Aliens M56 Smartgun

Ultimate Badass

Ultimate Badass

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Well, I am hoping some of you have been following my Ghostbusters Ecto-1 project on here, because that is MY BABY, but it's time to start a new thread. I'm assuming that a lot of you know that my username is a tribute to my second favorite movie of all time, Aliens (it's behind GB, of course). Anyway, I can remember the first time I saw Aliens, which is more than I can say about Ghostbusters (I wasn't even 2 when I saw that the first time). Of course the colonial marines were freaking AWESOME. While most people love the pulse rifle and identify it as the most iconic weapon in that movie, and one of the most iconic sci-fi props of all time, my favorite prop is the M56 by a landslide. So, after years and years of fantasizing about having one, I finally got off of my rear and began my quest.

Thanks to my buddy mburkit, I decided to get into the airsoft hobby. While I have not yet actually played any airsoft, I have purchased this:





Obviously that is an airsoft MG42 replica. It's metal, which is important to me, because I refuse to use a resin kit despite there being an amazing one out there courtesy of Matsuo. Well, this specific airsoft gun is currently on hold, because this was only the beginning of what has turned into a huge project...needless to say, becoming an ULTIMATE BADASS is not cheap or easy.

I will be posting more in this thread over the next few days to catch up on my progress. I hope you all dig it, because just like with my Ecto, I've spared no expense (couldn't help but throw in a Jurassic Park reference...sorry).

- Adam
 
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Alright guys, so the story continues. After buying the airsoft MG42, it was time to find the other parts I needed (there are so many). Kawasaki AR-125 footpegs were the first matter of business. They attached towards the front of the gun (you guys should recognize what I mean looking at the photo below). Well, it turns out that these are damn hard to find. The specific motorcycle was not released in the USA. Not only that, but a lot of other people seem to restore the AR-125, so they are also on the look-out for various parts. The right-sided footpeg is particularly hard to come by.

Anyway, one day I was on Ebay and came across an auction from a company in Sweden that had two left-sided footpegs listed for sale. The footpegs were brand new, old-stock, still in the Kawasaki manufacturer packaging. Well, at this point in time, I only planned to make one smartgun, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a spare left-sided footpeg just in case I ever needed one. A few weeks later, my package showed up. I opened up the packaging and, much to my pure excitement, these were in my hands:



One of the packages actually contained the right-sided footpeg! It's the one on the bottom in the picture...you'll see an attachment spot for the brake lever of the motorcycle. I have a complete set of brand new, vintage pieces and I am stoked! Funny enough, I have come across two other complete sets of these footpegs and all three sets are safe and sound in my vault.

Next it was time to find Kawasaki GPZ-750 left-sided control switches...



As if one wasn't enough...



At this point in time, I was doing a fair bit of research, and came to realize that Vasquez and Drake had similar guns, but there were other differences between their setups (I'll elaborate on that later). I figured what the hell, I might as well build a replica of each setup, so, yes, I am planning on building two smartguns.

Sadly for me, I've come to the conclusion that with the money I'm spending on each smartgun setup (I am expecting each rig to cost 15-20K), I MUST use real German MG42's. Currently I am trying to source one, and have a lead on one in California. I am hoping to get in touch with the guy who has it so we can work something out. It is deactivated, of course. If anyone reading this knows where I may be able to get a real MG42, please let me know!

More to come!
 
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OK guys, some more photos...

No smartgun can work effectively without a smartcam headset. Boy was it tough to find some of the parts needed for the headset build...



That is what I consider to be a holy-grail type piece. It's a Beyerdynamic HM560 headset, and it's the core of the smartcam headset. These things are sickeningly hard to find. In fact, there was one for sale in the world since I've started this project and it took me a lot of negotiating to acquire it. Interestingly, the prior owner plays drums in a very well known band in Canada. I won't disclose the details, but it's cool knowing that this headset has recorded some badass stuff. I suppose that may make it a bit more painful to modify it for my personal use, but eh, what the heck?

