my Monster X story
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:18 am
I got ahold of an old monster X for really cheep because of the trigger having snapped in half (the external finger trigger had separated from the trigger ring that goes on the pump shaft).
So I got this thing home and god was it sad. When I opened her up the insides were bright blue and green, but the outsides had faded to navy and a pale lime. Sun damage. I tested the clear plastic over the firing chamber and found it to be sound, so I went to work on the trigger. I first tried a combination of hot glue and wire to glue it back into its original form.
I got it back together rather quickly and pumped up. Hoo boy. Good shot, but the water was leaking from the QFD, and after the first shot it dribbled with each pump. So I opened her up again and this time decided this gun wasnt going to be a simple fix. I spent three days taking the shell down to component parts (the shell on a monster x has like 3 panels you can take off) and painting each one. The translucent material I left as it was since it wasnt too faded, but I ended up painting the pump, nozzle, handle and tank bright red, as well as redoing a lot of the black trim where it had been viciously scuffed. The stickers were faded so I ended up painting over them in silver.
Then I learned that the tank is made out of an evil material meant to not hold paint... So I peeled off what now looked like a latex glove and sanded the tank. Then I repainted it. Finally got it all back together and found out the trigger still felt flimsy and that the firing problem was due to the trigger sticking. Its two weeks into this project now and I have now rebuilt the trigger and the action almost completely. I replaced the wire that goes from the trigger to the firing lever. I hot glued the external trigger directly on to the pump ring (the way Larami should have had it in the first place IMHO)
Then I began sanding and smoothing every imaginable surface the trigger could be hanging on. And just to make damn sure it didnt get stuck open and dribble anymore I added in two elastic bands on the firing lever and firing pin. Finally I found that it was one of the little deals from the shell meant to keep the pump shaft in place that was catching the trigger ring. There were three others so I burned this one off. Then I filled the QFD with hot glue to stop the leak there. I also wanted to poke into the firing chamber to see if the ring was alright, but it had been opened by the previous owner and epoxied shut, and the trigger repair fixed the problem completely.
I got some red ribbon and made a new strap to match my all red and black color scheme, tethered the cap into the tank, and finally I have a fully functioning and aesthetically pleasing weapon.... Think I'll sell it now lol. I'll have photos soon. Here is what it looked like before my modifications.
here is what a new one looks like thanks to http://www.isoaker.com
So I got this thing home and god was it sad. When I opened her up the insides were bright blue and green, but the outsides had faded to navy and a pale lime. Sun damage. I tested the clear plastic over the firing chamber and found it to be sound, so I went to work on the trigger. I first tried a combination of hot glue and wire to glue it back into its original form.
I got it back together rather quickly and pumped up. Hoo boy. Good shot, but the water was leaking from the QFD, and after the first shot it dribbled with each pump. So I opened her up again and this time decided this gun wasnt going to be a simple fix. I spent three days taking the shell down to component parts (the shell on a monster x has like 3 panels you can take off) and painting each one. The translucent material I left as it was since it wasnt too faded, but I ended up painting the pump, nozzle, handle and tank bright red, as well as redoing a lot of the black trim where it had been viciously scuffed. The stickers were faded so I ended up painting over them in silver.
Then I learned that the tank is made out of an evil material meant to not hold paint... So I peeled off what now looked like a latex glove and sanded the tank. Then I repainted it. Finally got it all back together and found out the trigger still felt flimsy and that the firing problem was due to the trigger sticking. Its two weeks into this project now and I have now rebuilt the trigger and the action almost completely. I replaced the wire that goes from the trigger to the firing lever. I hot glued the external trigger directly on to the pump ring (the way Larami should have had it in the first place IMHO)
Then I began sanding and smoothing every imaginable surface the trigger could be hanging on. And just to make damn sure it didnt get stuck open and dribble anymore I added in two elastic bands on the firing lever and firing pin. Finally I found that it was one of the little deals from the shell meant to keep the pump shaft in place that was catching the trigger ring. There were three others so I burned this one off. Then I filled the QFD with hot glue to stop the leak there. I also wanted to poke into the firing chamber to see if the ring was alright, but it had been opened by the previous owner and epoxied shut, and the trigger repair fixed the problem completely.
I got some red ribbon and made a new strap to match my all red and black color scheme, tethered the cap into the tank, and finally I have a fully functioning and aesthetically pleasing weapon.... Think I'll sell it now lol. I'll have photos soon. Here is what it looked like before my modifications.
here is what a new one looks like thanks to http://www.isoaker.com