Praetorian Blasters new Rubber DLT-19 project

[slave1pilot]

I'm crossposting this over here for John (the other half of the PB Team)

 

On 5/15/2017 at 9:29 PM, " said:

PRAETORIAN BLASTERS - WHO WE ARE...

 

We've been making blasters for the 501st and other costuming groups for over 10 years. We took a long break and reorganized. Nathan and I talked for a long time about having a different approach to making high-end rubber blasters for the 501st / costumers. What we wanted to focus on was quality. I know I've been saying that a lot lately but the reality is that we are going to great lengths to make these new blasters a much higher quality than what we'd produced in the past by creating molds that have splits designed to minimize the destruction of details. Separate molds for separate parts which not only creates an illusion of separate parts but actually produces separate parts with under cuts and higher detail. We're not interested in producing 20 blasters a week if they are not something we are proud of. 

 

The idea of Praetorian Blasters is brought about by the 501st Centurion status maintained on the FISD forum. Requirements have been set to reach "Centurion status". We wanted to make blasters that would excel beyond those requirements and set a new bar of quality. 

 

 

 

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

 

Nathan and I have started work on the Praetorian DLT-19. We've taken two MG-34s that we have here at work and are combining the best components into one for molding. In the end, this hard rubber blaster will come complete with accurate fins including wire wrap, disc on the side of the grip and box on the feeder port. Things we will be doing that are standard for this blaster:

 

Nozzle will be molded separately - This will allow for greater detail in the cone area where predecessors have had shallow details. This will also alleviate the need to vent expanding foam from the back of the blaster which has destroyed butt stock detail in the past.  

Receiver top will be molded separately - This will allow for visible "pass thru" area under the lid. When the box insert is in place, you won't actually be able to see through but the depth detail will be very nice.  

Bipod is molded separately - This bipod will have greater detail in the way we will be molding it. We will be increasing the stability of the connections as well. 

 

WHY CAN'T YOU MAKE THAT AREA HOLLOW?

 

There are often questions about how we could go about making the barrels hollow and not clay in certain parts. We always put quality first. The fact is that, yes, we could make the barrel hollow. It would not be rubber at that point. It would need to be plastic or metal. That completely defeats the purpose of the rubber blaster. The entire reason for making blaster from rubber is durability. Secondary reasons are high quality detail and price. The level of detail that is possible with silicone molds and rubber cast parts is by far heads above other materials. We use EXACTLY the same processes and materials for all of the mainstream films and television shows. Aside from that, manufacturing hollow parts and pass thru areas severely drives the cost up. 

 

 

 

WHY ARE YOU BLASTERS SO EXPENSIVE?

 

We are separating parts and making additional molds to bring you a high level of detail and trying to keep the cost down at an "affordable" level. I put affordable in quotation marks because there is always a discussion about why these blasters are so "expensive" (there they are again). They are not expensive. "Expensive" is relative as well as "affordable". Silicone, if you've ever purchased any for a project is about $100 per gallon. This is for tin-based silicones. With rubber parts, you are almost guaranteed that your molds will produce up to 20 parts before the silicone begins to break down. Many hobbyists and professionals will disagree with my "20" parts statement but it's the truth. You will still be able to pull parts from the mold beyond that number but the quality begins to drop. Higher quality and detail just costs more to maintain. 

 

As with our E-11 M38 and M19, we've made multiple molds out of the starting gate to ensure that we don't burn the molds out. We will most likely do the same for this blaster. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 10, 2017 by slave1pilot

[slave1pilot]

John says:

 

PRAETORIAN BLASTERS - WHO WE ARE...

 

We've been making blasters for the 501st and other costuming groups for over 10 years. We took a long break and reorganized. Nathan and I talked for a long time about having a different approach to making high-end rubber blasters for the 501st / costumers. What we wanted to focus on was quality. I know I've been saying that a lot lately but the reality is that we are going to great lengths to make these new blasters a much higher quality than what we'd produced in the past by creating molds that have splits designed to minimize the destruction of details. Separate molds for separate parts which not only creates an illusion of separate parts but actually produces separate parts with under cuts and higher detail. We're not interested in producing 20 blasters a week if they are not something we are proud of.

 

The idea of Praetorian Blasters is brought about by the 501st Centurion status maintained on the FISD forum. Requirements have been set to reach "Centurion status". We wanted to make blasters that would excel beyond those requirements and set a new bar of quality.