Next up is the smartcam lens. This is an 18mm Pentax 110 lens.



All of you toy fanatics may want to cover your eyes before you see this:



Those are vintage Transformers G1 Megatron scope pieces that were actually used in the making of the headset...I'm not sure who came up with using these parts, but who would've thought? Either way, I was thankful to find the specific pieces I needed separately, as a G1 Megatron is quite pricey if you buy it in whole. Plus, as a vintage toy collector of a certain degree myself, I'd feel bad taking away from a complete Megatron.

Next, I needed a blue disc from a Vivitar 2500 flash unit to allow for the attachment of the eye piece to the headset. Fortunately these aren't too expensive...



There are at least 2 versions of this piece (they're tough to tell the difference between). Part of the Vivitar 2500 flash unit is used in making the motion tracker, but you guys all knew that already.

For the headset plug, a Neutrik NCLNECF connector is required. There are a few versions of this type of connector from what I've researched, and all of them are very rare and long out of production. I stumbled upon three of the correct connectors in New Zealand. These need to be painted black, aside from a small little portion that will be kept red at the tip. It's impossible for me to explain exactly what I'm talking about...so you'll all have to check back when I actually get the headset build underway.



Anyway, the final piece of the puzzle, also needed to allow motion of the eyepiece, is an Olympus OM T28:



This piece is quite expensive, though not as much as the Beyerdynamic HM 560. So that's all for now. I've got some more good stuff to share soon!
 
I'm glad you guys are digging this so far.

Everyone who has seen Aliens probably has their favorite marine out of the entire bunch. Of course Hicks and Hudson are seemingly the most popular, but they wouldn't have survived long if it wasn't for my favorite marine...VASQUEZ. Yeah, I'm a dude, and I'm not trying to look like a chick, but I'm going to come as close as I can.

The first matter of business is the most recognizable part of her outfit:



You would think that finding this specific kind of bandana was easy, but it's not so simple. They are out there, but they are quite vintage (made in the 1950's-1960's), and most of them are in poor shape. I have managed to find 3 brand-new, flawless ones. I actually searched "red bandana" and looked at over 10,000 bandanas just to find three of these in mint condition, and only about 5 or 6 in total were the correct bandana overall (in other words, it was a pain in the ass).

Next up is the most important part of a marine's getup:



Those are Spatcave Studios BDU's. The funny thing about them is I placed the order many months before I received them. When my BDU's showed up they were HUGE...the pants had close to a 50-inch waist. Now, I'm a pretty small dude and I was pretty disheartened about it as I figured the tailor messed up my order. It turns out that Spat accidentally switched my order (a small human's) with someone else's (a large human's). Either way, he corrected the issue, and these fit pretty well (still a little big, but that will be handy when I'm inevitably sweating my ass off). These BDUs are awesome...I couldn't be happier with them. I will certainly plan to iron them and do some other recommended things to fade them a bit so they look 'broken in'.

Marine BDU's would sure be boring without these:



Those were made by Noble on the Aliens Legacy forum. They are screen-accurate. The thing about these patches that is important to notice is that they're screen-printed. Through reading the posts of the USCM enthusiasts before me, I've learned that the screen-used patches were NOT embroidered. All of those patches you see of these at conventions or on Ebay for sale may be nice, but they're wrong. I was so lucky to have a friend who had an extra set of these patches because they are no longer produced. I can only hope that someone else takes the helm and begins producing these again, because I'd love another set or two (as every other Aliens propper would).

