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Hi Michael, INCREDIBLE build!!! Great job with the power cylinders - extremely difficult to build accurately because the parts are SO SMALL, but looks like you nailed it! I love the simplicity and execution of your ideas and will likely be incorporating a few of them into my carbon fiber / resin build. (I really need to finish that build one of these days...) I have to tell you, my steel blaster has a real M38 scope with "horizon corrected" optics and I think I like your scope better. In my opinion, your backlit reticle "fits" the Star Wars universe MORE than the real M38 reticle. The real reticle is boring. Thanks for the kudos. It always humbles me when I stumble across my name in someone's build. Very much appreciated. Can't wait to see the finished blaster! Aaron

...with a shooting gallery that counts calories burned while terminating rebel scum! LOL, by definition, groups like FISD are WAY MORE geek than nerd. For me, the best part of the whole project was working with an awesome bunch of guys and getting to know them much better through the hundreds of communications we shared. Above ALL other forums I'm involved with, FISD truly feels like family and I always look forward to my time here. Thanks VERY MUCH for your compliments, Eric!

I'm not British, but, BLOODY HELL! NICE WORK, Chris! Top man!!! I'll be reading this entire thread VERY carefully tomorrow! Mind BLOWN...

The small triangular areas above the trigger. Those areas are the exposed metal edges of the "trigger group", which slides into the receiver on a real Sterling. If we're lucky, you'll have a splendid reference to look at later today...

Definitely gloss black for the grip (it will also add resistance to wear). Detail the bolt and trigger group plates with gunmetal and/or silver. Weather as needed, but keep it subtle. Man, I LOVE this kit! Just like the real thing, but easier to modify! Happy building!

Hi Jeff, Looking at those last pictures and having made a few molds myself, I can't even begin to imagine the hours you have invested. If achieving Centurion with your helmet is the goal, why not contact Steve directly? The changes outlined above are subtle, but if you nail them, it will take your helmets to a higher level. I know Steve has contacted other armorers about making changes to better fit the CRL. The fact that you are asking for input and actively working on changes puts you ahead of many armorers. Steve has the the ultimate authority over this, so I would try to work directly with him. Everyone you ask is going to have opinions, some similar, some different. That said, for the teardrops, it seems to me there should be more of a straight edge at the rear of the teardrop before transitioning into the curve. Your teardrop seems to start curving almost immediately. It's subtle, but noticeable. We're talking millimeters to fractions of a millimeter. Also, the center of the teardrop should have a "hump" in it...like a little hill in the middle of a valley.

DUDE!!! Your entire build thread is a MASSIVE inspiration to me. I appreciate your STELLAR attention to detail and all the tips you posted along the way. I've been building AP armor for well over a year and YOUR thread is helping me finish. THANKS DAN!!! You're THE MAN!!!

I would say multiple hobbies are only limited by time, money and your relationship status.

A full metal build with a Sterling parts kit is an awesome thing, but I can tell you from experience that it isn't very practical for anything other than a display piece OR a huge hassle to get it legally registered. A steel blaster with all the trimmings weighs almost 15 pounds...definitely not suitable for trooping and event authorities won't like it one bit. If you go with a nice aluminum receiver, you'll have all kinds of trouble trying to attach steel parts securely. Best bet for an extremely accurate and troopable blaster is a CNC aluminum receiver with resin parts or a Hyperfirm. I have a strong suspicion the next version of the Phoenix Props kit will have all the detail you could ever want WITHOUT having to buy a demilled parts kit. Check with Dday.

Satin black is my favorite paint for many different things. I think it looks "professional", it's easy to spray without blemishes and it's a lot tougher than a matte finish. I know a lot of people would poo-poo the screen accurate aspect, but for a durable trooping blaster, I wouldn't hesitate to use satin black.

WOW! NICE WORK!!! Seems like this will go quite well for the armor. What's your plan for the helmet? BTW, nice signature - I had to look three times...WTF?

Hmmm... Comfortable enough to replace nomex for trooping? I'm curious if the logo could be removed by soaking with Goo-Gone? The price is certainly right.

I glued mine and taped around them for 24 hours. Check the label. 3M weatherstrip adhesive is sort of like black rubber cement, but it sticks REALLY GOOD. 3M products always work well for me.

Black 3M weatherstrip adhesive. Find it at any auto parts store. I had to use a screwdriver to pry the tracks off to remove the barrel...

Pipe diameter is 1.5". The measurements above are for the muzzle (nozzle).

Excellent news. I picked up a voice changer and a fresh copy of the Visual Dictionary at the local mall's Disney store this afternoon. Funny story - I was thinking about this on the way to the store, so I asked the clerk... Do you think more 501st people buy Star Wars toys or just normal parents buying toys for their kids? Without a moment of hesitation, she said, "Definitely more 501st guys buying toys for themselves". And with that, I swiped my card.

Hey Vaj, I'm still looking to win a second set of Hovi's with my order... . I stopped by Grainger and ordered the screws mentioned earlier in this thread (none of the stores have them in stock - special order). When they come in, I'll post a picture. If they're not the correct screws, they'll go into my shop stock, so no loss. Grainger says they will arrive in a few days, so cross your fingers!

Your attention to detail is EXQUISITE, Brian! My OCD is rejoicing! Simple answer to your mag well question: split the difference. Long answer: Neither edge should be parallel to the receiver tube. The mag well opening is a "trapezoid shape". The back edge is longer than the front edge. An easy way to get alignment would be to find the centers of both the front and rear on the opening in your receiver. Draw a line through these centers, extending past the front and rear edges of the mag well. Draw center ines on the front and rear of the mag well. Set the mag well by aligning the center lines of the receiver and the mag well. If you make another colored line drawing, the top line would slope downward and the bottom line would slope upward in relation to the receiver. Hope that makes sense. Good luck!

Nothing better than a good, clean blaster build with all the classic modifications. Loving your work, John!

Interesting idea using respirator parts. My prototype bucks are almost done. I'm driving to the Tech Shop today to pull some preliminary parts on a vacuform machine.

Wow! That's an interesting picture of the AP! I know very little about vacuforming, but the first thing that jumps into my mind is: Why wouldn't Mark just raise the buck about an inch on the platen? This would obviously cause a little deeper draw, but it would make AP fit more troopers AND leave the notch intact. Glad to hear you're healing up, Vern. When I saw you were selling your entire collection, it almost seemed like a life threatening situation. Happy to see you posting!

Guys named "Aaron" make the best mods.

THIS BUILD SUCKS! You're making the rest of us look like amateurs... You should AT LEAST be able to plug ear buds into ONE of those jacks while standing around waiting for the Emperor...

Muzzle diameters measured from a real Sterling using Starrett calipers: Large: 1.238" Small: 0.990"

I'm in the process of making a kit to match the Visual Dictionary photographs right now...minus the eye inserts. I bought molding and casting supplies to make vacuform bucks from my sculpts yesterday afternoon. Problem is, I can't make them for all helmets since there are slight variations. So, the kits will only be custom fit for AP and TM helmets.