Vickers machinegun

An actual working 100% scale model Vickers machinegun.

Just kidding, of course it doesn't work. This is a 1:1 scale model of a Vickers machinegun, as fitted to WW1 aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel. Only the outside is modelled, not the inside parts.

The intention is that this is (or will become) the best possible starting point for creating a 3D-printed model of the gun. I put this together based on drawings and photos that I found on the Net. There is some ambiguity in what I found, so the names of some of the parts, and their shapes, are my best guess. There also seem to be a number of variations on the basic design. If someone who knows more about WW1 machineguns, or has better drawings, and wants to correct my guesses, I'd be very grateful.

There is still significant work needed to turn this into a model that you can 3D print. Firstly (obviously), it needs to be scaled down as necessary. You will then need to make various compromises. e.g. for a highly detailed large model, you might want to print the barrel heatshield separate from the barrel, whereas on a small model you might need to combine them into a single solid object.

The "Vickers machinegun" object is the combination of all the other parts (apart from the ammo), to show how they all go together.

11 Sep 19 - Updated barrel to connect to case near muzzle.

Added Ammo Belt, both as a combined part and as separate components.

Please add your remixes to this Thing.

How I Designed This

I like OnShape.com for mechanical design.

This design is available at https://cad.onshape.com/documents/3c12509c78e64455526abefc/w/5da5148307cd577a376f27f0/e/aebff21eea253cf70ed6373b or you can search publicly accessible documents there for "Vickers machinegun". You'll also find copies of the drawings I worked from there.