SlyFox740

Introduction: When I first became interested in having a Stormtrooper costume years ago, I quickly found out that most troopers use resin blasters. There's nothing wrong with that at all, some troopers have made their resin blasters look incredibly realistic. However I just always wanted a blaster made from steel like the real thing. I know some people will say using a real Sterling to troop with is way too heavy and just plain impractical, and they may be right especially here in Canada. We have some pretty strict gun laws up here north of the border, Sterlings are on the prohibited firearms list but It's perfectly legal to own a deactivated one if you have about $2,500 to spare . Then there are massive legal issues around carrying and concealing, displaying and especially pointing it in public, you can be arrested for threatening the public among other charges, no joke! And if it were to be used in a crime it is treated like any other violent firearm offence, same goes for airsoft guns, paintball guns or anything else made to appear like a real gun. Having said that it's all about common sense, being in a proper setting at an organized event with other troopers in the 501st is fine, I recently seen many E11s downtown Toronto at comicon 2016 and there were no issues whatsoever, mind you these are replicas of a fictional weapon from a popular sci-fi movie franchise. However realistic firearm "replicas" are completely illegal to sell, buy or make in Canada unless they were owned before 1998 or are replicas of antique firearms dated prior to 1898 I believe, so no Sterling replicas available for us canucks. Another problem I have with a real deactivated Sterling is that the magazine and bolt are welded in place meaning the bolt can't be cocked and the magazine can't be removed, In some cases the trigger is even disabled. There are also serious laws against altering deactivated firearms like cutting the magazine down for instance as it could be seen as an attempt to re-activate it. "Chopped up" Sterlings are much cheaper than deactivated Sterlings and the magazine and bolt do not have to be welded in place, also the magazine can be cut down like any other parts. The only problem with using all original steel parts and a steel pipe is that it tends to be too heavy for trooping, also in Canada this may be legally considered a replica or re-activation which could mean trouble. I do want my blaster to be as functional and realistic as possible; I want to be able to pull the charging handle on the bolt, Yes I want the folding stock to function, I want to be able to pull the trigger, I want to be able to move the selector switch position, I want to be able to remove the magazine using the proper mag release button and put it back again, I want to be able to look through a real magnified scope, and I want to be able to push a functional reset button on the counter. So basically no static parts whatsoever, I want all moving parts to actually function. The only function I don't want is the ability to fire any projectiles. With all these laws and things considered I decided to use an airsoft gun or at least parts of an airsoft gun as the base for my blaster build, I believe it will be a great balance between functionality and realism. Some parts are much more inaccurate than others but I plan to correct those first and foremost. It's definitely not the easiest way of going about this but I like a bit of a challenge and I see troopers trying all kinds of different types of blaster builds now. So I figured I would try and use this Airsoft Sterling to build an ANH E-11 to 501st standards. I like this Airsoft gun because it is steel which I really wanted however it is made from slightly thinner steel than a real Sterling sub-machine gun needs to be made from. This is actually a really good thing for my purposes because it will greatly help save on weight for trooping while still being made of steel. I'm not the first person to do an E-11 conversion with an airsoft gun, other members of this forum and the RPF have done it before. However most of them did it to keep the airsoft functionality, that is not my intention here as my blaster wont fire any projectiles. My goal with this blaster build is to make it as screen accurate to ANH as possible. (UPDATE: These Airsoft Sterlings were actually used by the prop department in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, so I bought a second airsoft gun and I will be converting that one to a R1 E-11 Blaster) Here is all of the things I've collected since Christmas, Santa was very good to me. I managed to get the Beta Project Sterling AEG on a boxing day sale for a good price! There's also some other packages I received since then, your typical ANH E-11 parts; real M38 Scope, real Hengstler 400 Counter, accurate T-track, accurate parts for my Power Cylinders, also some real parts from a chopped up Sterling SMG MK4 L2A3. Genuine Parts for ANH E-11; Real 1942 M38 Telescope from Felix with brand new replacement lenses from Twnbrother, T-Track from Marv, Real Hengstler 400 Counters (small eagle and big eagle), Completion Set from T-Jay, Various parts for Power Cylinder build. Here are all the genuine parts I acquired from a real chopped up Sterling; Polymer Grip, Steel Grip Base cut from Sterling receiver, Trigger Group and