T-Jay

Wow, that's some serious build progress James. You managed to fix the issue with the T-track covering the hole for the rail, cut the window into the counter socket and pre-assembled everything. Looks like it only needs paint and some weathering but you are right, spring and clearing stripe will add the last details.

Thanks for letting me know, the completion set finally arrived. Guessing it took 3 days longer than standard, because of the higher Christmas traffic. Looking forward to your next progress.

All good mate. This is not rocket sience. Your scope is roughly where it should be.

Jakob, you got it! Popcorn is ready...

Hi Patrick, glad to see your announced build thread. You already made some good progress. The scope rail turned out well. Looks like you made the 90° upwards bend on the rear end. In the above photo (maybe it is just the angle), it seems like the M38 scope sits a bit close to the rear sight. A quote from the FISD E-11 BLASTER REFERENCE: "The rear foot of the scope should be aligned with the folding stock pivot." Maybe you can still adjust this.

Hm, not sure if you knew, but scopes and counters are both available with hollowed body to install electronics. See here: FS: Bulldog Props M38 & M19 Resin Scope Kits and the version 2 counter from the completion sets.

You have a PM

Fully finished and painted scope rails can be ordered as upgrade option (item #35) in the completion sets. If you only need the rail, drop me a PM and we will find a way. Please note, these rails are specifically designed for resin builds. The rear end goes straight into the rear sight and requires a drilled hole for mounting it.

You can be proud of this, James. It looks good. You also did the Z-bend on the rear end. That meant some extra work for you. Well done! Just a side note: the counter arm is very close to the receiver tube and will cause scratches there in the future. After painting the rail, you could wrap the arm's lower end with black insulation tape. Or you can ignore it, as the counter will later cover this area. Up to you. Just wanted to mention it.

The boys definitely got you covered. Look through the Blaster Reference and some build threads to get an idea of what is possible. We have all been where you are now. When I had this kit in hands the first time, my thoughts were "I glue it and paint it black". God knows what this then turned into... If you want more help you could post your build progress here to have many eyes watching and giving advices. The result will benefit from that.

Now that the issue is solved (sorry for being too late to help) you should ask an Admin to re-name your thread and turn this into a nice build thread. What about that? You might think there are enough DoopyDoo's builds already, but most people use the full resin kit. You chose the pipe kit and that is always interesting to watch.

Yes, I would suggest that, as the current rail locates both, scope and counter, in wrong positions. If you can correct this, then use it. If not, a new one would be better.

Hi James, glad to see you started a build thread. Looking forward to your next postings... Nah, he has something better in the mail soon... (though I can not say for sure, if that is meant to be used in this build here)

Hi Carl, first of all: Congratulations on finishing this superb build. It is outstanding in its own unique way and a real reference for those, wanting to do the same. Great that you had the chance for a side by side comparison. And I have to say, yours looks way better than the one from RS Prop Masters. Very well done mate.

Surprised to see the front muzzle and the end cap lock are black. Is there any specific reason for that? Are these not made from aluminum?

Wow Carl! This looks great. Seems you had some fun with the latex masking.

Yes, the power cylinders in the DoopyDoo's kit are not very accurate. But with some effort, you can turn them into something good. From Derrek (Dday) I heard, the power cylinders are one of the most tricky parts, to cast in resin. That is why his cylinders are made from 2 resin pieces, while DoopyDoo's does it all in one piece. However, I am sure your cylinders will look great in the end.

A very interesting way, Jesse. Any plans for the surface of these metal plumbing valve caps?

Your effort in designing this certificate paid off; people are using it. Although it has a different style than the level 2 and 3 certificates, I loved Freddy's idea of all three in one frame.

Thought about setting up something like a 'FISD Armor Reference' years ago. But considering how time-consuming and complex the work was just for this blaster reference, I skipped the attempt. Sorry.

Hi Jim, in case you aim for the next level of accuracy (EIB) after the corrections above are done, I would suggest to double check your Thermal Detonator again. Here is what the CRL says: Thermal detonator belt clips are positioned with little to no gap between the clips and the end caps. Good luck.

Hey Carl, great to see you are back again with new progress. Can't wait to see the final paint result.

When building my first set of power cylinders, I had also worked with Andy's great document. It simply is the best resource out there. But hey, the photos in that binder on top look familiar to me - did you really print the steps from my first build to refer to? Wow, I am out of words, man.

Very clean submission and good job on the armor. Keeping fingers crossed for you.

Great story.