Limited Run Dredd Lawgiver 2012 Full Electronics and Action

[Props3D]

Phew, a lot of little bits that go into these!

So if you like parts p*%n here you go:

You'll notice it's light on the VR and OLED, I had to make another order 2 weeks ago. I was expecting it today so I could take a shot of it all together but I need my bench back. There's also 4 sets missing in the pic, those are first 4 that I'm soldering now.

I cut every wire for every part in advance, I don't want to forget anything later:

I also did a full index of screws, and cut all the guide rails and trigger pins in advance:

All boxed up, 1-4 are in soldering, #12 and the 4 kits are waiting for the VR/OLED so they're empty until then, I'm very 'all or nothing' when it comes to boxing, chaos will ensue otherwise:

 

[Knightmare]

Phew, a lot of little bits that go into these!

So if you like parts p*%n here you go:

View attachment 1610626
You'll notice it's light on the VR and OLED, I had to make another order 2 weeks ago. I was expecting it today so I could take a shot of it all together but I need my bench back. There's also 4 sets missing in the pic, those are first 4 that I'm soldering now.

I cut every wire for every part in advance, I don't want to forget anything later:
View attachment 1610627
View attachment 1610628

I also did a full index of screws, and cut all the guide rails and trigger pins in advance:
View attachment 1610629

All boxed up, 1-4 are in soldering, #12 and the 4 kits are waiting for the VR/OLED so they're empty until then, I'm very 'all or nothing' when it comes to boxing, chaos will ensue otherwise:
View attachment 1610635

Thats insane

 

[enterprise0216]

Now those are terrific photos look at all that awesomeness!!

 

[Props3D]

And of course it would arrive an hour after taking the pics:

And speaking of mail, BeakZ put the metal CNC parts in the mail for Spidey74 and I, so the clock is ticking now:

There's also a small code update from Spidey74 that was pushed today, we were talking last week and came to the same conclusion: Have you ever tried using Google Assistant/Alexa/Siri in a mall? Ya, the voice recognition is going to have issues in noisy or crowded places. Even the combined might of the worlds biggest companies harvesting all of our personal data can't get around that. On that note you also have to realize that this will be trained to my voice initially. I moonlight as a VO artist so I have a treated space and a consistent tone, but if you don't pronounce something the same way I do, have an accent, or want it in an entirely different language, you're going to have do about 10min of work to retrain it. It's very easy and we're doing a dedicated video for it, so don't sweat it. But back to the original problem: There needs to be a way to change modes manually. Enter Spidey74 's wizardry: You can now hold the trigger for 1.5 seconds to cycle modes manually, woo hoo!

 

[bpalaganas]

Hello,
Question:
Has the ETA on delivery dates changed because of increased interest?
I would like to be added to the finished product deposit list, if still available.
Thanks

 

[Props3D]

Hello,
Question:
Has the ETA on delivery dates changed because of increased interest?
I would like to be added to the finished product deposit list, if still available.
Thanks

The ETA dates haven't changed because I locked the run size right from the get-go, there's an incredible amount of work that goes into one of these, which I'm filming as I go for a time-lapse video (raw footage already in the terabytes!) and tutorials. I don't think it's fair to set timeframes then expand to collect more money, the only minor scope expansions have been to add features. And unfortunately for that reason I'm not accepting further deposits.

There's a chance of another run in the future, but my attention right now is keeping the scope under control and getting these out in a timely manner. Remember that all the models and code is free and open so you're welcome to produce your own. There's enough to get going on the props3d github and the videos will be very detailed.

 

[Props3D]

and on that note:

I just had to get a pic of this before sending it out to kyds3k . Because this is being sent early it won't have the custom box and I'll have to mail brass plate later, but it's 100% done and everything works great! I did the slide and body 2 tone, matte on the bottom and reflective satin on top, see near the end of this post for more details.

On the brass plate note: I finished the CNC upgrades on the weekend, everyone expect a message from me later today on what to put on the plate. I didn't message earlier because I needed to do everything in advance so I know how many letters I can fit on the plate and keep it readable, the answer is 11 characters.

I bow before Royal Post, the metal parts arrived from England in like 2 days!!! So why so insistent on a metal barrel? This is why:

Ya baby!!! Just look at that flash! Between 7 LEDs, the lens scattering the light, and the barrel diffraction, WOW!!!

