Pandatrooper PVC pipe plaster build

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Here's my more accurate blaster build up. I've been trooping with my modified Hasbro for a while now, and while it's great and very practical - I was yearning for something more accurate in terms of size, proportions and details.

 

I had bought a PVC pipe kit from Doopydoos last year, but I didn't get around to starting it until now.

 

Here's the parts and a section of pipe. Here's where the issues begin The Doopydoos kit was designed to work with 40mm PVC pipe, which I don't think is available in North America (I'm in Canada). I had tried to look for different options but got impatient and decided to just make this blaster, otherwise I would never get around to it!

 

I used 1.25" ABS pipe because I couldn't find 1.25" PVC at any local home improvement stores. I've read that's what most of the PVC blaster builder types use, but selection is limited in Canada. ABS pipe has an inner diameter of 1.25" and the outer of just over 1 5/8" which is around 42mm. Close enough!

 

Here's all the parts that come with the Doopys kit, along with a couple extras. The scope doesn't come with the kit (sold separately) and I'll be adding a Hengstler counter (not in the photo - I got one from a local Garrison member who had a spare).

 

Here's the muzzle tip. To make it fit into my ABS pipe, I had to Dremel out the inside.

 

Since the ABS pipe was 42mm in outer diameter, I had to file / sand the outside where the end cap fits to make it slip on.

 

I used the blaster templates from Blaster Builders club to make the holes I need to drill / cut.

You can find the link here:

http://www.imperial-fleet.com/BBC/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2

 

Wrapped the template around the pipe

 

Marking the hole center points with a screw / nail

 

After I marked the holes for everything, I used an exacto and ruler to cut through the paper template and "score" lines in the ABS pipe. This way, you can remove the template when drilling and cutting holes.

 

I drilled some smaller holes first before enlarging them to bigger ones. I think I used a 1/8" bit to start the pilot holes, then a 3/8" to enlarge the holes, then the final size for the barrel and other sizes for the ejection port, etc. I used a unibit to enlarge the biggest holes so that the larger drill bit wouldn't chew up the edges of the holes.

For the ejection port and the cocking lever slot, I used a Dremel / file to clean it up.

 

After all the holes are drilled, I wanted to sand the pipe since there was a lot of plastic "flash" from the drilling and cutting. I thought it might be cool if I could create sand marks that went "around" the circumference of the blaster instead of lengthwise ones. I know you might not see it, but I thought it might be cool to make it look more like machined metal. Plus, I get lazy and tired hands with sanding!

So I made simple rig using a long threaded rod, and block of wood and a washer / nut at the end.

 

Place the barrel / pipe through the threaded rod, and clamp the end of the rod in the chuck of your drill. Tighten the nut at the end of the threaded rod, and presto! You just created a low budget "sanding lathe"!!

 

Simply wrap some sandpaper around the pipe and press the trigger on the drill at a slow speed. Work the sandpaper slowly down the length of the pipe. This will:

 

- clean off the extra plastic from the holes

- prep the surface for gluing / painting

- give it that "machined" look

 

Finished sanding!

[pandatrooper[TK]]

The kit is fairly straight forward in that once you've got all the holes drilled and cut into the pipe, it's a simple matter of gluing all the parts into place. However, I like to make my stuff a little stronger so I used some old tricks from my resin model building days to make the blaster sturdier.

 

I drilled and tapped some holes in some parts so that I could bolt and glue them in place. The grip / trigger area needs to support all the weight of the blaster, and you're going to be swinging it around all the time. So I tapped 2 holes in the grip. You can use bolts or screws, but I happen to have some 10/32 bolts and a 10/32 tap on hand, so this was easy to do. Or you can use screws and simply make the hole slightly smaller than the threads. Don't make the hole too small as you could crack the plastic with too much pressure.

 

Before gluing resin parts, sand both surfaces and clean them off. Some people who make resin parts use a mold release to make removal of parts easier. Paint and glue to not stick well, so sand then wash parts with detergent and rinse with water, and allow to dry before assembly / painting.

 

I applied some "Zap a Gap" CA glue on one surface, joined the parts, then tightened the bolts from behind. The magazine can be bolted via the ejection port hole. For the grip, I drilled 2 holes on the top of the blaster (the scope rail will cover these).

