interest in an aluminum blaster

MonCal

Active Hunter
interest in an aluminum blaster (update 12/8/08) please read 1st post

UPDATE 10/14/08:


Here is the next batch

electronic_blaster20sm.jpg


These are for the following:
* Jo Lynne Navarre / zamovar
* Mike Goobic / mgoob
* Kathleen Skirmont / kay_dee
* Brooke Merva / thumper

I sent you all pm's to confirm shipping so as soon as I hear back from you I will get them in the mail. Brooke, I did get your message with your address change. thanks!


The last 4 blasters on the list:
I'm still waiting to hear from the following:

* Jennifer Natschow / TK2542
* Angie Jeanfreau / SL1190
* Tim Rudolph / rudolpht
* Tony Machalski / ItsThatGuy

I only charged $30 to assemble the blasters with electronics and after paypal it comes to about $25 for what amounts to about 5 hours of labor. I am actually losing money to build them and it's really difficult with how busy and behind we are, struggling to pay the bills etc.

I hate to say it but I don't think I can assemble these kits for you guys. I certainly would have if I would have heard back and if we would have arranged it earlier while I was planning it with the first two groups who paid for electronics but I didn't really know what I was getting into.

If you want me to build the blasters for you I may need to ask for more money. You are still getting a really good deal because I priced the aluminum barrels right at my cost as well as the electronics. If it were made professionally by a large company such as MR, the blaster would be much more than this and they would have been mass produced. The major downside is the serious delays in the project but unfortunately that comes with the territory. These are hand made and there were a lot of factors involved with the process and unforeseen delays that will probably steer me away from doing another project like this.

If you want to assemble the blaster yourself, you can still get the electronics. You can either get them from me or directly from hyperdyne. The price is $110 for the electronics kit. If you order them before I ship your blaster kit then the shipping is included with what you already paid. If you order it later or from hyperdyne you will need to pay for the 4% paypal fee and shipping.

While assembling this last batch of blasters I took many photos of the process and I will include a disc with all the photos so you can figure out how to assemble the blaster yourself.

* Jennifer Natschow / TK2542
* Angie Jeanfreau / SL1190
* Tim Rudolph / rudolpht
* Tony Machalski / ItsThatGuy

Please let me know what you want to do and also verify your current shipping address.


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UPDATE 9/8/08:

Here is the current state of the blasters as of 8:30 a.m. Mountain time today. I plan to paint the parts today and hopefully have the first five blasters finished tomorrow and out in the mail by the end of the week. I will begin working on the next 5 as soon as I can. I will probably do 2 and then the final 3 within the next couple weeks.

electronic_blaster04sm.jpg

electronic_blaster05sm.jpg



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UPDATE 8/20/08:

I received these in the mail yesterday from Hyperdyne Labs:
electronics01.jpg


I'll get to work on all the orders who paid to have electronics kits installed.
I know this project has taken WAY TOO LONG and I feel horrible about it. I will do what I can do get these assembled post haste and out to everyone who paid.

There are some who didn't pay for electronics. I need to know what to do with your kits???

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UPDATE 3/18/08:

Good news!!
Hyperdyne has worked out a deal with his company who will actually be building these electronics kits and they have given him the go ahead. I did mention earlier that they were having troubles with the original soundboard no longer being available and also speaker problems. It looks like that's ironed out but it had to raise the price a little bit.

The price for the kit will be $140.00

If you're not happy with the price then I can just send you the kit as it is. I would be willing to send it with either a hollow handle or a solid one. It would be in kit form and needing to be assembled and finished.

-however-

If the price is o.k. then please feel free to paypal that payment to the same email address I had given you before. If you do please mention your forum name and TDH or RPF whichever we had contact through in the paypal message.
As soon as the payments are in I can forward that to Hyperdyne's company and get the batch ordered. From there as soon as they are done with the electronics kits I will assemble the blasters so they're ready to use and immediately get them shipped.

I know this has been a super long project. I can't tell you all how much it eats at me. I feel terrible but I'm doing what I can to get them finished and out to you all as soon as possible! I can't thank you all enough for your patience!!!


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UPDATE 12/20/07:

Here is a video of it in action with the light and sounds:

http://www.hyperdynelabs.com/misc/zamblaster.avi


This is the prototype blaster still of course being it's just the white resin and no greeblies :)

There is a new snag unfortunately though :facepalm The board he used for this is no longer available and he only had a couple of them left. He's going to try another one so he wants to be sure it will work o.k. before committing to taking orders. I think it'll be fine but I guess we had better be sure first. I'll let you know as soon as he can do another test with the new board.

IMG_5688_resize.jpg


UPDATE 10/9/07:

First off let me say I am extremely sorry for the long delay between updates. My wife and I have had some serious personal issues to deal with over the past couple months. I'm doing everything in my power to get back on top of everything but it is a lot! I haven't had time to check the forums in quite some time. In fact I am just stopping in to update this thread. I am not sure if I'll be able to get to pm's just yet either but I will try. Most of you who have needed to contact me have done so through emails, and thank you for doing so. I do at least try to check my emails if I don't have time for the forums.

