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Nicely done. Can't even tell it ever looked different!

Parallax error strikes again!

Total length with caps should be 7.25 to 7.5 inches. Caps should measure just under 13/16".

Premature threadulation. It's going to be about two weeks before there's any worthwhile activity here...

SWEET! I know there's frustration involved, but it is RAD watching the evolution of these pulls. Keep up the good work, Jeff!

Hi Terry, Steve beat me to it...I went to copy the link and came back to find he had already responded. BTW, my great grandmother is from Pontypridd, Wales!!! I took vacation there and explored the area a few years ago - I met John Leatherby and he invited me to his house for tea and biscuits with his wife - wonderful people!!!

I wouldn't trim any from the length. You can bend your arm and it looks like you've got just enough room to bend your wrist = minimal black showing. I read somewhere there are 11 dimples on one and 12 dimples on the other forearm, but that may be RS armor only - yours both appear to have 11. I vote for only wrist return edge removal and a refitting. As far as leaving room for your forearms to swell - can you get away with creating an even gap (I'm talking 5mm or less so it doesn't start looking obvious) between the halves and still using the 15mm cover strips - seems like I've seen that before. If you need extra reinforcement, you could always install inner strips.

WOW! That came out REALLY NICE! Great work, Zach!!! I'm gonna have to go back through your thread - I'm lovin' the texture. Thanks for the shameless plug too!

I'm interested to see it!

Nicely done, Ivan. Adam Savage would be proud! Have you ever watched the Tested! videos talking about Adam's obsession with boxes and cases? There's an awesome video where he creates a custom display case for one of his Blade Runner guns...worth the watch!

I'm GUESSING - I've never done it. I would definitely ask Walt to clarify before proceeding.

Hopefully, this happened while Ford was "bringing it" during an action scene... I can hope right? I would assume they can continue shooting and come back to fill in the gaps on any missed Han Solo scenes after he recovers.

Can I buy a vowel? I'm guessing longer slope or slope more? I think the idea is to angle the form so one side isn't pulling longer than the other. I'm guessing you would want the angle so the front of the face is roughly parallel to the plastic - seems like that would pull more evenly. For the back, I know you want the front angled down - I think this just decreases the depth of the overall pull, while causing the plastic to "drape" over the back while pulling more in the front. Doesn't matter if the front gets thin because you're trimming most of it off anyway. Seems like you're on the right path - just have to fine tune everything...form angles, temperature, how long to wait before pulling the plastic from the form, etc. I've never done any thermoforming, but it sure is interesting and I've really enjoyed following this thread. Good luck, Jeff!!!

A nice pair! For those of us who are learning, can you explain the difference in the rails and scope hardware? I usually see rails like the one on top, but is the bottom rail also accurate? Something about the curve in the bottom rail mixed with all the horizontal T-track lines doesn't look right - LOL, Frank Lloyd Wright would have a heart attack. But I do see the bottom rail has to curve because of the size of the hardware...

Nicely done! Now come the little, tiny drill bits...

I'm assuming everything worked before disassembly... Do you have a multimeter? Can you check for 3VDC from the batteries (VSS to VCC)? If you're getting 3V to the circuit boards, that eliminates a battery problem. You could also check conductivity of the switch - connect the leads to both ends of the switch (looks like VSS to L1-). You should get nothing until you push the button. When you push the button, you should see .5 ohms or less. Did the wires get pinched anywhere - possible short circuits? I don't see any evidence of heat damage from the lighter - wires look good. Solder joints don't look great, but they look good enough to maintain conductivity - I don't see evidence of any "cold" solder joints. From there, I'd start checking continuity further into the gun. If you've got power and the switch is good, the circuit is broken somewhere.

After all the hype, I think I'm more excited for YOUR armor arrival than I was for MINE! Pictures, man, pictures! Well written too - I felt like I was right there in the midst of the frenzy!

I had no idea you were working on the front sight until you posted... Seriously, if you need close-up, detail pictures of ANYTHING on a Sterling, just let me know. It takes 5 minutes to shoot and post pictures.

