The AK-47 to weird PDW mod thread. Purists beware, major modifications here!

[MotoSam]

I like everyting except the stock, which doesn't match the rest of the gun in my opinion. Any chance you would choose a different m4 butt stock? It may not be to everyones taste, but I think this (http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/jing-gong-m4-metal-folding-stock.html) would suit it well, being a PDW it should be able to be folded up!

 

I love the receiver, and the front end is very neat, I think the gun looked best when it was free of the tape on the grip and the very busy stock you have now. Not to be negative, I love the build, it has a lot of imagination and unique construction, beyond just a chopped down AEG. I hope to see some further images in future, maybe with a folding stock...

[J.J.Simpson]

Would be very interested how did you make that extra sexy magwell? It is not standard item, however, I do not see the process in the thread Please explain thank you

[Stinky]

ah, the mag well. 1st thanks for the complements!

 

Ok, I did the mag well years ago, it went so well I decided to go to school for industrial design. That is going well and now my skills are much better.

 

This is how I did it back then:

 

Cut two peices of plastic to match each other to be the sides.

 

Epoxy in place, rough the edges to make them bond better.

 

Edit: Of note here, the right bonding agent makes all the difference! ... !!! I recall i used a specific solvent based bonding agent called 'plastic weld' which is sort of like epoxy but doesn't fill gaps as well, but its feature is it melts the plastics and bonds them together at a molecular level, makes them one. This allows the mag well to be very strong. The faces joined have to be flush, sanded to fit each other perfectly, then given some 'tooth' some grain and texture, but not to much as the stuff does not fill gaps well.

 

Sand, fill any gaps, sand again, paint a light coat of primer, sand again, fill gaps which will be exposed by having the light (guide) coat of primer still in them, fill those, sand everything smooth and too the shape on the edges you desire. Fine sand paper mkaes things slow but allows one to make things accurate and symetrical, rough saves time but allows one to screw up...

 

Now that I have been trained in model fabrication and assembly I would sketch it firtst to make sure I like the design then make a CAD and 3d model, laser cut the parts for accuracy, and then do the rest pretty much as I described it.

 

I can post some drawings and measurments if anyone wants to replicate this, but most aren't using a 7 year old TM plastic body so you may have to measure and cut yourself. This works well with a plastic body, for a metal one I would make a steel or aluminum mag well that attached to the 4 screws for the mag release in the back and drill two mounting holes in the bottom of the lower receiver just in front of the mag well to secure the front. You could make this part out of plastic as well I suppose. Any easy way to do that would be to make each side by heating 1/4 inch or 3-4mm plastic sheat and form it over a metal AK mag. Then cut out the peices you want as the sides of the mag well, join them, and attach (directly for plastic body, aformentioned external part for metal).

 

Come to think of it, I would probably form the sides over an AK mag if I were to do it over. Which I might.

 

Edit: I will take some close ups of the mag well inside and out and put together a better guide which I will post seperatly.

[Stinky]

big update coming later today. Painted everything another coat of crylon camo flat black this morning.

 

First pics of the new MP5-ish front end in a few hours when its dry enough to assemble. No front grip yet, but the foregrip has been modified big time, hope you all like where its going...

[Stinky]

MP5-ish front end of the HK PDK-12! Still a bit of forming, sanding, and painting left to do. The foregrip will look like one part, the irregular seem will be gone, soon.

 

Just a guide coat, its going to be sanded and painted again.

 

Changes:

 

Foregrip now removable, attaches with inset screws. Foregrip modded with forms on each side to give the screws a 'place' to be. Hopefully it makes the screws look 'factory' and part of the design rather then an afterthought.

 

MP5 style stop and foregrip extension, with airflow gaps for barrel heat dissipation. Keeps front hand from getting burned from muzzle flash, which I suppose would give a nasty sinburn or worse after some full auto without gloves. But no more! Now the foregrip blocks most of that heat, if it were real, which its not. Anyway, please comment on this now look to the front end. Its at a point were it is easily cut off and redone so now is the time to say something. It will be getting a removable but flush mounted vert-grip like the mp5, with about the same spacing from the stop.

