Cushman Rifle Question

Hey everyone, I purchased a Cushman rifle a long time ago, and am just now getting to work on it. I have some PVC pipe inside it running the length, but that's about it. I got two questions . . .

1. Should I use "Great Stuff" to fill the hollow areas?

2. Should I use bondo to cover up the seams? Or is there an alternative that's considered easier/better for this particular task?



Thanks everyone!

I would recommend filling it with foam so that you don't accidentally puncture the plastic or dent it. I guess that isn't a huge worry, but I can't help feel like it needs a little extra support. I also like that the foam gives it just a bit more substantial feel. Just make sure you give the foam somewhere to vent by drilling some hidden holes so that it doesn't ruin your gun as it expands. You should glue all the seams down so they don't pop the bondo later. I see a lot of people using the glazing type of bondo, but I am using the regular type on mine.

to echo fettfanatic a bit...

i'd probably fill it myself. if you use great stuff, there's a blue can and a red can... the blue can doesn't exert as much pressure on the sides... less likely to explode it. either way, you need some room for it to vent out. maybe fill it in batches.

you can attach a long tube to the great stuff nozzle and feed it all the way to the butt of the thing, and fill your way back out. basically extend the nozzle all the way down into the far end of the piece.

connecting the seams REALLY well before bondo will save you a lot of heartache. anywhere the 2 parts can shift, your filler will chip.

these guns are definitely projects, but i have seen them finish up nice!

Thanks for all the great information everyone! I really appreciate all the help there is to get here so fast...

Should I use Plastic Welder to glue the whole thing together? I would have to use a few tubes to go all around the gun...

Also, how did you all handle the trigger area? Should I cut it out and just have the little trigger that's molded into the gun?

Should I use great stuff on one end of the gun while the other end is not even on the pvc pipe, then put say, the front end on, and then use "Great Stuff"?

And one more question to finish everything off! What kind of setup has anyone seen with these having lights built into it? If I'm going to use "Great Stuff" I may want to do all the interior wiring and such now, before everything gets filled in. Maybe I can wire the batteries for everything to be in the underside scope looking section, and make that removable. Any ideas? Here's a screen shot from Battlefront II showing some lighting on the gun aside from the end of the barrel...



You can see some lights on the center sights, as well as the side of the gun...



And here you can see what looks like some red light coming from the front end of the underside scope thing.

Has anyone attempted any of this?

I didn't do any lights on mine. To me it was just a little too much for what I use the gun for which is a trooping weapon. I am not saying that you shouldn't go for it. If you want to do it then I say post some pics when you are done so I can see. It would be cool to see.

As far as glue goes, I don't use the plastic welder epoxy stuff. Not that it isn't good, I just love IPS weld-on.

http://www.ipscorp.com/assembly/abs

I use the 2354. I love this stuff. It is as thin as water, so I use it with a needle and syringe. It actually melts the two surfaces together. There is absolutely no way to get it apart when it sets up. Did I mention that I love this stuff? I used it on my entire clone armor set and my friends set. There is a version for all different plastics, and you can get it at your local plastic supply shops. One thing I found as well is that if you use it in a warm environment it sets up really fast so that you can keep working with the pieces you glued. If it is cold then it takes a little longer to set up.

For the trigger I completely cut out the inner trigger area on mine just leaving the trigger guard. I then glued (with weld-on ) several pieces of abs together making my own more sturdy trigger design that I glued into place in the remaining trigger guard. I hope that made sense. If not let me know, and I will try to explain better.

For the foam I would glue the pvc pipe into the front part of the gun and fill that whole part with foam. On the back piece I would just fill it with foam to the point where you can still slip the pvc pipe and front piece in. That way you can still take it apart for transport.

I hope that all makes sense. It sounds right in my head. I am just never sure if it transfers logically when I am typing it out. If you have any more questions ask away.

Wow, thanks for all the feedback. I'm going to have to ask around to see if I can find a plastic supply store around me. Does the IPS end up costing less? It's not too cheap for a tube of Plastic Weld, after you buy 4 or 5 of them, and I'm maybe half way done on the gluing portion of my suit, not including the rifle!