 

 

 

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

 

Nathan and I have started work on the Praetorian DLT-19. We've taken two MG-34s that we have here at work and are combining the best components into one for molding. In the end, this hard rubber blaster will come complete with accurate fins including wire wrap, disc on the side of the grip and box on the feeder port. Things we will be doing that are standard for this blaster:

 

<ul><li> Nozzle will be molded separately - This will allow for greater detail in the cone area where predecessors have had shallow details. This will also alleviate the need to vent expanding foam from the back of the blaster which has destroyed butt stock detail in the past. </li> <li> Receiver top will be molded separately - This will allow for visible "pass thru" area under the lid. When the box insert is in place, you won't actually be able to see through but the depth detail will be very nice. </li> <li> Bipod is molded separately - This bipod will have greater detail in the way we will be molding it. We will be increasing the stability of the connections as well. </li></ul>

 

WHY CAN'T YOU MAKE THAT AREA HOLLOW?

 

There are often questions about how we could go about making the barrels hollow and not clay in certain parts. We always put quality first. The fact is that, yes, we could make the barrel hollow. It would not be rubber at that point. It would need to be plastic or metal. That completely defeats the purpose of the rubber blaster. The entire reason for making blaster from rubber is durability. Secondary reasons are high quality detail and price. The level of detail that is possible with silicone molds and rubber cast parts is by far heads above other materials. We use EXACTLY the same processes and materials for all of the mainstream films and television shows. Aside from that, manufacturing hollow parts and pass thru areas severely drives the cost up.

 

 

 

WHY ARE YOU BLASTERS SO EXPENSIVE?

 

We are separating parts and making additional molds to bring you a high level of detail and trying to keep the cost down at an "affordable" level. I put affordable in quotation marks because there is always a discussion about why these blasters are so "expensive" (there they are again). They are not expensive. "Expensive" is relative as well as "affordable". Silicone, if you've ever purchased any for a project is about $100 per gallon. This is for tin-based silicones. With rubber parts, you are almost guaranteed that your molds will produce up to 20 parts before the silicone begins to break down. Many hobbyists and professionals will disagree with my "20" parts statement but it's the truth. You will still be able to pull parts from the mold beyond that number but the quality begins to drop. Higher quality and detail just costs more to maintain.

 

As with our E-11 M38 and M19, we've made multiple molds out of the starting gate to ensure that we don't burn the molds out. We will most likely do the same for this blaster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 16, 2017 by slave1pilot

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Whay will be the estimated price for the DLT? 

[slave1pilot]

Whay will be the estimated price for the DLT?

It's a little early in the process for making an accurate estimate , but we are doing our best to keep proving competitive

 

 

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[Bulldog44[TK]]

Copied from my post on the MEPD but posting here too.

 

I know you may have covered this somewhat in the explanation above but wondering if the this blaster could be done so that you can break it down for transport. I know this reduces sturdiness but wondering if there could be some connection system  like how the Doopy DLT comes apart. Is it possible or has it been tried before?

[slave1pilot]

 

You are correct. Could we make these two pieces and make them able to connect? Of course. Would we? No. The reason is above but I will continue to explain. These are considered by some to be "expensive" blasters. When you compare the cost of a rubber blaster (ie. Praetorian, HFX, etc) to a resin blaster, you will find that there is a obvious cost difference. The entire reason behind rubber blasters is structure and durability. Making pieces that separate will, guaranteed, eventually become loose and destroy the structure of the prop.

 

The second reason which is probably more of a concern to everyone else...Cost. These are not held together with pvc tubing or anything like that where the plastic is made to press fit together. I'm not sure how the Doppy blaster is assembled and disassembled but in our case, the main armature that provides the lightweight structure is a length of fiberglass rod. The additional work and fasteners required to do this properly would make this blaster completely cost prohibitive for everyone except a very few.

 

Structure, durability and quality...

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 17, 2017 by slave1pilot

[AngryEwok[501st]]

I'll keep an eye on this. The quandary about the benefits of disassembling versus integrity of the build is interesting, I'm not 501 yet so I haven't thought of it.

[tydirium1[TK]]

Nice looking DLT 19's for sure. I'll be keeping my eye out for the price as well

[slave1pilot]

Hey guys, Let us get the Rogue One E-11 up and running.
then we can concentrate on the DLT-19.
TBH we should have done this first

Thanks for your patience with us...

[Tig70[TK]]

Sorry mate but why post here if E11 is your bag, we want to see this DLT .

[bishopx]

Not sure why we wouldn't post the DLT19 thread here. As we get the master ready for molding, we will update this thread. 

[slave1pilot]

I don't think he has a problem with us posting about the DLT-19.

I think he's just wondering why I'm talking about an E-11 in my DLT19 thread .

