TK ANH Stunt by CloseTheBlastDoor

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

ETA on the boots is unknown at this point, so what remains is the optional stuff.
 

E-11 Blaster:

• Folding stock (does not need to function).
• A real or replica ammo counter - based off of a Hengstler counter - shall be present.
• D-ring mounted on the rear.
• Sterling based blasters have the correct M-38 or M-19 style scope.
• Two power cylinders on the magazine housing.
• Scratch-built or cast blasters shall have a total of 6 T-tracks on blaster (leaving the lowest row on the magazine housing side uncovered).
• If using the Hasbro E11 toy blaster, it is modified to have the correct number of T-tracks (6 total), with a lower row of open vent holes on the magazine housing side.
  • This is accomplished by covering the pre-existing rows of holes with T-tracks, then grinding off the lower integrated T-track on the magazine housing side, and drilling a new row of holes in its place.
• 3-D printed blasters can not contain visible print lines, and must be sanded smooth for a more realistic appearance.
• No ESB/ROTJ greeblies are allowed on the blaster.

I have an E-11 blaster that I obtained from someone on eBay who claimed that it’s 501st-approved. But I have my doubts, as several things don’t look right to me. This is where I am most concerned. 

 

I found this great post here: 

Shall I assume that that one is approvable for EIB/Centurion? What I have now looks nothing like the photos in the post.
 

The files are most up to date on printables.com: 

https://www.printables.com/model/162480-sterling-smg-mk4-l2a3-and-anh-e-11-conversion

 

It’s a lot of pieces, but I have two 3D printers that can do the job!
 

Here are photos of what I have right now:

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

What you have now is a base model Hasbro/Kenner E-11, should meet base approval (depending on your GML). Doopy Doo's used to make an add on kit to make it a little more accurate BUT would only clear for base and EIB levels (depending on your GML of course). Lots of different color/versions, the last of the Disney Parks E-11's had a selector switch to go from kill to stun (different lights and sounds). Majority of E-11 builds back then (13 years ago) were Hasbro or pipe builds, no 3D printers back then (ok there were but around @$2,500 and upwards

 

There also used to be a few others supplying resin kits back around then but unfortunately all gone now.

 

 

I used to cut off the front of the barrel, fabricate an accurate one with T-tracks so it was at least the right size and LED's could be seen through it.

 

My build thread is here (pre 3D file era)

 

And then I had to build another E-11 for centurion standards, this was a pipe build with Doopy Doo's add on's (they also did a full resin kit) and some hand made pieces. Build here

 

 

I did find some 3D files to add a little more detail to the blaster which I posted here:

 

There are some really great Hasbro upgrade/conversion build threads on the forum and worth having a dig through some of them, was always amazing to see how so many builds were a little different from others and quirky additions some people added

 

You will have no issues using Bryan's files for EIB or Centurion, he put countless hours into those files and a lot of detail work, even a working trigger for electronics. Biggest thing is not to leave any print lines, prep work is definitely the key to any printed prop, hurts my brain every time I see printed props with no sanding or filling, hey but that's just me.

 

Bryan has some images in this thread 

 

Zeroroom (who I never got to meet as he retired) came up with some great templates for a scratch build E-11, I'll have to remember to upgrade his watermarked images, stupid Photobucket 

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Thanks for all of that information, it was a mouthful! It sent me down a rabbit hole a bit (which was fun), and It's good to have that historical knowledge. It looks like there's some leeway in how the blaster can be constructed, alright!

 

I was just so impressed by Bryan's files that I started on them a little while ago. I have both a resin and a filament 3D printer (I used to work at a 3D printer company, too) so hopefully I'll be OK.

 

I followed a link in trooper96's thread to JustJoseph's notes on sanding and finishing, and those tips seem very useful. Postprocessing is really the hard part when it comes to 3D prints. Printing itself is easy!

 

Hoping to get some PETG prints nice and clean. So far, no luck.

[dblcross[TK]]

4 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

I followed a link in trooper96's thread to JustJoseph's notes on sanding and finishing, and those tips seem very useful.

That's definitely the advice to follow when it comes to building an E-11. Take your time, and you'll have a perfect finish. With his advice, a lot of people are impressed that it's a 3-D print and can't tell. It's even better after I added a real metal folding stock, which added weight to it.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

8 hours ago, dblcross said:

That's definitely the advice to follow when it comes to building an E-11. Take your time, and you'll have a perfect finish. With his advice, a lot of people are impressed that it's a 3-D print and can't tell. It's even better after I added a real metal folding stock, which added weight to it.

