Sandeman

So the in-laws are in town, and I wisely used my available time to work on the DLT - bringing her a little closer to what I had originally envisioned. A little airbrush action, a little styrene action, a little Dremel action, and a little home made T-track action resulted in this: Before: AFTER: Before: AFTER: Improved muzzle and added front sight: Scratch T-track covered in PlastiDip for the beloved rubber look: Improved bi-pod feet, middle greeblie on barrel, and far more accurate mount: Flip-up rear sight that doesn't flip up: This brings the BFG up to maybe 95% on my satisfaction scale.

Thanks Paul! Steve - Gesso is a thick acrylic surface prep usually used for acrylic and oil paintings. It acts as a sealant and protects the foam from chemicals that could destroy/liquefy the foam such as most aerosol paints, most commercial fiberglass resins, and even E-6000. It can be found in art supply shops, and price makes no difference (i.e. cheap stuff works just as well as the expensive stuff).

Excellent work! Good seeing you on the RPF as well. Cheers!

I've decided I like BFGs. Who doesn't, right? But since a Hyperfirm is expensive and beyond my grasp, and the Cushman... I decided to make my own. I've seen many wooden MG34/DLT-19s, but I thought they'd be too heavy for trooping for long periods of time. Next best thing? Insulation foam! Got this 3/4" stuff at my local Home Depot. They also stock it in 2". Lowe's stocks 2" blue foam, FYI. I downloaded the templates from here: MG-34 Blaster Rifle (print using Paint, and nothing else or the sizes will be all out of whack) Using a Dremel with router attachment, I cut out the patterns. If you do this, wear a respirator, goggles and hearing protection. It sounds like someone pulling the ears off a gundark. Very loud: Here you can see one of the pieces of the gun, the stock, and a bit of an axe I made for my daughter. From left to right: the receiver (more or less), stock, grip. I laminated two receiver halves and two stock halves together: A top-down view: This shot was intended to show the installed PVC connectors for the barrel and the join between the receiver and the stock (for strength and shape), as well as the shaping. Then disaster struck. Someone (not my little Foamtrooper) thought it would be fun to swing the thing around. Not fun for me. Luckily, I was able to repair the fissure using a number of dowels and a really long drill bit. I then painted the entire foam structure with Gesso, to seal the foam from harsh chemicals such as fiberglass resin and paint, and then began fiberglassing for strength. After laying down fiberglass (a step I would skip next time due to the added bulk) and sanding, I ended up using short-strand fiberglass filler to smooth out the gun. Great stuff; strong, light, easy to work with. Then came the detailing with hobby styrene and some "FOR SALE" signs, and some hobby greeblies. Sorry, I have no in-process pics since I inadvertently deleted them while trying to copy them to my computer. Now, jump into your DeLorean and fast forward a month or two (life gets in the way of propmaking, right?) Finally finished the BFG! I'm about 80% satisfied with this first attempt. Lots of things I could have done better/differently, but the end result is above average in my opinion. I did end up leaving off some details, mostly because I'm sick of working on this thing! And my bad parent/gunbroker.com pics (taken for size comparison and to show the light weight): And the nostalgia pic from a 2009 troop (one year ago today): In the end, the actual cost for the BFG was around $30 or so. The only metal used are two nuts and a large eyelet.

Congrats! Looking sharp.

Congrats!

Nice work Trooper. Welcome to the EIB ranks!

I stopped trying to be squeaky clean after my third troop. It was just an uphill battle. I do clean up a bit, such a the left forearm (blaster rub) and I continue to... ahem... polish my helmet , but only because it's an investment and the main focus of the public. A scratch and dent trooper looks real in my opinion!

I bought mine for $65 in 2008 and am extremely happy with both the price paid and the helmet. While a great helmet (and I prefer idealized), it does need to be modded for 501st acceptability, and even more so for EIB. That said, my question is why pay such an exorbitant price for this product when fan produced buckets (some of which are idealized as well) are much cheaper?

United States Navy (Active) Senior Chief Petty Officer (E8) 17 June 1991 - Present Naval Aircrewman (Avionics) 1992 - 2005 (NAVSTA Rota, Spain) 2005 - Present (NAS Whidbey Island) Been more places than I'm allowed to say

:duim: :duim:

I'm 6'4", 230lbs, and I still look like I'm wearing Jr. armor in my FX. Top that with an affordable MRCE and I feel like a pin head. Kevin's ANH v2.5 looks like the best deal for tall troopers. I've never seen one in person so I don't know how it really looks (photos really don't do any bucket justice). Any tall folks out there have one and can speak for it?

http://www.imperialsurplus.com/ *** gjw, I don't know if you've seen this thread:----------There are some folks who you may be able to PM directly to get more info. Cheers!

I feel so unworthy... Pablo, you're the guy I hope to never stand next to! Fantastic work. Fantastic!

Even more impressive in person! Looking good, Skipper!

Dude... Totally awesome!

That beats a medal any day.

Really sharp, Jess! Fantastic work.

Jim, I just ran into the same problem with my blaster. I would go with either E6000 or Plummer's Goop. Plummer's Goop worked pretty well on other parts (and I would have used it if I had any on hand), and has most of the same properties as E6000. This is what it looks like: -----

Shipmate, It was a total culture shock coming back to the U.S. after spending 14 years in Spain, and it's a culture shock every time I go back to visit the in-laws, so I know how you feel. Happy Birthday and good luck on your "summer vacation"

I'm looking forward to seeing (or hearing) this in action!

Answer: The bonuses at the end of the year. And the jet. Don't forget the jet.

Go ahead! It's after noon somewhere! Nice to see another FX combo going EIB. Not bad armor with a little work. Congrats!

Looking good! Not bad work for the Air Force! -Navy

I'm selling an apartment in Spain... I wish I'd thought to bring my armor over there for a photoshoot!