Sunday, March 27, 2005
Imperial Stormtrooper Blastech E11 Blaster Rifle
This replica of the "Return of the Jedi"-era Imperial Stormtrooper Blaster is entirely handmade from PVC pipe (all tubular elements) and styrene plastic, the exception is a resin pistol grip. If you want to build one, go to the Blaster Builders Club at http://www.imperial-fleet.com/.
The stand was made with sheet styrene. I tried out a new weathering technique by first painting silver as a base coat. Then I took mustard (yes, the condiment!) and squirted it anywhere I wanted "damage". White is sprayed over as a topcoat. Once that dries you can wash away paint over the mustard so it looks like old paint flaking off!
This gun is based on the WWII British Sterling Submachine gun. Looking at photos of this weapon helped but many of the details were modified for the movies.
The sight rail is made by sandwiching 11(?) sheets of plastic together into one solid piece. I use lacquer thinner to weld the pieces together for a fast and solid bond. The scope mount is removable and made with the same technique for all the pieces. The Scope is made from PVC (big cylinders), Plastic funnel, lens from disposable camera and a transparent action figure stand (rear eyepiece).
The Stock extends and locks just like the real one. I even put in a small spring in the butt plate so that it snaps back in place when folded up.
I started building before I realized there was a difference in the weapons used in the original trilogy. My barrel cutouts are from "A New Hope"-era while the rest is ROTJ. Oops. Perhaps a model variant between the eras?
The prop has a working trigger and safety, which took some figuring out as the "forward" position is "FIRE" and the "vertical" position is "SAFE". The trigger has a small spring pushing it forward and the safety employs a double lever that blocks the trigger when on SAFE. The pistol grip itself is a resin copy from a REAL Sterling, I bought from a guy at the Blaster Builders Club.
The barrel is PVC pipe. The sling ring, front site and heat vents were all formed by using a heat gun and bending 3mm styrene plastic into shape. It takes some practice (and burns) but you can achieve some unique shapes. ¶ 1:23 AM
This replica of the "Return of the Jedi"-era Imperial Stormtrooper Blaster is entirely handmade from PVC pipe (all tubular elements) and styrene plastic, the exception is a resin pistol grip. If you want to build one, go to the Blaster Builders Club at http://www.imperial-fleet.com/.
The stand was made with sheet styrene. I tried out a new weathering technique by first painting silver as a base coat. Then I took mustard (yes, the condiment!) and squirted it anywhere I wanted "damage". White is sprayed over as a topcoat. Once that dries you can wash away paint over the mustard so it looks like old paint flaking off!
This gun is based on the WWII British Sterling Submachine gun. Looking at photos of this weapon helped but many of the details were modified for the movies.
The sight rail is made by sandwiching 11(?) sheets of plastic together into one solid piece. I use lacquer thinner to weld the pieces together for a fast and solid bond. The scope mount is removable and made with the same technique for all the pieces. The Scope is made from PVC (big cylinders), Plastic funnel, lens from disposable camera and a transparent action figure stand (rear eyepiece).
The Stock extends and locks just like the real one. I even put in a small spring in the butt plate so that it snaps back in place when folded up.
I started building before I realized there was a difference in the weapons used in the original trilogy. My barrel cutouts are from "A New Hope"-era while the rest is ROTJ. Oops. Perhaps a model variant between the eras?
The prop has a working trigger and safety, which took some figuring out as the "forward" position is "FIRE" and the "vertical" position is "SAFE". The trigger has a small spring pushing it forward and the safety employs a double lever that blocks the trigger when on SAFE. The pistol grip itself is a resin copy from a REAL Sterling, I bought from a guy at the Blaster Builders Club.
The barrel is PVC pipe. The sling ring, front site and heat vents were all formed by using a heat gun and bending 3mm styrene plastic into shape. It takes some practice (and burns) but you can achieve some unique shapes. ¶ 1:23 AM
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incredible work, did you use some blueprints from BBClub, somewhere else, or you design it direct from movie references?
# posted by 
: 7:30 PM
: 7:30 PM
They are indeed from the BBC templates. This was the project that got me into the crazy world of prop building.
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