Hi Guys! I was planing my Proton Pack build and I decided to build the Proton Gun from aluminum first.
So I was looking through the different plans and reference pictures (Thank you Ross Arbuckle!) for the correct measurements and everyone writes that the Gun Track is 7.5" long. So I build mine in Cad (SolidWorks) and the pictures aren´t match with my model. Why? Then I understand it. In the picture with the measuring tape, the tapes end is fixed on the “shoulder” of the lower edge. So it isn´t in the same level with the upper plane. That means that the length can not be 7.5", because of perspective distortion.
Also, most milled replica versions have pointed “spiky” front ends. That´s not right if you see the detail pictures 16-18 in the reference from Ramis Hero Pack (http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/reference/39/0/).
It´s 7 3/8" according to the picture. You have to look at the edge, that is on the same level with the measuring tape.
I tried to match the front of my model with picture 16 from Ramis Hero Pack and it looks O.K. for me, now (I used double measures in inch and mm for you guys, because normaly I just work in mm).
Bear in mind that the gun tracks on the GB2 Semi-Hero throwers are more or less identical to the Hero versions, as they were cast from a Hero thrower (most likely Ray’s, but I digress).
The original part most likely had sharper corners, and the prop builders sanded the tips down to prevent the actors from cutting themselves (similar to the heatsinks). It looks like they might have forgotten to sand the corners down for the Spengler Hero pack.
It’s not your gun track, nor do you need to alter your code unless you feel the need to offer both options, it’s just as easy for customers to sand it back themselves. But I think dvc’s description is probably right on the money.
I think maybe they changed the design in this part a little bit.
momeraths24 will agree with me that it´s hart to mill parts with “pointed ends” like this. It´s easier for a mill to cut a little bit away from an edge then directly into it, because the aluminum is relatively soft and the corner will bend or even break in this area under the force of the cutter. And it´s saver, too.
The surface of the frontpart looks very “machined” for me.
But maybe they just put it against a big grinding wheel. I build a lot of models in our university shop and we had 3 big stationary grinding wheels with sandpaper on it. I think most model builder shops will have this.
i would have to disagree about it being hard to mill parts with pointy ends with aluminum, last time i made up gun tracks i made 50, and had not one problem milling any of the pointy ends, in the end if your having issues cutting the points its not the aluminum, its the mill, cutter or coding
as for the end, it does not look machined to me but sanded, if it was machined you would see machining lines, going straight, but in this case you see them at a angle,
and you are right about your measurement finding but a little off at the same time, you took account for the angle when you did your measurements, but you put your line on the top of the gun track that steep down is also 1/4th, so its a little bit further back, overall gun track is 7.375 (which is in lines with measurements took form a hero gun (with points)), so i do congratulate you on your deductive skills.)but the sanded down part knocks it back to 7.25,
they did probably cut them back for gb2 or on the set of gb1, as they are a little sharp, there have been a few times i cut myself on them
Hello umoribawar, thank you for your comments. Yes, I think your right about that the marks are looking more sanded than milled.
I do not quite understand what you mean with “… but you put your line on the top of the gun track that steep down is also 1/4th”?
Do you mean the beginning of my measurements on the left side?
You can not see it so good in the the picture, but I´m at the same plane as the measuring tape and I start a little bit right from the blue line.
In picture 128.jpg from the Sony material, we can see that the 45° Angel begins at 7.25". We know from the other pictures, that the track ist 2" wide and that the Steps are 0.25". If we begin by 7.25" and divide a 0.25 x 0.25" square by 45° we find ourself at the 7" mark we see on the measuring tape. Because the bars (how do you call this?) or bridges are all 0.25, when we add the 45° to it we have the original 7.5".