 

Select lever broke twice! First the part seperated the jb weld not sticking to the pot metal part that my new lever is attached to. I tried to connect it with solder. Got the part good and hot and melted solder in all the gaps, worked for a very short while then seperated. Nothing will stick to that pot metal... except a screws threads! Love having really good set of drill bits, down to very tiny. Took a very small screw and made the two parts one, done, no more breaking. The parts have steps that mesh and take the load, the screw just keeps the parts together permanently.

 

Firing hand one finger ambidextrous mag release... Its really nice, rough prototype but functions in every way perfectly. My own design, and all rights reserved. I hope to learn much more about product design backend by havign that part manufactured and seeing if I can get Airsoft shops to sell it retail. Its a small cheap part and is perfect for that, if I have a few hundred made and they dont sell its not going to ruin me and will still be worth the experiance. Sorry no close ups but you can sort of see it there on the mag release lever. The freakin cameras batteries died after 5 shots

 

More pics of the new mods when I get batteries.

 

To be done:

 

1) Vertical grip for the front.

 

2) Freakin side folding stock already

 

3) Need a stick 2cell lipo to go in the receiver, maybe a 3cell but its an old beatdown mechbox...

 

4) Need a new grip, that looks good and is actually mine vs the so-so loner on it now.

 

Ah, on that note a question: Do these APS ergonomic pistol grips "For AEK AK Series Airsoft AEG Rifle" (accordign to ehobby asia) work with a TM AK standard AK body and v3?

 

5) Make some cool custom mags to go with it, make a case for the AEG and all its attachments, mags, a manual.

 

6) Take pics for portfolio of everything, try to get a job with an entertainment model making company doing stuff like this for movies.

 

7) Sell this project gun... probably with a new drop in mechbox.

 

Cheers, thanks for cheeking the prokect out!

[Stinky]

ugh huge double post sorry!

 

Edit: dont want a useless post here, so....

 

Want a new F word? Tired of the old F word? I just started using Fukushima as my new F word, it Fukuing fits in every instance, and seems both fresher and more catastrophic.

[J.J.Simpson]

Great! I will do the ALU magwell. The drawings would be nice, because mags are curved. The front of the magwell should be larger in length. Or front should be shorter in height.

 

One more question - could you also make a close up pictures of the mag catch. I see it is modded and I am doing the desings for mine. Would be interesting to see what you did.

[FireKnife]

Looks so nice until you get to the M4 stock

 

'FireKnife'

[WhiteHawksan]

I wonder if there's aw ay to bodge an MP5 slider on there

[FireKnife]

Now that would be so fricking epic i would have that.

 

If it came in gas and didn't have a woefully low capacity

 

'FireKnife'

[dannyeprice23]

LOVE the look of it, until the stock

 

Great job though, respect to anyone willing to put that much time and effort into a project. Nice one mate

[Stinky]

I will be changing the stock I swear.

 

New paint scheme, going to do the fore-grip as well today.

 

 

 

 

 

And for Spaghtti here is a close up with some explanations.

I used an M3 tap and m3 cap screw to mount the trigger finger mag release part. The part itself is 3 ABS plastic parts epoxied together, clamped to make it stronger after curing (without some continuous pressure epoxy bonds aren't all that strong). Its a base plate with through hole for the screw that fits the curved flanges on the backside of the mag release, and the two raised parts on ether side of the trigger guard. Probably better to carve it all out of one thick piece of plastic but I didn't have that. Could be made from bent steal as well, I think the Beta Project Magpul version uses that. There are retail airsoft parts sort of similar to this available (though I believe my design is a bit better).

 

In the above image you can get an idea of how I made the lower receiver in front of the mag well extend down farther, this is so the fore-grip is supported better and to make the mag well deeper. The way the AK mag is secured makes it necessary to leave the front more open unless I mod the front catch to be spring loaded. Thats something I want to do eventually, not super difficult, but some tedious small parts to make to do that one.

 

So do you like the tan? Or should I go back to black? its no big deal to do black over it, it needs 3-4 more coats of ether anyway.

 

Edit: here is a QUICK photoshop of how it will look with the foregrip painted tan.

 

And here is one of the whole thing tanned out.

 

What do you all think?

[Cuppycake]

While this isnt in my taste I love the plastic work! Im a big plastic welder myself so I enjoy seeing something come together so well. I love your mag release. Awesome job again.

[CeruleanSentinel]

I love this gun. You have seriously outdone yourself with it!