Retaining Pin complete with Trigger, Original Guard, and Selector Switch, Rear End Cap complete with D-Ring, and an original main Recoil Spring. Rather than taking pictures of the Airsoft gun as it comes out of the box myself I figured I'd just use these studio shots from a professional photographer instead, They all look the same out of the box anyways and to be completely honest I didn't even bother to take a single picture of the gun before I started disassembling it. This will do it more justice and give you a better idea of it's factory state anyways, so here is the Beta Project Sterling AEG, it's actually a pretty close representation of a real Sterling MK4 L2A3 however it does have it's inaccuracies which we will discuss in detail. This is probably the most inaccurate part of the entire gun, the dreaded grip. What can I say, It looks really fake. Especially when compared next to the real thing, the shape of the airsoft grip is just all wrong. It's big, wide and square due to the motor housed inside of it, the real Sterling grip is smaller, slimmer, rounded and very ergonomically correct. Also the markings on the grip are somewhat inaccurate and the knurling pattern isn't quite right either. The trigger group on the airsoft or rather the "gearbox" is much taller, wider and bull nosed in the front at the top where as the real trigger group is angled, smaller and slimmer, this size difference is due to the gears housed inside the gearbox. The selector switch size is wrong and the engravings are in the wrong order, also the trigger group retaining pin or "retaining screw" in the case of the airsoft is inaccurate. Fixing all of this will be one of my first modifications to the gun. The next most inaccurate part is probably the rear end cap, not as fake as the grip but again considerably inaccurate. The airsoft version is pretty big and bulky where as the the real thing is slim and tapered towards the front of the gun with rounded back corners at the bottom. This airsoft end cap also sits too far back in the wrong position. The D-ring meets Centurion approval however it is actually slightly smaller than the real thing. My next modification will be replacing the airsoft End Cap & D-ring with the real thing. The muzzle cap is fairly close to the real thing however the center hole is too small, it does not have a rolled edge and it does not have the diamond cross-hatch knurling pattern on the hex bolts. I will also correct these inaccuracies. There are other small inaccuracies such as the bayonet lug and sight guard which I will discuss and correct later, however these here are the main ones that are most noticeable. When I got this gun home it wasn't long before I started disassembling it, I'm an avid paintball player and I don't play airsoft so I had no problems ripping this thing apart and gutting it almost immediately. Having said that this type of mod is not exactly for the faint of heart or those with a small budget, this airsoft gun isn't exactly cheap. But I don't even play airsoft nor do I ever plan on it, this thing has never fired a single airsoft BB and it never will after I'm done with it. No projectiles of any kind whatsoever, this is strictly going to be a prop replica for display and costuming purposes. Below is a detailed exploded view shown on the back of the included instructions that I used to disassemble the gun. Here's a complete disassembly of everything. I bought this gun during a Boxing Day sale and I have also sold all the airsoft parts that I don't need for about half of what I paid for the gun, this makes the project much more affordable. Once the gun is taken apart it quickly becomes apparent that most of the gun's heavy weight comes from the motor and gearbox inside the grip and the main firing piston above it which is actually pretty small but heavy. Without all these components this blaster will be significantly lighter than any functional Airsoft conversion. Receiver Tube gutted of all airsoft internals, Star Wars Battlefront poster in the background. The steel pipe this is made from is not quite as thick as a real Sterling sub-machine gun so it will weigh less, this is a good thing and important for the purpose of trooping. Here is a comparison of the Real Sterling grip (left) and the Airsoft Grip (right). Notice the size difference, notice how jagged and square the airsoft grip is compared to the real thing which more smooth and rounded. notice the markings and even the knurling pattern. Here are comparison photos of the grips mounted on the guns. Airsoft (Top), Real Sterling (Bottom) And the other side. Airsoft (Top), Real Sterling (Bottom) And here's a comparison of the real Sterling Trigger Group (left) and the Airsoft Gearbox (right). Notice how much taller and "bull-nosed" the airsoft gearbox is compared to the Sterling trigger group, notice the difference in the selector switch also the engravings are in the wrong order. The Sterling trigger group is real steel where as the Airsoft gearbox is die-cast metal, however the rest of the Airsoft gun is made of steel. The Airsoft gearbox weighs much more than the real Sterling trigger group so this will help keep the weight down. Here's a comparison of the real Sterling Rear End Cap (left) and the Airsoft Rear End Cap (right). Notice the shape at the bottom and the size of the