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[capnsmirk]

**UPDATE 3/9/16** I've renamed this thread and opened it up to all of my weapons builds not just my EE.

Hello Vode!

I began creating my first blaster last night and felt it was time to make a blaster/weapons thread.

As we all do i originally had very grand plans for my weapons, wanting to make them super original and crazy strong and blah blah blah but as my collection of toy guns and pvc pipes grew i began to realise i had actually gathered a perfect pile of parts to create an EE-3 esque blaster.

I usually like rambling at this point but instead I'll keep it short. My EE-3 is intending to sit visually somewhere between the ESB and ROTJ Versions, almost as if it is the model between the two. It's based off a cheap revolver toy not the flare gun which means it's proportions while very similar to Bobas EE-3 will be slightly different, i think narrower/skinnier overall. The general idea is to make this EE-3 very much my own.

Have some pictures for your face holes!

So this is my sticky tape and cardboard mockup. I dug up the dimensions of Bobas EE-3 and sketched out my stock to be basically the same with the exception of shape. The barrel is a signal flare case i aquired some time ago, i chose this for the main barrel as it has some nice flat detailing which is reminiscent of the ROTJ, also it's basically the perfect length. I didn't take a photo but the stock is padded out on the opposite side. Note all my notes? Once i put it together modifications became obvious and so i wrote them down on the appropriate location.


After i did my mockup i did a little more reading about Bobas EE -3 and noticed mine was about 3inches shorter than his. Not that it's a competition to see who's EE is bigger or anything but i wanted it to be roughly equal. So resolved to add a length of PVC pipe to act as a chamber/body fortunately i had some the exact diameter to fit inside the flare case. I capped the rear of the chamber with some 3mm sintra and sanded it to shape and also sanded out a flat section where the revolver and chamber meet just above the trigger mech.


Here you can see that the PVC chamber has added a good few inches to the length of the blaster. I sanded back the cap thread on the flare case ala drenel style as it looked goofy. I also see that point being where a scope mount will end up so the finish isn't vital. This shot also shows the detailing on the flare case.



Thats all my progress for today but I'm happy with it so far. I want to take it slow with this build for two reasons one: I've never scratch built a blaster so I'm learning as i go and two: i have concerns about the durability of the whole blaster given its base is a cheap, failry flimsy toy gun.

So some questions for you all:

I intend on making the stock by hand. The frame and basic shape will be sintra probably 3mm laminated to 6mm, then the shaping will be done out of expanding foam and then bondoed for a smooth finish. Has anyone taken this approach before? Is it viable and durable?

Next, much simpler this time, I'd love some suggestions on how to strengthen the toy gun. I'm coming up short on that front, I've done some YouTubeing and google hunting but no luck finding any real explanations. Please help? Thermal detonator on top? Haha

Really looking forward to beginning my arsenal!!

Thanks Vode!!

[Karl Dha'Werda]

Sweet Build Vod!!

Here is my WIP on my EE-3 Carbine if you are interested or want to spark ideas for your own build.  I love looking at other builds for inspiration.

https://mandalorianarmour.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/ee-3-carbine-rifle/

[capnsmirk]

Thanks for the link Vod! What i find very interesting is that we have taken very similar approaches to building the EE despite yours being a metal build and mine plastic. Was excellent to see how you approached your build!

Still trying to figure out how to strengthen the toy revolver component...i want to keep the original trigger mech working as it is so that section is a no go for modification etc but i thought maybe a resin pour into each half of the toy and then screw them together? This would give me somewhere more substantial to screw the barrel and stock onto?

Thoughts?

[Karl Dha'Werda]

Still trying to figure out how to strengthen the toy revolver component...i want to keep the original trigger mech working as it is so that section is a no go for modification etc but i thought maybe a resin pour into each half of the toy and then screw them together? This would give me somewhere more substantial to screw the barrel and stock onto?
Thoughts?

Maybe you could slide the revolver down the chamber a little bit more (giving more support with the barrel).  You'll have to trim back the top part to get that rounded area (where you hammer would hit the firing pin) in line with the barrel or you could do what I did and just slide it on further towards the hammer for better support:


Your resin idea to give more heft to it sounds good in theory, let me know how it turns out.

[Choruk Kar'ta]

this build looks really good vod. remeber this is your first weapon scratch build. so no mather how it ends up. its great because you will learn so much from this build.

your question:
Imaking the stock by hand. The frame and basic shape will be sintra probably 3mm laminated to 6mm, then the shaping will be done out of expanding foam and then bondoed for a smooth finish. Has anyone taken this approach before? Is it viable and durable?

this will work. still I wouldn't trow your weapin around etc but It will survive many troops trust me ^^

[capnsmirk]

Maybe you could slide the revolver down the chamber a little bit more (giving more support with the barrel).  You'll have to trim back the top part to get that rounded area (where you hammer would hit the firing pin) in line with the barrel or you could do what I did and just slide it on further towards the hammer for better support:


Your resin idea to give more heft to it sounds good in theory, let me know how it turns out.

