My Scar-H

[djdrthq]

Here's my latest the creation, an FN Scar-H. Still needs some routing, paint, vertical foregrip, lens assy, scope mount, internals. But hey there's plenty of time for that!

[Harlequin]

Wow, you never stop. What size lens are you planning to use? Will it just be stuck on the front?

[djdrthq]

No rest for the wicked.

I have a couple of 30mm lens' I'm trying out at the moment, they have quite a short focal length though, otherwise I'll get something from surplus shed.

I'll be putting a 'supressor' on the end, to house the lens and LED in.

[jader]

wow thats really neat (literally)
Is that MDF you're using? if so, how do get it to not go all fluffy when you file/sand/gun it?
EDIT file/sand/cut it rather.

how many guns do you have now?

[djdrthq]

Yes, it's MDF. I use a sliding compound mitre saw to do most of the cuts and use a jigsaw for the bits the drop saw won't do. I have built a router table to do the edge work. It produces a pretty good finish, still a little fluffy, then it gets sanded with very fine sand paper, which is where it's at now.

On the sniper rifle I undercoated and fine sanded about three times and the finish was almost like glass! I have found MDF really great to work with, it can end up really nice.

As for how many guns I have, hmmm, I don't know really. I'm having to produce a new arsenal for the milestag gear, so I'm starting from scratch really.

Here's a current pic of what's laying around behind me. I've still got more in the shed.

[J.A.K.]

Nice job on the scar, that sure will be a beauty :D, what color do you plan to finish it in, black or brown/gray od something.
http://www.defenseworld.net/images/features/FN_herstal_SOF_combat_assault_rifle.jpg
http://www.ginklai.net/images/galerija/2847_fn_scarspecial_forces_combat_assault_rifle01a pkarpyta.jpg

[Counter]

Lookin' good!!
Interesting to hear your MDF routine too.

Cheers

[djdrthq]

The colour I'm not sure of yet. Black is going to make it look 'real', while tan seems more traditional and a bit more 'friendly' looking.

[BaalZBub]

By the look of your pics there, your taggers are in pristine condition. Do they get much use?

[jader]

thats a lot of nice guns.
its interesting to see that a lot of your guns are made from MDF, how much does a typical MDF gun weigh? 2-3kg?

also id paint it black looks much nicer, and some fake/real rails for top and bottom would look nice too.

EDIT: also while im at it, have you ever cut shallow sections off of two pieces to MDF before you put them together to hold say the trigger or something like that? (and then put a screw though the whole lot to pivot it) Im counting on being able to do this for the clip release button and the trigger in my f88 but dont know how.

[djdrthq]

Well they're not all working guns. The M16's are former lock on guns and have been stripped and are in the 'unsure of what to do with them' category. The camo'd mdf guns have been used a fair bit, the pic makes them look pretty clean, though - I do look after them, don't drop em, wipe em down, respray everynow and then.

As for weight, the sl8 minus scope (big camo one) is 2kg, the f2000 is also 2kg. The scar is 1.5kg, no internals though.

I use three layers to make up the main body of the gun and then add smaller 6mm sections to give depth and detail. The inner layer, in this case 6mm mdf, can be cut out to create room for wiring and the trigger. I screw a microswitch and the aluminuim trigger to the first layer of mdf and cut out the necessary room from the middle piece. For the other parts of the gun circuit I route out internal space or cut all three layers out in an area which is going to be covered by an additional section of mdf.

[jader]

ahh so you have a sepreate peice in the middle which you can cut shapes completely out of. Say i wanted a similar thing but had no middle 6mm bit, instead wanted to indent the same pattern 3mm int o the inside sides of peice 1 and 3 (in your case, leaving out 2 altogether) to house the trigger/button, and then have a screw going into peice one or all the way through.

what might i use to cut the shape into peice 1 and 3? hope this hasn;t confused you because it confused me.

[djdrthq]

You need a router! A very useful tool, great for rounding over edges, flush cutting two pieces, or in this case removing the 'insides' of a piece of wood.

I have built a router table which makes doing edges really quick and easy. The router can be removed to do normal routing aswell. I have a ryobi router, around $100. It is good for home use and I have had no problems with it or any other ryobi gear for that matter.

Pic below was done a while back - not very neat, but it shows a spot routed out for a trigger mech and also a spot for two C batteries.

[djdrthq]

I've done a little more, added a foregrip made out of a piece of thick dowel with a rubber handle (from clark rubber). Also mounted a piece of 40mm electrical conduit for the lens. I'll be making a second scar tomorrow and I've got some tan spray paint ready to go!

[J.A.K.]

Really impressive!! Last weekend I had a closer look at an airsoft version of the scar. And the whole team agreed. They look great!!!(thats an almost strange reaction of a Russian themed team playing solely with ak's :D) Keep up the great work:cool:

[jader]

looking better and better!

does the butt slide out so you can adjust it? can you remove the clip even for aesthetic purposes?

RE: router
i found a rotary tool or whatever you'd call it that runs from the air compressor. hacked into some mdf and it seems to cut it away to the depth you want it. burns it a bit but oh well.

[djdrthq]

It could be made to have a removable mag, it was in my mind when I was cutting it out. If you wanted to, you could cut off the magazine protrusion and then cut a section away on the inside. Then you would make a up a complete magazine.

The same goes for the stock, it could be made to slide in and out and the whole thing could even swing around on a hinge, like on the real one. It would take away a fair bit of the internal room if these things were done. You could house the betteries in the mag though.

If circuit etc. is external of the gun then it wouldn't be a problem.

[djdrthq]

More work done. Added a speaker grill to the magazine, for the speaker! Cut out compartments for batteries and pcb, fitted buttons and triggers and lcd. Just started filling and sanding, then painting.

