Freduster

Hey guys! I'm asking this question here because I cannot reach anyone in the appropriate forum (Jolly Roger Squadron), but surely some of you TKs have a TIE Pilot or a Reserve Pilot somewhere in the basement. So quick question: would you say this pair of German jackboots is accurate for a TIE Reserve Pilot build? Soviet Boots size 40 Any help would be appreciated, especially because there is a bit of time pressure as it's the last pair in this size they have in stock. Thanks in advance, Freddy

Right, I'm still waiting for my lexans to arrive, so more research time for me. And I also came up with another question: the only thing that I am still missing is a white canvas belt, and I just wanted to ask if you guys can recommend any Preferably from Europe or even Germany, but if the shipping is not too expensive and the belt is certainly worth it I wouldn't mind ordering one from the US either. So, hit me up FISD!

I pre-ordered a kit from Anovos in August last year and was told that it was going to arrive in December. In December they told me it was going to take a bit longer, so I carried on waiting. Then, in March, on the deadline day they set themselves I got a message that the kits were now on the way to the states and would be shipped "soon". At this moment I cancelled the order because I was quite mad at them due to the immense waiting time and the constant delays. It then took them more than a month to refund my money. In comparison, the kit I have ordered now is by RS Props and between the day of my order and the arrival date were 7 working days. So choose wisely

@Frank75139 I am planning on coating it, yes, but I thought this is the last step.. Is there any reason why you'd recommend coating already? @CableGuy Thank you very much for this great tutorial video! I do feel a little bit more secure now I don't really have any reference pictures, I mainly looked at videos and other builds (like yours ). If you have a helpful link, hit me up! I finally have a good workbench set up and am currently waiting for my lexan scissors to arrive, and then I can finally carry on!

And here we are: since I couldn't reach the forum on Saturday and since I was busy yesterday, finally this will be the last update of this blaster build. Kinda sad, but there's still so much more to come, I certainly won't get bored Right, let's speak RESULTS: Gotta teach my dog some manners apparently, he's not too amused Anyway, I am pretty happy with how the E-11 turned out - it is definitely not the nicest or most accurate build, but it does look pretty damn realistic and for my very first blaster (or even cosplay-like project), I am quite satisfied! Again, thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and helped me out when I got stuck, and hopefully we'll read from each other in other threads (maybe even my TK build thread or the E-11 Blaster Display I have planned and want to start in the next couple of days And again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave some feedback so I won't get into trouble in my next E-11 build Freddy out, see ya out there trooping some day!

Helmet update! First of all, player 2 has joined the game It's always better to have a second pair of eyes checking what you're doing, and especially during the helmet eye and teeth sanding I found out that my girlfriend is quite a handywoman apparently.. I must admit she did most of the sanding, and we were pretty happy with how it turned out Meanwhile I roughly cut out the ears as well: Question of today: what steps would you guys recommend next? Thanks for reading, Freddy

Right, second to last update: layers of clear coat have been applied and the blaster has been hung up. First, because this way it'll dry a lot faster, and second, I will now need the space on the workbench for the armor I went to the DIY store today as well to check out how much a custom-cut piece of decent wood would cost me, and after I heard that it was gonna be about 2 euros I decided that I am going to build a nice E11 display as well, and I guess the best way to show it to everyone is to open an extra thread for that so save the date guys! Last update should come in tomorrow after a couple of nice shots have been taken. Cheers for reading, Freddy

First update! Kit arrived yesterday, and I was so hyped I forgot to upload pictures as promised, so today I shall redeem myself: Tried on the helmet as well: I was also thinking to get started with the helmet as well to get the hardest thing out of the way first. So I'll have a look at other WIPs and then get started.. Depending on how much progress I'll make over the long weekend, I could be back with a new update soon. Freddy

Oh damn, that would have been nice! Well, I'm working towards Power of the Force Con in early August at the moment, that might work as well.. Last layer of black paint has been applied today, last thing to follow is the clear coat and then I can finally print out the E11 completion certificate

