My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build - FINISHED!

[tim]

First off, thanks to SD Studios for producing such an amazing kit, exactingly replicated from a screen-used original. I managed to catch the tail end of the initial run, and snagged a resin body and grip set that required almost no prep work. Originally, I was planning to make my own barrel from found parts, but that approach soon proved to be intractable.

So, I decided to order the remaining metal parts and get to work on some electronics while I was waiting for them to arrive. First, I assembled the body and grip after adding wire guides with a drill. I was able to locate a momentary SPST micro-switch for the trigger assembly.

I built a simple circuit to illuminate the emitters.

I then painted the assembled body and grip, using gray primer with an immediately applied satin black topcoat (Krylon spray paints).

The remaining metal parts arrived yesterday, and so final assembly has begun. You will note that I had to replace the battery holder in my circuit, as there was no room for the dual-AAA holder within the inner brass barrel. I'm now using a single 3V lithium coin cell to power the high-brightness orange LED.

I've since installed the trigger and electronics and am now waiting for epoxy to dry. Next, I will do some touch-up painting and construct the sight. I will be leaving the trigger unpainted as I think paint would wear off due to the trigger rubbing against the grip.

 

[Johnny Fever]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Lookin good!
I need to get one of those in my collection one of these days.


-John

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

The epoxy has dried, and so final assembly has occurred--along with a bit of paint touch-up.

Barrel retracted (flash)

Barrel extended (no flash)

"Firing" the laser to demonstrate emitter illumination (no flash)

I have not yet built and installed the sight. I will work on that over the weekend and post a final pic or two.

 

[stapleton13]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Looks good. I can't wait to start on mine.

 

[phase pistol]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

A sharp build of an excellent kit! :thumbsup

 

[Onigiri]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

are you going to paint the trigger?

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

are you going to paint the trigger?

I'm considering leaving it as-is for now, as I like the color contrast. I can always come back and paint it later if the spirit moves me.

 

[saberforge]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

It looks great, any way of adding sound effects?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Nice!

Getting ready to start mine soon.

Do you have any pics of the barrel under construction (removing the resin plug on the pistol to attach the extender tube, etc)?

 

[stapleton13]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

It looks great, any way of adding sound effects?

I'll post when I start on mine. I would like to add the guts from the playmates laser if possible.

 

[kell]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Really like the build. "The Cage" pistol has always been a favorite of mine.

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

I'll post when I start on mine. I would like to add the guts from the playmates laser if possible.

There's not a whole lot of space inside the stationary inner barrel, so hopefully that circuit board is small.

Minor setback with the LED board becoming unseated from within the telescoping outer barrel due to some binding with the battery holder. I've re-designed the wiring and re-epoxied the LED board in place, allowing much more time for the adhesive to set to full strength.

 

[stapleton13]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

There's not a whole lot of space inside the stationary inner barrel, so hopefully that circuit board is small.

Minor setback with the LED board becoming unseated from within the telescoping outer barrel due to some binding with the battery holder. I've re-designed the wiring and re-epoxied the LED board in place, allowing much more time for the adhesive to set to full strength.

I haven't torn into my playmates laser yet, but most of the playmates boards are really small. I have managed to get a set into a cricket phaser. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[kdawg1]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

I wish I could have gotten in on this run but the cash flow has dried up! Your build up looks great, as for the trigger leave it alone I think it looks better raw. Just IMHO :thumbsup

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Nice!

Thanks!

Do you have any pics of the barrel under construction (removing the resin plug on the pistol to attach the extender tube, etc)?

I have pictures before and after the resin plug was removed, but nothing more. Basically, there is an aluminum cylinder that attaches to the body where the plug would have been, and the inner barrel is mounted to that with a screw. The aluminum cylinder is held in place with two long screws; you'll have to line everything up carefully and drill holes in the body yourself (I got to break in my new Bosch cordless drill).

Overall, the assembly of the kit is very straightforward, which is another testament to the quality of Steve's work. He's idiot-proofed it for dolts like me!

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

I'll post when I start on mine. I would like to add the guts from the playmates laser if possible.

That would be great, Myron.

The instructions are a bit hard to follow, for me anyway.

It would be great to follow your construction.

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Does anyone have close-up images of the sight on their builds? It looks like the screen-used original doesn't use the square bar provided with the kit, but has a flat metal piece soldered onto a piece of wire that's been bent into a "U" shape.

Thanks.

 

[feek61]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

Some of the sights were plexi as well. Look at the sight on Spocks laser here:

Here is a close-up without the plexi:

 

[tim]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

^ Thanks for that. I'm thinking of soldering a piece of copper-coated circuit board (the kind with no holes intended for etching your own traces) to the brass rods and spray-painting the whole thing silver to make a more screen-accurate sight.

I might also cut a square of plastic from a CD case and glue it in.

 

[SD Studios]

Re: My "The Cage" Laser Pistol Build WIP

There is no definitive shot of the sight. It was missing on Greg's when I got to it. Those screen-grabs are the best we have.

I made the build-ups with a square-U-shaped, bent brass rod soldered to a brass cross-bar. For the kits, I supplied the plastic bar and two pieces of brass rod.

In some shots, the cross-bar appears to be thick. In others, it looks much thinner. I am just not sure. So, I decided to supply the plastic bar for the kits and the brass soldered bar for the buildups.

That, and I only had a very small length of the brass bar and I wanted to use it for the completed buildups. I have looked in three local hobby shops and nobody stocks the correct-size bar. I must have gotten it in a bag of "odds 'n ends" that I bought years ago. So, I had to ration out what I had.

Hope that helps...