Phoenix Props ANH E-11 Pipe Build

[Dday[501st]]

Looking good! I'm just glad the tube didn't disappear in transit!

[Tusken RTT]

You are going to be kept busy!  The blaster build is challenging enough, I can't imagine adding all of the awesome electronics as well that you are planning.   Looking forward to the pics and progress! 

[johnnyshotfirst]

Really excited to see this build.  I dabble in some maker electronics like this and really curious to see how this turns out 

[swibowoj[TK]]

Nice thread, 

I'm waiting you start posting step by step build PP ANH E-11 Alumunium Pipe.

 

I have to learn so much to build this great kit.

 

Follow this topic is ON....

[sandtrooper[501st]]

Really looking forward to this build.  The electronics sound like it will really set it apart.

[Khazid[TK]]

Thank you for the support and nice comments Wibowo, Pat, et. al.

 

I'm on vacation next week so will start tackling the build on Monday. Only get three days to build as the family and I are headed to Disneyland for a couple of days in the middle of the week after St. Patty's.

 

I already measured the mag receiver and the battery is going to fit just fine in the stock part once I hollow it out some more. The magazine itself is going to need a small mod by adding 0.75mm of styrene to the edge facing the end of the barrel. It was just that close to being perfect.

 

So my first hurdle from a planning perspective is done. Just have to execute that. I feel very comfortable that if I can get past that piece, the rest will just flow. What I learned from Skyone's thread is that patience will be a virtue in getting it all to fit. I don't think TK's have much of that, but I'll find it. LOL.

 

I will do my best to document each step with pictures to post. Updates to come when I have time to post them. I'm already budgeting at least 2-3 months at a clip of 9-10 hours a week to complete this, let's see how I do.

[Khazid[TK]]

Several updates to post for your enjoyment and/or comment. I have put in 15 hours of build time to get to this point over the last two days. Considering it is my vacation this week, I wanted to hammer in as much time as I could. Sadly, no build time is open until Friday. My wife has a birthday that needs celebrating, so out of town we go starting tomorrow.
First up is modifying the mag receiver to allow for the battery and battery plate to fit inside. I started with a 5/8 spade bit and drilled two holes down the center. I stopped with about ½ inch of material left in the receiver so I could have a stable surface to mount to the barrel.

I now took my dremel and an engraving tool I have nicknamed over the year “eaterâ€. This bit chews through resin and styrene like butter. I set the speed to 7 so I could get a good feel for where the bit was and set to work. After an hour, here is where I was at.

A little sanding to rough out some of the bits and it was time to fit in the battery plate. I took some measurements and then started on the plate. I am going to skip most of those steps, but after about 10 minutes of straight up hacking with a cut off attachment here is what you are left with.

I soldered on new wires to the terminals and then curled them towards the inside and set them with hot glue to keep them in place.

To make sure the screws didn’t take all the weight I now floated the front with some 1mm styrene. It took three layers to get it to where it would fit well. I then covered all the edges with magic sculpt. After letting that dry over night, grind down the screw heads and sand the edges to get to this.

The battery plate can now be epoxied into the Magazine Receiver. Before gluing I made sure that the battery fit. All was good. I then cut a tiny piece of zinc sheeting, which you can see in the below. This will allow for my magnets to attach properly.

Now I could bore out the part to allow for the set screw and then attach that along with the set screw.

 

[Khazid[TK]]

I attacked the magazine clip the same way I went after the receiver. I drilled two holes using a 5/8 spade bit. Yes, I purposely cut out the one side. Sadly, the battery is just a hair too wide to sit inside the clip I received so a modification is in order. Once the holes were drilled I took the “eater†and finished boring out the cavity that will go around the battery.

Now I can notch the top of the magazine to slide around the battery and start working on the replacement well that I cut out.

Pull out the magic sculpt and back to work putting in the details I erased with my modification. The idea here is to get it as close to what was removed as possible. This is a picture of what was completed prior to the filler drying for sanding.

