My 3D Printed DLT-19 build and customization

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

Hi bros, 

I bought a DLT-19 3dprinted kits from 3DpropsNL on Etsy last october, and finally managed to complete building&customizing&painting.

First of all the kit, it came sorta like that (more red than black on mine):

The kit is solid (two aluminium pipes inside) and surprisingly lightweight.

 

Phase one was of course heavy sanding and glueing. I decided to keep it one piece to avoid paint scratching on connecting parts.

(sanded parts are matte, unsanded are gloss)

 

Phase two was the fun part: looking at tons of reference pics, I found out that the kit, although very detailed, is missing some stuff here and there; so I decided to add some details using some techniques I learned from the E-11 build.

 

Some knurled patterns in a couple of strategic spots:

 

A fatter, knurled handgrip:

 

Viewfinder details:

 

Another pattern for the bottom lever:

 

Replaced both printed flaps with two plastic pieces, screwed directly to the pipe:

 

Added a small tab and other details to the ammo load:

 

Replaced the plastic tip of the locking stud with a long screw (secured into the pipe), adding a sculpted tip (that's for folded bipod stability):

 

Carved the butt stock, adding pattern and a big screw:

 

 

I also replaced the incorrect socket caps screws with flat ones neext to the handle and replaced all the moveable parts pins with headless allen screws.

 

Phase three was a couple of layers of filler/primer:

 

and a generous amount of gunmetal paint for the main gun, brown for the butt stock:

 

Phase four was final assembly of remaining parts:

Folded bipod was permanently glued to its locking stud:

 

Flat black handle was added (also using headless allen screws, to be covered with round caps for accuracy):

 

An accurate two pieces metal cover, painted flat black, was added to the ammo exit port:

 

Phase five was final touch-ups with slight sanding overall, different shades of metal paint:

 

Some good old rusty effect (also covering up for potential paint chip revealing the orange below):

 

Accurate heavy weathering on the metal cover and round disc:

 

Accurate round covers for the handle screws:

 

And some brown patterns on the butt stock trying to simulate bakelite:

 

Last but not least, I replaced the t-tracks that came with the kit with flat black PVC ones from Super6props, accurately shaped with knife:

 

So here's the final result:

 

I'm still undecided if I need the accurate (was it accurate for all used DLT-19?) metal wire around the t-tracks.

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by SithThundercracker

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Great Job Peter, looks so cool!!! congratulations!!

 

What about the quality, is it strong enough for trooping? cold or hot day.

 

 

 

[T-Jay[TK]]

Beautiful!

You have done an outstanding job with all the upgrades, the paintjob and the perfect weathering. This build turned out great.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Nice work Peter, love the detail in the weathering.

[acetilacetato[TK]]

It has been very nice, congratulations

Enviado desde mi SM-N950F mediante Tapatalk

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

 

11 hours ago, TKSpartan said:

Great Job Peter, looks so cool!!! congratulations!!

 

What about the quality, is it strong enough for trooping? cold or hot day.

 

 

 

 

Thanks. PLA is pretty lightweight so it's comfortable, it's also decently strong and aluminium pipes give it a solid frame, but if you bump it a lot it may be a little more prone to denting than solid resin. And I'm surely gonna bump it, giving how big it is

5 hours ago, T-Jay said:

Beautiful!

You have done an outstanding job with all the upgrades, the paintjob and the perfect weathering. This build turned out great.

 

3 hours ago, Sly11 said:

Nice work Peter, love the detail in the weathering.

 

2 hours ago, acetilacetato said:

It has been very nice, congratulations

Enviado desde mi SM-N950F mediante Tapatalk
 

Thanks brothers!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Wow awesome job Peter

[wook1138[TK]]

Very nice!  As for the wire, I'm not sure, but I do know MEPD asks for it on upper level approvals.  It is an easy addition.

[Helotech[TK]]

OMFG!! Really nice job.

The fantastic paint job makes it look almost exactly like a real GPMG.

 

I ordered mine a few months ago and am awaiting shipping.

 

Apparently they are using a newer material for the printing that is more tolerant to heat.

 

Do you have an exact list of paint brands and types you used?

Are you doing any clear coats to protect the finish from rubbing off?

 

 

 

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

On 9/26/2019 at 4:28 PM, Helotech said:

OMFG!! Really nice job.

