Bulldog44

Yes. The tracks are just temporary set. I can take them out no problem for when I paint the tube.

T Tracks- I tried to use as many parts from the original DVH kit for this blaster but unfortunately the t tracks that were supplied did not work out as I had hoped. They were resin casted making them super brittle and nearly impossible to bend without breaking. I tried multiple times heating the plastic using various techniques but the end result was always bad. I did manage to bend a few to nearly the proper angle needed but it became too unpredictable to continue. Luckily I bought t track from Marv many moons ago and decided to give them a try. First time working with these tracks but it was great. Easy to heat up and bend. The only thing I did wrong was bending the track too quickly which left obvious signs where the plastic was being flexed. Slow bending is key so the plastic stretches evenly. Once the tracks are on the tube it really transforms it to a galaxy far far away. I wasn't that excited to get this blaster done due to the work it needed but after the tracks went on I think I got my second wind. Next up: 1. Prime coating 2. Finish off a set of power cylinders 3. Prep the scope rail to mount the scope and counter (need to make a bracket for the counter too) 4. Make a spring 5. Somehow add the bolt detail 6. Maybe change how the magazine gets installed; use a magnet or headphone jack style connection. 7. Attach the trigger guard & D ring 8. Paint- considering to try crinkle paint for this blaster so it matches the crinkle paint details still present on the stock. 9. Probably forgetting something .......

Oh man. The antenna/module detail is crazy cool. Great use of all the little parts, it looks like an authentic part of the Star Wars universe. Happy to see you used the Muji box too I sent you way back. Plans to add lots more details or close to finishing? looks fantastic so far!

Very cool. I saw some of that rubber paint coating to try but think it would come off rather easy so this is certainly better to try. Thanks for sharing!

Small update. I finally gutted out the resin on the stock wishbones so I could install the extension arms. For the original DVH stock I am not going to do much more with it as I don’t have time to spend on it. It would take a lot more time and work to make it look better. I am using a bad cast of the extension arm for the DVH stock and using a homemade aluminum arm for the Phoenix prop/DDay stock. Not perfect but adds more realism than it had before and has reduced the weight too. next step is to patch up with epoxy, prime coat the parts and paint.

Thank you Tino. I will check these options out. Some places I contacted already locally had insane pricing and really didn’t work with one off items like these.

Does anyone know of a reliable and affordable laser cutting/CNC service to recommend? Looking to have the power cylinder base plates professionally cut as making them myself takes up too much time and more importantly very inaccurate.

Welcome DJ! Cool to heart you are from Roswell. Best of luck with your TK journey and looking forward to seeing your build.

Great to see you have come back and hear you finally finished your kit.

Sweet! The paint color on the lower half really pulls the whole thing together. And the black wash gives it that real world weathered look. As always, fantastic work Tino. Its fun trying to imagine what the rest of the armor would look like.

Thanks for the info.

Very nice Jakob. We’re those receiver tubes expensive to make? Can the local maker also replicate the rolled front end on the receiver tubes? Interested to know if that can be done.

Congratulations Andrew! Looking forward to another great year under your leadership.

Great job! Lovin it. Ｗell done fixing the paint that bled on the tube stripes. On my ATA helmet build I considered using the tube stripe stencils but i had a bad experience using stencils on another project. Instead I decided to try the original method and brush the stripes on. With the right brush it made the job easier than I expected. I am stumped on the ear screw colors. Perhaps matte black but I agree with Iza, the brass looks interesting in the scheme of things.

Not much of an update on the blasters but just thought to share my progress working out how to make my own power cylinders. Lots of material testing and sorting out dimensions I am happy with. Got my 10BA bolts and nuts. Sourced some local resistors here in Japan and still on the hunt for better braided wire. The red stuff I got cheap from ebay is just nylon sheathing. Good for making things cheaply but the detail is lacking. Made my crude templates for the base plate in MS Publisher. Trying to learn some CAD draw so I can make files to send to a laser cutting company.

Sorry I thought you were doing the whole costume. Helmet is the best part anyway so this will be a beautiful display piece.

Way to go Scott! Congratulations Centurion!

I love the green color for the helmet. Amazing rust effect on the blast shield. I am a huge fan of camouflage but think the solid NATO green for this project will certainly be better. Perhaps you could add camouflage to a weapon or some accessory pouch ,etc.

Congratulations Josh!

Very cool project Tino! Off to a great start. Will this costume be more battle damage style or fresh from the armory? I love the blast shield part.

Welcome aboard Victor! Looking forward to seeing your completed TX especially with the integrated electronics. Good luck!

Congratulations Alexander! Countdown from 10! Here we go!

Congratulation Alexander! Looking Centurion sharp!

Yes, the jewelry caps are not the best and require more tedious cutting and sanding to get the right look. Plus the walls are super thin so they don't nice used on the thicker 9.2mm tube. Visually not well-balanced. Thanks for your feedback. I feel better now going with the decorative screw caps. I just ordered more to work on over the holiday break. Good point about the tubes. Agreed, the ABS clear tubes are looking to be the material of choice if I make lots of these power cylinders. And those needle files will probably do the job better than me fussing around with my dremel. If I can fabricate some cheap jig set up to keep the tubes perfectly straight, then I think this will greatly increase my success rate and speed up production. Perhaps I can make the brass or aluminum ones as an upgrade if I solve the notch issue. Thanks also about the capacitors. Not sure they are perfect but hopefully they pass for replica looking capacitors. I have some really fine drill bits to make holes but would like to try your idea first.

Here are the 4 different tube materials I have tested so far. From left to right: A- Plastic hobby tube (9.2mm OD) / Caps made from jewelry strap ends.) B- Clear ABS tube (9mm OD / decorative metal screw end caps) C- Aluminum tube (9mm OD / decorative metal screw end caps) D- Brass tube (9mm OD / decorative metal screw end caps) Not sure what is the best to use overall but for price, availability and ease to work with, the clear ABS hits all of those checks. They will be painted so the clear tubes shouldn't be an issue to use. The brass ones have nice weight to them though. The main issue I have at the moment is not about the materials so much but my tools for creating the end notches. Using my dremel set up with a resin cutting wheel but I can't cut nice straight, even notches. Homework for the next few weeks will be looking into better ways to make nicer cuts or consider buying a better piece of equipment. Its probably better I tackle the base plate first before wasting too much time on just the notch issue. Lastly- Capacitors 5mm plastic hobby craft rods- Filed into shape using my drill and some metal files. Main tube section measures 25mm in length. Still very crude and unevenly made but I think they are looking okay for now. Aluminum looks nicer than the plastic ones but for they take more time to file into shape. Thanks again for stopping by.