cbussler

Go to CafePress.com and do a search for Star Wars. *chuckle* Plenty of shirts with AT-ATs, speeders, lightsabers, jawas, Mos Eisley, etc. No idea how the Star Wars posters got accepted. If you were using just MEPD: The Mos Eisley Police Department, or the 501st logo, etc.... probably won't be an issue. From a legal standpoint, if the average consumer could confuse your product/image with an existing product/image, then there is a challenge to the copyright or trademark. The worst thing to happen is that they decline to produce the product and refund your money. -Carl

Have you considered CafePress.com? You can upload your graphic and choose the type of shirt you want. If you order 20, I think the price per shirt is $9.60, 40 or more is $8.75... and so on with higher quantities. If you need help with shirt design or the graphics, I'm proficient with Illustrator and Photoshop. I'm sure there's other people on the boards with those skills as well. -Carl

Disassembling Part 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeWPnK8Goj0 Disassembling Part 2. Interesting to see the cooling fins go all the way through the barrel housing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37JsFlJeeSo Shooting the Lewis Gun. Good view of the forward sight. It looks to me like the front sight is something like a pipe clamp. Could probably be made by bending some pipe strapping. -C

Curious to see if anybody on the boards is going to play this MMO once it's released. I'm sure plenty of SW fans will be playing, but a 501st guild (if that's what they call them in the MMO), or an MEPD guild would be cool. Just FYI. http://www.swtor.com/ Gameplay Walkthrough -C

As a new member who's at the beginning phases of building a T-21, a collection such as this would be a big time-saver. I may even see stuff that I didn't know was available, such as the photos of the deactivated Lewis Gun. Very helpful reference stuff. -C

I agree with everybody else... that looks fantastic. I did a search for that Humbrol stuff in the states but didn't find it. I did however find some other masking fluids. Expensive stuff though. I might try rubber cement at some point too... much cheaper. http://www.dickblick.com/products/daler-rowney-masking-fluid/ http://www.dickblick.com/products/schmincke-aqua-masking-fluids/ http://www.dickblick.com/products/elmers-rubber-cement/ Do you plan on doing more of the gun like that? -C

Scrounging around my garage and I had some leftover 3" PVC pipe, some 1/4" poplar, 1/4" oak and 1/8" MDF. I didn't have any 1" pine, so a quick to the Home Despot secured me a top-quality board. Here's what I've done this weekend. From this I learned that I would much prefer using a band saw or scroll saw to using my jig saw. Again, props to Pandatrooper for his tutorial. I can't imagine how much time he spent making the templates from which I'm working. -Carl

I went ahead and got myself a lathe anyway. Today I put the lathe together and bolted it to one of my benches. I glued a block together which will become the piece I turn to make the barrel. It'll be ready for turning tomorrow night. My plan is to turn everything from the end of the PVC pipe portion of the barrel to the end of the gun. That includes the slanted reduction in barrel diameter and the ring at the end. I am also going to try beveling the inside. When I'm done with that, I'm debating on using a spade bit or Forstner bit to drill the hole in the center. My other idea is to make the front barrel plug-in to the PVC pipe. I can either secure it with screws (removable for smaller travel size) or just glue it. If anybody sees potential problems with this concept (Woodchuck!), I welcome your feedback. My T-21 progress is in this thread. Thanks! -Carl

That's really nice work WoodChuck. Another very good option. My grandfather spent his retirement turning wood bowls and lamp bases on a lathe, which my father now has. I learned quite a bit from him and my father, but the lathe is 3.5 hours away. Although I could just get a cheap bench top lathe. If I could make and sell a few of the barrels, I could justify the purchase of the lathe. Hmmm... -Carl

I'm not in the 501st yet, but this week I was accepted as a cadet in the Garrison Carida Academy. I have a set of AP armor on order, but until it arrives, I'll be working on the T-21 and the backpack. "thinking outside the tube..." Could be my new signature. -Carl

Thanks Nol. I love building stuff, so this is right up my alley. After some research on the 'net, here's some alternatives I've discovered. Fireworks Mortar Tube - Must buy on the internet. http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/persut/items/2_5__HDPE_Mortar_Tube_DR17_Mortar__15__length__2_48__ID_ Cardboard Shipping Tube from Staples - Run to the store. Not as strong as HDPE or PVC, but I could wrap it with .022 Acrylic Vinyl sheet, which I have a boatload of. It's like Styrene, but not as rigid. http://www.staples.com/Staples-White-Mailing-Tube-2-1-2-x-24/product_467811?cmArea=SEARCH I may get the cardboard shipping tube and use it for testing and fitting purposes. I'll need to measure the 2.5" and 3" tubes to see what the outside diameters are. I may order the mortar tube while I'm working on the rest of it. Anyway, my first contribution! -Carl

Hey all, First, there's a great wealth of information here and I want to thank the contributors for their hard work. I've begun building a T-21 and so far things are progressing nicely. The only problem I'm having is finding 2.5" PVC pipe for the front barrel. I saw how Pandatrooper cut down some larger diameter pipe, but I'd prefer keeping everything schedule 40. But, if I can't get 2.5" PVC, then I guess I'm out of luck. Is everyone cutting down larger O.D. pipe, or have you found 2.5" easier to find than I have? Thanks again! -Carl