The fantastic paint job makes it look almost exactly like a real GPMG.

 

I ordered mine a few months ago and am awaiting shipping.

 

Apparently they are using a newer material for the printing that is more tolerant to heat.

 

Do you have an exact list of paint brands and types you used?

Are you doing any clear coats to protect the finish from rubbing off?

 

 

 

Thanks mate.

Filler primer was this one:

https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B077VND3JT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Paints were regular acrylics (cheap brand) I found at the hardware store here in Italy, these specifically:

https://www.lindinger.at/en/cars-trucks-und-boats/accessories/paint-und-gloss/duplicolor-model-color-400ml-ruby-red-ral3003

I used gunmetal grey, flat balck and brown.

All touch ups and rusty effect were made with diluted Vallejo acrylics.

 

No protective coat at the moment.

[Helotech[TK]]

Thanks for the info.

 

Out of curiosity, how long did it take for you to get your DLT delivered? I’ve been waiting a few months now.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Wow, Peter, gotta' say that is one SWEET DLT-19, brother!  I am SOOO glad to see you took the extra time to sand all the parts down smooth.  We see a lot of 3D printed weapons here that get little (or no) sandpaper/filler love, but you went above and beyond and now you have a BFG you can be proud of!  Nice job!!  

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

5 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Wow, Peter, gotta' say that is one SWEET DLT-19, brother!  I am SOOO glad to see you took the extra time to sand all the parts down smooth.  We see a lot of 3D printed weapons here that get little (or no) sandpaper/filler love, but you went above and beyond and now you have a BFG you can be proud of!  Nice job!!  

Thanks! Yes it took me a bit of elbow grease but it was worth the effort.

5 hours ago, Helotech said:

Thanks for the info.

 

Out of curiosity, how long did it take for you to get your DLT delivered? I’ve been waiting a few months now.

Ordered  july 5th 2018, shipped november 8th 2018. 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, SithThundercracker said:

Thanks! Yes it took me a bit of elbow grease but it was worth the effort.

I know what you mean!  I must have spent 30 hours (seriously) sanding mine down.  Being a detail freak, I didn't want ANY print lines.

[Helotech[TK]]

I ordered mine in June of this year, so hopefully I will get it soon.

Apparently they are using a new material called PLAX3. I wonder if this will change the quality of the printing as well? I've never had to work with 3D printed material, so this should be fun.

I'm a bit OCD as well Joseph, so this will be an intense labour of love.

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

4 hours ago, Helotech said:

I ordered mine in June of this year, so hopefully I will get it soon.

Apparently they are using a new material called PLAX3. I wonder if this will change the quality of the printing as well? I've never had to work with 3D printed material, so this should be fun.

I'm a bit OCD as well Joseph, so this will be an intense labour of love.

Yes, I saw Eelco patented PLAX3 himself. Just write him on FB if you have no news since June...it may be useful to remind him.

[Helotech[TK]]

I had to email him about 3 or 4 times over a few weeks to get a response and he never got back to me. When I sent a separate email a couple weeks ago asking about the new material, he responded within a couple days, but not about when my DLT will ship.

I don't want to get into the issues to much on this page. I'm just a little disappointed about the customer service and promise on his web page about orders taking 8 to 9 weeks, when the reality is more than double that (and counting...) Especially when you have to pay full amount up front.

 

[SithThundercracker[TK]]

1 hour ago, Helotech said:

I had to email him about 3 or 4 times over a few weeks to get a response and he never got back to me. When I sent a separate email a couple weeks ago asking about the new material, he responded within a couple days, but not about when my DLT will ship.

I don't want to get into the issues to much on this page. I'm just a little disappointed about the customer service and promise on his web page about orders taking 8 to 9 weeks, when the reality is more than double that (and counting...) Especially when you have to pay full amount up front.

 

Despite the overall quality of the stuff (which is VERY good), I completely agree.

[Helotech[TK]]

Peter,

 

Finally got my 3d-Prop DLT a few days ago and started a build thread.

 

Did you receive any assembly instructions with yours? I'm a handy and smart guy, but this has way more parts than I thought it did.

I think your thread is absolutely fantastic, and you did some very good upgrades with your gun, but do you have anymore detailed shots or tips?

I'm just going to start sanding for now to make some process. I will be using this thread as a very good resource.

Thanks,

 

Dave