Wow, yeah, I really can't tell the difference between the metal and the plastic! I've not gotten such a good finish like that before, even with the Bambu X1C or the Carbon M3 Max (industrial resin printer). This is very encouraging, thanks for sharing!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

16 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Hoping to get some PETG prints nice and clean. So far, no luck.

I have not been successful with PETG as yet, a lot of stringing, they say it takes practice to dial it in but it does my head in constantly testing, will get back to trying again when I have nothing on. 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

47 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I have not been successful with PETG as yet, a lot of stringing, they say it takes practice to dial it in but it does my head in constantly testing, will get back to trying again when I have nothing on. 

Yeah, definitely stringing, single layers gone bad for no apparent reason, and really ugly surfaces left by supports. I've tried several temperature settings, and with and without the enclosure open. If I figure out anything, I'll let you know.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Just posting some progress (or lack thereof). Certainly I’ve had a number of spaghetti failures for different reasons, and I’m learning a lot about my new printer that way! I did not make much headway with PETG, so I decided to go with PLA+ and had much better results. Then, as I found out, for my Bambu X1 Carbon 3D printer, there is a special PETG HF that is also made by Bambu which prints better at high speeds than regular PETG. The Bambu was most likely simply too fast for regular PETG, as my biggest problem was stringing, followed by bubbling. Overall the Bambu results are great! I’ve set print layers at 0.08mm High Quality.

 

I’m generally following @justjoseph63's post previously mentioned, plus something recommended on YouTube by @shashachu:

 

 

Both methods use Bondo, but the YouTube one uses Bondo diluted with acetone and brushed on in addition to full strength, depending on severity, and then a coat of automotive filler primer. There’s still sanding, but overall less of it.
 

The PETG HF experiment is forthcoming. I will report back on that. In the meantime, here are some photos.

 

There are still some print lines here and there, but not all of those areas will show. A test assembly will reveal where there is more work to be done. And there’s still prepping the main tube, and overall much more painting left to do.

 

One question: the E-11 instructions call for a “pen spring” and a “half pen spring.” Are these the actual springs from a ball point pen that match the 4.25mm x 27mm measurements? And is the “half pen spring” just a pen spring cut in half? Okay, that was two questions .

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

 

 

One question: the E-11 instructions call for a “pen spring” and a “half pen spring.” Are these the actual springs from a ball point pen that match the 4.25mm x 27mm measurements? And is the “half pen spring” just a pen spring cut in half? Okay, that was two questions .

 

 

 

My PETG looked just like your first photos, I'm now using a high speed PLA+ which appears much nicer to print than regular PLA+, have not seen any high speed PETG locally as yet, but we are a bit behind down here, takes a while to get anything new, unless you pay through the nose.

 

I've not tried the thinned down blade putty as yet BUT our spray putty is similar to that and fills lines nicely, still need to give a rough sand though, it's the main part I hate about 3D printing.

 

I use pen springs in most of my blaster builds. With the half spring when cut it will be angled so I just use some pliers to twist it so it makes a flat O if that makes sense.

 

EDIT, definitely pen springs "(2) common ink pen springs" by the looks this is standard in Bryan's models

 

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

8 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

have not seen any high speed PETG locally as yet, but we are a bit behind down here, takes a while to get anything new, unless you pay through the nose.

Thanks, Glen!

 

Actually the only place I've seen high speed PETG is Bambu, which is tuned for their printers. Maybe most other printers are not fast enough that it's a concern? The PETG HF does require 8+ hours of drying before use, so it's a bit harder to deal with.

 

8 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

our spray putty is similar to that and fills lines nicely

I think spray putty would be easier to deal with than Bondo, honestly. That stuff stinks to high heaven, and brushing it on is less than ideal because it creates uneven surfaces. For flat stuff, that's OK, but everything else is a pain to sand.

 

Thanks for confirming that those are actual pen springs! I understand what you mean about the "O" at the end.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

YESSS! I scored the proper TK boots from a friend in my garrison!

 

And, more progress on the E-11. I need to do a bit more painting, form the spring, and glue it all together. Everything fits together so well, it’s quite satisfying!

