T-Jay

Awesome interior photos, Aaron (knowing how hard it is to get a few good ones ) A massive effort to not get in conflict with your gun laws! Any plans for a different paint job than last time?

If your son wants his blaster to look new and shiny, at least that means less work for you Maybe he changes his mind when he sees your weathered blaster...

Update #19 - The one with the open bolt For a while I thought about ending the build at that stage, because I really like the look of that “Sterling”. But the build goes on and the next update will cover the changes to the original Sterlings for converting them into the “BlasTech E-11” from the first Star Wars movie. And who knows, maybe someday in the future I grab another kit just to make a Sterling model… However, here is another picture for your viewing pleasure. Looks like a find on an old battle field... Thanks again for reading. Happy weekend Troopers and Cadets

Thank you. Well, a real Sterling somehow still looks different. And although being praised, my model building and weathering skills are not sufficient to reach 100% of realism. But I am quite happy with how it looks now Hey Adam and Carl, glad to hear that some people get encouraged and inspired by this. That means, the other 50% of this build (running the thread) are not a waste of time. Thanks. Ehm, well, yes I had a few thoughts about how to display this and it seems to result in something rather unusual. When this build is completed, there might start a new project-thread…

Wow, the amount of comments and replies since the last update is a lot more, than I dared to dream. Thanks very much for all your support, guys! That really keeps me pushing. Thanks for your words! All I did has been listed in this thread – and that is not even enough to fill a magazine, let alone a book. There are people here on FISD with a lot more talent for this. Just remember Steve’s (gazmosis) magazine paintjob or Andy’s (PlayfulWolfCub) weathering on his power cylinders. Unreachable for me (got no airbrush). I leave it up to these guys to write that book

This really gives an idea of all the efforts behind resin casting. Will look different at resin parts in the future...

That looks really good, Michael. The only thing I would suggest, is to replace the grub screw with a bigger one (M6 is a nice fit).

Only half an hour of work for a full update - that is something I can only dream of Seriously, great work. I like to follow your progress and can't wait for the next update...

Ian, this thing is so damn cool You turned this into something very special and made the best out of the little references that were available. Looks absolutely believable. I really love every add-on in this build - and there are a lot: bipod, tactical grip, big scope and rear stock. Nevertheless it still has the typical look of a Star Wars blaster and can immediately be recognized as a piece from that universe. A perfect match for every biker scout.

This is awesome! A full set of power cylinders, built from scratch in just one update. Wow, I like it. Any plans to close the gaps between the washers and the rings to make the end caps look like one part? Maybe epoxy or soldering?

Sorry to hear about the issue with the M19 mold. But once you start offering the M38 scopes, it will only be a matter of time to get some new silicone...

Kevin, that is a very impressive scratch build. Now paint it, paint it, paint it!

Update #18 - Sterling SMG L2A3 Aaron (usaeatt2) found a missing puzzle piece: the trigger guard. So let’s start with that. Okay, now comes what we were waiting for: the assembly. Thought a little video would be best to demonstrate this. Enjoy… The rear sight had been skipped in the video, so that was the next step (once the scope rail is attached, I am going to shorten that screw). Also the heads from the carriage bolts got weathered and added. Most photos in this thread were taken at nights with electrical light and this can change the look of the weathering. Therefore I wanted to save that stage of the build in some daylight pictures… Thanks for reading. Next time the bolt will be moved into final position…

Congratulations on your BBB day, Michael. This photo looks so familiar to me Have fun building the armor and good luck

Answered your PM and yes, I am soon going to make a tutorial for T-track installation. That was on my list anyway

Seems like the T-tracks seriously suffered from getting removed and added again. I understand your point of having them look old, although they stick out a bit. In case you plan to replace them with new ones, just drop me a PM. Have a set left and could include that missing hinge screw for your folding stock into this shipment.

Sorry everybody, no update today because I am currently away from home, with very limited internet access only. Had not enough time to set up the full content before I left, so I thought you guys would rather prefer to wait a bit longer, than to get a rushed and incomplete update...

