I’ve been building up one of my new 2.5 gun kits and since there are a few new changes from my last build thread I thought it would be a good idea to document my progress. I started this build yesterday afternoon and finished it up early this morning. Check out the 2.0 build thread if you haven’t already - http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11343
Here is the kit as it comes to you. I’ve done a one over to clean up some of the seam lines and such, but there is still a little minor work that needs to be done.
Cleaning:
Gun Body
Like with the last kit, I ship the gun body with the trim intact to help avoid possible damage on the side-knob side of the gun. Fortunately removing the trim is a very quick and simple procedure.
Using a utility or exact-o knife, score along the thinnest part of the trim. It is likely that you will break through after a few passes, but if not, you can snap off the trim after you have carved in good score line.
You are going to want to sand along the inside opening of the rear handle hole, the inside opening of the bargraph hole, and along the bottom edge to remove whatever is left of the trim. You can use an exact-o knife to clean up the vent holes, but I prefer sanding them from behind until the resin membrane has dissolved. You can get a cleaner edge that way, though it takes longer than using the blade.
Grips
The grips won’t require much work. The pour-ends will need some sanding with medium-grit sandpaper (they have already been sanded with course-grit).
On the backside you will find a seam line that you will want to sand down before attachment.
The best way to clean up the backside is to wrap a piece of sand paper around your pipe and go at it. In this case it is wise to use course-grit sandpaper.
Track & Base Plate
The red line indicates a seam line on the mold. I have given this line a once over with course-grit sandpaper, but you may want to double check it and go at it with some finer grit. The blue represents potential air bubble zones. Sometimes you can see where air bubbles have formed under the surface. In most cases you do not have to do anything to clean this area up. If the bubbles are deep enough, you can move forward with painting. Use your judgment and decide if you need to fill anything or not.
Once everything is cleaned up you will want to drill out your holes. Pretty much every drill point has been marked for you with small indentions to help guide you.
Ears
If you have purchased my kit you may be wondering what the drill intention is for on the far side of the flat ear. This intention marks the center point of the ear in case you would like to drill a passage to hide the wires for your lighting. Drill as the arrow indicates above.
Assembly:
Rear Cylinder Assembly
The drill points really make this a breeze. Insert a threaded rod into the rear of the cylinder, leaving around ½” exposed. I used a 1/8” machine screw with the head chopped off for my threaded rod.
Make sure the corresponding hole is just large enough to let the threaded rod pass through.
Once in place, secure with a bolt.
Trigger Box Assembly
NOTE: BEFORE YOU INSTALL YOUR TRIGGER BOX, DO NOT FORGET TO DRILL THE PASSAGE HOLE FOR THE WIRES!!!
Don’t forget to install the brass rod, either. You will not be able to install it after the trigger box has been installed.
In this photo you can see how everything lines up. I suggest testing the fit anyway before adding glue to the equation.
Glob on your epoxy. Wipe off the excess.
Tighten down the box with a pair of screws.
Once the box is installed and the glue has dried you can fill the access holes.
Rear Handle Assembly
Rear Handle installation is pretty simple and not much different from any other kit out there. You are going to want to start by scuffing up the part of the pipe you will be attaching it to, then gluing it down with epoxy. Rubber bands or electrical tape are good for holding down the grip while the glue sets. You can compound this with screws if you like.
You will want to trim off portions of the pipe so that it does not cover up the vents or needlessly take up additional room.
The pipe is then glued in and secured with a screw from the inside of the gun body.
This step probably isn’t necessary, but I sometimes add these little button head bolts for added strength and to replicated the rivets seen on some of the guns (not all of them).
Front Handle Assembly
You might want to sand the lip here and the corresponding portion of the PVC pipe before adding the glue.
Wipe off the excess glue.
Attach the front grip the same as the rear.
Fill the seam line.
Rotation
Ah, this is the part you are all waiting for. Just to get everything names; the sleeve attached to the gun is called the Front Peg, the short round tube is called the Rotation Collar, the tall tube is called the Rotation Peg, and then there is the Front Handle, of course.
NOTE: DO NOT FORGET TO DRILL A HOLE THROUGH YOUR ROTATION PEG BEFORE PROCEEDING!!!
Coat your Rotation Peg with a layer of dish soap then insert it into your front handle like so. Push it as far back as it will go. Coat your Front Peg with soap as well.
About an inch up into the front handle, layer in some epoxy. Do not glob it in, and do not get it on your Rotation Peg.
Spread a thin layer of epoxy around the outside of your Rotation Collar then slide it into the rear handle.
You can see here how the Rotation Peg lines up with the Rotation Collar.
Before the epoxy sets, slide it onto your Front Peg, stopping a hair before butting up against the raised area. All you are doing in this step is using the Front Peg to push the Rotation Collar into the front handle the correct distance. Pushing too far, then pulling back will NOT give you the correct distance. Let the glue set then remove the front handle from the front peg.
From this point on you can follow my last build and just glue the tip of the Rotation Peg to the inside of the Front Peg, but it would be recommended to follow the these steps to make a removable front handle.
To make the front handle removable you will need some set screws. Drill a small hole at about this position on your front handle, just big enough to fit your set screws.
Put your front handle over the front peg, and from the opposite end of the handle push the Rotation peg all the way down until it is inside of the Front Peg, then drill a hole until you have reached the center point of the Rotation Peg.
Drive down the set screw so that the barrel can rotate freely. One screw will probably do it, though for this particular build I used two, one on the opposite end of the one shown here.
Now your barrel should rotate without sliding off.
Another tip is to add a layer of silver tape around the Front Peg. Besides creating an extra snug fit, the tape will prevent the resin from showing through after the paint has been worn down due to the friction caused by rotating.
Base Plate Assembly
Pictured above are three points where I would recommend adding some epoxy putty to help hold down your base plate. Scoring and scuffing up those areas before applying the putty will give you a very strong bond.
Place your base plate over the bottom opening and use those holes as a guideline for drilling into the gun body. I recommend adding your bolt before moving on to the next hole, that way you can avoid any misaligned holes.
Some people use threaded inserts to hold down their base plate, and though I have no issue with that method, tapping directly into the resin and putty has done me well enough.
So there you have it, gun assembly in about 40 steps, give or take.