Anyway, I picked up the electronic prototype from Hyperdyne a few days ago. I will share a couple pictures below:

myblaster67sm.jpg

myblaster68sm.jpg


He still needs to work out some bugs and finalize the design for the lights inside the emitter. It turns out there just isn't enough room in the emitter to add the amount of lighting we wanted so it will probably have to be one single bright LED which will still work very well. Another snag he has had is with the speaker. It is difficult to find a speaker this small that gives off a good quality sound. It is a small space to custom design these electronics for so it has been somewhat of a challenge. I believe he is satisfied with the sound and light boards. Again these were custom made and the sound is great. It is the same blaster sound you hear in the movie so it's not just a generic blaster noise.

He is far enough along to give me a quote on the electronics. It will depend on how many would like the electronics for their blaster.

* Up to 5 people........... $150 per blaster
* 6 to 10 people........... $130 per blaster
* 11 to 16 .................. $110 per blaster

This would include finishing and assembly so the blaster would be ready to use upon arrival.

Please post if you would still like the electronics and I will update the list below.

Thanks again for all your patience during this time!!

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UPDATE 7/3/07:

The CNC shop is almost finished with the run of blasters. I did pick up the prototype blaster kit today so as soon as I can meet up with Hyperdyne we will begin designing the electronics and see what fits and works best. I know we'll have to try a few different speakers and led set ups to find the best combination but as soon as we have one we're happy with I'll show the progress on that :)

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UPDATE 5/3/07:

I met with the machinist today and finalized all of the designs so they'll get started on the run now. I hope to have a prototype in a couple weeks (hopefully before CIV). The entire run of barrels probably won't be done until the 2nd week of June or thereabouts. If I can get at least one blaster barrel before CIV I can meet with Hyperdyne and start designing the electronics but I don't expect to have a working prototype with electronics until probably the end of June.
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UPDATE 5/2/07:

2 people have asked to be removed from the run. I still haven't heard from 2 others but I'm going to go ahead and get the run of 18 going so we can move forward. I'll cover the cost of those extras incase they come forward otherwise I'll have a couple extra blasters in the future.

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UPDATE 4/6/07:

If you are on the list, please read below and send me a pm with the necessary information so I can get you a final quote and start collecting payments to get the run started :)
thanks!

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UPDATE 4/3/07:

I took the final number of 18 to the machinist and he has given me a new final quote. The blaster barrel will be $150 each. This does not include shipping so please give me your shipping address so I can estimate a total with shipping. Also he said there is no price difference from the hollow to the solid version. So please specify which version you want. Again, this is just for the barrel. It does not include the handle or the electronics. I will need to take a finished barrel to hyperdyne to work up the prototype and get a final price on that later. The way this blaster is designed you won't need to install electronics. It is up to you. Either I can hold on to the blaster until hyperdyne is ready or you can install your own.

If you want the resin handle kit, that will be an extra $40.00. If you already have one of my resin blaster kits and you are wanting the solid blaster barrel you should be able to re-use that handle kit. If you want the hollow version for installing electronics you will need a new kit that allows room for electronics in the handle.


So to sum it up:
* Final price for quantity of 18 blaster barrels ............................... $150.00 each
* Please specify whether you prefer a solid or hollow version
* If you want the resin handle kit.................................................$40.00
* Hyperdyne electronics to be determined at a later date (option)......??
* Please pm me your shipping address to estimate shipping ...............??


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UPDATE 3/30/07:

I am putting a tentative cut off date of Monday April 2nd so I can get a final quote from the machinist and start collecting payments so we can get this run going. I've decided to just stick with the hollow design for now but I will talk to him again about possibly doing a few solid ones in the batch.

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I thought I should show some old pics for those who may not have seen them. This is the resin blaster kit I made a couple years ago and have been offering to the boards:

myblaster55smkc2.jpg

myblaster59smeg9.jpg


The following is a picture of the prototype kit I started a while back for the electronic version. This is a crude piece I made myself but you can get an idea of what I'm trying to accomplish:

myblaster62asmef5.jpg

myblaster63smhy5.jpg

myblaster64smru5.jpg


The following photo is to give an idea of what we are shooting for as for the lights:
myblaster65ajs7.jpg


The only snag I have is how to attach the insert piece into the end of the barrel. Since the fiberoptics will be attached to the backside of it, it will need to be accessible so I'm thinking a dab of hotglue on the underneath will hold it fine and the wires won't let it go anywhere if it comes loose but it still allows access if it needs worked on.



For the hollowed out blaster barrel that would accept fiberoptics and sounds we have the following quotes. Please keep in mind these prices are only for the aluminum barrel and don't include the handle or the electronics.

For a run of 10: $222.00 each plus shipping

For a run of 15: $163.00 each plus shipping

For a run of 25: $114.00 each plus shipping

This is just for the aluminum barrel. He is supposed to quote a solid barrel version for me, which he forgot to include. I will post that option as soon as I receive it.