Derek, Those "bubbles" are likely a result of the mold release Doopy uses - it's like wax. Paint doesn't stick to mold release - it spreads away from it. Painters call it "fisheyes". If I remember correctly, one of the very first things Tim did on his build was to wash ALL the parts in soapy water...that was to eliminate any residual mold release. If you do any sanding BEFORE washing the parts, residual mold release gets forced down into the pores of the resin and makes it really tough to eliminate later. You have three choices: 1) If it doesn't bother you too much, just leave it alone. 2) You could try adding another coat. It's possible your first few coats formed a "skin" over the mold release spots and subsequent coats will stick. 3) Sand the whole grip down to the resin. Scrub the fisheye area with rubbing alcohol in an attempt to get rid of any remaining mold release. Other cleaners might include dish soap or something like Simple Green. I think rubbing alcohol is probably the most aggressive thing you could use on resin. I normally clean with acetone, but I'm pretty sure that will MELT resin. Reprime and repaint. Try not to touch the part with bare hands - oil from your fingertips can cause the same reaction. Lots of people wear latex or neoprene gloves when handling parts prepped for paint.

Great work, Russell! Thanks for sharing your technique!

I went to a sporting goods store (Dick's Sporting Goods, Sports Authority or something similar) and tried on different sizes. I'm glad I did it too, because I ended up getting different sizes than I normally wear. I think I got the same size compression shirt as my normal shirt size, but I liked the compression pants one size smaller than my normal pants size. Just a suggestion.

I had to go back through Tino's build to check... He builds the extractor on page 2, paints the parts on page 4 and installs everything on page 6. To answer your question: yes. The round part is supposed to be seated a few millimeters below the surface. Tino didn't install them on page 2 because he wanted to paint the small parts first. Look at the bolt pictures I sent. Tino just approximated the extractor, probably for simplicity. The "round part" looks fine, but if you look at the bolt pictures, you might be able to see that part, in reality, is not round. It's a spring loaded "piston" or cylinder which maintains tension on the extractor arm. I think if you just replicate what Tino did, it'll look just fine.

Thank you VERY MUCH, Lucas. I'm just screwing around in the garage because it makes me happy and keeps me sane. In part, I owe a big thanks to you, since this build started with a template you helped create! Very nice to finally make your acquaintance!

Preach it, brother!!! Makes absolutely NO SENSE why they didn't mold the entire bolt... I checked the alignment of the Doopy bolt against my blaster. With the charging handle all the way forward in the slot and seated in the correct recess in the bolt, the Doopy bolt ends up exactly where Derek has it. The vertical slot will be clearly visible. If you slide the bolt further forward to hide the vertical slot, the recess for the charging handle will not be accessible. If it were mine, I would do the following: 1) Fill the vertical slot with putty and sand flush. 2) Cut the extractor slot and make small pieces to simulate the extractor. I think Dark CMF and T-Jay both did this in their builds. 3) Round out the square slot for the charging handle (so the correct round base will fit). Another option would be to file down the charging handle base to fit the existing slot, but that's not as accurate. You can see the charging handle hole in the bolt pictures above - it's round, not square. 4) Fit and attach the bolt inside the pipe. 5) I think you said you had to do some significant sanding to fit the bolt, so the diagonal strips are almost gone. Make diagonal strips from thin plastic and glue to the bolt. No need to be dead in the water. Same as Dark CMF, what's up with the Hengstler? Trying to figure out which "features" to add? Keep it up, Derek! You're getting close!!!

One more package from UPS and it will be time to finally get SERIOUS about applying a finish to my blaster. I have all the tools - just waiting on material from Midway USA. I'll be using KG Industries "Gun-Kote" in flat black, which was originally developed for Navy Seals. If the results are good, I might refinish my AR-15 as well! Nothing like a Star Wars prop project you can also apply in the real world! I have an older air brush, but I wanted to be damn sure I could spray an extremely consistent coating. KG Gun-Kote should be applied 0.003-0.004 thick - that's pretty thin! I prefer rural living, but there's always a good reason to be close to the big city. Turns out two of the major airbrush manufacturers are located in Chicago and there's a store called Chicago Airbrush Supply that carries EVERYTHING for airbrushing. I visited Chicago Airbrush Supply on Friday and explained my entire project. Just a quirk I guess, but I always prefer, if possible, to examine big ticket items "in person" before handing over the cash. The helpful staff hooked me up with an airbrush and accessories well-suited to my task...