What's up FISD, my name is Freddy, and I am a student and long-time Star Wars fan from Duisburg, Germany. After finishing my E11 build a couple of days ago (if you're interested, you can find my build here) and after a bit of a hassle with my ANOVOS pre-order from last August I decided to cancel this order and ordered a DIY armor and helmet kit from RS Props on May 4th (the ways of the Force indeed are unfathomable). This is due to arrive tomorrow, so I started this thread in preparation for the great day tomorrow In the next days and weeks (and probably months) I am really looking forward to meeting and talking to a lot of new people (I felt at home in the circle of E11 builders, but now it's time to expand this circle), and I am also hoping for a lot of support as this is my very first costume build ever (I usually just buy them finished, but have also never spent so much money on a costume before). I am aiming for Centurion as I said to myself that if I'm ready to spend so much money and dedicate so much of my free time to building this Great White TK, I might as well aim for the maximum level. Plus, with all the cumulative knowledge of Centurion builders and owners, I'm sure I can do it - all I need is a couple of pushes in the right directions For the German Garrison members out there following this post, I am also going to start a build thread in the GG forum (Link can be found here), however this will mostly concentrate on where to get all the extra parts and supplies in Germany or Europe because like mentioned before I have had some trouble with ordering stuff from the US and it's just a lot more expensive due to shipping and customs... Here is a list of the stuff I have ordered or received already: ANH TK Stunt Armor kit: RS Props ANH TK Stunt Helmet kit: RS Props TK Boots: Imperial Supply Depot Holster: GG-internal purchase Neck Seal: GG-internal purchase I am pretty hyped for tomorrow and will spend the day reading through guides and watching build videos on YouTube so I won't screw up anything unnecessarily Unless UPS feels otherwise, I shall be back tomorrow with visual updates of my kit and perhaps the other stuff that's there already. If you have any tips that you think I must know before starting, please feel free to tell me, and like mentioned earlier I am really looking forward to talking to you guys and maybe even see some of you on future troops once this bad boy is finished and approved. Cheers for reading and over for now, Freddy

We're getting closer to the finish line! After visiting the future colleagues at RPC this Saturday I underwent a boost of motivation once again, and so I carried out the last steps. Glued the last two parts with my E6000 and after it all dried I sprayed on another layer of primer. However, first of all I masked all the areas that I didn't want to be black after spraying (i.e. the ejector port which I already sprayed metallic silver, the scope lenses, the part of the scope with the white writing on, and finally the spring. That's the state of the blaster right before primer: And after half an hour of drying, I added a couple of layers of black spray paint. After removing the masking tape and after another 24 hours of drying, this is what my E11 looks like now: The very last step now is going to be a bit of weathering and a final layer of clear coat to protect the paint. And I also finished this project just in time as my RS Props kit and helmet are going to arrive on Wednesday. So this project might come to an end very soon, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and am also very happy with the result. I will probably finish this WIP with a couple of final pictures soon, and next weekend (at the latest) I will start my ANH TK WIP thread. Cheers, Freddy

Another BIIIG update today: I carried on my work on the scope rail and prepared the hengstler counter: Afterwards I glued both sides together and added two screws: Then I decided to carry on for a while and added the folding stock - and then the rear sight - and then the scope rail; and I just worked my way through it so quick I even forgot to take pictures of that So instead, here are some pictures of the (nearly finished) E11: Now all that's left before painting is the bigger "flash guard" in the center of the tube and the power cylinders. Concerning these, I may have been too stupid to read properly, but didn't find anything about the specific location of the cylinders on the mag. Do I place them parallel to the tube or parallel to the shape of the mag well? I think I've seen both versions, but would like to hear from the experts what they prefer Cheers guys, Freddy P.S.: I'll hopefully be back with the finish line update tomorrow evening

To be fair I had the same problem, but my decision came during my build. I realised how long it takes to apply some of the mods, so i just decided on a couple that I thought would be absolutely necessary to make my E11 feel like a weapon worth of a Stormtrooper So just pick a couple and make a to do list, I just find it really satisfying to tick what I got done every day - plus it shows you how close you are to the finish line

New update Got a lot of stuff done again today as my armor should be here soon as well! First thing was the correction of the mag, thanks again to @kwakermad and @Dracotrooper! This is what it looks like now: Now that I worked on the mag, I decided I might as well get the whole thing done. So I screwed and glued the mag well onto the blaster: And afterwards added the mag top as well: Afterwards I prepared the scope rail which now looks like this: Today was a pretty successful day which brings me closer to finishing the blaster This is what my to do list looks like after today: That's it for today, tune in in a couple of days for the last steps of my E11 build!