D-ring. Look the profile shots and you'll see the real end cap is tapered towards the front of the gun where as the airsoft one is not, the taper on the back of the cap is there however it is much too large. Also the bottom back corners near the folding stock notches should be rounded but the airsoft is not. Again the Airsoft end cap actually weights more than the real Sterling end cap so this will help keep the weight down. This weight difference is due to the bulkiness of the Airsoft version, also inside the Airsoft end cap there is a built-in spring with a big retaining bolt and washer so these extra parts that add to the weight as well. A real Sterling uses the main recoil spring inside the receiver to hold the rear end cap in position and lock the folding stock when extended. Notice the taper towards the front on top, and the rounded bottom back corners. Here's a comparison photo of the Rear End Caps mounted on the guns. Airsoft (Top), Real Sterling (Bottom) Here's a comparison of a Real Sterling Muzzle cast (left) and the Airsoft Muzzle Cap (right). Once the inner barrel and barrel sleeve were removed the muzzle cap's center hole is now the correct size so that was easy enough to fix, however the outer edge still needs to be rolled, and the hex bolts need to be replaced with the correct diamond cross-hatch knurling pattern. Here are comparison photos of the Muzzle Caps mounted on the guns. Airsoft (Top), Real Sterling (Bottom) Here is a comparison of a real Sterling Folding Stock (top) and the Airsoft Folding Stock (bottom). A fairly close copy of the original however there are a few inaccuracies. First the shape of the arches bend outwards on the real Sterling where as the arches bend inwards on the Airsoft, I'm not sure how they missed this one to be honest because it just doesn't look right to me at all. Second a real Sterling Folding Stock has a small block with rounded corners at the base of the "Y" on the end of the rod. This block is completely absent on the Airsoft Folding Stock. Also the bolts that mount the folding stock to the receiver on a real Sterling are smooth dome head carriage bolts, the Airsoft stock uses slotted head mounting bolts. I will be correcting all these inaccuracies. The Airsoft folding stock weighs less than a real Sterling folding stock due to the thickness of the steel it's made from, this will help keep weight down. First thing's first; Let's cut down this magazine to kick this off and actually get this build started. To remove the magazine internals just push the retaining pin out and everything slides right out. I will be discarding all internals to make room for electronic components, most likely a battery in this case. There are Instructional videos online from others who wanted to cut this magazine down and keep the airsoft functionality. Using the FSID E-11 Blaster Reference I first drew a line and taped it off, then I cut the magazine down using a hand saw. The steel these magazines are made from is slightly thinner than the real thing so it's lighter and we removed the internals so this will also help reduce weight. Using a small file and needle nose pliers I shaped the new open end into two side tabs for the magazine end cap to slide back onto. Here is a comparison photo of a real Sterling magazine (top) and my Airsoft magazine (bottom). I still need to put the little round button in the magazine end cap but it has the accurate engraving of the word "OFF" with an arrow pointing forward. This Airsoft magazine even has the correct model, caliber, and patent number engravings on the back side so it looks pretty accurate. And that concludes the introduction to this Airsoft Conversion I hope you enjoyed it so far, please stay tuned for future chapter updates to my blaster build and feel free to comment or critique my work. First I plan on making this gun as accurate to a real Sterling as possible using the FSID E-11 Blaster Reference, then I will be adding the items required to convert it to an E-11, then I will be repainting it, then finally I will be adding electronics for light and sound. My Blaster Build chapters or "Episodes" will be updated in the following order; Episode I - The Fake Grip Menace Removing the Airsoft grip and gear box and replacing it with the real Sterling grip section, trigger group, and polymer grip. Episode II - Attack of the Caps Removing the Airsoft rear end cap and replacing it with the real Sterling rear end cap, and correcting inaccuracies with muzzle cap. Episode III - Revenge of the Sights, & Stock Correcting inaccuracies with front sight guard, rear sight guard, and folding stock. Episode IV - A New Scope, & Counter Installing real 1942 M.H.R. Co. M38 Telescope, and real Hengstler 400 series Counter w/ correct vintage Eagle logo & correct vintage Metal socket cover. Episode V - The Empire Strikes T-Track Installing T-Track along the receiver holes and correcting inaccurate bayonet lug. Building & installing all metal Power Cylinders with real vintage capacitors and resistors. Episode VI - Return of the Paint Job Painting the accurate "wrinkle" finish on the gun receiver, and flat black on the Hengstler Counter and Power Cylinders. Episode VII - The Blastercore Awakens Installing a Blastercore 5.0 circuit board to enhance functionality. (and possibly other electronics) to be continued...