And I officially bow before BeakZ 's machining skills, he had to drill and tap the screw mounts at a really strange angle because I wanted the screw holes to be exactly where the Dredd 2012 screws were, this meant he had to go in at like a 60 deg angle on a slippery metal tube... on both sides!!! I was sweating bullets because even .5mm up or down the barrel would either be pig-nosed or not fit. He got it 100% to at least .1mm correct. Dead straight!!

I painted the outside of the barrel black and polished the inside, the results speak for themselves.

Fun little detail I added:

The copper ring on the top bullet (hidden in frame) and the bottom bullet are added, I also 2 tone airbrushed the bullets with antique brass and a brighter brass to give them a shine.


I also did the same 2 tone method for the top, after painting it black I air brushed it metal, then did 4 light coats of black to make it look exactly like painted metal to match the original prop, here's a midpoint shot:

The next 3 are well into painting and wiring, will update you on them tomorrow but it's friggen 37c again here in Canada and I need to lie down with a cold one right now, this has been one of the most intense projects of my life, and I've done some crazy ones!

 

[Knightmare]

and on that note:
View attachment 1611249

I just had to get a pic of this before sending it out to kyds3k . Because this is being sent early it won't have the custom box and I'll have to mail brass plate later, but it's 100% done and everything works great! I did the slide and body 2 tone, matte on the bottom and reflective satin on top, see near the end of this post for more details.

On the brass plate note: I finished the CNC upgrades on the weekend, everyone expect a message from me later today on what to put on the plate. I didn't message earlier because I needed to do everything in advance so I know how many letters I can fit on the plate and keep it readable, the answer is 11 characters.

I bow before Royal Post, the metal parts arrived from England in like 2 days!!! So why so insistent on a metal barrel? This is why:
View attachment 1611250
Ya baby!!! Just look at that flash! Between 7 LEDs, the lens scattering the light, and the barrel diffraction, WOW!!!

And I officially bow before BeakZ 's machining skills, he had to drill and tap the screw mounts at a really strange angle because I wanted the screw holes to be exactly where the Dredd 2012 screws were, this meant he had to go in at like a 60 deg angle on a slippery metal tube... on both sides!!! I was sweating bullets because even .5mm up or down the barrel would either be pig-nosed or not fit. He got it 100% to at least .1mm correct. Dead straight!!

I painted the outside of the barrel black and polished the inside, the results speak for themselves.

Fun little detail I added:
View attachment 1611251
The copper ring on the top bullet (hidden in frame) and the bottom bullet are added, I also 2 tone airbrushed the bullets with antique brass and a brighter brass to give them a shine.


I also did the same 2 tone method for the top, after painting it black I air brushed it metal, then did 4 light coats of black to make it look exactly like painted metal to make the original prop, here's a midpoint shot:
View attachment 1611252

The next 3 are well into painting and wiring, will update you on them tomorrow but it's friggen 37c again here in Canada and I need to lie down with a cold one right now, this has been one of the most intense projects of my life, and I've done some crazy ones!

WOW that’s looks smooooooooooooth!

 

[Props3D]

WOW that’s looks smooooooooooooth!

It's a looottt of elbow grease my friend, all wet sanded.

 

[Movie Magic]

Incredible! Just incredible!

 

[Props3D]

I'm loving these night sights. It was annoying to have to reprint everything and I was really tempted to just drill the ones I already had prepped out a bit, but I think it was worth the extra time:

 

[jds12]

Absolutely amazing. The level and attention to detail is incredible. Very excited!

 

[enterprise0216]

Well hot DAMN!!! Just love it time, patiences, attention to detail, quality work by QUALITY individuals who love what they do and still put a spin of fun and laughter into a bad @ss build.... Love the sights, muzzle flash is wow factor! HELL I WILL SAY IT..... MIC DROP!!!!!

 

[Knightmare]

16 REALLY lucky members out there !

 

[Props3D]

So after 2 days of sanding and filing all the resin parts are done:

(custom serials are blurred)

I have to get all of them done in one pop because A) they're a total mess to do and I sorta want to get it over with, B) I have to get all the glow material done and that's not easy, C) I have to mail BeakZ his so he can chug along on his end.

