Original audio circuit on left, mine on right. I figured out the points to jump power across and used 3xAA batteries to replace the 3 1.5v coin cells, just to test. Still works.
Now that I know where to attach power to, the problem was figuring out what I could get away with inside the guns. I contemplated buying a rechargeable battery and putting it in a permanent position inside the gun with a plug somewhere on the outside that I could charge it at. Ultimately, though, I opted to go for disposable batteries for this one for two reasons: size concerns, and the ability to keep the guns working on the move at a convention. Last time I brought something with a powered element to the con, I used hard-to-source 12v batteries, and when they died on me mid-show it was a huge bummer. I want something I can easily find, replace, and continue on with my way with.
Which is why, when I noticed one spot fit a 9v battery rather cozily, my work was done!
I dremelled out the back of the upper handle and started to build a battery enclosure for a 9v in that space, being careful not to interfere with the moving parts that cause the gun hinge to move.
I had to pad the inside sides of the gun to keep the battery from jigglin’ left and right, and while I was at it, I felt like putting a bit of extra detail in those capsule-shaped holes by the battery was a good start. I scoured my workshed for something that would work as a detail piece, looking in particular for mesh, until I found a hose clamp instead.
Since I had a bunch of these, why not? I cut it, straightened it out, glued the back and clamped it to the plastic for about ten minutes while the glue dried. I put a scrap piece of plastic in the clamp with it so as not to end up damaging the visible exterior surface with the ‘teeth’ texture on the clamp. When all’s said and done…
For the rest of the gun, I filled in the remainder of the gap between front and back halves with plastic and then bondo’d roughly over it just to get that process started. I’m letting it dry for now, eating lunch, and then going back into the breach to see how much more I can get done today.
With regards to the audio the blasters will be playing, I think I have my solution. Star Lord is a playable character in the free-to-play game Marvel Heroes, so I’ve gone ahead and ripped the audio files of his blaster and other attacking sound effects from the game to .mp3 format, which I will load onto the chip in short order. Not necessarily screen-accurate, perhaps, but certainly canonically consistent!
