Asahi Airsoft Sterling E-11 Conversion with a Blast-FX

[Hideya]

Hi, everyone.

Here's my Asahi Airsoft Sterling E-11 conversion build.

 

Not being able to find an Asahi conversion build anywhere, I figured I might as well dive in and try it for myself.

Asahi Sterling was originally sold here in Japan in 1985. The company has since gone out of business but their Sterlings still pop up

in auctions every now and then.  The Asahi may not necessarily be an accurate Sterling by today's standards but with a lot of metal

parts along with the slim simple and robust design, I fell in love with it.  I hope someone might find this interesting and share their

builds or perhaps motivate them to re-visit this airsoft collecting dust in the attic.

 

Main aspects of this build were;

1. No need for airsoft capability. Airsoft inner components were gutted out.

2. Installation of Tramp's Blast-FX instead   

3. Replaced the entire metal/ABS hybrid  receiver with an aluminum pipe.

    Original rear portion of the receiver which contains the airsoft mechanisms is of a heavy duty ABS plastic. 

    Even after gutting out the airsoft components there's was no sufficient space for the Blast-FX speaker which I wanted to install. FYI, the front receiver (outer barrel) is of the nice metal material. 

    So I opted to replace the entire receive with a aluminum pipe.

   Correct Sterliing outer diameter may be 38.1mm but decided to stick with the 35mm diameter which the Asahi is.

   This was to enable re-using of the original muzzle, front and rear metal sights and rear end cap not to mention keeping the Asahi's original slim design. 

4. Bulldog props M38 Scope

5. Others

    T-tracks, Henglster counter, magazine, end cap clip, rails etc. were eyeballed and DIY's with material found from a local hardware store.

 

So much for the boring explanations, here are the photo's of the build. 

I hope these may be of some interest to you guys.

 

So this is what the Asahi Sterling looks like.

Outer barrel, working stock, front & rear sights, trigger and trigger guard, magazine release button is made of metal.

 

Muzzle needs some working with putty but it looks like a Sterling. Muzzle bolt will be replaced with one from a hardware store.

 

 

A size comparison with the Disney E-11 Blaster I built earlier. Disney on the right, Asahi on the left.

Very similar in size.

 

 

Here's the original 1985 box it came in for the record.

 

And here's the Asahi taken apart. See that the receiver is of a two(2) part construction, front is metal and rear is ABS.

 

Tramp's Blast-FX 

 

 

   

Edited March 7, 2022 by Hideya

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice

[Hideya]

Here's the aluminum pipe (35mm diameter) to replace the metal/ABS hybrid receiver.

 

To drill the outer barrel holes, I first made a paper stencil by wrapping and pressing a piece of paper to the Asahi barrel and outlining the hole position with a pencil.

Then pasted the paper stencil to the new aluminum pipe and started drilling. Started with a small drill and eventually enlarging the hole and finally with a rotary tool.

 

This is where the grip is inserted into the receiver. Made a slight incision with a cutter for the straight line and then drilled out opening with a drill. 

Final shape of the opening was simply cleaned and adjusted with a metal file.

 

 

Aluminum receiver completed.

 

The magazine well was connected to the receiver at a right angle so the base was sliced with a rotary tool so that it would connect at an slight angle.

is 

 

And this is how the new aluminum receiver fits with the original Asahi parts.

[Hideya]

Here's a little more of the Sterling with the replaced receiver. 

The metal stock is a working one which clicks into the rear end cap. 

Metal parts are : front & rear sight, stock, trigger & trigger guard, magazine release button

Muzzle, magazine well, end cap and grip is of ABS material.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Hideya

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Excellent build! The original looks pretty cool but the addition of the aluminum receiver really transforms it. 

[Hideya]

Thank you.

I was surprised myself that I was able to come this far with just manual drilling and a metal file. I couldn’t have done it without the E-11 Reference file and all the information on this FIST site.

