T-Jay

Happy BBB-day

That price is very good. But there is an additional seam line next to the elastic. The low height could cause issues with your shin armor. Just my 2 cents...

Scope rail looks okay to me. Although preferring wider aluminum stripes (20mm) I have already heared of rails with only 16mm. That's a matter of taste and what is available in different countries. You haven't mentioned anything about the tickness, but something around 2mm should be fine. Maybe you want to check chapter #24 (scope rail) from the FISD blaster reference. And while you're there, you can visit chapter #09 for your front sight and chapter #31 for the measurements. Hope this helpes

Totally agree on this. Would definitely pick your scratch-build blaster if I had to chose from these two. It looks much more real to me.

Update #26 - Hengstler counter The last thing attached to the rail is the Hengstler counter. This electromechanical device can be seen on some of the blasters in Episode 4. To get a different shade of black than on the scopes, I paint the counters in semi-gloss black before doing the weathering. In this specific build however, I wanted to go deeper into the details… During the last two years it got harder and harder to find cheap Hengstler counters. A good alternative are the conversion counters, a hybrid made from resin and a different counter with identical dimensions. From the ones I had in hand a year ago, the last and dirtiest was saved for this build. Since update #20, this thread covers the alterations from the prop-builders, which converted the Sterling SMG into the BlasTech E-11 for the Episode 4 movie. All additions are now complete and have been attached to Lucky#Eleven Time for a few daylight photos… Thanks for reading

Thank you very much for your words, Brian. I am really glad you like the result. Both, the very high quality of your casts and the fact of having separated parts, do provide absolutely new options to build and finish such a scope. Don’t worry about minor adjustments to make some rings fit into the openings. I fully understand your point to strive for the most accurate resin pieces, but sanding down a ring to place it into the scope tube should not be too challenging for the builders Feel free to use any photos or to refer people to this build chapter. Keeping fingers crossed for your current work on the M19 scopes...

Hi Jim, you truly did an impressive job on this scratch build. The result speaks for itself. Glad to hear, my thread was a little help and thanks for the kudos. Can't wait to see, what somebody talented like you is able to make from a resin kit... Would you mind to state the weight of your finished blaster? Just curious

Update #25 - Hollowed scope with small parts Today’s progress is about Brian’s (Bulldog44) scope with hollowed core and several bits and pieces. Some build steps will look familiar, because a few things have been done like in the last update. Inside the scope tube is a thin resin wall, so I removed this to get light shining through… Then I started working on the lenses and how to secure them in position. The monocular comes with 2 small lenses. One was reserved as front lens, the other was left over. While looking closer at the prism cell, I noticed that it can be installed there… Okay, rear section completed. Next was the front assembly… Brian’s scope is the very best resin cast I ever came across. I cannot imagine getting the same extremely high details out of a single-piece casting. Especially when considering the small gaps between eyepiece and mounting plate, or the retainer rings. Awesome Brian, thanks for making these! Because of that, I decided to NOT use this beauty on a blaster. Nope, instead I emptied a display case from a Minichamps car model (scale 1:43) and now it can sit in the showcase, next to Andy‘s Power Cylinders prototype Some comparison shots of the three scopes. At a first glance, they all look the same. Full resin on the left, self-hollowed in the middle and Brian’s super-scope on the right side. Alright, let’s call it a day Open for any questions, critics and comments...

Thanks Chris To be honest, this was nothing new here on the FISD. Squimspickle and Thrawn’s guard made very inspiring things with their scopes… Thank you, Brian. That big part from the monocular ensures a good distance between the reticle and the rear lens, so that the engraving can been seen well. Last weekend I had 2 real scopes in hand, but that was before you asked me to compare the screws If you got real screws, I can send you the ones I have for comparison… Yes, that photo was just taken to show the smaller parts are separate. It is not 100% correct. If you scroll down a few lines, you will see a better lens arrangement

Out of words but I like it

Great information, Brian. As most of the parts I ever had in hands were made from resin, I always thought that were inaccuracies of the casts (and painted silver accents there oh dear) However, just this weekend I had hands on two real M38 scopes and examined them closely. One scope missed just 1 of the two "Joe Proof Fillers" On the other position the adjustment screw was visible. So your speculation sounds absolutely reasonable to me.