Finally, a very important piece to the USCM getup that a lot of people leave out:



That is a brand new, vintage Seiko Pulsemeter with the correct velcro wristband (the wristbands are tough to find alone). Now, there are a few versions of this watch (one of them is entirely red and it's awesome, but yeah, too expensive to get for sh*ts and giggles). The screen-used watches were a bit different than mine. Some argue that the watches in the movie did not have yellow buttons. But, in fact, there is a picture of Al Matthews as Sgt. Apone out there which clearly shows that his watch had yellow buttons of which were painted over black. My guess is that some people had the version with black buttons and others had the version with yellow buttons, and they just modded the latter to look like the all-black version. Also, the screen-used pulsemeters did not have the 'alarm chronograph' above the display. This didn't deter me, as these watches are quite expensive (though, not as expensive as the awesome Seiko M516 Voicenote watches used in Ghostbusters which I have two of). Currently there are correct versions of the watch that are on Ebay (without the correct wristbands, of course), and they come with the electrodes that plug into the side of the watch. Those electrodes are part of Hudson's hack pouch. Being that I'm not trying to replicate Hudson (he would be my second choice though), I didn't feel like dropping $300 on another one...yet at least.

Ah, what the heck, I know it's unrelated, but I figured I'd show off my Seiko M516 watches to prove that I have two of them...



Chicks dig that photo... ... ...
 
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Another quick post before heading off to work...

During my acquisition of all of the things needed for the M56, I got a bit side-tracked with collecting some fairly expensive, yet completely awesome pieces...


"Remember...short, controlled bursts."


"Game over, man...game over!"


"Let's rock!!!"


"Alright sweethearts, so what are you waiting for - breakfast in bed?"


"Hey Hicks...man, you look just like I feel."


"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit...it's the only way to be sure."




Repaint version

I don't plan on opening these, but fortunately I have acquired a Vasquez and Hudson that are already opened...these are highly recommended to all of you Aliens fans out there, though the character likenesses aren't very good. I am on the hunt for a reasonably-priced & unopened Ripley with Power Loader as we speak.
 
What grips are you going to use?
I have a resin cast of a smartgun that I want to improve. I heard that the grips and brake handle were also motorcycle bits but Id like to get the right ones.
 
I HAVE PURCHASED THE MG-42. You, my friend, will NEVER be forgotten for linking me to that...and it's only a few minutes away from where I live so it should be here in 2 days. I am so excited!

Oh, and Duncanator, once I confirm the correct grips I will let you know exactly what you should look to snag.

Thanks guys! I've got some insanely cool photos coming soon!
 
Haha, that's awesome man. I'm glad I could help. When other projects are done, I might tackle this with mine. However it is transferable and fully functional, so changing barrels will need to be worked around the left footpeg. This will be a great reference thread when that time comes. Below is a pic of mine on the lafette tripod and the proofs


Stay frosty!!
 
Your gun is beautiful my friend. I would probably feel bad modding a fully-functional MG42 just because it's almost a crime (like taking a flawless 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor and modding it into an Ecto-1). None the less, I have some other BIG stuff coming and would be happy to know that this thread may eventually help someone else that wishes to build an M56 smartgun. That being said, I also realize that it's just not realistic for most people to do what I'm doing...few would spend what I am on this (and most people probably couldn't). Needless to say, I will be thrilled when I let others who truly love the prop as much as I do yet can't afford such a project to try on my gear.
 
Oh yes...the 1942 German MG42 has arrived:







This thing is BEAUTIFUL. I am so thankful for my new friend who posted above and linked me to it. She's in good shape and heavy as hell. I cannot wait to modify her and turn her into my dream gun. Now, I will say that I initially felt kind of guilty about modifying this WWII relic, but then I realized two things:

1) There are plenty of functional, maintained MG42's out there in the proper hands. These guns will be kept in beautiful original condition, so it's not like I'm robbing the world of something extremely rare.

2) I've gone to great lengths to hopefully make this THE smartgun replica that sets the bar...you guys will be seeing more photos soon enough to show why this gun was necessary. Needless to say, this gun wasn't too expensive at $3700, and it is NOT the most expensive part of this project. The weight of this gun is going to be needed to counterbalance what I've got in store (again, photos to come).







It's only a matter of time...but I refuse to rush this project.

- Adam
 
Congrats on getting the gun. I didn't realize this, but are guns were both made at the "Gustloff Werke" factory in Suhl; known by the "dfb" on the receiver.

Chris
 

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