Either way, the R1 E-11 is well on its way and we will be shifting our focus back to the DLT19 in the next several days

 

 

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[bishopx]

Good news for all you DLT-19 lovers. The PB Rogue One E-11 is done and will be available this weekend. The DLT-19 is now in full swing. Two weeks to get the DLT-19 up and running. DLT-19x coming shortly after. E-22... F-11

Edited June 14, 2017 by bishopx

[m4vrick[501st]]

On 5/18/2017 at 0:09 AM, slave1pilot said:

 

You are correct. Could we make these two pieces and make them able to connect? Of course. Would we? No. The reason is above but I will continue to explain. These are considered by some to be "expensive" blasters. When you compare the cost of a rubber blaster (ie. Praetorian, HFX, etc) to a resin blaster, you will find that there is a obvious cost difference. The entire reason behind rubber blasters is structure and durability. Making pieces that separate will, guaranteed, eventually become loose and destroy the structure of the prop.

 

The second reason which is probably more of a concern to everyone else...Cost. These are not held together with pvc tubing or anything like that where the plastic is made to press fit together. I'm not sure how the Doppy blaster is assembled and disassembled but in our case, the main armature that provides the lightweight structure is a length of fiberglass rod. The additional work and fasteners required to do this properly would make this blaster completely cost prohibitive for everyone except a very few.

 

Structure, durability and quality...

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hello, i do want it as a whole... but a lot of us who live outside the US (who have problems with shipment) will definitely prefer this as a detachable pieces, simple: cost & shipping approval. I really hope you guys will consider producing them in 2 separate pieces (or maybe as an option).

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by m4vrick

[bishopx]

Hi Vincent. Believe me. We'll look into it. Not 100% sure that we will be able to keep the quality level where we want it when it's separated. That's our biggest concern

Another problem is that the shipping cost is the same for the blaster at 48" long or in a 36" long box. 

 

[bishopx]

The prices above are for shipping from California to Japan. The following prices are for the package shipped from California to Florida.

[bishopx]

The same package shipped from California to Florida in a 36" long box. Only saves $8.20

Edited July 6, 2017 by bishopx

[bishopx]

I'm getting the same results when calculating shipping to the UK. Same cost if it is shipped in a 36" long box (two pieces) or 48" long box (one-piece).

[slave1pilot]

First of all, let me start with a huge Thank You to everyone that has already purchased a Blaster from us.
We are so glad to hear that you are pleased with our work. Keep those reviews and pictures of you trooping with our blasters coming!
Secondly, let me say that we are still up and running and working hard to bring you guys more options and newer blasters. 
We have been a bit overworked in our real jobs lately and haven't been able to devote as much time as would like. Hopefully that will let up soon.
Thirdly, let me give you an update of where we are:
1.The ANH E-11 (M38 and M19) blasters are still being made and shipped. (albeit at a little slower pace due to work)
2. We released the Rogue One E-11 and it was well received 

We want you to know that we do listen to you guys. We try our best to give you want you want.
Case in point: the R1 E-11 comes with a metal  D-ring that actually swivels. It also comes with a hollow scope rail. 

We are very happy with this one.
And Finally , let me offer an update on the DLT-19. It's being prepped for molding still. 
I know, it's not as fast as we'd like either. But, it'll be worth the wait. We ask for patience and a little faith lol.

Thanks again to everyone that has purchased, is purchasing now, or plans to in the future. 
We couldn't do it without you guys.

[slave1pilot]

Hey Guys. Just an update. We're nearing completion on this new DLT-19 project. 
We've done a few things that we think will make you all proud;
1. We've molded the receiver cover separately so you will get some detail and depth where is should be on the receiver.
2. We've separated the barrel tip for venting to get rid of the loss of detail at the butt stock.  
3. The charging handle will be removable and will have a threaded steel insert in the blaster body. This will give you a metal anchor for the charging handle that won't strip out.
4. The Bipod comes glued in place and is not functional.
5. The barrel tip detail is molded separately to give a deeper, more realistic business end to the blaster. 
6. These will come painted black as a standard. 
7. The fins will come wire wrapped as a standard option. 
8. We will offer weathering and butt stock woodgrain (although not canon -Just FYI... A bakelite stock that is painted black is canon for the film.)

[Shanester[TK]]

I am sooo looking forward to this.  I just hope I can afford it.

[slave1pilot]

We are getting very close now guys ,we attached all of the parts we modeled and printed for the lower portion
We have a few more parts to add and also the feed tray cover .
Stay tuned




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[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Guys, you're doing such a good work! All those blasters look fantastic.

[slave1pilot]

Thanks for the compliments
Won't be very long now ...



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[justjoseph63[Staff]]