Finally something I can touch

[dblcross[TK]]

Small BBB day is here. First to arrive, my E11! It arrived in great condition. The box, not so much! Off to the hardware store I go!

 

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Excellent. Take note that for 3D printed weapons for higher levels the CRL states: 

• 3-D printed blasters can not contain visible print lines, and must be sanded smooth for a more realistic appearance.

So make sure you put the work into the prep before paint. I normally give a light sand with some 120g sandpaper, then 3 to 4 coats of spray putty (filler/primer for you overseas peeps) allow to dry for a few days then sand wet with 240g wet and dry sandpaper, adding a few drops of dish washing liquid helps the sandpaper to slide a little more easily and help not to clog the sandpaper. 

 

I also wear a think work glove when wet sanding, a few times I've been sanding away for a few hours then look at my fingers and I've sanded some of the tips off, a glove can prevent that.

 

@justjoseph63has a nice thread on prepping 3D printed weapons 

 

 

 

[dblcross[TK]]

Excellent. Take note that for 3D printed weapons for higher levels the CRL states: 

• 3-D printed blasters can not contain visible print lines, and must be sanded smooth for a more realistic appearance.

So make sure you put the work into the prep before paint. I normally give a light sand with some 120g sandpaper, then 3 to 4 coats of spray putty (filler/primer for you overseas peeps) allow to dry for a few days then sand wet with 240g wet and dry sandpaper, adding a few drops of dish washing liquid helps the sandpaper to slide a little more easily and help not to clog the sandpaper. 
 
I also wear a think work glove when wet sanding, a few times I've been sanding away for a few hours then look at my fingers and I've sanded some of the tips off, a glove can prevent that.
 
[mention=22112]justjoseph63[/mention]has a nice thread on prepping 3D printed weapons 
 
 
 

I'm literally at autozone right now getting filler primer and bondo for plastic. So excited!

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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Can I ask where you got the kit (link)?  If you have access to any 3D reference images of it I can give you some pointers.

[dblcross[TK]]

My3dbase from Etsy

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

8 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

Can I ask where you got the kit (link)?  If you have access to any 3D reference images of it I can give you some pointers.

From Terry's other thread.

 

This could be an issue, it's A ROTJ version :

 

"It's a PLA printed Kit from Etsy coming from Germany. https://www.etsy.com/listing/618403772/e-11-blaster-kit-star-wars-my3dbase?ref=yr_purchases"

 

 

[dblcross[TK]]

From Terry's other thread.
 
This could be an issue, it's A ROTJ version :
 
"It's a PLA printed Kit from Etsy coming from Germany. https://www.etsy.com/listing/618403772/e-11-blaster-kit-star-wars-my3dbase?ref=yr_purchases"

 

Yes I'm going to have to modify this.

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 minutes ago, dblcross said:

Yes I'm going to have to modify this

That could take some work, there are A LOT of differences, 

ANH

 

ROTJ

 

If you go for another ANH E-11 kit instead you will find other suppliers here

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

12 hours ago, dblcross said:

Yes I'm going to have to modify this.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Terry, but in order to modify this blaster into an ANH style one would take a LOT of work and extra parts.  While it may look similar in some respects, the ROTJ is based off the Sterling Mark V, and the ANH version is the Sterling Mark 4 L2A3 so they are two different base weapons.

I chalk this up to the seller not listing the type of E-11 in their etsy listing, and many new folks are not aware that the blasters were very different in each of the OT films. 

 

It has a few nice things going for it, but to be honest it would even need a lot of mods to make into a decent ROTJ E-11. sad to say.

 

  

 

                                                                               ROTJ E-11

 

                                                This is my ANH E-11 for comparison.. Lots of differences.

      

 

If it were me, what I would suggest is to go ahead and build this one (I have a thread here which may help) which will give you some really good experience with smoothing/sanding/gluing etc. ... and keep the pictures rolling in!  

 

I would then have a new ANH version printed.  If you don't own a printer, there are many companies/individuals that can do it for you.  The files I would use are Bryan's @trooper96.  In addition to being free, they are in my opinion the most insanely accurate ones available.  Anywhere.  (Link here).  

 

Again, my apologies for the bad news but don't let it get you down.  Whether it be building armor or a weapon we have all had our share of setbacks (been there, done that) so keep your spirits up and know that we are here to help with any questions you may have.

[dblcross[TK]]

It's OK! I'm still excited to put this together!

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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

THAT's the spirit!  Sort of like when I bought my first ever armor kit... on ebay.  Ugh.  This was before I had ever heard about the 501st or FISD, and it... was... terrible.  However, I still built it which gave me a solid base of experience for when my "real" kit arrived. 

[dblcross[TK]]

It's prefect because it's practice and I've already glued stuff on backwards!

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[kmwilson343]

Hey Terry!  I hope you don't mind me "piggy baking' on this topic.  I have made several 3D printed E-11 Blasters (ANH) from Bryan's @trooper96 files on Thingiverse (as stated above like @justjoseph63 mentioned).  I try to give both these guys as much credit as I can since they both are extremity informative and huge supporters of the FISD.  I can understand wanting to own a realistic, functional, life like blaster for our trooping events.  If you have your own 3D printer feel free to hit me up and I can give you some advice that I found was helpful in making mine.  I also sell kits on here if that something you are interested for the future, feel free to contact me also.  Good luck with your project and excited to to see the final product!

 

[dblcross[TK]]

3 hours ago, kmwilson343 said:

Hey Terry!  I hope you don't mind me "piggy baking' on this topic.  I have made several 3D printed E-11 Blasters (ANH) from Bryan's @trooper96 files on Thingiverse (as stated above like @justjoseph63 mentioned).  I try to give both these guys as much credit as I can since they both are extremity informative and huge supporters of the FISD.  I can understand wanting to own a realistic, functional, life like blaster for our trooping events.  If you have your own 3D printer feel free to hit me up and I can give you some advice that I found was helpful in making mine.  I also sell kits on here if that something you are interested for the future, feel free to contact me also.  Good luck with your project and excited to to see the final product!

 

I will for sure be hitting you up for a printed kit soon!

 

[kmwilson343]

Hey Terry!  Below is the link if you want to look at what i have made and sold.  I hope your project goes well, and if you can post a final product picture I would like to see how it turns out .

 

[dblcross[TK]]

https://imgur.com/a/a0OYY0D so yup its not right but I had fun anyways.

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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

11 hours ago, dblcross said:

so yup its not right but I had fun anyways.

 

At the end of the day that's what count's Terry.  Whether it be building armor or a weapon you have to have some fun!  Yeah, sometimes it can get a little frustrating, but you got some great practice in for when your next E-11 project arrives.

 

It turned out pretty darned nice overall.. I'm not sure what the 3D print lines looked like before you started, but nice job on smoothing those out!   One small thing that I noticed was that you have the U-tracks upside down.  The open part should face up. 

 

 

The devil is in the details, so what I would suggest in the mean time is to check out some of the threads here and be sure to post up lots of photos during your build.  This is especially important when you have a question or issue.  Looking forward to seeing your next journey!