 

Overall, printing the parts with fine resolution goes a long way towards eliminating print lines, but it took several tries with the proper orientations to strike a compromise between where they showed up, and utter print failure. The stinky bondo continues to work well, and I've gone through an entire can each of filler primer and flat black paint already.

 

Sanding the bare part was from 80 grit to 120 to 220, then after bondo it was 220 or 400, and after filler primer it was 400 or nothing. I think it just takes experience to know when to stop sanding, and when Bondo can take over and get you to the glasslike smoothness you want.

 

It was hard to orient certain parts so as not to have print lines where it mattered. Applying the Bondo here was tricky, because of the debossed text.

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Score.

 

Nice prep work, my most hateful part of the process. Trying to get orientation right for less print lines as well as trying to keep details can be a little complicated, as well as trying to keep as much strength possible in some areas, all a learning curve and comes with practice  

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

3 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Score.

 

Nice prep work, my most hateful part of the process. Trying to get orientation right for less print lines as well as trying to keep details can be a little complicated, as well as trying to keep as much strength possible in some areas, all a learning curve and comes with practice  

Thanks. Aside from the smell, I've come to enjoy the process ever so slightly. It's nice when everything comes out smooth. When it does .

 

I am a bit concerned about how thin the main tube is. I think I'm going to use E-6000 to glue on the other parts, just in case it breaks. But I'm thinking I'll leave this at home for troops, and take along my toy one instead.

 

I certainly have printed at least two blasters' worth of material by now!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

19 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

I am a bit concerned about how thin the main tube is. I think I'm going to use E-6000 to glue on the other parts, just in case it breaks. But I'm thinking I'll leave this at home for troops, and take along my toy one instead.

Was one of the things I was worried about with printing an E-11, Bryan made a heavy duty version which can be used with other E-11 kits he's made "TROOPING DUTY (DROP RESISTANT) VERSION FOR MY STERLING AND E-11 MODEL" 

 

https://www.printables.com/model/168378-heavy-duty-sterling-smg-mk4-l2a3-and-anh-e-11-rece

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

16 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Bryan made a heavy duty version which can be used with other E-11 kits he's made

Oh wow, I didn't see these!

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

OK, I’m getting pretty close. Looking back, I must say that any frustration was with 3D printing everything, and on the other end of the spectrum was great pleasure in seeing how precisely and cleanly this model comes together. It’s really satisfying! Such a great design!

 

There are two questions that I have that perplex me:

1. I am unsure of what I can make the clear lenses out of. How thick are they? I would guess maybe 1-2mm?
2. What is “craft wire?” Is it just sturdy wire? I see it used in a few places, the least understood one being on the Hengstler counter. 

In the instructions, part 65 is referred to as a “rod,” but in the list it’s “craft wire.”

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 minute ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

There are two questions that I have that perplex me:

1. I am unsure of what I can make the clear lenses out of. How thick are they? I would guess maybe 1-2mm?
2. What is “craft wire?” Is it just sturdy wire? I see it used in a few places, the least understood one being on the Hengstler counter. 

In the instructions, part 65 is referred to as a “rod,” but in the list it’s “craft wire.”

1. I've used clear plastic from a rectangular cotton bud container, be about 1mm thick, it's amazing how many clear plastic things you can find once you look around. 

2. Craft wire, it's sturdier than normal soft wire, it doesn't bend easily, I had some from other projects, use it on servo linkages.

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

17 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

1. I've used clear plastic from a rectangular cotton bud container, be about 1mm thick, it's amazing how many clear plastic things you can find once you look around. 

2. Craft wire, it's sturdier than normal soft wire, it doesn't bend easily, I had some from other projects, use it on servo linkages.

Got it, thank you!

 

Servo linkages, eh? You are a man of many hobbies (like me)!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 hours ago, CloseTheBlastDoor said:

Servo linkages, eh? You are a man of many hobbies (like me)!

Used to fly RC planes, now use servos for droid builds  

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Quick question: Is there supposed to be a gap between Hengstler halves here?

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looks like you have a bit of print lift, slightly curved in the first photo. They do however have a small gap

 

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

Ah, thank you. I'll reprint the front piece (again ). You are the master of finding the right photos!

[shashachu[TK]]

can't wait to see the final product in person

[CloseTheBlastDoor[TK]]

OK! Besides some spots that need to be touched up because the Bondo is exposed, and a few other rough spots, I'm hoping that I'm pretty done. Here are too many photos, hope you like it!

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice, you'd have to be happy with that, now don't drop it