Hi Bob! Sorry, I don't exactly know which part of the mag I should fill in.. Could you describe the exact spot and what to do with it more closely? Thanks for the advice anyway, and say hi to my patria adoptiva for me

Hello FISD! It's been a long time since my last update, but exams and holidays kept me from working on the E11. HOWEVER: today finally marks the day where the trigger mod struggles come to an end! This was the main issue I wanted to make my way round for a long time, but now that it's been done, it really wasn't that hard I started by fitting the nail and the trigger into the grip and filled up the hole with green stuff: Next, I glued the trigger guard and filled up the little spaces between the guard and the rest of the grip with more green stuff: And then I decided to make the most of the really warm weather in Germany right now and carried on in the garden and installed the bayonet lug and the end cap clip - both with little metal pins that I got out of snapping nails in two or three equally large parts: These updates now leave the blaster at this state: It's quite fascinating how simply adding the trigger and the guard suddenly turn this piece of resin into something that looks a lot like an E11 already - and I'm really looking forward to adding the other parts that are still missing. Also I decided to cancel my pre-order of the ANOVOS kit and as soon as my money is back in my account, I'll get an RS props kit - I've been waiting for the kit for almost 6 months longer than I should have, and this annoyed me quite a bit. So instead I am going to finally get my kit soonish, and sadly I probably won't be able to get it done by the 12th of May where the Role Play Convention is taking place in Cologne (unless I find someone who lives around Duisburg and is willing to give me a hand and build up the armor within less than a month), but the next event will come, and until then I will finally have my armor checked and will be a 501st member. And I can tell you, I'm very much looking forward to this day! Cheers, Freddy out!

Another update due to another busy day working Got a few smaller things done, for example the selector switch which is also glued onto the E11 now: Also I replaced the resin screw with a real one on the mag well: I also fixed some smaller resin remains that shouldn't have been there anymore and at the same time upgraded my magazine: Final thing today was the start of working on the front sight block and pin, of which the latter I had to build from scratch: (the left thing looked like a smaller version of the right, but sadly I forgot to take a before-picture ) And finally, after a bit of rule of three calculations (inches into centimetres), I put together a front sight block which I am of course going to change a little bit to make it look accurate: Before I forget, I attempted to fit the scope rail on today and the rear sight cracked in two. Now it has received some E6000 and is hopefully gonna stay in one piece again, but does anyone have an idea how to mount the rear sight onto the tube without risking a snap again? Cheers for reading, Freddy

Newstime!!! Had a few hours to spare today to do some more work on the blaster, and I made some decent progress After a trip to the local home depot I increased and upgraded my arsenal: Insulation tape was a bit expensive and since the only thing i needed it for was masking and the d-ring, I just went for cheap multi-coloured adhesive tape. Due to the budget surplus I also got some more spray paint as well as some smaller files which I thought would probably be very useful - and I wasn't wrong. But first things first... Finished the end cap: Finished the breakthrough in the folding stock: (This is where the files were used the first time, and they did well! Instead of clearing the whole thing out, I basically carved out the bottom part, but left some resin in the top corner where most blaster builders apparently add some green stuff - probably looks a lot better this way, but I'm a lazy trooper and went for the easier way. I also weathered the scope so I can now put it aside and work on some other things before finally mounting it I also worked a bit on the trigger so I will hopefully be able to finish that soon - some other smaller things were done which I just didn't take pictures of; whatever With this project finally taking shape, of course I am already thinking about other things... Aaaaaand since I managed to get the girlfriend hooked on Star Wars, aaaaaaaand with the armor hopefully coming in soon I will not stop working anytime soon. Especially since it's just sooooo much fun Sadly she has decided to pick the wrong side, but putting together a costume which actually consists of real clothes will be a totally different challenge, and I'm certainly looking forward to that! That was it for today, Freddy out

Oh yeah, I forgot one thing: are there any approval requirements on the Hengstler counter? I am striving for a more idealized build and don't need a 100% accurate Sterling gun. And I am kind of scared of the whole number and plexi glass thing, I am tempted to just leave it the way it is. Is that somehow gonna affect my chances to become a member, EI or Centurion (because I am aiming to build the armor very screen accurate)?

