Project: V6.0 Airsoft and IR Firefly Turret

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I looked up "black BBs" and Black Ops brand found 20g. "competition" BBs. Did I get the brand correct? They must be popular, for in some places here in the states they are out of stock.

[43rdRecceReg]

I'm not an airsoft weekender. In fact, airsoft guns (i.e BB firing replicas, and BB machine guns ) above the strength of those found in our tanks, require owners to be registered with approved clubs. Put another way, If I wanted to buy and L85 SA80 Mk 2 with anything above a paltry FPS, I would be legally obliged to join a club.
.
https://www.l85.co.uk/?p=1
Anyway, It's these more powerful and competition airsoft weapons that require quality BBs, such as the 20g black ones. Quality ones don't have the mould-made midriff (how's that for aliteration? ) found on cheapo barrel jammers- such as the notorious yellow variety.
Here in Scotland, I even need a form of Firearms certificate (equivalent to a shotgun licence), just to own my Walther air rifle. Joining a club just to fire high FPS SA80's wouldn't appeal to me. They're apt to jam as much as the real thing, according to comments I've seen. However, I use the competition type BBs in my tanks, as it's a pain having to unblock the airsoft units.

For me, nothing beats firing genuine WW2 weapons; but I can't do that currently, as Switzerland and my Son's amazing collection, are off limits.
Ironically, a shot in the arm so to speak, might be the ultimate solution

[43rdRecceReg]

All the necessary bits of upper hull reinforcement are now complete. I extended the glacis panel up beyond the deck (it will be ground level, later); added a supporting strip on the inside, and backfilled the joint with the wonder product (be proud, you Welsh!)- Milliput.
The engine deck now had five supporting plates underneath it. I've retained the excised plastic mounting standoffs, in case I need to bond them to the deck interior later. Ultimately, I'll probably use magnets to mate the upper hull to the lower.
Now the glacis panel (barring sanding, and attachments to come- including small hatch units) is complete. When the hatch units are fitted, I might make the driver's side openable. This will mean cutting a suitable aperture for the driver's head, in the glacis/deck.


Extended glacis plate, now has an outer styrene segment and an inner supporting strip. All other gaps are bolstered by Milliput. Incidentally, I've used JB Weld (metal) epoxy througout, for resin to ABS, Pla (?) to ABS, and Styrene to ABS. I've found no other product that has the same strength, or adhesive power. It requires patience, however, as it needs 24 hrs to cure properly (bit like a hangover ).

Here's the upper hull in profile, with the now correct M4 firefly glacis angle.

Time for some fresh coffee, and then a frosty stroll with the Westies.... "I'm just going out. I may be some time", as per Titus.... ( I can hear some mouthing- well, don't hurry back)

[PainlessWolf]

Good Morning, Roy!
Some nitty gritty modeling work done here. It is coming along and will be well worth it when we are all admiring the finished Tank with you. Following along per usual!
regards,
Painless

[43rdRecceReg]

Good Morning, Roy!
Some nitty gritty modeling work done here. It is coming along and will be well worth it when we are all admiring the finished Tank with you. Following along per usual!
regards,
Painless

Thanks very much, Painless! It tried to source a Tamiya M4 (105) upper hull, as the aftermost section has all the M4 characteristics I could wish for. But Tamiya parts are becoming ever harder to locate, and snap up. As bad luck would have it, I'd already begun dissecting this HL upper hull , before the AAF Museum announced that they now finally had the 105mm hull to send to me. Essentially, I ordered it there (at great expense) some weeks back, only to find, after the event, that it wasn't actually in stock. (Which seems to be the case everywhere else.) Och well...
Now, I shall be in receipt of the upper hull a few weeks hence, and won't have an immediate use for it. Such is life.

Yes, this is serious plastic surgery, currently. I'm very grateful to the makers of precision modelling saws (Trumpeter, Tamiya, et al). Considering how inexpensive they are, their value is relatively inestimable.

Incidentally, fitting the modified HL turret and ancillary parts to the Tamiya hull, would have been another headscratcher.

[EAO]

Hello 43rdRR,

That build is coming along very nicely! Unbelievable amount of research and painstaking modeling to get it just right!

