pandatrooper

Here’s my T-21 blaster tutorial. There hasn’t really been many clear T-21 tutorials, so I thought I would document my build and share it with the Empire! Keep in mind that this is not a “millimeter” exact replica, it’s the best I could make using many reference photos of actual Lewis guns, screenshots from ANH, and scaling all of the photos in Photoshop to create a template. I preferred not to use photos of T-21’s since most are interpretations, or cast copies of a real Lewis anyways. For any given part, I would gather at least 3 images, and then scale them in Photoshop to the same scale, and take the measurements from inside the software. Don’t worry about getting every measurement and detail exact. The fact is, only real enthusiasts will know you’re “an eighth of an inch off here”, the average person will know it’s a BFG blaster, so just get on with it. That being said, if you want to go all the way and add every wire and greeblie, go for it. Interpret this template and tutorial as you wish and modify your build to suit your needs. Enjoy the build! I had to make substitutions for many materials, since not everything is available locally. Always look around the house and see what you can find. The fact is, if we all had machine shops with lathes and CNC machines, making props would be much easier. But part of the fun is sourcing “found” parts and supplies you can use, that’s the SW tradition! I feel that this is a fairly accurate trooping blaster. If anyone has any more detailed measurements, please feel free to share them so that we can develop a more detailed resource for the T-21 blaster. With that out of the way, let’s get started! First off is a materials list. Materials 3/4 “ inch thick wood (I used pine shelving)for the main body / receiver 3/8” inch thick wood for the stock (I couldn’t find any, so I used ¼”) 3.5” diameter PVC pipe for the main barrel (I used 3” “Cell core” ABS pipe, which has an outer diameter of approx 3.5”) 3.5” connector (you will cut rings from this) 2.5” diameter PVC pipe for the barrel tip (I couldn’t find any locally, so I took some 3” PVC and cut it down to 2 7/8” diameter) 4” corrugated drain tubing for the barrel (you can use D profile adhesive rubber trim for car doors for more accuracy) Sheet styrene for details (I used 2mm and 1.5mm a lot) 1.25” piping (small section for the sight) 2” PVC piping (for the chamber or whatever you call it that holds the bullets in the main body / receiver ) Tools Jig saw / scroll saw Saw for cutting large sections / straight lines Dremel Files Sandpaper Clamps (spring clamps like you used for armor) Rivet gun / rivets (1/8”) Craft / exacto knife Adhesives, etc. E-6000 Wood glue Plastic weld (styrene glue) Bondo Various screws / bolts (use what you have around the house) Krylon primer Krylon satin black Dark brown for the stock Gold or silver for the cooling vents Any other paints you want to weather the blaster (silver, gunmetal, bronze, etc..) To start, you can use this T-21 template I've created here: http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10313&st=0&p=130310&hl=blaster%20template&fromsearch=1entry130310 Print it out full size (spread them over several sheets if you need to). My first issue was creating the front part of the barrel tip. Based on some measurements, it's approx 2.75" to 2 and 7/8" in diameter. i couldn't find anything, so I took some 3" PVC, cut about and inch from the length, and glued it back together. I've glued, clamped and even rivetted the pipe along the seam to hold the right shape. The rivets are countersunk so bondo will hide them. Here, I've transferred the template drawing to my 3/4" thick wood 20 mins later with a jig saw yielded this I cut the wood to proper inner diameter to fit snug inside the ABS barrel pipe Rough layout of the current parts, use the measurements from the template to cut the drain tube and barrel to size Cutting the 2 sides for the butt stock from the 3/8" or 1/4" wood see how they line up, if it's not right - trim them Glue and clamp the stock halves to the main wood piece Transfer the template to the wood for the feed plate thing (top part - sorry, I'm not a gunsmith so I don't know the names) This extra layer stacks on top of the first piece This last part stacks on top of the previous 2. The rear sight will mount to this Use some good old wood glue and clamp it shut Here, I've transferred the feed plate details to sheet styrene. these will be cut out and glued on top Test it. the part I'm pointing to (curved flipping thing) will be painted separately and glued later The middle post thing is what the ammo drum sits on. I've just used a PVC end cap Glueing the styrene to the wood with E6000

Very nice work, such a clean build! Great way to hang up the suit too!