[Sniper_Ace15]

holy crap dude, awsum job, if only i could have taggers looking so real in aus. nicely done mate, very nicely done

[jader]

taggers looking so real in aus.
:confused:

what size is that speaker and what is the grill mesh stuff (and how much). do you find that the larger speaker (80mm or something is quieter than the 57mm one?

[djdrthq]

Angel, this IS in Aus!

The speaker is a 57mm 0.7W, a bigger speaker with a higher wattage rating should be louder.

The mesh is actually from an old PA speaker, but you should be able to find something similar off an old portable stereo or car speaker grill.

[djdrthq]

Today: sanded, white undercoat, sanded, white undercoat, buffed, painted some parts 'wooden deck tan' and other parts 'USAF Tan' - then ran out of paint!

[jader]

djsdyt, you never cease to amaze me.

what size lens are you using again?

[djdrthq]

(Jader, I'll be using the same lens you have, the 32mm/89mm FL.)

Got some paint! The overall colour is not as yellow as a real SCAR, I was too scared to use the tamiya 'dark yellow' just in case it looked horrible. The whole thing looks a little bland at the moment, it needs some accessories.

I'm looking forward to adding a MicroMT based stand alone grenade launcher underneath!

[J.A.K.]

Looks great!!

[jader]

i don't think it looks too bland, just awesome.

stand alone grenade launcher, now thats cool

[djdrthq]

I've just been working on a new way to produce the Scar's, it has made things a lot quicker and easier. Firstly I cut out a master stencil from MDF, then I trace the stencil onto three bits of mdf and roughly cut them out with a jigsaw. Then I screw the stencil and the three layers of mdf together and put them on the router table. Using a flush cut bit I route around the stencil and end up with a perfect copy!

It saves on a lot of work, the side panels are cut in this way too and it also makes rounding over easier.

So having said all that, is anyone interested in one of these? You would still have to do some sanding and most of the internal work. I can route out the two compartments seen in the pics below, which are roughly 120mmX40mm and 50mmX70mm (for milestag pcb and a 6XAA batt holder). Gun is 580mm long X 183mm high and 37mm thick (internal width is 24mm). Width can be increased by using thicker mdf.

http://www.djdrthq.com/scarh.htm

P.S. aussies only :D

[Swordsman]

I'd definitely be keen for one of those mate, just a matter of price :)

[ONI]

one thing though are they able to take long periods of exposure to the elements (ie. water) as MDF is of course paper and card pulp compressed into boards have you found a decent way to seal it without making the exterior glossy?and are you going to be putting the propper front and rear folding post sights on (prefer them to aimpoints anyday...guess im a little old school that way)

anyways top effort mate

[BaalZBub]

Sanding sealer (Watsons) is perfect for sealing MDF or any timber for that matter. For a Tagger, I'd recomend at least 2 coats, then paint with whatever finish you like.

[djdrthq]

The finish (paint, sealing) is up to the end user. I generally do two layers of undercoat and then 2-3 of top coat. I have found that once MDF is painted it seals up very well and water will wipe off and not be apsorbed. Of course I wouldn't recommend anyone getting water near electronics anyway :D

Also I'm not supplying anything but the routed mdf and screws to hold it together. Sanding, paint, electronics, sights etc are all up to the buyer.

I'm thinking around $35 for the end product. This isn't locked in, I'll see how it goes time and effort wise. They have been designed around fitting Milestag 5.XX electronics into, but should be able to take Fragtag boards with a little more routing.

[jader]

I brush aquadhere onto the mdf then spray it with some primer filler and it seals well, and you dont need a special sealer.

Id love to see some rails on one of your SCAR-H's, i think they would look really good, and then you can put whatever sights/accessories on you want etc.

This is a great opportunity for those who want to make their own tagger but either dont have the expertise, time or equipment - nice work djd

[BaalZBub]

The problem with just using paint as opposed to a dedicated timber sealer is that when you scratch the paint off (and if use it you'll scratch it alright), the slightest drop of water (as ONI pointed out) will swell the fibres in MDF. Sanding sealer is designed to penetrate timber fibres and bind them together to form a permanent seal. You have to actualy break the timber apart to bypass the seal that a timber sealent provides. For $9 for a tin of sealer, its hardly breaking the bank, even for the DIY'er

[ONI]

i will probably get one set up for frag but it will have to wait till after ls08 is finnished if you can workout cost + shipping i will get back to you

[djdrthq]

Baalz, this is the stuff?

http://www.feastwatson.com.au/SealerFillersSandingSealer.asp

I'll pick some up and see how it goes. I didn't mention, when I'm doing these I cover the whole gun in a watered down wood filler which fills in the routed edges and makes them nice and smooth after sanding.

[BaalZBub]

Thats it exactly. There may be other brands but thats what I've been using for years.

[Andy in Indy]

In the USA, there is a brand of Filler/Sealer/Primer that is call Killz. It can clean up with water (until it cures), dries fast and fills in small scratches. Fully cured, it is tough to sand (it is harder than pine wood), but can still be sanded flat for gloss uppercoats. It is a flat white, and can be tinted like regular paints that way scratches don't show white. I use this on almost all my projects, from model rockets to scenario game props. It will cover over pencil marks and grease in one or two coats.

-Andy in Indy

[djdrthq]

Here's a couple more scar's, these ones run on MicroMT with an ISD chip for the sound. One of em is in the early stages of a multicam-esque camo paintjob and it might end up with a top rail and a scope. The other one looks a bit plain at the moment so it might get 'spruced up' too. Bloody cold in the shed today :D

[djdrthq]

spruced! :p