[Stinky]

Thanks Cuppycake, CeruleanSentinel, and everyone else as well!

 

Here it is with the fore-grip painted...

Need to stop fooling with paint and finish blending that grip!

 

Have the folding stock nearly figured out... slight pain to make the hinge really strong and stiff and the latch reliable, stiff, and hopefully replaceable if worn out or broken. Basing the outline on the mp5k/pdw stock.

[Stinky]

Quick little update, and some bragging about my skills...

 

This the mechbox from the Moded AEG in this thread. I serviced it last about 3-4 years ago, maybe 2-3 outdoor games then sat in a closet for a year, then brought back out as a plinker. Maybe 8000 rounds through it since last servicing. Half those slightly dirty recycled BB's from indoor and backyard plinking. Years of neglect, I feared the worst even though it sounded just fine.

 

No cleaning before the pics, taken immediately after opening it up for the first time in years... I couldn't believe what I found...

So how is it so clean, how is there still a fine layer of silicon on everything after almost 4 years without any care whatsoever?

 

 

This stuff, differential oil for high performance RC cars, is magical. Comes in various weights that are perfect for every type of mechbox need from gears to cylinder to, ummm, more gears! Its AWESOME!!! Did you hear me? I said AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

5000 weight is epic for gears longevity, perfect for high power setups, lower weight around 2000 is perfect for higher speed setups but requires more care as it doesn't stay in place like the 5000. 500 to 1200 weight is great for cylinders depending on ambient temp, with around 800 being all around goodness.

 

This stuff is so much better, or at times the same exact thing, as high priced 'airsoft' silicon. Only its packaged for a larger more knowledgeable market so it has things like details on the packaging of what it actually is, a wide range of options, clear documentation of ingredients, value, stuff that is almost unheard of in airsoft...

 

A huge tube that will last you years is about the same cost as a single one use tube of an "airsoft" silicon that is often far worse and at best the same thing but without the exact weight and type indicated like the better RC silicon.

[crackisbad]

Amazing job!

 

I think I liked it better all black. The tan is too light for my tastes and makes it look funny. I actually don't mind the M4 stock, I just wish it wasn't angled so far down...

[renegadecow]

The tan is too light for my tastes

I think it's just due to bad flash settings.

Stinky, could you take photos outdoors when it's sunny? Should bring out the true color.

[Stinky]

Thanks Crackisbad and Renegadecow! I will get some new pics when I assemble it next time.

 

Soldered it a new Mosfet that fits up in the gas block all the way in under the front sight, so I have more battery room and space for a voltage monitor and battery alarm.

Its waaaay back in there, would love to mount it with the sight as a heat sink but its to deep... might work something out we shall see.

 

Question, how much should I worry about protecting the mosfet in there? It will be heatshrink wrapped, but do you think it needs more then that?

 

New battery for this little guy as well, still lagging on the stock and new mags... but have other bike frame building project holding those up.

[Jibbity]

Nice work Stinky, it really has a distinctive look.

[Stinky]

Update and quick body modding guide at the end.

 

Pics without stock.

 

Mini blade fuse socket

 

Making the left side match the right. Ditched the sling loop in favor of symmetry.

Masking then filling.

 

Ugly pink bondo, hate the red hardener need some more white. But the fill worked OK, needs petting with sandpaper to make it happy.

 

It will look like the right after some TLC

Doing some work on the rail mounts on the gas block as well. Drilled and tapped the gas tube for the M3 mounting screws to make the rails very solid, need to clean up the surface.

 

BTW, check out the 50 meter rifle and air rifle and pistol Olympic events. The custom stocks and air guns are AMAZING!

[jal3]

So how is it so clean, how is there still a fine layer of silicon on everything after almost 4 years without any care whatsoever?

 

The answer is in the start of your post:

I serviced it last about 3-4 years ago, maybe 2-3 outdoor games then sat in a closet for a year, then brought back out as a plinker.

 

If you don't use it, it won't be used. No offense, i just found it a bit funny

[Stinky]

True, not trying to embellish things at all it was used in 2-3 games where I may not have even dove head first into sand and dirt, then maybe 3000-5000 rounds just shooting without any running around

 

I think its amazingly clean, even if it was "used lightly".

 

And don't forget the important part, the high quality silicon is like it just came out of the bottle after 4 years!