Going back to the chest piece. The torso is considerably longer on the AM kit than screen derived kits, which is great for taller / bigger troopers, but not so good for me (5 foot 8 inches, and 150 lbs). I’ll be reducing the completed torso by several inches. I’ve cut about 1/2" off the lower center of the chest, and about 1.25” from the lower edge / sides of the chest. TupperwareTK sorted added more of a “swoop up” to the bottom of the rib cage area, so that it wouldn’t get hung up on the ab plate. But looking at reference pictures, the swoop is not as severe, so I chose not to cut an even 1” all across the bottom. I know he made the chest longer for bigger troopers, but I feel on me it would look out of proportion, so I've cut it shorter in an attempt to match it up at least slightly closer to the screen look. I also left a about 3/8” of plastic for the return edge Here’s a comparison of the AM back with my current back. It’s huge! Not much I can do about the width, but I can cut some plastic from the bottom and bend the top and the sides a bit. I’ve marked off areas I will cut. I’m removing about 1.25” from the bottom edge. Again, I’m leaving some plastic at the bottom for a return edge I’m cutting the top shoulder sections too, as I will be assembling them differently via the my harness / strap system I’ve also cut the cod and removed 1.25” from below the belt line. I find I have much better mobility by cutting the cod and attaching it with snaps / elastic. It also makes bio breaks much easier. I’ve removed an additional 1.25” from the lower back. Not doing a return edge here as the belt covers it. I’ve cut about 5/8” from the upper butt and removed the return edge too. Here’s the rough return edge for the lower edge of the back. Very rough, but not for long. A couple extra passes with the iron and a Dremel will clean it up. Rough sanding pass Sanded the ab plate buttons and cleaned them off. I’ll be spraying them with self etching primer to prepare for painting.

ANH cover strips on biceps added ANH cover strips on thighs added Using my “paint stick clamp” method to bend the battery packs for the knee. http://whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=8757 I simply cut the paint sticks slightly narrower to fit the gap between the packs, then heated the bases and bent the sections one at a time. Just work it slowly around Nicely contoured battery pack to fit the profile of the lower thigh / knee area Here’s the thigh with the return edge done, ANH cover strips added, and battery pack riveted in place Left shin with knee plate riveted in place

Here’s a thigh. Having already test fitted it, it’s about a half inch too tall compared to my current armor. To make it more comfortable for trooping, I’m going to cut 1” off the top, and do a return edge using a heat sealing iron. Here you can see where I drew some lines as guides. The inner thigh height was fine, it was mostly the front and outer edges that were too tall. The transitions and follows the original curve as close as can be, with a little eyeballing. I’ve cut about ½” off the thighs, leaving a bit of plastic to heat and bend for the return edge. This is just a first pass with the iron. Yes, it looks rough, but once you event it out, and sand it, it looks fine. Before, with a rough pass After. Just take your time and go slowly, heating sections at a time. Fix the blemishes after with a Dremel and some sanding. Comparison of finished edge (not fully sanded / polished yet) to an uncut thigh

If you look at the instructions, the main ab button panel (the buttons and ridges) is a separate piece. To the right of that is the vertical panel that has 4 buttons. You can install the aluminum buttons directly on the vertical panel. If you want that look of an extra layer of plastic, simply cut out a piece of spare ABS you've trimmed off a body part, and install it under the ab buttons.

This is great, nice work guys! Unfortunately, I can speak decent Cantonese but I can't read very well... Ay yah!

Very clever! Nice job and cheap too!