I understand what your saying with the trigger, and I can do that, it shouldn't be too hard. I can see why you would do that too, the trigger area has no support, so it could just crumple under pressure, not to mention it could just break if your not too careful with it.

As for the lighting, I may attempt this. I'll have to draw up a template for how the lighting looks on the side, and top. I'm thinking that the easiest way to make it work is to use the method I've seen for cheap Fett chest lights, using some clear plastic sheets you can print onto, and printing out the template, then putting one of those bicycle lights behind it, and so on. It's the TK-409 method he has up on his site... http://www.tk409.com/fett.html
It's in the center column, near the bottom.

I'm thinking I can do this without too much crazy work. The only complicated part is going to get it so I can still change out batteries, but if I make the gun separable, this shouldn't be a problem.

When I get out of class I'll take a quick video of the blinking on the gun. The lights on the sights are the only part that blinks, from what I can tell.

So, what your saying is that if I don't glue the PVC to the butt end of the gun when I put the "Great Stuff" in it, the "Great Stuff" won't hold the PVC in place? I think I got what your saying... This could make the electronics a lot easier to work with.

Is there a way I can order IPS online if I can't find a local distributor?

Thanks again for all the help!

No problem. Glad to help in any way I can.

Here is a link to a place I have bought from before.

http://www.rplastics.com/weldon2354.html

It isn't the cheapest adhesive, but one can lasts a long time.

I would just put the pvc all the way down the barrel leaving enough sticking out to stick into the butt end of the gun however far you want it. You can glue a pvc adapter in the larger area toward the front of the butt end to slip the pvc pipe through. If you just glue the pvc in the barrel end and not in the butt end it will let you take it apart and possibly have room for your electronics. I would just fill the butt end of the gun with foam up to the level where the pvc pipe goes.

There is a good tutorial on http://www.clone-empire.com/forums by Obey-Wann. And adding foam to add heft (weight), to make it feel more substantial is not required... added weight just means heavier gun to carry in a hot suit. If glued well... the gun bounces when dropped.

The tip about running a piece of PVC helps support it AND allows for easy connectivity.

I do not use Bondo Glaze any more, though you could. I just use CA gel all around the perimeter. The gel usually fills the seam gaps well. Palm-sand, and it will be quite smooth as well as very stiff. After painting, a touch of weathering, and these look great.

They are also under $150.00. And they are built for travel. 3 pieces to pack in regular luggage.

If you have the skill to build an FX TK... this assembly is easy. If you have the skill to build an OSCS TC suit... this assembly is 2-3 hours, and is a breeze. Add 30 minutes to spray paint, and 15-30 minutes to weather.

Here is mine (and Obey-Wann's)...



It is an easy build.

If you need any tips, send me or OW a hey on Clone-Empire.

Troop On.

John

By the way, you have a version One there. That is discontinued, and people have begged me to prototype it again since it is styled from the Koto figure... and resembles the Clone Wars rifle a great deal.

Over 120 of those were made, but the master got worn a bit after a while... hence the Episode 2 re-build.

There are a couple of spots on the V1 where you can take an exacto, and remove the small voids. CA Gel, and palm-sand... paint and weather as I said before.

Those were $85.00 as kits... they were very, very easy to build.

John, thanks again for all the great information on the rifle assembly. You originally pointed me in the right direction to pick this rifle up a while back! Slow times, but I will have this done in the coming months. Your linked image isn't working, but it's alright. Right now I'm trying to finish up the armor in time so I can send it off to get painted, then I'll have time to work on the other details.

I would love to take all the time to make this right, and get all the details very crisp, and so on, so I'm going to try to not rush this. I checked out Obey-Wann's thread, and it's very helpful to understand how all the PVC works out inside the gun, as well as what not to do!

FettFanatic - Thanks a ton for the link, I can't seem to find plastic welder at any WalMart anymore! Is it out of season?? I picked up another epoxy for plastics, but if it doesn't work well, I'll get your crazy glue.