Dark CMF

I think this is a pretty cool idea. It would really help with a lot of questions that TKs might get asked (as I've been told they do, and seen others allude to here at FISD) to have a consistent and reliable back-story for your TK... You'd have to research which type of planet/background you were from, and know which system said planet was in, what it was close to and what important parts of the Star Wars Saga timeline it plays an important role in. That could really be cool to have in your pocket, so to speak. Each TK would have a different story, only adding to the mythos of the 501st! Once I get done with my "why the known universe surrounding Earth believes that Stormtroopers can't shoot" thesis, I may develop a backstory!

That is beautiful!! The banner is pretty cool, too!

Such a versatile and oft-underappreciated bit of equipment, isn't it? On to my last (very little) bit of work last night. I did this AFTER I posted my previous batch of pictures and decided that it should be photographed along the way to assist anyone that is not familiar with how to do this. Quite honestly, this is probably the first time in close to 30 years that I've actually done it. That allows those in more current practice to critique what I've done as it goes along. Anyway... On to what I've done. I mentioned previously that my power cylinders had a bubble in the mold, leaving a "hole" in one of the cylinders. Here's what I was talking about. You can see it at the bottom end of the cylinder on the right in the picture above. A slightly closer look at it. This is the putty that I have to use. If you've been reading the forums at all, you've seen people mention milput, green stuff, Tamiya putty, and even Bondo to use in repairing these types of situations. If anyone wants to chime in on the difference in the different types of putty/materials to make these repairs, please do. To fix it, you simply fill the gap/crack/hole with the putty - overfill it. Make sure that it you use more than appears necessary as some of these products will shrink a little bit and you want it to dry larger than necessary so that you can shape it properly with a knife/sandpaper/etc... Here's my final bit as I left it to dry last night. The next thing that I do (within the next few days) will be to take some sandpaper to it for shaping, and I'll be sure to photograph it before I begin (so you can see what the dry putty looks like), maybe one during sanding and naturally, some after pics. Experts: Share your knowledge/tips/experiences for all of the readers at home (and me) to learn from!!

All is good, my friend. It is good to know that you are safe, and able to view/comment. I did go and review your build thread again recently. Very nice tweaks you've made, after the "finished" product was revealed. I found a key piece of info that I had not yet researched, while reviewing your build, and that was how to connect the wires to the power cylinders. At least, I found a way that works and is acceptable. I'll be digging into that research as I go forward. For the time being, I'm reviewing Osothebear's thread for the next step of work that I'll do, which is marking my trigger for drilling. In general build news: I have decided to make my own spring, much as Soren did, and I've already found the sacrifice offered up by the Coat Hanger's Guild. I will also be using that coat hanger to make "pins" for my assembly work. I'm getting ever so much closer to that stage. If the weather plays out as expected (snow for the next two days!) I'll be home from work and able to do even more!! Here's hoping, anyway. .

I do have a question for the weapons masters. For the record, that's any of you who have built one already, with the modification that I'm about to ask about. This statement applies any and every time I use the title "Weapons Masters. Okay, question: What are the bolt/nut sizes that go in/on the power cylinders? I've got to put some putty into my cylinders before I start to build on it, as it has an air bubble in the bottom of one end of one of the cylinders. Thank you all, as always, for your assistance and your comments. More to follow before you know it!

Thank you, Merritt! Another installment, coming right up! This last bit of work on day 4 is just cleaning up/"sanding" some parts in preparation for assembly. The parts that I've cleaned up are the Magazine well, Magazine release button, Trigger, Trigger Guard, and End Cap. All of them are seen here, before any work began. The end cap has been "dremelled" in similar fashion to the magazine. This piece will receive a lot of handling and therefore, a lot of wear. I took the same grinding bit and ensured that there were no harsh edges left on the end cap, seen here after clean-up. This picture shows the Trigger, Trigger Guard, and Magazine Release Button, before any work began. They received the same treatment as the end cap. Rotary tool grinding bit, to remove all the harsh edges. The trigger and trigger guard will definitely have no rough edges based on the amount of handling they receive. The magazine release button primarily needs to have the bottom piece ground to a circular shape and 3/32" depth, based on DM101's build information. Here are the four pieces after the work is completed. The magazine well has simply had the harsh edges removed, the square edges rounded a bit - for wear, and some cross-hatching put in the spot that the release button will be glued to. The trigger was shaped until smooth, and narrowed at the top to ensure that it will fit in the pistol grip. The trigger guard was ground down to smooth and shaped a little bit. The magazine release button was ground to a basically circular shape and 3/32" depth before cross-hatching was put on the bottom where it will attach to the magazine well. All of this work was done using the grinding bit. The last pieces to receive some "clean-up" today are the Muzzle Flash Guard, the Ejector Guard, the Selector Switch, the Bayonet Lug, and the Sling Swivel Keeper. Here, they are seen before any shaping/clean-up is done. Here, the same pieces appear, post-clean-up. The two Guards required some substantial shaping as you can see by comparing the two photos. It wasn't anything difficult to do, but it required some test-fitting prior to shaping, to ensure that I was shaping the right sides, and looking at the mold lines in the parts to see where it was supposed to stop. The Bayonet lug simply received some edge-softening and cross-hatching on the bottom where it will eventually be glued to the barrel. The Sling Swivel Keeper just got a bit of edge softening and cross-hatching for a better bond when it is eventually glued to the end cap. The Selector Switch got some slightly different treatment. I shaped it down to a basic circle, based on the shape above the extra material. I chose to NOT remove the extra material down to the mold line because I intend to make the switch functional on the assembled blaster. I felt that leaving some extra material (it can always be removed later) will make it an easier job to drill the hole for the bolt that will eventually be fitted to the switch to allow it to work. That's it for work on day #4. I will add a couple of pictures though, because I'm excited about them:| This picture shows the pieces that still need some work done before I can begin assembly. Obviously, the counter and scope will require a lot of work, but I have to find another bit of metal for the sight rail. I've got the piece for the counter bracket already, but will fabricate the rail first and the bracket second. I'm excited that I've only got a few other parts left to make any alterations to, before I begin assembling the blaster. Moving along, moving along!