Update #24 - The M38 Telescope(s) This thread covers the standard way to build this kit out of the box and alternatives to go the extra mile. Because of that, there will be more than one scope. Brian (Bulldog44) generously sent me two scopes with hollowed core. Never seen such highly detailed resin casts! Very nice work. Thanks again, Brian The plan is to make 3 scopes: standard, then one with lenses and one with hollowed core plus lenses. The standard scope was easy, because the resin part from this kit had a very nice surface texture and already came in black color. It was not mandatory to paint it. What you have just seen, is how I usually finish these scopes. Dry-brushed, not painted. The 2nd scope got real lenses from a monocular. Instead of gluing these into drilled holes (like done in my first build), they got installed from the inside. This occasion was used to run a hole through the entire thing. I began with disassembling that monocular… After the paint had dried, it was time for the finishing touches. Also thought about integrating the prism(s) but a convex lens turns the image upside down and left to right. Hoped that a 2nd lens (see arrangement in the monocular) would revert this effect. But these are used to compensate pillow- / barrel-distortion. Wasted several days researching and trying every possible combination with lens(es) and prism(s). No luck. As a last chance I grabbed some scopes plus monoculars and went to my eyewear optician. Result: with the given hardware, there is no way to get it working correctly and I was not willing to spend a little fortune to try and error. At least there is light shining through that scope and the lenses make it look somewhat real. There is still Brian’s (Bulldog44) scope with hollowed core. That nice piece will be covered next weekend...

Ha, same over here. For the first time in my life, it seems like it paid off to build these aircraft models when being a child Thanks for stating this. Had such an idealized bend in my first build and never found a screen reference for it. That is why this time I wanted to go for the softer curve. Everybody preferring a sharp bend will be happy you posted this. Thanks Chris Wow Aaron, I had no idea about the different types of aluminum. Up to now I built scope rails from the AL-stripes in the Completion Sets and in Derrek’s blaster kits and so far nothing cracked. Not sure what exact type of AL they sell over here in the local hardware stores…

Update #23 - Railworks As mentioned in Update #20, a rail is required to carry the scope. The front end of it rests in the closest venting hole from the receiver tube, while the rear end can be mounted in three different ways: straight end, upwards bend and Z-bend. The upwards bend would be my first choice for a real Sterling (requires no drilling into the steel). The Z-bend is nice for thick-walled pipes (like full resin kits). Or as backup solution, if the first attempt failed and the rail had to be shortened. This blaster kit comes with a countersunk screw to mount the rail straight to the rear sight. Attention: Derrek casted this part in both positions (100 & 200 range) and this affects the distance between rail and receiver tube, as well as the size of the front bend. This is also important when using screws with bigger heads to mount the scope onto the rail. Next pictures (from other builds) show the differences. The rails can be made from one or two pieces. This kit has a separate bracket, so the builder can decide about using the counter or not (like on the Episode 5 blasters). Scope and counter on the last pictures have only been used to demonstrate the placement. Except of the drilled holes, these parts are still like they arrived with the blaster kit. Next time I cover the scope - no idea yet, when that will be ready... Thank you all for reading and enjoy your weekend

Thanks for your kind words, Chris. Recently I installed the T-tracks from Roy on “Lucky#Eleven” and there were some differences to consider. No matter if this build log gets pinned or not, I need to find some time after finishing this blaster to set up an independent tutorial, covering the different characteristics of available T-tracks... Hey Bryn, have seen your effort on the power cylinders and yours really turned out far better than mine. So if anyone here wants to know, how good the 3D printed version can look like, I suggest to visit Bryn’s build Chris, first of all: thanks again for doing these 3D files! The surface I ended up with, was absolutely my own fault, as Bryn’s nice result proves. Glad to see your latest thread with the updated version getting such positive feedback Thanks, Sean. Actually only two sets of power cylinders were built, the one from metal was finished by Andy (PlayfulWolfCub). Very interesting information with acetone vapor smoothing, because this was what I originally had in mind. Like Chris (themaninthesuitcase) already said, it is sanding, priming, sanding … Bryn got a nice result that way…

PM sent to Chris (themaninthesuitcase) to assist with updating the power cylinders...

Your power cylinders look great, Bryn. Did you get the surface THAT smooth only by sanding and adding multiple layers of paint? Nothing else? If so, I might redo mine once I get time... Especially the rear section looks very good. Used real resistors? How did you shrink the red wire insulation to such a nice size?