This was a lot of sticky goodness:

I also finished the second and most hokey of the 3 CNC tools I designed to make custom boxes and a did a test:

I printed the top part of the card to test, worked great! I'll be testing the creaser and cutter tomorrow and if all works out I can start making the custom shipping boxes right away. Each box will need 3 CNC jobs, each with a tool change, so it's going to be a time consuming slog I can monitor while sanding.

If you have a CNC and want any of these tool designs I'll be posting them after I have all the kinks worked out along with a 'how to' and templates for making your own custom environmentally friendly boxes. I just gotta figure it out myself first

 

[BeakZ]

Greetings Judges,

Following on from Props3D (Chris') posts of his progress on the Lawgivers, I thought I'd supply a few pics of my own progress.

Left: Most of the parts with 2 rounds or priming and sanding. Right: A fresh coat of black primer in my (well used) spray booth

Some more of the parts after another priming

Making use of Chris' new stands for the Lawgivers. This was a quick fit check and to see what the new orange barrels look like

One of the Lawgivers with the magazine in place for fit checks (just primed no top-coats)

So this is where all my parts (minus the electronics caddies which are in the house) are at the moment. Everything has had primer to the point they are ready for painting (except the stands which need at least one more round of sanding and priming). I've already put two coats of Gun Metal on the top parts, which will then have another coat of black on top. The bullets have had one round of brass acrylic paint.

The plastic container holds all my screws, brass pins and some small plastic parts.

My electronics stash isn't as impressive as Chris'

I've started wiring up the first of the electronics caddies, so I should be able to get on with those while paint dries Although, since I've had to start wearing reading glasses, I feel a bit like this doing electronics now:

Stay focused
BeakZ

 

[enterprise0216]

Just crazy cool thanks for sharing the pics Beakz.

 

[Props3D]

=Box Update=

Ok, first off you have to see through the jank here, I'm very happy with how this WILL look but I thought I would share it how it is now, please keep an open mind. And yes, I do overengineer literally everything I touch. I have yet to find a support group so I need an outlet.

I created two from scratch CNC tools to create the inner box, the drag knife was already modded from another project.
From Left to right:
The scorer: Folding .5mm card stock straight is next to impossible, so this will create score lines to make folding easy. The tip is rounded 1/8 steel rod.
The sharpie: I create an outline toolpath and this will create a design on the inside and outside of the box. I could just make a sticker but this is far more fun, correct me if you think otherwise.
The drag knife: Stepcraft makes amazing drag knives so I just made a tool holder for it, easy.

No, the print quality isn't great, it's engineering PLA printed at very high temps so it can stand the stresses of being in a CNC. I only make things as pretty as they need to be.

They're free floating on 3 brass rods I tapped and threaded onto the tool holder, and spring loaded to keep the pressure consistent

It requires 4 toolpaths to make the inner box, shown here overlaid:

Pen tool to start
1. Draws the picture, in this case the logo for testing

Score tool change
2. Score tool marks all the folds cleanly

Dragknife tool change
3. First cut pass makes all the inner cuts to make a space for the Lawgiver and fold the flaps down to protect it, there's cuts on the back that each flap fits into

4. Second cut pass cuts the inner box shape, with the bottom being raised 1cm for a layer of protective material to prevent shipping damage

So with humility here's the janky first attempt:

(again, this is an early V1 lawgiver put together solely for the purposes of testing)

Problem 1: I thought I would have to cut around the creases to make folding easier but it was a flop.
Solution: Next attempt will be creases only at fold points.

Problem 2: I didn't have the outer box at the time (they just arrived 20min ago) and the insert was a bit too big so I just crammed it in.
Solution: Easy size adjustment

Problem 3: The card stock still had the curl from the roll, which makes this all wavy.
Solution: I've precut blanks and they're being pressed flat as we speak.

BUT I think I proved, at least to myself, that this isn't as dumb of a tangent as it could have been, so tally ho!

edit: here's an instagram post of the inner cutout pre-cram, it's much cleaner looking: Props3D on Instagram

 

[enterprise0216]

The is no such thing as over doing if you have a vision you want made into reality. For a not finished box it’s going to be a home run when you done with it.

 

[Movie Magic]

Wow. Your janky first attempt is better than most people's final attempt. Lol. You take skill and attention to detail to a whole new level! It's impressive!