So, once I had finished the Rear Sight Catch, I moved my attention to the magazine's preparation: The "before" shot - sort of - I originally began writing on it before taking my picture, so I went back and cleaned it to take the before picture. This is that picture. I will use the rotary tool's grinding bit to "soften" up each of these hard edges on the lip of the magazine. The reason for this is that a magazine is a part that is very heavily handled. It wears down a little more than the weapons do, as one magazine can be used in the course of a year by tens, even hundreds of users but the weapons themselves are typically assigned to one user and therefore are only handled by that individual on a repeat basis. My thoughts there are to ensure that there just aren't any hard/sharp edges on the magazine, and the Doopydoo kit magazine comes with some VERY defined edges on it. I penciled in the depth I wanted to grind off of each corner, and marked the location for the bearing hole (7/16" from the short side's outer edge, and centered top to bottom between the long sides) which is a 7/32 bit. I then used the size of the hole to mark off the area for the word "OFF" in what should be the proper proportions, and allowing for the proper length of the arrow, which I centered top to bottom as well. This is the grinding bit that I used. First corner finished, and the word "OFF" is now penciled in. Skipped ahead to all four corners having been ground down (rather than sequentially going two, three, four - as I originally intended to do). Brevity - in small doses. This is the cutting bit that I used to etch the arrow and the "OFF" into the magazine's end. Here's the first pic of the etching. I did go back and clean it up a bit later on. As my rotary tool is not actually a Dremel, I believe that is part of the cause of a slight "flutter" as opposed to a perfectly straight and clean line. Hole is drilled! Used the grinding bit to bevel the edge of that hole just a bit, so that it will not be flush right up to the bearing when it gets glued in, but will have a slight recess around it. You should also be able to see the difference in the etching in this picture. Now, here are some pictures of those edges that I "softened up a bit" using the grinding bit... More pics to come in a little while. I've got to go and finish a level on Battlefield 4. LoL. Totally serious, my game has been paused since Friday night. I did some pretty extensive clean-up on Saturday night though, and there are still a few pictures left to share from that work. In the meantime, if you have any comments on the ones that I've shared so far, please let me hear them. Thank you!

I've decided to make my build thread more "reader/commenter friendly" by breaking it down into segments, rather than one post for each day of work. This should make it easier to have comments/discussions on work done on particular pieces as the build thread progresses. Next batch of pictures follows...

Pictures, pictures, who's got the pictures? Ah, yes. I do. Here they come (as promised)! My first order of business was to do some clean-up on the Rear Stock Catch. To accomplish this, I began with a metal nail file that my beautiful and supportive wife was kind enough to loan to me, and finished up with a sanding file (100/180 grit) to clean it up and call it done. Metal file, Rear Stock Catch... Pay no attention to the Rear Sight Aperture on the left. Here you can (hopefully) see the little bit of filing that I did between the housing and the knob to the right. The same treatment on the other side. The 100/180 grit sanding file (I got them at Michaels. A pack of 12 of them was about $3.00) I used the 180 side first, and the 100 side second, to clean up the opening that I originally made with the rotary tool. The "finished" product!

Greetings Colin, and welcome to the FISD!!!

Very cool indeed. I'd think it would be a pretty nice honor to be able to be "the guy whose helmet(s) was/were worn by Daft Punk during the Grammys." Those guys are legends in the electronic music scene - in the music scene at large, to be honest.

Somehow, Soren, I managed to miss some of your later upgrades... Phenomenal work!!! Hopefully, it's all due to your birthday...

Thanks Mark!! No pictures uploaded just yet (unless you are on my FB friends), but I did get quite a few pieces cleaned up/prepped for assembly tonight! I will be posting those pictures that were taken tonight within the next 24 hours or so. I'm starting to get excited as more and more pieces are nearly ready for assembly to begin, but I continue to research each part before prepping, and continue to prep before building. I've got time on my side here after all! Pics to follow!