Update, with pictures! Finally... The AM armor is great. Fan sculpted, so no "screen lineage" but still great in terms of durability and finish (ABS plastic) and great service from TupperwareTK. All the parts come trimmed for easier assembly, which is great. Armor laid out. I got a "Lite" kit, with no helmet. That comes later. Here's 2 pics, I couldn't fit everything in 1 shot I always start with the biceps, since that's the easiest part. I know the AM kit was designed to be built with overlap seams, but I'm going to butt seam the joins ANH style and cut plastic strips to use as ANH cover strips to hide the joins. I just personally prefer that look. I'll go into more detail on the bicep, but essentially, you're using the same process on every limb / part: - size up to your body - mark it with a pencil - draw some straight lines of where you'll cut - tape the parts together, size again (measure twice, cut once!) - cut one side, size it up again - cut the other side - tape the parts together, size them up. Adjust cuts if necessary - glue shims / glue the halves / let cure - test size just to be sure (it's easier to have to disassemble at this point, rather than removing ANH cover strips and doing it again and again) - apply cover strips - assemble armor As always, I'd like to thanks Stukatrooper and Firebladejedi for all their tips, guides and advice on the forum. Most of the techniques I use are ones they helped establish / document, so many props to them! So here, I've cut an 8mm wide strip to use as a guide. If I leave this amount on both sides, that adds up to 16mm, and a 15mm ANH cover strip covers it nicely. After cutting, I overlap it with the other side, and test fit it over my bicep (giant guns! - not!) However, make sure to at least bend / flex your bicep slightly, so that the bicep is comfortable to wear. If you make it fit your perfectly straight arm, it will be a tight squeeze once it's assembled and you try to bend at the elbows. I mark the overlap areas with a pencil, and draw a straight line. Then use a metal ruler to score a line with an Xacto, then bend and snap the plastic. Tape it up and test fit it again over your arm. Here, I've glued a shim inside on one side of the bicep. I used Plastic Weld to join it. I'll use E6000 for similar joins on the legs, where there's usually more stress on the parts and flexing is required (eg: opening shins to get them on, etc.) Gluing and clamping the shim and both halves together. You need lots of clamps, get them BEFORE you start your build! That way, you can alternate and work on another part while one is drying / curing. Shims installed inside on both sides, everything is now clamped and set aside to cure. I'll apply the ANH cover strips later. Forearms, same thing. I use my 8mm guide to draw a line, and start cutting. This time I used scissors. The AM kit was made for bigger troopers, check out how much I need to cut off! The halves are cut, both top and bottom are lined up for sizing. No other forearm pics, but I assembled them as described above. Here, I've cut the thighs this time using a 10mm guide strip (since both sides will equal 20mm for the ANH cover strip). I'll glue the front halves first since I want the front to be screen accurate, but I know the back will be too since my thighs are skinny (my real thighs, not the armor!) One detail here that I'm showing is that I plan to cut the length of the thigh down about 1" from the top, and do a return edge. AM has increased the thigh length from the previous FX kit, but the thighs are too long for me now comfort wise, so I'm cutting 1" off the top. Actually, I'm cutting about 5/8" off the top and leaving 3/8" extra for the return edge. To ease in assembly, I will sometimes glue a shorter shim inside and use Plastic weld to hold it in place, before I place a longer strip inside and secure the halves and the inner shim with E6000. Lower shim on thigh Inner shim is now glued in place with E6000 and clamped / held in place via rare earth magnets The front butt seam is done, now onto the back. Slide it over your thigh, and overlap the pieces. Mark with a pencil where the "center" of the back seam should be. I find that a lot of troopers leave a lot of room in their thighs, and I did that on my first build too. Then you have to pad it and the area above your knee sometimes has too much space. I call this "Church bell thigh" syndrome. When you walk, the thigh is swinging around! If you look at some of the promo shots, the armor is much tighter to the wearer. This is how I want to approach my build. Check out how much plastic I've cut off the back of the thighs! I've glued an inner shim to one side of the back of the thigh, then I'll glue the halves together Here's a shin. I've used the same method as the thigh. Use a 10mm guide strip on either side of the front of the shin, draw a straight line (use the guide strip as a ruler). Cut, then join the sides. I've already glued the seam here. I know I'm bouncing around a bit, but I need to let things dry / cure so I'll usually move on to other parts. Here I've got the chest and I've marked and cut off major portions of it. I've cut the shoulder straps (I know Tupperware TK made it easier to assembled with "extended" shoulder to back connections, but I have a different way of attaching the chest, so I cut them off. I've trimmed the neck opening lower, and I did a few other cuts. More cuts to come!!