[Hideya]

This is the bolt made from the left over aluminum pipe.  A cut of made and pipe squeezed so that it would fit snugly inside the newly made receiver.

Holes were then made to allow the Blast-FX cables to go through the receiver and bolt  to the grip and magazine well. Screw holes were also made which would

fix the grip to the bolt and then the bolt to the receiver.  Reason for this was that Asahi's grip is designed to be inserted into the opening in the receiver and fixed inside,

not directly to the receiver bottom.  

 

Holes for the cables etc were actually enlarged further from these photos.

 

This shows how the bolt is inserted and fixed within the receiver while allowing the Blast-FX cable to pass through.

Switch for the trigger can be seen fixed to the bolt within the receiver.

 

 

Here's the rail made from an aluminum flat bar from the local hardware store. 

I see that the connection to the rear sight is not ideal but will do for now. 

 

 

 

 

T-Tracks were made from 1.2mm styrene plastic. Made plastic strips and glued them as I saw fit. It was then heated with a lighter and bent to fit the 

receiver holes. Could have tried to get more accurate T-tracks but will do for now.

 

 

Magazine well connected to the receiver. The magazine well is made of plastic. Since plastic and aluminum receiver would probably not glue together 

so well, I bolted a metal plate to the outer side of the receiver and glued the well to this metal plate to achieve a stronger connection.

 

 

 

 

Hengstler counter was DIY'd from styrene plates. This would hold the lipo battery and the main counter LED for the Blast FX.

Rear end of the counter was purposely kept open and attached with a small magnet so that the battery can be replaced for charging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Asahi's magazine was replaced with a DIY'd one made from styrene plates.

 

 

 

And here are all the parts ready for painting. Almost there !

 

[Hideya]

Before we go into painting, here the muzzle mod.

Front of the muzzle was a recessed design by reasons I was unable to understand so it was filled with epoxy putty and sanded clean.

Bolts were also replaced with ones from the hardware store.  May not be the correct knurled bolt but who would know? I'm certainly happy !

 

[T-Jay[TK]]

1 hour ago, Hideya said:

 

 

 

 

The center hole on the muzzle is 11mm inner diameter.

 

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Really impressed with the custom made counter. 

[CableGuy[TK]]

This looks amazing so far!! Excellent work. :-)

[Hideya]

22 hours ago, T-Jay said:

 

The center hole on the muzzle is 11mm inner diameter.

 

Thanks for the info.

I didn’t check and simply followed the airgun’s original 9mm diameter hole. I’ll try to enlarge the hole to 11mm next time I take it apart.

Most parts of this build are either screwed in or bolted on to cope with situation like this.

Asahi’s outer barrel diameter is 35mm, not the correct 38.1mm so I imagine there must be lot dimensions that are not correct. Anyway, I’ll try to get it right, thanks again.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Hideya

[Hideya]

And here is the painting process.

1. Primer

    Grey rattle can surfacer from Tamiya. Two coats was applied.

2. Texture paint

    Used Turner's iron black. Wasn't necessary the correct color but will do since it's used just for the texture.

    Used a bit of old sponge from the kitchen and kept on dabbing till I got the texture I wanted.

    I found that applying small amounts of this paint and keeping dabbing with sponge till it's almost dry

    produces a more fine "sandy" texture. Applying heavy amounts will produce a more thick texture.

    May not be correct crinkled texture of the Sterling/E-11 but I got the effect that I intended.

3. Surface paint

    Used Tamiya's matt black rattle can.  Not having a spray booth and needed to go

    outside in the wintertime for spraying each time was unbearable so just 1 can was used.

4. Clear coat

    Used Tamiya's matt clear rattle can, just 1 can again.

5. Different paint proceure for parts

    1) ABS plastic grip was left unpainted.

    2) Texture paint was used only for the receiver, muzzle, rear cap and stock.

    3) Magazine, rail, scope, henglister, trigger and guard was painted with primer, matt black and matt clear without the texture.