Thank you, Glen. It is reassuring that you see that!

LoL... Silly is, I believe, a good word!

No problem Mick! I expect to do some more work on it this weekend! Please be sure to reference some others, too. There are some phenomenal build threads that provide some great information in them. Since I couldn't remember how to post pictures, I delayed posting mine and didn't have some of the information at hand when I started the thread (stuff like drill bit sizes, etc).

So. Here with the day 3 photo updates which means that I'll have to do more work in order to post more photos of the build. Thankfully, it is almost the weekend so I'll probably be able to get a little more work done on it. Projects for day #3: The front sight and the rear stock catch. This is the "before" photo. The rear stock catch. My intent: To hollow out the area under the catch, as you see here. I started with two pilot holes, side by side, with the 1/8" drill bit. First dremelling after the pilot holes were drilled. 3/4 view - Almost getting to where I want it. A little more work with the rotary tool to shape the inside a bit, and ensure that it has the sloped shape inside. 3/4 view after the last bout of rotary tool work. I'll be taking a metal nail file to the corners/edges and the sides along the top of the catch to give it a bit more definition, but tonight I'm doing basic shaping of this part. Clean up will happen later - before assembly. Top view of the front sight, before any work gets done. Left side before any work. Right side before any work... Basic cutting/grinding to open the right side. Right side - more work done. Drilled the small hole in the sight post mount - 1/32" I believe, and ground the groove into the side of the base. Same work done on the left side. Question for the weapons masters... Does that "groove" in the bottom sides need to go all the way through, or is it just an indentation? Hole drilled through the center for mounting the "sight post." Recessed the area around the hole in the bottom, to accommodate a nail (to be used as the sight post) and put some cross-hatching on the bottom for the eventual gluing. Test fit of the nail. Looks good to me at this point in time. Comments, questions? Please, as always - let me have whatever you've got to say.

Oh, of course not... I'll just glue them in last. No need to rush that particular step.

Thanks, Germain. Oddly enough, mine are Hex screws but they do have a circular opening on them. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for some like the ones in your picture. Thanks!!

Greetings Jeff, and welcome to the FISD!!! Where are you located? There is a local garrison that could probably provide you with some additional assistance.

Excellent. Thanks, Ronny!

Another on the way.... Sometime in the relatively near future!

Even though you've been looking on the bay of E, you did the smart thing by posting the link and asking before you bought anything. I think you'll be alright! Have you read through the Getting Started section of the forums yet?

Ronny, it's looking phenomenal. Can you explain your process in making your selector switch functional?

So. Day #2 began with some shopping! Lots of fun stuff here that I thought would/should/could be useful in the build, so all of it came home with us! Started by drilling the 1/8" dimple in the end cap out with a 1/8" drill bit. Just another look at that particular piece of work. First thing I did, because it seemed pretty simple and "fool-proof." It was exactly what it seemed, simple and - so far as I know at this point in time - fool proof. Next, I took a 3/8" drill bit and drilled out the resin-cast "cap-head screw" in the base of the pistol grip. Looks like it ought to fit... Now, to give it a test-fit. Looks like it will be alright. Next is the resin-cast "cap-head screws" in the tip of the muzzle. (Apologies, as the camera clearly focused on my hand as opposed to the barrel) One side drilled out, also using the 3/8" drill bit. This one, was far trickier than the pistol grip. There wasn't (as you could see) a clearly defined "inside" hole to use as a basis for centering the drill bit. I found that it was best to take a smaller bit and drill a "guide" hole to a very narrow depth. That way when I did start drilling, it was... let's say it was less difficult and leave it at that. Something like "Rinse, Lather, Repeat" for the other side. I had taken some "in-progress" pics of this process, but it turns out that I had removed the memory card from the camera, so I don't have them to share. I put the cutting wheel on the rotary tool, and put the screws (in turn) into a clamp with the thread in the clamp and the head of the screw left free and clear to be reached with the rotary tool. For the first one, I "lumberjacked" it... Cut half-way through from one side, and then went to the other side to finish. After the first one, I just went straight through from one side to the other, all the way across. It seemed to me that the second way was much more efficient. From left to right, the first, second, and third screw heads. You can see that the first one has the slight burr in the center where I cut from both sides. Lastly for day #2, I drilled out the "extra" holes in the bottom of the barrel. Yes, they WILL be almost completely covered by the folding stock, but if I do decide to make the stock partially functional, or to ultimately replace it with a functioning one, this step will be completed with no risk to my inner barrel (which I will discuss more later, but can be seen in the "shopping" photo) being drilled out in the process. That's it for today. Day three pics will be posted up sometime in the next 24 - 48 hours. Then I'll actually have to do some more work, or I won't have anything else to share with all of you. I can't leave you hanging like that, so I'll do some more work. Please, let me hear any thoughts, comments, suggestions, or critiques that you may have at this stage in the process, and as it continues. Thank you.