19 replies to this topic

[quertyman]

I noticed that there is not even one writeup on the maximizer. This is probably because of how rare they are. I decided that I would be the first.

Tools:
flathead screwdriver

Materials
E-tape
pipe+bushing combo (think plusbow)
bolts to hold bushing and spring inside pipe
goop



First start with your stock maximizer. I expect that your front part is totally broken off and is being held on with the spring


You need to get the orange cap off. there are tabs that need to be pushed in with a screwdriver.
Before (sorry for the bad pic)

After



Next you need to push the metal pin holding the spring out. The whole front part will come off.


Next you need to make a replacement front end. So tape, goop and secure your bushing in with screws. Next drill below it and put a thick bolt through. You will need to cut your pipe to match the original front part.

Now all that is left it to do is get the spring through the bolt (hardest part). And hot glue and tape the replaced front part on.

And you're done!

EDIT:

Now how to actually open it!

First you need to get the two purple parts off. I used a variety of flathead screwdrivers. Good luck and don't hurt anything. This thing is rare enough!


Then take out the four screws on the side. The one on the back has a nut on the other side. I think the maximizer has a record for the least ammount of screws for it's size.




Internals!


The plunger head hits the end if this.


Picture of the internals without the priming bar.


The green piece moves when the green priming bar pushes it down. this allows the catch to be disengaged. If you want to disengage this lock just hot glue it in the down position. And that black bar is the most breakable part on the maximizer. There is not a very good reason to open it if nothing is broken. I opened mine to show how to do it here and I was interested in how it worked. And to disengage the trigger lock.



Questions? comments? flames? This is my first writeup. Hope I get a spot in the directory (hint hint).

Edited by quertyman, 21 February 2013 - 07:45 AM.

[Daniel Beaver]

Questions? comments? flames? This is my first writeup.

Looks good, simple and functional.

What type of pipe are you using for the plunger tube? I would be concerned about it being broken by the screw which is supporting the spring.

[quertyman]

Looks good, simple and functional.

What type of pipe are you using for the plunger tube? I would be concerned about it being broken by the screw which is supporting the spring.

The pluger tube? Th plunger tube is the black piece. The clear part is just holding the spring. Therefore it is pretty much a crapton of deadspace. And it is 1/8 thick polycarbonate tube. it is probably much stronger than the stock tube.

[HOTH]

I would be concerned about it being broken by the screw which is supporting the spring.

This. Isn't 1/8ths too thin? Because that spring is hefty. I would be scared that it would rip through the plastic after awhile. How about 1/4? Is that too thick for this application?

[quertyman]

This. Isn't 1/8ths too thin? Because that spring is hefty. I would be scared that it would rip through the plastic after awhile. How about 1/4? Is that too thick for this application?

There is little force against that part. And 1/4 would cost alot. I haven't opened it (yet) so i dont know what the plunger is hitting. But it definitely isn't the clear tube.

EDIT
I was wondering, how much would you say a maximizer is worth? As in how much would someone pay for it. No I don't want to sell it (unless you give me a smokin deal)

And who actually has a maximizer?

Edited by quertyman, 09 February 2013 - 11:19 PM.

[HOTH]

There is little force against that part. And 1/4 would cost alot. I haven't opened it (yet) so i dont know what the plunger is hitting. But it definitely isn't the clear tube.

EDIT

And who actually has a maximizer?

I have a few (2). They are fun to play around with, but I have never actually done anything to them.

As for the strength of the tubing, isn't the force of the spring placed upon that bolt, and therefore distributed on that tubing? I don't know much about the blaster, so correct me if I am wrong.

[quertyman]

I have a few (2). They are fun to play around with, but I have never actually done anything to them.

As for the strength of the tubing, isn't the force of the spring placed upon that bolt, and therefore distributed on that tubing? I don't know much about the blaster, so correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, if I get what you are saying. basically the plunger head is inside the black piece (the plunger) and the spring is connected to both the plunger head and the bolt in the clear tube. Nothing crashes into the clear tube. it just holds the force of the spring. Think backwards spring rest.

[HOTH]

Yes, if I get what you are saying. basically the plunger head is inside the black piece (the plunger) and the spring is connected to both the plunger head and the bolt in the clear tube. Nothing crashes into the clear tube. it just holds the force of the spring. Think backwards spring rest.

Ok, yea thats what I figured it acted as. I guess the force is not large enough to do much to the tubing, especially with it essentially cut in half on each side.

[DX-Robert]

I was wondering, how much would you say a maximizer is worth? As in how much would someone pay for it.

A collector might go for $150-250. For everyone else, it's still very much a "make offer" type of blaster. Its value on the field may have dropped among all of today's hard-shooting competition, though. Back when you could get a Maximizer for $30, there were far fewer options over 120ft and you couldn't beat its simplicity-to-results ratio. I found that a 1" to 3/4" PVC reducer fit over the front piece, so I just glued that on with a speedloader, later an RSCB. It probably had no existing writeup because modding a maximizer is usually like modding a maxshot. It's a 5 minute process. I like the way your mod looks, but honestly if the front is intact, there's no reason to make it so complex.

Never heard of a maximizer breaking from the front before. They usually break when the black bar snaps during priming, when the green priming handle breaks off, or by blowing in half if you push it in extremely cold weather wars. They're not really as fragile as they have a reputation for, it's kind of a matter of luck. I pounded Max into the ground with the amount of fighting I put him through. Looking back at all the primaries I've used, Max had the longest service life relative to the intensity of the conditions on the field.