Woohoo!!! You combined the rotary switch with the aluminum inlays in the trigger group That's freaking awesome

Yes, leave the charging handle unglued if you want to be able to remove the bolt. Didn't glue mine for the same reason and it slides fine through that slot.

Sounds great, Chris. Cannot wait to finally see some photos of the real thing

Great work, Bryn - with hollowing and the magnets. 5 seems to be the number to go for. Worked on mine, too

Update #22 - The power cylinders A few years ago, Andy (PlayfulWolfCub) started his impressive research to find out more about the power cylinders. If unaware, I highly recommend studying his PDF files. Derrek’s blaster kits contain a resin copy of these beautiful metal power cylinders (approved by Andy). Additionally I had ordered the 3D-printed version from Chris (maninthesuitcase). Both will now be compared to my PlayfulWolfCub’s prototype (shape A). The white 3D-print is VERY close - especially when considering, Chris designed this without having one in hands. His backplate is a shape C, which is very good, because it can also be trimmed to shapes A and B. If ordering 3D-parts for building an E-11, it makes more sense to go with dark colors. I only chose white, because three colors were available when I took a total of three parts (see update #10). However, the real mistake was to not smoothen the surface before painting. It still looks rough and therefore unreal. My fault due to hurrying Let’s now have a look at the black resin copy. It was taken from a metal version, consists of two pieces and looks very accurate. It only needs very few modifications. Still a bit different to the real thing, but good enough for me Although both are shape A, I found minor differences - meaning, there was some evolution from the early to the later versions, of which one was used for the resin casts. And here are some pictures of all three power cylinders. The metal prototype will stay in the display case and for this build I am going to use the resin cylinders. The 3D part is saved up for something else... As always, the next update will be ready in a week…

Thanks Sergiu. Thought it would make sense to cover these steps in detail, as I never came across a tutorial for this work here on FISD.

Well done, Henry. These modifications truly help making it look like a real Sterling. Can't wait for your next "Episode"

Update #21 - Back on track (T-track tutorial) Every single track in a kit is important. If just one of them gets messed up and a replacement is required, it causes a delay plus additional costs. To avoid this, there should be enough time when starting this work. Tools prepared: heat gun, gloves, side cutter, nose pliers and possibly a flat screwdriver and sandpaper or a file (not all is mandatory, just showing what options there are). It is really important to maintain a safe distance between track and heat gun during the whole process, as the arms might become tired after a while. The heat takes some time to get into the plastic part. Depending on the tool‘s power (1000 to 2000 W), this roughly takes about 1 minute - a bit less to correct the „banana bends“ and a bit more for a full bend. Too much heat or a close distance will both result in the „lizard skin effect“ (next pictures). And this cannot be made undone! Therefore it is useful to add the heat to the flat bottom of the track, not to the top. When gravity clearly starts to bend the part, a few more seconds will guarantee it is warm enough. Then it should immediately get bent. When it cools down, the material tries to get back in the original shape. Therefore it is important to keep the part in position for at least half a minute. If the heat gun burned the surface, the track might still be long enough for a different row of venting holes after cutting off the damage. Otherwise a replacement track is required. If everything went fine (or in cases of very little lizard skin) the heated end can be inserted into a receiver hole. All holes are the same (except the bigger one behind the front sight) and it does not matter, which one is used to bend the track. I personally prefer the row with the magazine well, because here the track can be worked in full length without anything in the way. Note: This is the only row with 10 holes to cover. All other rows have only 9 holes. If a track got messed up here, it might still work for another position. To permanently install a T-track, the correct length needs to be found. 10 mm to the front end of the farthest hole will save enough material for a nice bend. In case the tracks are being installed prior to the scope rail, it is useful to temporarily cover the receiver hole for the rail - just to avoid accidentally installing the top track there Only 6 of the 8 rows need to get covered. Tracks are not required on the row with the bayonet lug and the bottom row (because of the folding stock). If one or more tracks are rattling on the receiver tube, this can easily get fixed by semi-heating both ends. The material will then try to get back to the original (straight) shape. As a result, the tracks will hold themselves locked in the receiver holes. It is recommended to not paint T-tracks (if not inevitable). The different color and surface will make them look more believable. Weathering with colored highlights is questionable, as the prop makers also used black plastic tracks for the Sterlings in the movies. Scratches or dust are no problem. That's it for today. Thanks for any comments, questions and critics