I applaud you for your courage and dedication. Take your time, and enjoy your build. Even when it's done, you can always go back and improve things - it's a great way to focus on a hobby and I'm glad to see it helps put your mind at ease. Stay strong trooper! We'll be watching and supporting you along the way!

For a while, I was making runs of garters like these. Haven't have time to do them lately, but they are rather effective for holding up thighs. When I get some time, I'll do another run if people want them. -----------

Hey Steve, yes - I heard about the SW in concert from watching the PBS fundraiser in Seattle on Tv. Garrison Titan trooped the event. We started a thread on Badlands about it, hopefully LFL contacts us to troop it, it would be amazing! Tickets go on sale tomorrow 10 am. For your mirrored lens, you can try: snowboard goggles lenses motorcycle visors foot ball visors chrome window tint from an automotive customizer shop paintball goggles lenses Hope those options work for you, and hope you can get Sds to send your stuff!

This is truly a bummer Steve, I know you were really looking forward to building it. Have you tried calling them directly? Shepperton Design Studios www.sdsprops.com 76 The Green Twickenham Middlesex TW2 5AG UK Tel +44 (0)208 898 4839 I hope you'll still able to make that end of May troop with the squad in some shape or form.

Looks awesome!! Really great job. I'm going to be building a replica of the "Stop that Ship" helmet soon, this is great inspiration!

It fits you very nicely! Good job! What lid is that? AP?

A lot people just replace the FX 2 part one by getting a section of 2.5" pipe, and assembling as described in the pictures / film reference.

I tuck so it's not messy, and use black hockey tape on the UA logo. I might eventually just sew a small black patch over the logo to hide it.

Will this help, Alex? http://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56850

They probably used a standard rivet and a backing washer. Try and grip the rivet on the front and back with flat pliers (to prevent it from spinning) and use a drill bit that's slightly larger than the hole. They likely either used 1/8" or 3/16" rivets. Drill as described above. Don't worry about the paint or glue.

I use a drill bit that is slightly bigger than the size of the rivet shaft (not the head). Grab the back side with a pair of pliers, then drill out the rivet from the front / head. Drill slowly. once the drill bit grinds away the head, it usually just "pops" off, leaving a clean hole. Don't press too hard ont he drill or you risk drilling through the plastic too. Don't be tempted to cut away the back side, it usually ends up messy and you end up squishing the rivets and stressing / enlarging the hole.

Whoa!!! Awesome progress!! Looks fantastic, and working bolt too! I created a similar switch assembly for my T-21 too, great minds think alike! Nice work so far!

Looking good! My only small things are: - could the eye holes be trimmed slightly more? They seem a little "deep"". - the blaster could pass if it had a D-ring on the back and some T-rack on both sides. It either needs to have 7 T-racks total, or 6 and the lower left side rack ground down and holes put in it's place. It's great that your wife is supportive of this hobby too!

Looks awesome Jesse, nice work! Your work bench looks like mine!

Coming along nicely! Your trigger / frame / grip however looks slightly off proportion (the real one doesn't have a perfectly round trigger guard, and the grip is a bit rounded on the front and back (the slotted lines don't go all the way from front to back). Here's a really good reference pic and site that might be better than my description http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Heer/photos/H080061.html

The blaster is pretty awesome. Must be a ROTJ kit. Interesting that it has the greeblies on the side too (not sure if those come with the kit or not?) I think I also understand what he did, he bored the "core" of the barrel out, then drilled the vent holes on the outside so that you can see intot he barrel. This guy definitely has mad skills on a tiny scale! I have a hard enough time making that stuff in life-size!