Thanks Vod, on this particular revolver base there isn't really much to slide the chamber onto but i definitely see where the strength would come from. I bought 2 of these revolvers  so i still have a complete backup which is very reassuring.  And i could definitely make your suggestion work on that one if this first attempt fails!

I've reread my initial post and didn't really make clear what i meant with "flimsy plastic" it's a soft, thin plastic that flexes  easily and can be cut smoothly with a sharp enough blade. So i guess my concern is that it will bend and distort under the weight of the barrel and stock.

That's where the idea of filling sections with resin came from, provide a bit of rigidity...I'm thinking i may well just run with it and see how it goes. Worst case scenario i use my spare and start again.

this build looks really good vod. remeber this is your first weapon scratch build. so no mather how it ends up. its great because you will learn so much from this build.

your question:
Imaking the stock by hand. The frame and basic shape will be sintra probably 3mm laminated to 6mm, then the shaping will be done out of expanding foam and then bondoed for a smooth finish. Has anyone taken this approach before? Is it viable and durable?

this will work. still I wouldn't trow your weapin around etc but It will survive many troops trust me ^^

Thanks for the support Vod! I appreciate it, like i said i just want to take it slowly and make sure i get the build nice and sturdy.

It's very reassuring to hear my foam/bondo stock will work especially with no plans on throwing the blaster anywhere either haha

With the trouble shooting we're working through on the barrel and toy revolver i think i may just start work on the stock sooner than i planned. I need practice with bondo soon anyways, I'm not far off starting that stage of my bucket which is super exciting!

Thanks for the support Vode, i appreciate it!!

[Choruk Kar'ta]

perfect vod keep positive start with the stock. pratic with the bondo. don't think no this has to be don first. make what you want to make eventually everything will be finished and you can start trooping planning on making the bucket yourself? let me know when you start on the kit en send me the link to your wiP  

[capnsmirk]

perfect vod keep positive start with the stock. pratic with the bondo. don't think no this has to be don first. make what you want to make eventually everything will be finished and you can start trooping planning on making the bucket yourself? let me know when you start on the kit en send me the link to your wiP

Link is in my signature vod! Would love to get your feedback on my progress

[Choruk Kar'ta]

wauw how can I be that blind (A) gonna check your work now vod

[Niabi]

oooooo very Nice vod

[capnsmirk]

oooooo very Nice vod

Thanks Vod! i'm really looking forward to making this little beasty haha

Did a little work on my stock this evening. I am fortunate enough to work in a retail store which moves on it's signage pretty regularly so i have access to free sintra on occasion. The draw back being that it's not always in great condition or decent widths. But free is free right? haha

So i pulled apart my cardboard stock to make up my templates for the stock frame. The sheet these are cut from is 2mm so two layers of lamination may not be sturdy enough by themselves, i have plenty left so i can cut another layer if i need to.

On the below pic you'll notice that one of my cutouts has a chunk missing, turns out there was a crack in the sintra right where i was cutting. No big deal but it wasn't fun to see a random chunk missing from a fairly major section of the frame.

To help reinforce the thinner sintra i have marked out locations for me to cut trenches. I like the idea of putting some coat hanger wire or something similar between the layers to give the rigidity i need.

[capnsmirk]

**UPDATE 4/7/2016**

Scored myself some 3mm mdf from work and have used that for the stock frame rather than the laminated sintra. It's very sturdy and has gone a long way to reassuring me of the stability and strength of my blaster overall.

Lots of pics for this update so i won't ramble too much. I had a day off today and had heaps of fun mucking around on this project!


Here are the two new frames i cut. I don't really have any woodworking skills to speak of so this was very touch and go. I used the cutoff and grinding attachments for my dremel for the majority of the work(which i know now is not a good plan) then took to them with a coping saw to finish up the cuts.

I should've just used the router bit and frame for the whole thing but didn't think if it until i got the the internal cut for the handgrip.

These are very roughly cut and do not match. That's ok though because i am happy to sand them back to a final shape as one laminated piece.


I gave them a generous helping of PVA and clamped them together. Which dried suprisingly quickly and is holding up really well so far!



I used my original sintra frames as the base for the expanding foam stock. I later realised i put the foam on the same side of each piece and so will need to do another. This is no hassle as the foam I'm using had a good skin within and hour or so.
 
Initial spray.


After a good few hours. Most of this material will be cut back. I'm aiming for about a 1/2 inch thickness for each piece in the end which should give me a decent and realisticly sized butt to rest my shoulder on.


You may recall i said i had another toy revolver as a spare? Well....now i don't haha i made the decision to try and save and relocate the red LED and pew pew sounds so i my blaster isn't just static. I know this won't be accurate in the slightest but it's pretty much for the sake of trying and lolz.

Started the day with a tip for my barrel and the idea that maybe i could get the original red lense in there somehow. With some trimming and sanding the lense went in and sits securely without the need of glue to hold it.


The wiring was spread throughout the whole revolver. The biggest issue being the batteries and speaker in the handle. Since getting my hands on a bunch of mdf I've decided thati will cut a bunch of layers to fill the handle and mount the stock directly to that however that meant i had to move all the electronics out of the way. This is what i came up with.



