stormtrooperguy[501st] Posted January 29, 2015 Report Posted January 29, 2015 It's a project 2 years in the making, but I finally finished my E11! Well... I still need to weather and clear coat it, but want to make sure the black is fully cured before I do that. What makes this special to me is that it isn't just a kit I bought... it's a kit I made myself. For years now my primary "trooping weapon" has been my real Sterling, with real scope / counter and SaberFreak vintage T track. It's beautiful, but very heavy and an awfully expensive thing to be tromping around at conventions with. In January 2013 I started the process of molding it. I got some extra help from another local SW geek (Greg Chase) who had a cut down Sterling in his garage. He let me borrow it so that I could get the best parts from both of our guns. The road to get here was fun. I started off with silicone putty waste molds. From there I did castings, cleaned those up, then made the real molds. The only part on my kit NOT molded off of something original is the T track. I wasn't going to recast the stuff I got from SaberFreak, so I scratch built some out of sintra: It's not ultra-accurate, but for most people it would be fine. For those that care, they can get something else to replace it. I made it so that it could just be slapped down flat, but heating the ends and pushing them into the holes does give it a nice look. The stock on mine is much thicker than the real one. I wanted it to have a bit more of a chance to survive an impact. I thought about making this part out of rubber, but this seems to work well. The added bulk is on the inside and only visible from this angle: The plugs for the front and back are sized to fit tubing with the correct ID and OD. If the pipe is right, they drop straight in: Overall I'm very happy with how it came out! This last pic in particular shows how sharp the details are. The top is the vintage scope, the bottom is the casting, straight from the mold: Anyway... It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, so I'm excited to have something to share!! 1 Quote
usaeatt2 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Awesome work, Brian! The details are ULTRA-CRISP! Muzzle screw knurling, scope lettering, magwell lettering, all the bolt details - you've GOT to be proud of your molds! I also like how the folding stock arms are beefed up, but mostly hidden. Was the front sight left solid for durability too? Man, every trooper in your garrison will want one of those! Did you use a pressure pot when casting? Any thoughts about casting more or is this a one-time piece? Edited January 29, 2015 by usaeatt2 Quote
Bulldog44[TK] Posted January 29, 2015 Report Posted January 29, 2015 Wow! Brian, That is one beautiful looking blaster. Fantastic work on that. All your hard work on creating it has certainly paid off. The scope came out perfect. Hard to tell the real one from the replica if you didn't have the excess resin on the base. Certainly post some more build photos if you took any. Outstanding work!!!!!! Quote
wonko Posted January 29, 2015 Report Posted January 29, 2015 Very impressive indeed. Do you plan to offer these in kit form? Brian Quote
I'm Batman[501st] Posted January 29, 2015 Report Posted January 29, 2015 This must be the highest Brian to Posts ratio ever! Anyway, looks great Brian (original poster Brian)! Well done. For screen accuracy, you could look to change your scope rail and position the counter a bit higher up, but looks fantastic. 1 Quote
stormtrooperguy[501st] Posted February 2, 2015 Author Report Posted February 2, 2015 This must be the highest Brian to Posts ratio ever! Anyway, looks great Brian (original poster Brian)! Well done. For screen accuracy, you could look to change your scope rail and position the counter a bit higher up, but looks fantastic. I definitely need to move the counter up on the next one. I thought I had a good plan for that, but then it didn't work out as expected. Also agreed on the scope rail. This one was the prototype, so there are a few issues with it. I've got an aluminum barrel on the way, and that's the one that will be built up carefully. I don't do pressure casting, I'm just reaaaaaally careful when I pour. I powder the molds to help break up surface tension, and have lots of strategically placed vent holes. I'm doing up a bunch for my garrison then passing the molds on to someone else who will be taking over production from then on. Once the weather thaws I'm going to make up some power cylinders. It's just too cold right now for me to be out in the machine shop (aka my garage) Brian Quote
T-Jay[TK] Posted February 3, 2015 Report Posted February 3, 2015 Hey Brian, very good work! The clear coat mentioned in your first posting will only be on the grip, right? What about giving that inner bolt a slight washing to get a more metallic look? Looking forward for your weathering. That can add so much to the appearance of a blaster... Quote
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