There's no sound in this video however some of the guns in this one do have the correct Sterling MK4 L2A3 front sight guards seen in ANH. In addition to the original endurance/performance testing we actually get to see some of the original production process taking place here too which is really rare, as well as assembly and quality assurance.<br>

Found this little gem on YouTube the other day; <br> <br>Although I noticed guns in this video seem to have front sight guards similar to the Sterling MK-V (Canadian C1 Type Sub Machine) used in ROTJ not the Sterling MK4 L2A3 front sight guards seen in ANH.

They definitely appear to be computer generated, It's pretty realistic however there are some inaccuracies; There is no bayonet lug, or flattened area on the receiver for the bayonet. The magazine and magazine well just look too wide, that looks more like an M4/AR style magazine not a Sterling. The trigger group and grip assembly appear to be too thin and the trigger group retaining pin has a flat surface head on but the real thing is slightly domed/rounded. The rear sight aperture is wrong I've never seen anything like that before, also the rear sight pin appears to be inaccurate and doesn't even line up with the pivot point on the rear sight itself so that little part is unrealistic. The rear end cap is too long and the D ring is too thin/skinny. The clearing strip on the bolt prodrudes inwards instead of outwards. There is also an engraving of some kind on left side of the receiver near the rear of the gun that I've never seen before but coincidently I have seen an image where someone photoshopped an engraving of a logo on this area of a real Sterling. But it was photoshopped, there was no real engraving on the actual gun.

The developer that programmed this app is actually a member here on the forum. I also had a hand in helping develop the app, specifically the static burst and click sound effects. There is the development thread that covers compatible microphones and amplifiers.<br> The iPhone/iPod dock connector also accepts audio input from a mic in addition to the headphone jack.

Instead of resin replicas there's now plastic replicas available. Here is a great vendor; <br><br> <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.ebay.ca/ulk/itm/262338842976'>https://www.ebay.ca/ulk/itm/262338842976</a>

Actually this is not a new blaster, it's from the exact same mold Rubies has been using for a few years now. Aside from a slightly different paint job the packaging is the only thing that has changed, yet again. Prior to this Rebels packaging, Disney had Rubies use The Force Awakens promotional art (Kylo Ren's face) which doesn't really make sense as this blaster is based on ANH E-11 not a TFA FD-11. But I assume this was done for the same reason everything else Star Wars had that same image of Kylo Ren's face on it; For promotion purposes, the film was being released at the time. Prior to the TFA packaging I believe it was just a generic Star Wars logo with a picture of a Stormtrooper costume on it. But the blaster itself and the mold it's from is nothing new. Here is a Rubies E-11 build with the TFA version packaging instead of Rebels; http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/36146-rubies-e-11-build/

Okay that's it, I do not know all the details and history but I just remember reading about this on the forums before. Some of the post production blasters used for promo photos had it but the Sterlings used on screen in the film didn't actually have the wrinkle finish If I remember correctly. I actually like the wrinkle finish, it looks great and very realistic!