On the “clip†for the clip I can install my batteries. These will match up against the zinc plate that was installed in the receiver. I used four Grade N48 1/16†x 1/32†batteries. These were sourced from K&J magnetics. They are super tiny, but have about 1/8 a pound of pull, so they are strong buggers. Not strong enough to mess with the battery though.

I’ll put up pictures of the completed assembly once it fully dries. The filler has to set up for 24 hours and then I can sand it down with files/paper to finish the shaping.

[Khazid[TK]]

While all the filler was drying it was time to move on to other pieces of the build. Not shown are the folding stock clip, bayonet lug, rear sight and flash covers. These were all sanded down to remove flashing from the molds. I also taped a piece of 150 grit sandpaper to the barrel so I could sand down the parts to fit for gluing later on.

First up was the nozzle. I sanded it down and filled in some bubble holes in the resin. I still have some modifications to add later on to allow for the front RGB LED.

Next up was the front sight. I added a very small set screw and then sanded down the sight. Then I realized I sanded the sight down backwards. Well, I guess this E-11 was commissioned for a left handed trooper.  I don’t think it will be a big deal that the set screw is on opposite side. The following picture shows the sight completed with a spare set screw to the side.

 

<the picture I had for here is terrible, I will take a replacement soon>

 

Next was for the sight cover. I sanded it down to remove the texture that was present as those details just don’t mold well. Then utilizing a method I picked up here on the boards, thank you to whomever thought this up, I looked for a tool that had a cross hatch diamond pattern. What I found in my tool box was a harbor freight pick. The following two pictures show you the resulting work in the magic sculpt. I first applied the magic sculpt and smoothed it down with water. Then after dipping the tool in some water I just rolled it over the sight cover. Voila, now it is patterned.

 

Once this dries I can sand it down lightly to show the wear as referenced and then apply the rest of the needed filler to complete the bridges. Almost forgot, I also glued the endcap pieces together and filled them. You'll see why I glued them soon.

 

[Khazid[TK]]

The power cylinders had a small bubble on the bottom that need to be filled. While doing that I noticed there were indentions for wires coming from the capacitors, so I took some solder wire that was of the appropriate width and set to work getting the wires installed. That just took it to the next level for me and the solder wire will paint well too.

Now for proof of concept for one of my ideas to be able to break down the gun for any repairs needed to the electronics. I will not be able to glue in either the endcap or the nozzle, and there is not a reference to support me adding extremely small set screws. If you cannot apply pressure to hold an object with a screw, then compression is an option. Thankfully both the endcap and nozzle have the space to handle my idea. O-Rings.

Specifically, Brass Craft 0525 O-Rings. They measure 1†inner diameter, 1-1/8†outer diameter with a 1/16†wall.

I thought I would proof this out on the endcap.

First I take a 1/16†diamond head attachment for my dremel to dig the trench around the end cap. The key here is to not dig too deep, just enough to help hold the O-Ring in place when you push the endcap into the barrel.

Here goes nothing, with the O-Ring installed I go to push the end cap into place. It takes some force, but I am able to get the piece in.

There is just enough free play to twist the end cap into place, but it is still very tight. Success! The following picture was taken on a steep down angle with the endcap going to the floor. It will not fall out without me applying quite a bit of force.

Proof of concept proved. Now I can repeat the same process for the nozzle. This will now allow me access to both the front and rear sections of the barrel for installing electronics.

[Khazid[TK]]

Here is what I spent most of today on, repairing the folding stock. Derrek was going to send me a replacement as it broke into four pieces while in transit (see post#25). What the heck though, might was well see what I can do.

First up, drill out the holes on the bottom of the stock to allow for insertion of a 3/8†styrene tube to simulate the Sterling folding stock mechanism. Not shown is the installation of that tube, the pictures were terrible. Needless to say the “eater†came to the rescue on the back side to dig out the channel for the tube and it went in nicely.

I am going to skip a lot of steps here. Not because I don’t want to share, but I just got into a serious assembly rhythm and frankly just forgot.