 

 

After completing the paint and started repeating the assembly and disassembly to install the Blast-Fx,

I found that the Tamiya primer does tend  to flake off from the aluminum when strongly scratched.

I maybe should have used a proper painting system for metal but I've been using Tamiya for so long

and like the color and handling, I would probably use them again next.

 

Well so much for the explanation, here are the photos.

 

Applying the Turner texture paint with a small sponge.

 

 

This is how it looks after Turner's iron black.  It could have been used as a final coat if it was

another prop but I decided that E-11 should be the proper black.

 

 

And here's all the parts painted waiting for assembly. 

[Hideya]

On 3/13/2022 at 10:22 AM, Bulldog44 said:

Really impressed with the custom made counter. 

Thanks.

The counter was made by eyeballing reference photos and then cutting and glueing together plastic plates. I enjoyed finding out what I could do with just the basic tools and patience. I believe it turned out alright considering it was made in a few hours.

[Hideya]

Now with the painting completed, I was finally able to start installation of Blast-FX.

 

I repeatedly went over Blast-FX facebook tutorials and builds on youtube, trying to imagine

how it should be installed.  There were many helpful ideas but it was still tough since there seems

to be numerous ways and logic for each and every build. Not being able to find any builds for the 

Asahi airgun, which mine was another worrying factor.

 

Such was the situation, the installation process was very much a trial and error process which involved

numerous assembly and disassembly of the various parts.  It was good that I had intentionally had most

of the parts screwed in or bolted on for easy access. Anyway, my points in the installation are;

 

1. Blast-Fx main board in the magazine well and magazine.

    Magazine was detachable by the working release button to enable easy access to mini SD card.

2. Speaker in far rear of receiver with a short pipe to amplify sound.

3. Barrel LED strip was wrapped with wax paper from the kitchen for even distribution of light and then

    wrapped with transparent file folder material to keep it straight in the barrel. 

4. Counter LED, menu button and battery cable was pulled through from a hole in the magazine well to the front of the Henglster counter.

5. Rear end of Henglster was attached with small magnet so the lipo battery in the empty Henglster can be easily replaced.

6. Scope LED wiring was pulled from the magazine well, through the Henglister and then outside to the underside of the rail, which

    was then pulled through a hole in the rail and scope feet so that wires were not visible from outside. Of course, the scope LED was soldered on later.

7. Laser was originally installed in the muzzle in front of the tri-cree.  However the tri-cree behind the laser did not 

    shine through as originally imagined so the Laser was eventually installed in front of the scope.

 8. Rotary selector was installed in the grip by drilling a large hole in the grip and covering it with epoxy putty.

 9. Trigger switch was attached to the original airgun metal trigger along with the original airgun trigger spring.

     I was able to retain the heavy airgun trigger feel.

 

Here's the initial installation checking the wiring route and length of the wiring. See that the bolt is not yet inserted. It also show the large opening where the grip will

be connected to the inner bolt.  Yes, the pivot for the stock is metal and bolted to the receiver for a robust connection.

 

Bolt is inserted into the receiver and trigger switch attached to the bolt.  The bolt is connected to the receiver with screws hiding beneath the rail

 

Rotary selector embedded into the grip with epoxy putty. Selector was way to long so I had saw it off.

 

View from top of the grip. Rotary selector wiring goes up from the grip into the receiver and then to the Blast-FX main board in the magazine well.

 

Barrel LED strip wrapped with wax paper from the kitchen for even distribution of light and then

wrapped with transparent file folder material to keep it straight in the barrel.  

 

This was how the tri-cree was attached to the rear end of the muzzle.

 

 

Matching holes through the rail and scope feet for the scope LED cable

 

I forgot to take photos of Bulldog's beautiful scope installation but the Scope LED of the Blast-FX fitted into the scope like a charm as I believe the inner adapter was specifically made for the Blast-FX. Great job. Laser LED which was originally intended for the muzzle was eventually routed through the front of the scope was a simple and easy installation as well since Bulldog's scope was completely hollow inside. Bullldog's scope is highly recommended not only for the intricate attention to detail and construction but for the installation as well.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Hideya

[Hideya]

The original Asahi airgun did not have a end cap clip so it was made from styrene plates again.