[quertyman]

A collector might go for $150-250. For everyone else, it's still very much a "make offer" type of blaster. Its value on the field may have dropped among all of today's hard-shooting competition, though. Back when you could get a Maximizer for $30, there were far fewer options over 120ft and you couldn't beat its simplicity-to-results ratio. I found that a 1" to 3/4" PVC reducer fit over the front piece, so I just glued that on with a speedloader, later an RSCB. It probably had no existing writeup because modding a maximizer is usually like modding a maxshot. It's a 5 minute process. I like the way your mod looks, but honestly if the front is intact, there's no reason to make it so complex.

Never heard of a maximizer breaking from the front before. They usually break when the black bar snaps during priming, when the green priming handle breaks off, or by blowing in half if you push it in extremely cold weather wars. They're not really as fragile as they have a reputation for, it's kind of a matter of luck. I pounded Max into the ground with the amount of fighting I put him through. Looking back at all the primaries I've used, Max had the longest service life relative to the intensity of the conditions on the field.

It doesn't seem like a breakable part does it? I just recieved it like that so what can you do. I am very happy with it and took out the lock that doesn't allow you to deprime it. May add this into the writeup later.

[481IceDragon]

If this blaster has sch a High value, wouldt it have been better to leave it stock? Or at least make the modifications reversible?

[DX-Robert]

OP said his front piece was broken, so this mod saved a lot of value. It's a clean, good looking mod, so he could probably still get a nice price for it. Also, maximizers have high value because of their potential. Yes it is rare, but there are tons of rare blasters that are worth squat. Maximizers are very powerful with naturally high ROF, they could achieve over 130' with well-made domes and compete with crossbows and plugged air guns on open ground. They are classic and very fun to play with. Why not use it? This isn't a collector forum, after all.

[The2ndBluesBro]

Actually I think he said that his wasn't broken but if you were replicating the mod, that you would probably be doing it because yours was.

[quertyman]

No, I said that mine was broken and I fixed it while making it look nice. And of course I wanted to shoot darts with it. It still is completely reversable. I just have to take the tape off and pull the hot glue off. But then it wouldn't be that great would it .

EDIT Just found out that my seal is bad somewhere. Its not the bushing though. Will open it up and see whats wrong.

Edited by quertyman, 11 February 2013 - 05:19 PM.

[quertyman]

BUMP

I added pictures on how to open it and how everything works. If you have any other questions ask away.

And for the moderators, what does the symbol next to the title of this topic mean?

[lech]

Can it still fire the stock rockets? If not, perhaps using countersunk screws could help you achieve this ?

[quertyman]

Can it still fire the stock rockets? If not, perhaps using countersunk screws could help you achieve this ?

I never recieved the rockets with mine . Probably not because of the od of the specific tube I used. But you can use almost any tube for this. As long as it is strong and will fit the spring it will work.

I have put in countersunk screws since this writeup and the tube I used fits titan rockets with a few wraps of e tape. The specs of the tube are 1.5 od and 1.25 id. The part number is 8585k15. Unfortunately I can't find my rocket anywhere so I haven't shot it with that yet. But I do know that the length of the pipe is much shorter than the barrel size of a titan.

EDIT Found the rocket. Shoots about a whole 15-20 feet.

Edited by quertyman, 13 February 2013 - 01:26 AM.

[Blue]

Sorry to bring back a somewhat old topic, but I felt the need to comment on this. I'm confident, but not positive, that the stock plastic breaks because of the forward force of the spring when the blaster is fired. You did solid job replacing the barrel and adding a clean bushing and bolt, but where beefy plastic failed you substituted hot glue and electrical tape. I'm also guessing that this is the reason why your maximizer does not have a good air seal, which can make firing the blaster even more self-destructive.

I did a pretty ugly job of fixing a maximizer but it's solid.





Lube up the black plunger tube and position the broken purple parts on it; you should be able to find one connecting point left between the two purple parts to center the barrel correctly. Hotglue for a temporary hold, then go around the base with putty so that it forms, but does not stick, to the plunger tube. Remove hotglue as you go and add more putty as desired... I went with the "better safe than sorry" approach...

[sublimedom777]

I disagree with Blue on the matter of why the barrel breaks on Maximizers.

In my professional opinon, it's due to the constant pull the spring places on the part, and the manner in which it does so. The spring carries a slightly notable pre-load, and a lack of support behind the flared end of the barrel lends itself the the plastic collapsing.

Not that it is likely at this current juncture, but anyone who has a Maximizer that has not failed in this particular area may want to look into adding reinforcement there. I would do so, but due to a previous repair that was insufficient, mine will break if opened there. Alternatively, or even in addition to this, I recommend disassembly (even simply disattaching the spring) when the blaster is being stored for long periods of time. This has no practical drawback I can see.

Best Regards,
-Dom

P.S.: A titan rocket is much too heavy for the Maximizer. Something more like a buzz bee rocket would be more appropriate from the scarce information I have on these rockets. To fire a Titan rocket, while retaining the "hip" and "rebellious" nature of the Mattel line (chiefly due to the extension spring) I highly recommend a Mattel Ultimator, if you can find one.

Edited by sublimedom777, 26 February 2013 - 04:58 PM.

[quertyman]

I went with a "keep it is reversible as possible approach". Yes hot glue will break off through time simply because of the shock it is so close to. But it is easily replaceable. And is not a problem if it does break off. It will still seal because of the e tape tightly holding it on. It's almost like the hot glue makes a mold and centers it. Also no the seal problem is not due to the hot glue seal at all. It is because the pt is tapered. I am perfectly happy with how it is and do not plan to change it. Also sometime I may have to remove the front part for whatever reason.