I've never tried any BB's heavier than .12g's. How do the .20's shoot? I agree with everyone that the yellow "stock" BB's are junk. I've also found out that GameFace Premier Ammo .12g BB's are horrible. They come in a nice clear red color but split almost perfectly down the center resulting in a nice "anti infantry" type pattern! For the sake of nature; I'd prefer to shoot bio degradable BB's, but the only ones I've found are crap too! Crossman Elite Premier Ammo makes them and they come in shades of green and brown which makes them very hard to see. I've also found them over a year and a half later, looking no different than when I first shot them?! My favorite as of now is Colt's product in clear green and labeled as Competition Grade. Don't quote me on this, but I believe when I bought these at Walmart they also had the same BB's in a just released .16g offering. All of these BB's are labeled as double polished and seamless although the Colt's are also marked ultra sonic polished.

It seems many on here shy away from the Airsoft units, preferring the LED units. I like the way the LED's look, and with the Elmod board being able to program the recoil and return of the cannon,much more realistic looking I think. However, shooting BB's is just plain fun!

Did I mention that you Firefly is looking amazing?!

Cheers,
Eric.

[rolling-thunder]

Speaking as someone who plays/played airsoft for many years i can give you some advice about BBs. For the sake of our tank barrels a .2BB might in fact be to heavy. The airsoft guns in our tanks are literally the lowest quality and the more they have to work to sling a BB the more chance they have of breaking down. How ever any .2BB that isn't a fluorescent colour is probably ok for the barrels. In the game the black BBs are harder to see, harder to dodge. The White BBs are easier to see, easier to clean up. When the weight of your BB goes up you will require a more powerful gun to send them on their way. A 600fps {feet per second} Sniper rifle might use a .4BB so it is less effected by the wind. The same gun using .2BBs would shoot a rediculous distance but be more effected by the wind. As long as you stick to quality BBs you shouldn't have a problem from them in the barrel of the Tank.
To be honest i've found them to be a PITA, when i started out i wish i'd gone down the barrel recoils and flash route with all my Tanks.

[43rdRecceReg]

Thanks, as ever, Eric for the observations and conviviality.
Target shooting with a tank is my only option here, as there are no clubs for IR battling anywhere near my lovely wilderness. IR/LED flash is about as useful to me as single chopstick. At the same time, I've always preferred guns that actually project something; whether it's a cork on a string; a spud pellet, a rubber sucker dart, or a matchstick. Firing blanks- in any sense- doesn't cut it for me.
I do have visitors, but mostly they're interested in music-making, and not IR mayhem-making. To them, my interest in RC tanks, is yet another confirmation- if one were needed- of my old 'eccentric' status, and a source of benign smiles and jests.
There's a lot to do yet on the Firefly, but I'm less daunted by it now, than I was at the outset. It's all pretty much improvised- the modelling equivalent, if you like, of 'playing by ear'

[43rdRecceReg]

As for fluorescent pellets, the eco-conscious among us don't want to add to Mother Nature's plastic burden any more than we already have. After all, the Pacific is largely plastic these days.
Thus, being able to find them easily is a good idea.
But the yellow ones still suck!

Of a similar quality to the black BBs (which work superbly in my tank guns), I now have these for garden use- as they're much easier to find.


Thanks for your own informed take on BBs, R.T., but I'm not a heavy, or frequent, user. Just a lazy summer's day offshore bombardment for me, now and then. . The pic was taken in Summer, 2019- before the plague appeared...
At least the airsoft Firefly will also have IR capability, in the unlikely event I ever need it. That will be when Hell freezes over. Come to think of it, we managed -22c in the Highlands yesterday, so a frozen Hades might even be a possibility.

[EAO]

Thanks 43rdRR,

I too enjoy the "etheral conversations"! You're morning low, once converted to Fahrenheit of course , is about the same we've had here for a few days! Global warming my arse! I'm going out on a limb here, but in your BB picture would that be your 3rd Westie that you lost just recently?

Thanks Rolling Thunder for your input on BB's. That's more info than I knew for sure! I've always preferred a heavier bullet to a lighter, faster one; but that's with firearms!

I guess I'll stick with the Colt product as they work pretty well. I've never had any problems with my AirSoft unit, so I guess I'm lucky. I must of got a good one, as 7 out of 10 shots really zing out there. Every 100 to 150 rounds I give it a little shot of AirSoft lube and it's good to go!

Cheers,
Eric.