If you already have my blaster kit you could probably use the handle you have or I can add some cost for the handle. If you are wanting the electronic version, I would definitely have to include the handle because I need to re-design it to include the electronics. The hollowed out handle kit will probably be $50.00 Plus the cost of the electronics kit. At this point I would figure the electronics would be a later investment because I am unsure what this will cost. I will see if I can get an estimate from hyperdyne on this though to let y'all know. He and I will need to work out a prototype and I need the blaster barrel first.

Right now my main concern is with the barrel :)
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Interest list:


#) Forum name..............Kit paid for?.................. electronics paid for?.................Shipped?

1) MonCal ............................... PAID .............. electronics..........PAID..............SHIPPED

2) Benkenove .......................... PAID .............. electronics .. PAID........need to assemble with electronics

3) tk2542 (Jennifer Natschow)..... PAID .............. electronics.. (waiting for decision)

4) BFett333 / Fangs.................. PAID .............. electronics...........PAID..............SHIPPED

5) MaulMaus ........................... PAID .............. electronics...........PAID..............SHIPPED

6) me*gonk ............................ PAID .............. electronics...........PAID..............SHIPPED

7) sl1190 ................................ PAID .............. electronics..........PAID..............SHIPPED

8 ) JDFett ............................... PAID .............. electronics .........PAID..........need to assemble with electronics

9) Blue ................................... PAID .............. electronics..........PAID................SHIPPED

10) Sandman ........................... PAID .............. (wants blaster, no electronics)......SHIPPED

11) rudolpht............................. PAID .............. electronic...........PAID.. need to assemble with electronics

12) wuher da brewer RPF........... PAID .............. electronics...........PAID..............SHIPPED

13) zamovar............................. PAID .............. electronics..........PAID................SHIPPED

14) mgoob RPF............ ............ PAID .............. electronics..........PAID................SHIPPED

15) Kay_Dee............................ PAID .............. electronics...........PAID ................SHIPPED
[/U]
16) ItsThatGuy......................... PAID .............. electronics.. (waiting for decision)

(17)Thumper.............................PAID...............electronics............PAID................SHIPPED

(18 ) Odi wan 72 RPF.................PAID................No electronics..................................SHIPPED

(19) Foxbatkllr...........................Paid................No electronics..................................SHIPPED
 
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I'm really not sure yet on price. I know CNC machining isn't cheap especially on a piece with a lot of details. If there were enough of them, it would of course drop the price. If we decided on the hollowed out version, sure we wouldn't have to include electronics. The blaster would still look the same, so it would be difficult to tell... it will probably be more expensive than the solid version though. I can promise that the quality of the piece would be second to none. They do excellent work.

I will try to meet up with my machinist and get some estimates coming :)
 
Definitely interested... sounds really cool... in fact, is something that I was going to ask you !!! ;) Always, price is a factor, but let's see ;)
 
I had hoped to meet the machinist today but other things came up. I'll meet with him next week and then hopefully he'll get some quotes back to me right away. Sometimes he takes forever to get quotes done ... that's the only thing about them that's irritating. Their quality is very very nice.
 
Ugh!! Have I really put this off since August? :facepalm Well.. these things take time I guess.

I took my blaster(s) v1 and v2 and drawings etc. to the machine shop today. He says he'll get a quote to me tomorrow on both a solid blaster barrel and a hollow one that can accept some fiberoptics/ electronics my buddy hyperdyne wants to try out ;) ... I'd like the hollow one but I doubt many people will want that version so we'll see.

Anyway.. just letting y'all know I'm digging this project out of the pile and see if we can't upgrade our blasters to aluminum barrels :)
 
I might be interseted :) I do want one out of aluminum. Although my husband believes he can turn one on the lathe at work... I just never know if his plans will work.
 
Moncal,

Sounds awesome! Where on earth do you find the time?!!! LOL
I have seen one on Kropserkel but sadly it's not for sale. A one off. So these would be ideal :)

Would the muzzle exit be detailed like the resin one is? Little star thing and all?
 
I must have missed this thread the first time around. :facepalm

I am definitely interested, in both the aluminum blaster AND the electronics kit. You can never have too much metal or too many gadgets. :lol:

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EDIT:
No wonder I missed it ... it's in the Zam forum. :facepalm :confused :facepalm

I have to pay more attention to the forum list when using view "Latest Threads". :lol:

Sorry MonCal, I'm not interested in a blaster after all. But ... if you ever decide to make a RotJ EE-3 out of aluminum with a hyperdyne electronics kit, I will be all over that. :)
 
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Gator Fett - You made my day! (i.e. Reason for Edit ... ) Could also be I'm home from work sick with the flu and high on DayQuil... ;)

Well... I've got one machined blaster. It's the one thing I was able to nab from DCB's collection! :D
 
The one from kropserkel is DCB's blaster.

I didn't get the quote today like he said I would so hopefull he'll get it to me the first of the week.
 
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