I didn't bother to get the correct dimensions but comparing with reference photo's, it was good enough for me.

Yes, I installed a cut up spring from a ball point pen so it's a working clip.

 

And here's what happened to the selector switch. 

The rotary selector switch supplied with the Blast-Fx was way too long, so it was sawed off till just a few millimeters of the knob was protruding from the grip.

Then made a metal lever switch which would fit nicely with the selector. Scrap metal that was lying around was used, and covered  up with plastic and epoxy putty to resemble the actual one.

In the meantime, I replaced a mock bolt on the grip with a real one I had lying around.

[Hideya]

As mentioned before, installation of the Blast-Fx was a trial and error.

But once I decided on the routing of the wirings and which component to solder back later, it became a whole lot easier.

Installation itself is quite simple and straight forward with all the cable length sufficient.

 

Blast -FX main board was installed in the magazine well with detachable magazine to enable easy access to the mini SD card.

Counter LED, 3.7v lipo battery, selector main menu switch was routed from the magazine well to the empty Hengstler counter. 

Rear end of the counter was attached with magnet to allow easy replacement of battery. On/Off switch was installed in the 

Hengster as well. Battery was connected with a easy detachable connector so it can be swapped if need to.

 

Wirings for scope LED and laser LED was also routed from the magazine well, through the Hengstler and to the bottom

hole I made under the scope rail and scope foot. Hope the photos reveal how I did it.

 

 

 

This shows where all the wiring is taken out from the magazine well to the Henglster.

Total of 5 sets of wiring is bundled up and wrapped with black cloth.  I'm quite proud I was able to hide the wiring this way.

I would imagine other builds would have the wirings fed out from the receiver but was not possible to the construction of the

Asahi airgun. Anyway, here it is. Next upload will be the completed E-11 as of now.

[Hideya]

Thanks everyone for your patience on this build.

Here is the competed E-11 converted from an Asahi Airsoft Sterling with the Blast-FX and the gorgeous Bulldog's scope installed.

 

 

Here are the photos with the metal folding stock extended which was one of the main points of using an Asahi Airsoft Sterling.

 

It took me approximately  one months for the build.  It weighs 1.2 kilo so gives a good realistic and rugged feel of a weapon while not too heavy for trooping.

Being able to install the Blast-FX and Bulldog's scope was definitely a charm for me. Couldn't have it done without the generous support from Blast-FX and Bulldog.

It was quite challenging but I'm very happy how it turned out. I've yet to make the power cylinder but that'll be done at a another time since I'm currently busy having fun  "pew pewing"  with the E-11.

Cheers.

Hideya, TK 93800 of Japan Garrison

Edited March 21, 2022 by Hideya

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Excellent build! It is great to see how you ran the wires from the scope by drilling the hole in the scope base. Although I make the scopes I have yet to try setting up a blastfx scope display. Hoping to try this soon. 
 

Thank you again for sharing such a detailed build log of your Asahi blaster. This deserves to be pinned for future member builds who attempt an Asahi blaster conversation. 

[Hideya]

24 minutes ago, Bulldog44 said:

Excellent build! It is great to see how you ran the wires from the scope by drilling the hole in the scope base. Although I make the scopes I have yet to try setting up a blastfx scope display. Hoping to try this soon. 
 

Thank you again for sharing such a detailed build log of your Asahi blaster. This deserves to be pinned for future member builds who attempt an Asahi blaster conversation. 

I originally thought I needed to punch a hole through the scope body but I'm glad I didn't.

Here's how the LED for the scope display and laser is routed from the Henglster through the base of the scope. I'll need to paint it black later but there's no knowing of the wirings at a first glance.

Thanks for all your support on this build.

Keep in touch ! Hope to be able to join you in the future trooping.