I've been following along on your blaster build Tino, amazing work and attention to detail! Very inspiring. I was actually a bit surprised to see that you decided to go with a wrinkle finish on this. I've seen the VHT paint used before here on FSID, I've been seriously considering doing the same but I thought it had been discovered that only military issued Sterlings actually had the wrinkle finish still on them and the ones in the film were stripped and repainted a smooth matte black, It's been discussed at length on here. Either way you've done an amazing job and it looks super realistic. Awesome build thread, keep up the great work Tino!

So, did you end up ordering your regular size or one size up?

It doesn't get any more real than using original parts. That is a beautiful blaster my friend, any trooper would be lucky to weild it.

AP armor has perfect details, not soft, but not too sharp either cause that's also a bad thing. As mark said it compromises durability of the armor. AP armor is accurate trust me! And as for the two left arms, I wouldn't get too worked up over that. It's also screen accurate, I've spotted more than one stormtrooper suit in ANH that was exactly like this. I can show screenshots and give timeframes if proof is needed, but believe me it's accurate to the film. Mark told me the original suit that his molds were formed from was like this. The AP helmet dome has been sanitized (or cleaned up) but that is desired by many people like me. I prefer the idealized version as the original helmet domes in the film were not smooth at all but bumpy and textured. I personally don't believe this was intentional by the costume designers so that's why I like the idealized helmet dome but there are purists who prefer it that way, in this case RS Props produces a helmet dome that is bumpy and textured like the originals. The face plate is still very accurate to the film including the asymmetric look, the bump under the right eye, and slightly off-centered teeth, ect. Just like in the movie!

I thought it had been discovered that the rear sight pin was actually removed and replaced with a small nut and bolt to mount the scope rail?

If you load the sound files onto some kind of soundboard type of sampler, or sample pad this is possible. There may even be an iOS or Android app for that.

I'm definitely not racing to finish it, just a figure of speech. I want to enjoy this process as much as possible anyways, I've always loved making costumes. My only goal is eventually having a completed set of armor that meets approval so I can finally start trooping.

Bare with me troopers I'm still just doing the rough trimming here, I started with the small pieces and moved on to the larger parts. I will post photos once I have something to show. I'm purposely taking my time with all of this as I know patience is key, they say slow and steady wins the race. Plus this is something I've wanted since I was about 16 or 17 years old, I'm 31 now so you can imagine the mixture of both anticipation and hesitation to start cutting my nice new shiny armor. Anyways after a bit of "first cut fear" I took the dive and started on the ABS hand guards, I plan on getting rubber/latex ones so I figured if I messed them up it wouldn't be a total catastrophe. Then the biceps, forearms and calves, and then I'll be onto the thighs.

I think the next order wave starts tomorrow, Feb 19th. You should be able to order then.

The next best thing beside a real Hengstler would be Dennis' (A.K.A. Blue Snagletooth) Hengstler Counter Replica's; http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34954-fs-4-run-hengstler-400-counter-eagle-replicas/ I purchased one for my blaster build, they are super accurate and built to exact scale with correct dimensions, also the counter itself is functional. Definitely a step up from a resin cast! I chose to go this route for two reasons; 1. They look exactly like the real thing but they are lighter in weight which is something I take into consideration as I don't want a heavy blaster 2. They are hollow behind the counter socket unlike the real thing which leaves room for small electronic components.

The grip is wrong, it looks very square at the edges. Real Sterling grips are rounded and ergonomically correct. In fact I'm converting an airsoft gun and replacing the grip with a real one because the one it comes with looks almost exactly like the grip in that eBay add. Here's the airsoft gun I'm converting, fairly accurate aside from the grip; http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/beta-project-sterling-aeg.html#.VsU2QymKwy4

Bump. <br> Just a reminder to any troopers looking to get a new pair boots; these are on sale until Feb 29th, 2016.