 

To join the magazine with the mag well, I hot glued in 2 long screws that correspond with holes in the mag well. Once the hot glue was dry, I put some hot glue in the holes of the magwell and some CA glue around the edge of the magazine, and joined the 2 parts.

 

To add a little more detail to the muzzle, I drilled out the cast bolts and replaced them with real steel allen bolts

 

To glue the fire selector switch in place, I drilled a hole in the side of the grip and a hole in the bottom of the switch. I cut a section from a used 1/8" rivet pin and glued it into the switch before gluing the whole thing into the grip. This is called "pinning" in the model making world.

 

The trigger and trigger frame was also pinned in place during gluing. This will make a much stronger join than glue alone.

 

I screwed and glued in the support for the folding stock. *Important!* make sure you measure the location of where this part should be glued by attaching the stock to it first! If you glue it too far back or forward, the folding stock won't line up correctly.

 

 

Progress so far. The front and rear sights were glued and small screws hold them into place. The rear sight has a bolt that goes through it that will also hold the scope rail in place.

[Quebectrooper]

Nice. Seem like fun to build!

[pandatrooper[TK]]

"It's as easy as gluing all the parts on". Well, in my journey to make the folding stock stronger (by gluing the fork section to the single arm) the tabs snapped right at the join. I had considered just gluing and and then gluing the folding stock to the blaster, but I wanted to make sure it was durable enough for trooping. So I decided to make a new section for the single arm and replace the resin one.

 

 

I've cut out a section of square aluminum tubing I had laying around. I drilled holes in the underside to match the original. I then dremelled the join section smaller, and inserted it into the square tubing. I riveted the section in place with 1/8" rivets on both sides.

 

I had considered making a new butt stock / handle from flat plastic or aluminum, but then I figured I could salvage the resin one. I cut the stock from the single arm. Notice I also replaced the front sculpted rivets with real ones for better detail

 

Sizing up the parts, you can see that the square aluminum tubing will work in place of the resin stock piece

 

I let the stock sit for a while and decided to address some other parts, since I'll be painting it separately anyways. For the ejection port, the resin bolt or whatever you call it was too big to fit into the ABS pipe, especially with the screws and bolts I used to secure the grip and magazine. So i took a section of 1" PVC pipe and filed in some curved line detail to simulate the bolt. This will be simply painted and glued inside the barrel receiver.

 

For the scope rail, I decided to use a section of flat 3/4" wide aluminum strip, bent at 90 degrees at the front, and a notched end that fits inside the rear sight. A hole drilled into the notched end allows a bolt to thread through and bite into the ABS, clamping the rear sight (affixed with glue) and scope rail in place. The front is a section of metal bent at 90 degrees riveted to the scope rail. This front angle will fit into the last vent hole in the barrel and prevents the rail from popping off the receiver.

 

Notice that the rear sight also has 1/8" rivets added to the sides for detail instead of the sculpted ones

 

For the Hengstler bracket, I used a 2.5" T bracket from a hardware store. I drilled holes in it to match the scope, so that the screws used to hold the scope in place also hold the Hengstler bracket in place. I put the bracket in a vice and hammered it until it bent to a 90 degree angle.

 

In this pic, I already primered and painted the scope and rail separately since it's easier to paint off the blaster

 

I had considered buying that screen door rail for T track but it was just as easy to make them. I used 2mm plastic, and cut the sheet into strips. I glued in vertical strips that were 1.5mm thick and 4mm tall using Plastic weld. Cut and taper the ends, sand the profile to get that curved shape. Make sure to make the T-track slightly longer than your holes, so that when you heat them up and bend the ends, they fit nicely.

 

Since the barrel is ABS and the T-track is ABS, I used E6000 to glue them in place. It does a great job as both surfaces are melted slightly resulting in a very strong join. I clamped them in place.

 

I washed the resin parts again with detergent / water, after blasting them with some pressurized air from a compressor to get rid of all the sanding dust etc. After that, it's 2-3 coats of primer

 

*NOTE: you may have noticed that I didn't glue on the 2 semi circle shaped things (the ejection port cover the one that goes near the muzzle). My intention was to get it ready ASAP for a local troop, so I could add those later in a more secure fashion.

[john danter]

very clean build.

 

Loving your work

[Shooter]

Great job Terry, Thanks for this!

[vicsouders]

Getting the popcorn ready.

