M134 Vehicle Mounted replica

[Lordragnar]

Now it's starting to look like an M134!

 

[Lordragnar]

Little more work of the feeder/delinker.

Got the caps on and done, new loading diagram attached( once again a custom design done by my girlfriend who is a graphic artist. She made them as high quality vinyl stickers which I attach to thin sheet plastic then glue on to the replica).

I have added the spent link chute and feed track ramp. I have also added the feeder drive gear and feeder spindle. All of the internals are attached to the feeder rotor rod with steel pins and while everything is just plastic, it actually moves rounds up and through the feeder just like the real thing(when I drop in loose rounds and spin by hand).

 

[Lordragnar]

Got the barrel cluster clamp built up and painted, also finishing up work on the motor and feeder/delinker solenoid bypass bar section as well

 

[Lordragnar]

Decided to build a little work/display stand for the base gun while I work on it. I knocked it together with a little but of 1/4" black expanded pvc sheet

 

[Lordragnar]

A few more shots with the motor attached. I'll zoom in on it later and show the completed assembly with connector housing as well

 

[Lordragnar]

Here are a few close ups of the bypass bar and solenoid. As I'm typing this the sixth barrel is printing and will be finished and installed by tomorrow afternoon.

After I get it installed I'll snap some pics then we will move on to the Mk16 mount arm and assembly. The mount arm itself will be printed at nearly 90% infill and be seriously strong. I dont know how much this thing weighs now( I'll weigh it when it's all together) but needless to say it's only a fraction of the weight of the real thing and may be coming close to 10 to 15 lbs.

That being said I want the mount to be sturdy, it will be a solid chunk of plastic and take close to 96 hours to just print, and some more to clean it up and paint it.

I'll be printing the yoke clamp which will attache to the recoil adapter plates(in lieu of the recoil adapters/absorbers) and then slide into the mount arm and be secured via a quick release pin down a channel in the yoke arm.

 

[Lordragnar]

Got all the barrels printed and finished, I painted them the same way as the body but also applied a light coat of graphite powder rubbed on with a paper towel to give them a subtle metallic sheen.

Printing the yoke mount for the mk 16 mount assembly now, but here are some pictures of the completed base G.E. M134 minigun replica

 

[Lordragnar]

Here are a few more shots

 

[Lordragnar]

Now let's talk about mounts!!! This is what this is all about. So let's kick it off with some work on the yoke.

So I made myself stop mid build to take pictures of that things look like before I make them look all nice and real(well as real as I can make it look with my available skills).

Here is the yoke, yoke mount and pic rail system all after printing and a light pass with 220 grit on my orbital pal. Sander( a must have if your working with 3d prints.) I will then do a light pass with a medium grit sanding sponge and prime with sem auto filler primer.

 

[Lordragnar]

Now its been a little bit but I have made some progress.

So basically I use an old vehicle brake rotor as a base. Its heavy, circular, has an appropriate mechanical look and is not too flashy so it doesn't detract from the gun. I painted it and the custom swivel arm and mk 16 style "L" arm mount with Brownells parkerized gray enamel coat. I also painted the yoke with this grey too.
You may start to notice that on the Dillon version I have painted things slightly different shades to mimic the look of the Dillon guns, as they are upgraded M134's so the main body components have a different look.

So here are a few pictures of the mount in progress.

 

[Lordragnar]

A few more shots for yall to see. You can also see the new "Dillon style" barrel clamp/flash hider in progress.

I'm still waiting on my buddy Jon to finish the spade grips and clutch pack, he is an amazing engineer and computer design expert and he built the base files for this replica from scratch. I sent him my rough dillon files I pulled from cad illustrations for him to play with and work his magic on.

So while I wait ill finish up the feeder/delinker and flash hider.

 

[Lordragnar]

Alrighty im back, my day job kept me pretty busy the past few weeks but I have some updates for yall.