Hi Mark! Cheers for the advice, I'll definitely try that out @T-Jay: do you have a good method for weathering the screws? If I can spare some time today I'll probably finish my blaster mod, but with an oral exam coming up tomorrow I might have to do other things

Progress update (yay!): needed a break from studying today, so I decided to put good use to the new screws I ordered from Tino. These are the results: I also sanded down the front of the scope rail to make it fit into the hole of the tube, and it's looking good It feels like I'm getting closer and closer to having all the detailed "bigger" parts together which, once assembled, will form a pretty good looking E-11 (for my eyes at least, for most of you guys it'll probs be a pretty average use of the individual parts I used ). The only bigger issues I'm gonna have to overcome now are the trigger mod and the hengstler counter. But I'll read through some more parts of the forum and I should be fine Freddy

Also your letter with the missing screws arrived today, Tino! Cheers for that again! I'll hopefully get something else done over the weekend

Update! Managed to get some work done today as revision went really well this morning so I could treat myself to a bit of blaster building! Yesterday I had a read through T-Jay's Lucky#Eleven build for some inspiration, and thus I went on to highlight the writing engraved on the back of the scope with a white crayon: Went on to polish the white paint of that wasn't meant to stay, and I was pretty happy with the result. Furthermore, I spray painted the D-ring (but forgot to take a picture) and also worked on the front sight. Just like everyone who wants some details on the blaster, I used some green stuff from Tino's blaster kit to add some nice details, and my beloved file helped me with that: I'm gonna have to take another study break for the next couple of days sadly, but might be back with an update this weekend. However, if anyone has any feedback, of course I am going to follow this website closely

Good evening Troopers, it's time to hit the forum with a bigger update again: the scope is pretty much finished! After my work with the car surfacer a couple of weeks ago it was now time to take the next try and drill that thing out properly! First, after sending down any outstanding surfacer with a metal file I started drilling with this forstner bit here: This was what the scope looked like afterwards: Then, as the hole was about as deep as the lens and the plastic casing around it (I decided to keep the casings of all the lenses I used on which would later make it a lot easier to fit in and glue), I switched to this massive thing here: Also notice the aluminium rod + bit construction that we had to build because the drill would not have reached far enough into the scope.. I guess every Chadra-Fan out there would have been proud! Anyway, afterwards the scope looked like this: After a couple of rounds with a rotary cutter (God, I am learning so many new technical terms, it's actually amazing what a blaster build does to your vocabulary ), it was time to get the smaller side done. For this side, we used a "countersinking cutter" (at least that's what my trusted online English dictionary spat out when I punched in the German word "Senkbohrer") because it had just the right diameter for the hole we needed to fit in the smaller lens including its casing. Obviously we also had to free the lens first: Turns out I could be very happy with the result! Finally we only had to connect the two holes we drilled by first drilling a very small hole and then widening it with bigger and bigger holes. This is what it looked like: For my final trick, I put in the lenses to see what it will look like after painting and glu(e)ing: The bright orange will probably disappear a little bit after I painted the inside of the scope black, but I am still very happy with the result and cannot wait to finish this (probably most complicated) part of my blaster! Cheers, Freddy

Actually it did smell about as bad as the inside of a Tauntaun, but I was prepared for that and did all that work in the garden Yesterday I spent some time with painting a couple inside parts of the blaster that I screwed up when replacing the resin screws with resin ones, mainly because the cheap no-name brand dremel can sometimes be very unpredictable.. No pictures tho because I think these tiny changes aren't really worth showing. Also I might finish the blaster mod soon as I have already got a decent plan of what I want to do and I really just want to get that out of the way (I really enjoy tasks that I can split into subtasks which are like a small success at least). So let's see how that'll go..