First I pinned the folding stock into the front piece and then clamped the sides to the stock while the epoxy dried.

Next I used pop rivet shanks to pin the broken pieces.

I had an epiphany and used pop rivets that I first attached to styrene and then removed to simulate the pinned sections on the stock. The rounded heads at the hinge that attaches to the rear of the barrel are simulated with 5mm pop rivet heads. They went perfectly around the shanks that I used to pin those two parts. That got me to here.

Last part of the repair was to take some 2mm scrap ABS that I just happen to have on hand for my pending armor build. A small strip won’t hurt, so I cut it off and measured it to fit. This piece is not thick enough to fill the gap, but it will provide an excellent “bone†that I can layer magic sculpt on top of.  It is installed using pins made from paperclips.

I now took magic sculpt and filled in the gap completely, overfilling to allow me to sand down the piece once it dries. I’ll post pictures of the final result once I can get there. Looks like I won't need that replacement part after all!

And that is it for now. See you all again on the weekend, I hope to have more updates then.

[gazmosis[501st]]

This is incredible. We are all monging on popcorn to see how this goes!!

I guess you can sand it down but the front sight did not have the knurling pattern below the bend in the front or rear of the sight. I made that mistake, too.

[sandtrooper[501st]]

Yowza, what progress!

[Khazid[TK]]

This is incredible. We are all monging on popcorn to see how this goes!!

I guess you can sand it down but the front sight did not have the knurling pattern below the bend in the front or rear of the sight. I made that mistake, too.

 

You are correct. I plan to sand that off as I weather the piece. This way the pattern can fade out like we see in the reference photos. Appreciate the call out though, I failed to mention that in my "master plan".

Edited March 18, 2015 by Khazid

[Dday[501st]]

I will keep the stock in the mailer ready to go out to you if you decide!

[SeanTX]

What kind of filler are you using?

[Khazid[TK]]

What kind of filler are you using?

The filler I am using is an epoxy resin called Magic Sculpt. The link is in one of my first posts.

 

You have 2-3 hours of working time with it and the product smoothes with water. I have been using it for some time and swear by it for modeling projects of all kinds as it can bond to multiple surfaces; as long as those surfaces are prepped properly.

[SeanTX]

Ah. Sorry I missed that. I've just had horrible luck with filler throughout my hobbyist career. Squadron filler allways flaked and green stuff always pulled out when sanding. What do you do to propperly prep the surface? Just the ussual washing of parts?

[Khazid[TK]]

With Magic Sculpt just make sure the parts are clean and dry. I also lightly scuff any dense materials (metal, stone, etc) to give the epoxy something to grab onto. 150 or 200 grit should be good enough.

 

Green stuff found my waste bucket after a kit basher I met in my Warhammer days introduced me to he Magic.

[T-Jay[TK]]

Not saying green stuff is the best solution (especially as I haven't used anything else so far) but I had absolutely no problems with it.

 

Even for very tiny details (like on my power cylinders where I had a gap between the main cylinder and an end cap) it worked fine.

 

Of course this also depends on the builder's preferences...

[Khazid[TK]]

Not saying green stuff is the best solution (especially as I haven't used anything else so far) but I had absolutely no problems with it.

 

Even for very tiny details (like on my power cylinders where I had a gap between the main cylinder and an end cap) it worked fine.

 

Of course this also depends on the builder's preferences...

You're correct, nothing wrong with green stuff. I just prefer the product I use now.

[Barcode]

[Khazid[TK]]

Ok…so turned in another seven hours today on the build. Sadly, my vacation is over so big updates like this will be few and far between now. Will only be posting once a week to keep you updated with what was accomplished over the week. Oh the joys of a 9-5, two kids (4 and 19 months) and my lovely wife.

Today I started out with clean up from the filler that was put in during my last session. I started with the sight cover, sanding down the extended knurling so that it fades now properly just after the bend.