So i have been working on the GCU box for the gun, here are some pics

Its all printed in 3 major parts and I used a nice flip cover switch from an auto parts store along with some rubber switch covers from Mcmaster Carr for the other switches.

Once again i painted it with SEM black filler primer and finished with Rustoleum chalk black

 

[Lordragnar]

So i got a more accurate file for the L arm so I printed that up and painted it once again with Brownells aerosol cerakote parkerized gray. Finished that off with some aircraft Ti pull pins and hardware.

 

[Lordragnar]

I'll now post a few more pics of the "mostly complete" M134 D. Just working on all the wiring and figuring out how I'm going to make an ammo can for it. I have files for the XM 23 can, and I have a real 1500 round ammo can, but no feed chute lid. As even just the lids for those 1500 round cans cost several hundred dollars, I am exploring a more wallet friendly alternative.

 

[Lordragnar]

Oops just realized I never showed yall the feeder delinker!
So i painted this one in Rustoleum charcoal gray chalk, same as the barrell flash hider to give it that M134D flavor lol
Here are a few pics of it closer

 

[V8srfun]

Absolutely beautiful. Looks extremely realistic!!!

If you don’t mind saying
What cad software are you using
What slicer program are you using
And finally what printer do you run.
I have been wanting to get in to 3D printing for some time but just have not pulled the trigger yet.

 

[Lordragnar]

Absolutely beautiful. Looks extremely realistic!!!

If you don’t mind saying
What cad software are you using
What slicer program are you using
And finally what printer do you run.
I have been wanting to get in to 3D printing for some time but just have not pulled the trigger yet.

Yeah no worries. So the files were designed by a very talented graphic design engineer and technical artist. Mr. Jon Watson.
Mr. Watson worked with the Degroat firm using parts supplied by them to take measurements and build the digital 3d files. This along with Mr. Watson's talent is why the files are so accurate, as in dead on. I have had a buddy who builds real m134's examine some parts I printed and he was very impressed.

So the files aren't widely available and cost me a pretty penny, but to me, they are worth it.

So i use a Creality Cr 10 printer, basicslly a $400 printer with one of the biggest build volumes available( about a square foot with a little over a foot in the vertical axis), this allows me to print even the largest pieces(except the barrels) in one solid part.

I use the old Cura slicer program that comes free with the cr10 prinfer to slice the files. Nothing too fancy. As anyone who has 3d printed anything will tell you, its not as easy as just printing the part then slapping it together.

Most of the work comes from post processing, in my case it means lots of filling and sanding to get rid of layer lines, while also being careful not to affect the fit of the parts.

I basically give them a once over with a palm sander with 180 grit, then some real filler primer spray(SEM brand , expensive but worth it). Then paint with the appropriate colors of any spray.

I use black 1.75mm pla filiment from Overture. Amazon has it and its probably the best and smoothest filiment for the price.

Now, I did make some aftermarket adjustments to my printer, axis stabilizing braces, a 12" square mirror tile from lowes covered in a stick on build tac surface(thats a must!) And a high temp tool steel grade nozzle.

Other than that I highly recomend getting into it. I have built things traditionally for years(see my other m134 thread from a few years ago) and 3d printing has opened unimaginable doors for me. I csn now take most of the hardest parts of building any replica put of the equation and focus on the finishing and painting. You will have failed prints and you will have to learn how to use some programs, but I am a caveman, so the computer stuff was scary but youtube is a godsend. You literally just type in ," how to use cura", or " how to set up a cr10 and start printing " and you will find countless videos walking you through.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

-Hoyt

 

[V8srfun]

Thanks I have had my eyes on a cr10 for years but I always make the excuse that I don’t have the time. Maybe it is time I loosen the wallet

 

[M1078MAN]

Wow, you are an artist. That is absolutely amazing work

 

[BLK HMMWV]

Wow, you are an artist. That is absolutely amazing work

I second that .
I cheated and moded an Airsoft one .
But yours is by far the winner.
Nice job.
BH