I decided to mount the electronics inside the PVC chamber i made early on. Had to rip the sintra cap off and make another but it was the only way to install my jig which holds the bits. I've mounted the batteries in such a way that i can change them out if i need IF the electronics last that long haha




The arm i hot glued in to mount the LED further down and more cantral in the barrel, aiming for a vaguely obvious red pew uopn trigger pullage haha i still had the electronics from my other revolver and have attempted to piggy back that onto the other LED which works but i couldn't get a good connection after glue so that's a project for a little further down the track.



The ever important THIS DEFINITELY STILL WORKS photo



And finally all the parts roughly in their final location. The length is about 80cm or 31ish inches. Which is longer than i guessed it would be but hey, pretty sure that makes mine bigger than Bobas hahaha



Still a bunch of work to do yet but i really like the direction this is going and how many new skills I'm learning just from trying.

Waiting on some airsoft scopes to turn up in the mail. They are cheap ebay 4x20s which I have a vague idea of making into a bowcaster style double scope, do you think that would work ok Vode?

Any tips or advice is always welcome, thanks for reading my ranting!!

[capnsmirk]

Hey Vode!

I have benched my EE for now. Overall while excited and happy with the progress i made with it, i am not satisfied. I have some ideas for it that will take time, planning and skills i am not fully confident in just yet.

However i have what could be my first unofficial troop on the 24th and I'm kicking into overdrive to be ready. What is a mando without a weapon?! So I'm working on something that will hopefully come together very quickly and look fairly decent.

I am going to smash together a Westar 35! When i first saw these blasters in TCW i was underwhelmed. In many ways i still am but since being on these forums they've grown on me. Some of the custom 35s I've seen are great and so i want to put my own spin on one.

I got my hands on a decent pic of the blaster and scaled it up in photoshop. Then printed and cut the templates. This template is about a 1/4" shorter than the standard 10.5" just a printing error that i am happy to swallow.


I then took my templates and traced them onto some EVA floor mats. This is just to make the base of the blaster. EVA gives it good size, minimal weight and is easy to build from. The 2 layers are glued together with contact adhesive, the tape is just to help the edges stick securely as i didn't bother sanding the texture off the mats.


From here i will be sanding back the foam on all sides to take away a small amount of width. Then all my templates will be cut out of 3mm sintra and glued over the foam to create a rigid shell. The hardest part will be cutting the sintra for the edges as it will need to be eyeballed and formed on the fly but i think I'm up to the challenge.

A fairly straightforward plan and hopefully won't take up too many of the very few man hours i have available between now and the troop.

Any thoughts and feedback is always welcome. Wish me luck!!

[capnsmirk]

Made a bunch of progress today vode!

Started by covering the edges and sides of the EVA base with 3mm sintra. Used a combination of contact adhesive and hot glue. Made the trigger a custom shape as i don't rate the standard arc shaped trigger. In my mind this could be a more sensitive trigger upgrade? Or something along those lines.


From there i traced the blaster and cut out the side panels. I'm particularly happy with the trigger guard panel, i recessed it into the EVA to give the sintra some rigidity and strength.


Just to give you an idea of it's proportions and how the sintra panelling came together.


All gaps and edges bondoed. I also did a little shaping in some areas as you can see.


For the barrels i grabbed a couple of sharpie lids and cut them like so.


I then found the half way mark on the blaster front, traced the lids and created a recess with my dremel.


Part of why i held onto the lids was for the indentations in the sides, i saw them as muzzle breaks. I hesitated about cutting the indentations out but with some patience, sharp blades and effort they came up well. They are only press fitted in this shot which is why they aren't even, they won't stay that way.


I want the panels on my westar to look like rough forged metal. Mostly because i wanted to try a technique with my dremel that's been kicking around in my noggin for a while.

I began by drawing a rough guide on the panels.


This is both panels after i took to them with an odd dremel bit that i didn't take photo of, a quick sand with 240 grit, then heated them and pressed down on the patterning.


This is how they look after sprays with primer filler, black primer and leadbelcher GW primer. The barrels have been primed black here also.


That's all the progress so far but I'll be doing more paint work on the panels and barrel this evening. I'll update this post/thread afterwards.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my westar and the direction I'm taking it.

**update**

Did that painting i was talking about. Applied my experience with painting Warhammer miniatures.


Nailed the hammered metal look. This is literally a 3 colour process, leadbelcher spray for the base coat, couple of layers of Nuln Oil then Drybrushed Necron compound. I am SO happy with these plates, they look even better than i had hoped for.



The barrels came up pretty well too. The lighting is not excellent for photos though. I followed this short tutorial from Warhammer TV to get this effect on the barrels https://youtu.be/jIKEfVoqC5U



Then i dry brushed some Abaddon Black to dirty them up, followed by a quick pass with necron compound to pick out the edges a touch.


The pics on those last two images aren't awesome but i hope y'all get the idea!

Pumped to finish this blaster up!!

[Dar'manda]

That's pretty impressive.  I need to learn how to do that.