The only other part that needed extensive work was the folding stock repair. Here it is in all its glory now. First picture is the profile, the second is a top view. Once this part is painted now it will take a close inspection to pick out the damage. I would be shocked if anyone could point out that nearly 1.5 inches is completely replaced.

 

After some light sanding was done with the mag receiver and mag clip, I completed the installation of the receiver onto the barrel. Here is the view from outside perspective. You can see that I pulled enough power wire to go out the back of the barrel. When doing small electronics, like I am planning, it is always better to pull more wire than you think you will need and just trim back. Splicing increases the likelihood of shorts and power loss that is difficult to troubleshoot later on.

Here is the inside shot from the ejection port. Notice how I had to drill a secondary hole for the wires to come in. I purposefully made this opening large to accommodate for the wires to turn and twist with minimal rubbing against the aluminum tube.

Once the epoxy had set, I am using 5 minute epoxy to glue the permanent parts of this build. It was time to test this part of the build. First up install the battery.

Now the mag clip goes into place. You’ll see here that I have some fine tuning to do on the mag clip to get it to sit right where I want it. I was able to moderately shake the barrel without dislodging the clip. A heavy shake though, and it came flying out. I might look to go with velcro opposite from the batteries to reinforce this, but we’ll see after some more testing. However; I am very pleased with this first modification to the kit.

 

[Khazid[TK]]

Next up is the first modification to the nozzle. I first found the rough center of the plug and drilled a pilot hole about ¼ of an inch into the back.

From the front, I now drilled out the “business†end to allow for the LED’s dome to fit. This was a 3/8 bit. I would caution you to measure your LED before making this cut out. LED’s vary in size from manufacturer.

It was time to hollow out the back of the nozzle to prepare for installation later on in the project. I started with a 15/16 spade bit and very slow dug my way down. The center tip of the spade bit will find the hole drilled from the front of the nozzle. This is how I knew I was getting close to final depth.

Ok, you may be asking why I just didn’t cut off the back. Why go to all the trouble of drilling it out? Well, my ultimate goal with this build is to be able to have access to service any parts that might fail over time. This would mean being able to get to the LED in the nozzle. I also have a plan for hiding the wires running to the front of the barrel so that when firing the weapon the barrel itself will light up. Stick with me, I will reveal the plans as progress moves along.

So it’s back to “eaterâ€, which I remembered to take a picture of today. I don’t know the official name of the bit, but “eater†fits.

After some sanding and some test fitting on the LED, this is the final outcome. The secondary recess is needed to allow the dome to get as far into the nozzle as I am comfortable with, while not letting it be all that visible to a casual observer.

[Khazid[TK]]

Now it was time for the bolt. Derrek, grab a bucket because you are going to be sick.  Considering how much in the way of electronics I am installing, the bolt in the kit just doesn’t give me enough room. Just the LED’s and their drivers alone will account for 10-12 wires coming from the front of the barrel. Add in the power supply, and I am now up around 14 wires that need to pull through. I did a dry fit and made some marks on the bolt to ensure I knew where I was going and then, well, it was time to cut.

After about an hour of working with “eater†and a few different sanding tools on the dremel, I was able get the bolt sufficiently hollowed out for space. Next I removed a piece from the dissected bolt so I could have my rear assembly still slide down the barrel. This was put back using two pins and epoxy.

The silver dish you see in the above is the reflector from a head lamp. I found these at Harbor Freight (Item#45087) on sale for $1.99. The reflectors are plastic, so they are extremely easy to cut/sand to final shape. I like to use reflectors with LED’s whenever I can as it helps direct the light generated, making it seem brighter than it is.

After cutting down the reflector to fit, the outside edge was filled with Magic Sculpt, along with the interior well. I can then sand this down and I will have a very stable piece to mount the barrel LED too. Sorry for the low light in the second picture, the reflector was doing its job too well. LOL

And that is it for today. Up next is the scope (and its rail) and further clean up on the bolt. Electronics are coming very, very soon.