everyone else has to do is work on the seal. And I find it puzzling how many cannot get it. That's Nitefinder, 101.

I'd like to think the mods I do are like smoking ribs with oak and hickory for 24 hours before setting them on a low flame with a 12 spice rub and a Louisiana Cajun slop sauce. Adding a hopper to a singled plunger tube or an air tank is like ordering a McRib combo from McDonald's in comparison. It's quick, efficient and cheap. It's good once in a while but can get bland if you have too many. And there are MANY.

I hope people don't take this the wrong way. Hoppers are great... just not for me. At least, it's not my first go to. It's more a last resort for me.

'VACC', on 22 Jul 2011 - 3:13 PM, said:

Love that someone is still working on competitive mods, as opposed to all homemades. The franken-shell is awesome. That said...OMG NO HOPPER!?!

[makeitgo]

Thanks for the compliments.

After doing a postmortem, I have already considered all of your suggestions. Unfortunately, I will not be doing anymore to 'this' blaster but when I make a tutorial video, I will have 'changes' to this model to incorporate 2 rear loading holes. The reason 'this' doesn't (cannot) is because of the vinyl tubing. It actually occupies the space where the second rear loading hole would be. If anything, I'll swap around the positioning so it will be quicker to chamber the round instead of having to go all the way around like you suggested.

The turret can't 'pop' off but that does sound intriguing. Any links to such a mod? The turret isn't gooped or e-taped. The barrels are.

'Zorn's Lemma', on 22 Jul 2011 - 8:57 PM, said:

Really awesome.

Do you have room to put a rear loading hole on the left as well? Looking at the pictures it seems like you would.

This would help if you have to unload most of the turret before you can reload and thus you can put in shots right before they line up to be fired.

I find with turreted blasters without a ton of rear loading ports I usually lose track of which barrels go where and reloading can sometimes be a pain if you have to dump most of the turret.

Edit

Also, when you say you put your turret together with etape and goop does that mean it can no longer be popped off? Sometimes its a lot easier to reload to just pop off the turret rather than having to advance barrels via the mech. Something to consider if it's not already all glued together!

Other than that, this is pretty fantastic given that a lot of rather complex mods have died out with everyone building +bow-derivatives