Great job as always Panda! I too have the doopydoos pipe kit (didn't know I had to buy the scope separate, I should open packages when they come in). I like the upgrades, you're motivating me to finish mine.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Glad it's helpful guys! New pics coming soon as it it's already been painted black along with the stock, but my camera memory card was full

[PGHtrooper21]

"It's as easy as gluing all the parts on". Well, in my journey to make the folding stock stronger (by gluing the fork section to the single arm) the tabs snapped right at the join. I had considered just gluing and and then gluing the folding stock to the blaster, but I wanted to make sure it was durable enough for trooping. So I decided to make a new section for the single arm and replace the resin one.

 

 

I've cut out a section of square aluminum tubing I had laying around. I drilled holes in the underside to match the original. I then dremelled the join section smaller, and inserted it into the square tubing. I riveted the section in place with 1/8" rivets on both sides.

 

I had considered making a new butt stock / handle from flat plastic or aluminum, but then I figured I could salvage the resin one. I cut the stock from the single arm. Notice I also replaced the front sculpted rivets with real ones for better detail

 

Sizing up the parts, you can see that the square aluminum tubing will work in place of the resin stock piece

 

I let the stock sit for a while and decided to address some other parts, since I'll be painting it separately anyways. For the ejection port, the resin bolt or whatever you call it was too big to fit into the ABS pipe, especially with the screws and bolts I used to secure the grip and magazine. So i took a section of 1" PVC pipe and filed in some curved line detail to simulate the bolt. This will be simply painted and glued inside the barrel receiver.

 

For the scope rail, I decided to use a section of flat 3/4" wide aluminum strip, bent at 90 degrees at the front, and a notched end that fits inside the rear sight. A hole drilled into the notched end allows a bolt to thread through and bite into the ABS, clamping the rear sight (affixed with glue) and scope rail in place. The front is a section of metal bent at 90 degrees riveted to the scope rail. This front angle will fit into the last vent hole in the barrel and prevents the rail from popping off the receiver.

 

Notice that the rear sight also has 1/8" rivets added to the sides for detail instead of the sculpted ones

 

For the Hengstler bracket, I used a 2.5" T bracket from a hardware store. I drilled holes in it to match the scope, so that the screws used to hold the scope in place also hold the Hengstler bracket in place. I put the bracket in a vice and hammered it until it bent to a 90 degree angle.

 

In this pic, I already primered and painted the scope and rail separately since it's easier to paint off the blaster

 

I had considered buying that screen door rail for T rack but it was just as easy to make them. I used 2mm plastic, and cut the sheet into strips. I glued in vertical strips that were 1.5mm thick and 4mm tall using Plastic weld. Cut and taper the ends, sand the profile to get that curved shape. Make sure to make the T-rack slightly longer than your holes, so that when you heat them up and bend the ends, they fit nicely.

 

Since the barrel is ABS and the T-rack is ABS, I used E6000 to glue them in place. It does a great job as both surfaces are melted slightly resulting in a very strong join. I clamped them in place.

 

I washed the resin parts again with detergent / water, after blasting them with some pressurized air from a compressor to get rid of all the sanding dust etc. After that, it's 2-3 coats of primer

 

*NOTE: you may have noticed that I didn't glue on the 2 semi circle shaped things (the ejection port cover the one that goes near the muzzle). My intention was to get it ready ASAP for a local troop, so I could add those later in a more secure fashion.

 

Terry,

 

As usual very detailed. I will be using this when I start on my pipe kit. My biggest worry is is some of the pieces breaking after use. E.g. Inserting and removing from holster and accendential bumps against walls, drops, counters, etc...

[pandatrooper[TK]]

My biggest worry is is some of the pieces breaking after use. E.g. Inserting and removing from holster and accendential bumps against walls, drops, counters, etc...

 

Me too. Resin is generally not very forgiving. It’s hard and can be brittle. There are some resin compounds that have different qualities, but most people use what’s commonly available and it’s usually the brittle type. It would be really cool if someone like Hyperfirm / Sci-fire made a pipe kit with their “Hyper firm” rubber material. That way, they could ship the parts internationally since it’s a model kit and non functioning weapon, plus it has the benefits of being able to withstand bumps / knocks, etc.