To be honest, I simply aimed for an extra bit of realism and therefore wanted this wrinkle paint. Most of the reference pictures I studied showed this paint. But you experts out there know a lot more of the original part... Hi Chris, I still plan to install electronics like shown in update #08. For the moment, I am happy when everything is in place without any further alterations. But the adafruit board that Sean (count chocula) mentioned seems interesting for such a modification... Thanks Bryn. Glad you like it. Realism is on top of the list for this build – but a real Sterling still looks somewhat different… Thanks Scott. Still very happy about getting the Disney blaster and additional parts from you. Winner, winner, chicken dinner The missing trigger guard is the first item in the next update. Caught me – how did you know When do we get another update in your sniper rifle build? Thank you Bill. Also thanks very much for the kudos in your own build At first I need to get some experiences with the electronics from that Disney blaster. Depending on that, it could later get changed. Will see...

Some really good pictures. Very nice.

Hi Shaun, very sorry to hear about the broken resin parts. Looking forward to see you integrating those real Sterling parts. Just for the records: this E-11 had originally been built as an ANH blaster. Somebody must have modified it to ESB later.

That is some very interesting information. I always thought the scopes in the movies were mounted incorrect. (edited my text above) Well, in that case we might have a chance to get a resin scope working somehow... someday...

Your Completion Set is on the way already Ask yourself what this blaster will later be used for. If you build it for trooping, make it durable. If it will be a home display (or for minimal trooping) you can go into the details. Some (not all) details can make your blaster fragile, but there are also ways to integrate details into a blaster, made for trooping. Here is a link to a collection of modifications (not sure if you had seen this). Check out what has already been done on other builds and to find ideas and inspiration for your own blaster.

Thank you very much, Dennis. Are these computer generated images? Or digitally altered in some way(s)? Found a few details that look strange to me (but I don't know each and every Sterling version out there).

Update #17 - Making new things look old 48 agonizing hours after painting, I examined the parts and was excited as a child… For some unknown reason, the sides of the trigger group did not get the desired effect. Would not consider this “a mistake”, more likely it’s just a “happy little accident” However, there is at least a visible structure and most of this area will later be covered by the arms of the folding stock. All in all I was not super happy, because a lot of the Humbrol had to get repaired. And although the paint chips could be worked to look good, there simply were too many. During the below following weathering process, I later reduced their intensity by dry-brushing most spots with semi-black paint. Before we jump to that, there was still some work to do on the grip. While this dried, I continued with the wear and tear. Humbrol 27004 and 27003 for metallic effects (27003 is a bit brighter and got used for the trigger group, inside the grip). Revell Silver 91 to slightly dip onto the Humbrol to give the illusion of highly stressed edges. Small defects from the original parts in the resin can be used to support the effect. Humbrol 113 to dry brush some surface rust. Looked okay, but something was still missing. Whenever gazing at Andy’s (PlayfulWolfCub) metal power cylinders, I am fascinated by his professional work to make these look old. Aaron (Squimspickle) had recently done something similar and referred me to a Tamiya weathering kit. That seemed perfect, but was a bit pricey for just 3 colors. Found something else online for less than half the price and tested it on the front sight… Never expected to use any makeup in this build, but hey - it did the job Still had some of my self-made rust powder from the first build, so this got added as well. Below are a few photos, how the other parts looked after the repairs and with fully finished weathering… To summarize the last steps: Layer 1 – polished Humbrol, Layer 2 – silver accents, Layer 3 – rust color and powder, Layer 4 – makeup dust. Weathering rule #1: Less is more. Weathering rule #2: Only with daylight (electric light changes the look and leads to overdo it). In the next update we are going to complete that „Sterling puzzle“ below. Who finds the missing puzzle piece(s)? Happy weekend

All good Kevin, there are still a few updates to come during the next weeks. After getting to “Sterling level”, the alterations from the prop makers need to get added. This will take some chapters. And in the meantime, I continue to watch your build Dennis, thanks very much for those great pictures. Had never seen the wrinkles so clear before. The instructions for this paint listed primer and heating as optional, but I had a bad feeling to expose the resin parts to 93°C (200°F) for one hour, which is why I skipped that. It dried in a room with constant environmental conditions, all within the required range as per the VHT instructions… Thank you Sean. The most complicated item to wrap is the grip. In this blaster kit, it cannot get separated from the area with the trigger group, but the wrinkles should only be on the sides of the trigger group. And the wrapping needs to be inverted for painting the other half… Hi Aaron, glad you have found this - and used the follow-button. Thanks Michael, your current build started very impressive recently. Already following to not miss any of your updates. Thank you, Mike. Will do my best but cannot promise anything… Fully understand you, Bryn and thought about a shorter interval to release the updates. But even just one per week puts me under serious pressure.