Okay so today I went hunting for more supplies I needed for my build. Thanks to a tip from TK 2759 I was able to find a heat sealing iron at a local hobby shop, they actually had a used one on sale for $10 so I bought that one as I'm not sure if I'll need it yet or not. I am a big fan of the upper thigh notch so I may end up needing it one day. Also my father found a dremel for me so I don't need to buy one. My brother let me borrow his heat gun so I don't need to buy one. I was able to find most of the other supplies I needed so I'm almost ready to actually begin my build and start cutting. This kit has been a long time coming and I've wanted to join the 501st since I was just a teenager, so you can imagine I'm a bit nervous to make my first cut. I also recently converted my AP holster from ESB to ANH so I thought I should post that here as well for anyone following the build process. When I ordered my kit from Authentic Props I decided to add the Genuine Leather Holster to my order because it was a good deal. Also I'm in Canada and the exchange rate on $USD is not good at the moment so ordering one from the states would be that much more expensive. When I asked Mark about these holsters, he told me that he makes them this way so that his holsters can be used for either ANH or ESB. He also said It's way easier to convert ESB to ANH than it is to convert ANH to ESB. I'm building ANH Stunt so this is how I converted my holster to ANH style. This is how the AP Holsters come, the leather loops that go around the canvas belt and secure the holster are ESB style. The holsters in ANH utilized single straps that were fastened to the canvas belt from behind, not loops over the belt. These loops are held in place with Chicago Screws so removing and modifying them is extremely easy. Using this ANH holster template from Troopermaster as a reference guide I converted the straps to ANH style. This can be done by using the existing loops to cut straps and the little 3/4" leather squares that are fastened to them at the base. I've seen many centurion applications that have done this with their AP holsters and were approved just fine. I wouldn't say that using black straps to attach the holster to the belt is not "screen accurate" because I have seen posts on here where people were able to capture screenshots of at least one trooper with black straps on his holster, However most of the stormtroopers in ANH have un-dyed natural leather color straps securing their holsters to the belt, as well as most troopers in the 501st. So I made new straps using a scrap piece of leather I found, you can use an old belt or anything leather really. I then used the existing black loops to cut the little 3/4" leather squares that are fastened to the base of the straps. Using the template above I also trimmed the trapezoidal cut line where the blaster sits to be the same as Troopermaster's template, not sure if this is screen accurate but this seems to be the most popular shape among centurion applications. To do this I had to use a sewing needle to pull out some of the stitching on the right and re-tie the knot lower, a little tedious but it was pretty easy overall. It looks the way I want now, I'm happy with the results. Here is a comparison photo of before and after. ESB on the left, ANH on the right. Please don't hesitate to comment or critique my work

I think the only real issue is if your blaster will fit or not, the smaller details are probably mostly just personal preference. Other than how it's fastened to the belt, the CRL is pretty vague concerning the holster details. I've been looking through the centurion applications and there seems to be some variation around different details the of holsters. There aren't even any EIB requirements listed the let alone Centurion, neither for Stunt nor Hero. So again other than what it's made of and how it's fastened to your belt I think all that matters is that it holds your blaster and your happy with it. That being said I have seen the shape of the trapezoid cut brought up in a centurion application once before but it ultimately didn't prevent the particular trooper from being approved, but it was mentioned... at least one time that I've seen.

I used this exact same template from Troopermaster to convert my AP Holster from ESB to ANH. I may end up needing to use a 12" handle strap as well though, I will know once my blaster is complete. My AP holster came with chicago screws for the top strapping and a cap rivet holding the handle strap on too.

My blaster is actually still a work in progress so I'm not quite sure if it will fit or not yet, If not I may have to get a new strap and move the rivet and snap both a bit closer to the ends. That's the only solution I can think of as the strap is only supposed to be 11 inches, and this one is so that's correct. Also the location of the rivet holding the strap and location of the snap are also correct according to Troopermaster's template.

Hey Eric, Troopermaster's template does show this measurement, it's 5 inches from the top of the holster itself to the flap where the stitching starts.