 

My hope is that by using nuts, bolts, screws and pinning the kit that the finished blaster will be good for trooping use. I was already a bit bummed when I started painting this kit. I was holding the blaster in one hand and shaking a can of spray paint in the other. I accidentally bumped the end of the magazine with the spray can and chipped a section off! Argh!! I just ground it down a bit with a file and called it “done”.

[PGHtrooper21]

Me too. Resin is generally not very forgiving. It’s hard and can be brittle. There are some resin compounds that have different qualities, but most people use what’s commonly available and it’s usually the brittle type. It would be really cool if someone like Hyperfirm / Sci-fire made a pipe kit with their “Hyper firm” rubber material. That way, they could ship the parts internationally since it’s a model kit and non functioning weapon, plus it has the benefits of being able to withstand bumps / knocks, etc.

 

My hope is that by using nuts, bolts, screws and pinning the kit that the finished blaster will be good for trooping use. I was already a bit bummed when I started painting this kit. I was holding the blaster in one hand and shaking a can of spray paint in the other. I accidentally bumped the end of the magazine with the spray can and chipped a section off! Argh!! I just ground it down a bit with a file and called it “done”.

 

 

That what I was afraid too. I was wondering if you can spray the black rubbery paint that some people spray on the inside of the helmet to make the resin stronger? I have not used that yet?

 

Andy

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Hey Andy. My only fear is that that coating would obscure a lot of the small details (like the engraved Sterling lettering, etc.) So I guess if that detail doesn't matter, then maybe try it out on a scrap section of PVC pipe first, and bash it around to see how it stands up. It would be great if it made it more durable / less prone to scratching, etc.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Small update. Parts were top coated with Krylon black satin finish. Really pleased with the finish!

 

 

 

 

Up next is weathering the ejection port / gluing it in, finishing the Hengstler box, and adding the port cover, and some final assembly!

[TANGO'D FETT]

Very nice build there , lovin the sanding lathe idea with the drill

[ThayNerd[TK]]

Looking good Terry! Can't wait to see the finished product. I'm in the process of buying a house right now and it has a workshead in the backyard. A scratch built E-11 is on my list of things to do when I move it!

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

nice job of building.

 

only thing I can say is that there are no 'rivets' on the sterling SMG. those points where you put rivets are actually not sculpted.

they are copies of the way the gun actually looks.

 

each of those rivet points are actually 'pin set points'. each area has a pin press fit into the assembly and the press fit action puts

the circle depression around the pin. at the join for the shoulder cap front, the rear sight, and folding stock... all are set pins.

 

also I think that it's better to have a "parkerized" style finish to a blaster paint job.

 

overall this is a great example of a better version! I'd troop with this over the hasbro in a second!

 

are we going to see any electronics in that bad boy?

[Sgt Steve]

As all ways good work Panda. I have the same kit but also a real folding stock and counter, but no scope yet, but have an idea like to run by ya and see if you think it'll work. I'll pm ya.

[Wheeljack]

Very nice work!

[DoppleGanger]

Awesome build.

 

Think I may have to make some more space in the display case & get to work on one of these once the helmet is finished!

 

Great work!

[BananoPower22[TK]]

This is a very good job. I think I'll do this later.. The Hasbro ain't that big for my hands

[BananoPower22[TK]]

Have you finished installing the ejection port?

[TKRobert]

Hey Panda, I am getting ready to start my Doopy Doos resin E-ll kit. I downloaded the templates you used but am curious as to the length you cut the PVC pipe? The tutorial that goes with the templates doesn't use the resin kit so wasn't sure if the PVC length would be the same. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Rob

 

update: Think I found the answer, 18.375"

Edited December 31, 2010 by TKRobert

[john danter]

Yeah the blaster tutorial assumes you have a hollow end cap (I think they make one?)

Resin end caps generally aren't hollow so if you cut the pipe the length of the tutorial it'll be too long

I think they same 18.5 inches?

 

The actual length of what you can visibly see on a sterling receiver is 18"

So based on that length, work out what length pipe you need to fit snuggly inside your end cap and still be 18" to the muzzle cap (that's then about 0.5")

 

Hope that makes sense?

Edited December 31, 2010 by john danter

[TKRobert]

Makes sense and I'll give that a try John, Thanks!

[john danter]

Cool

Thanks to Billy the total length of everything stuck on end to end is 19.4"