bkbrowning Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 In addition to my pack and armor build, I've been slowly working on my RT-97C. I managed to pick up an MG15 and a collection of scopes over the past several years and finally began to build out my RT-97C. To start with, here's the base model in all its glory along with some of the scopes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 First thing I wanted to tackle was getting the forward scope mounted to the rifle. The scope of choice here is an Enfield MKII and there's a reticle mounting hole just past the magazine that makes a great mounting point. The only trick was how to rig up the mount. I've seen drawings and some assmeblies that seem to use a curved rod...but it looks like that requires some welding and possibly yields a permanent mount to the Enfield. I was looking for something that could utilize the mounting brace that came with the Enfield and that would be removable for travel. With some careful measurements and a little modeling with Autodesk Fusion 360, I created the following scope mount... To ensure that it would fit, I fired up the 3D printer to create a prototype... Fitting it to the scope using the Enfield's mounting bracket, it fits really well... ...and test mounting to the rifle, it's beginning to look like 1977... The 3D part printed in PLA and printed completely solid is VERY sturdy. I really think I could leave it as-is and not worry about it breaking or coming loose...but...I just had to have it in some type of metal. So, I submitted my 3D model to Protolabs and about 4 days later I had my new solid metal Enfield scope mount... Fully mounted on the weapon, it looks and feels really solid. With a little Aluminum bluing applied, it's looking great on the rifle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Next up is the rear, left side Singlepoint scope. The scope itself is 1" in diameter on the main bore so some 1" scope rings look like they will work just fine. They are designed to clamp onto a scope rail which the MG15 certainly doesn't have down it's left side. So, I modified the scope rings by boring through their center section and created a countersunk spot for the cap-head bolts to attach. I used my tap and die kit to tap the appropriate holes into the MG15 and secure the scope rings. From there, it was straightforward to attach the scope... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 To finish out, I had only the "infrared" scope to go. I have probably looked through 3,000 images of scopes from the WWII era to try and find what looks like the exact scope used in the movies. While some are close, they seem to all have an issue of some sort. So, I decided to cannibalize a few scope parts and being building my own. For size and scale, I used the reference from the Star Wars Blueprints booklet. Both the scope and the mounting system were custom built from spare parts, PVC, and various metal bits and bolts... I mounted the custom scope rings to the side of the MG15 with some aluminum offsets that would give me the correct angle and height as shown in the blueprints... ..and also mounted the brass pipe fitting to the side to act as a return for the hose coming from this scope. I used a Dremel to contour the profile of the brass fitting to the side of the MG15 and then tapped a set of threads at the appropriate point in the rifle to secure it with a bolt. Assembling and painting a few of the scope parts... I wanted to make sure it had some optics in it, so I used some of those cannibalized parts from other scopes... With the rubber eyepiece and the end scope portion attached, it is looking ready for mounting... And now, all mounted up on the rifle and some light weathering applied. Not too much as, like most troopers, the one thing you'd keep fairly clean would be your weapon! I think that's about it for this build! It's not the lightest weapon, but it does look and feel really good in the hand. Let me know your feedback, questions, comments, or anything that could be improved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog44 Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 There is a rule you broke by posting this. Under MEPD code 4.315 you are guilty of making other members severely jealous. The penalty is confiscation of your arms but I will accept for you to turn yourself in and surrender that awesome beast of a weapon. All jokes aside, crazy cool Rt-97c. Love all the details you added. Fantastic work putting it all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE TROOPER Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Yes, as soon as this build is done, it must be sent to me for final inspection, and field testing for ahem, cough cough,,, weeks. Carry on trooper, great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 SSSwweetttTTT!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 Thanks for the feedback troopers. So, the one question I do have for you all is do you think I should try to remove the inner rifle barrel? It's doable on the MG-15 but does require some destructive cutting to make it happen...not to mention that it will ruin the actual rifle! Reason I ask is that it does appear in nearly all pics that they removed the rifle barrel itself from this weapon for the movies. For instance, see the following pics: All of them (especially the last one...which is the trooper build I'm aiming for) clearly show no inner rifle barrel. So, I'm really thinking about cutting mine out...which is a nutty thing to do to a WWII vintage rifle but it is what I think canon calls for here. Let me know your thoughts. I probably need some encouragement to fire up the metal bandsaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE TROOPER Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 UMMMMM Heck to the noooooooooo. I wouldnt ruin that man. That looks fine the way it is. Just my .03. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog44 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 When it comes to vintage items like that, I would not cut it out . I would be tempted too for the screen look but it is not a detail that is worth damaging such a cool piece of history. That is just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opi wan Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 isent it possible to pull it out without cutting, to replace it when its getting to hot for example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 I ***think*** I may be able to separate the barrel without having to cut it and still be able to keep the ventiliation cage, barrel cap, and front end of the receiver housing held together. The barrel itself is a key structural part of holding all those components in place...but I think we can rig it up. What looks like one piece does show as separable based on some parts research that I've now done. Unfortunately, after 50+ years of sitting around, it's really, really stuck. Stuck to the point of acting like one piece. I'm taking it to a machine shop on Monday to use some of their tooling and expertise to try and break it apart with minimal damage. Will post some pics after we're done and let you know how we did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Is the mounting bracket for the infa red scope how the original was mounted. Great build by the way. Really impressed mate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 Desert Rat - Looking at all the options for the mounting bracket for the InfraRed scope, I personally decided to go with one that was modeled after the RT-97C "blueprints" from the Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection book (link to Amazon's listing). In that set of blueprints, there is a 75% wireframe sketch of this BFG and the bracket looks like it is offset from the main body of the rifle and attached to two rings that wrap the end of the scope. Here is the page from the blueprints themselves. Sorry that it's so small but I had to copy it from a reference on the web. When I get back home from being out of town, I'll shoot a picture of that section of the blueprints and upload them here. Also, the original sketch for this book was drawn by Chris Trevas and Chris Reiff (I think that's correct spellings) and their art for this also shows this in some detail here: Hope that helps. Shout back if you want more pictures of my build or need anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkbrowning Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 One more quick update: with the help of some large pipe wrenches, we were able to get the barrel and heat shield free from my original MG15! As such, it's now gone from my RT-97C and looks much more like the movie version. I think I'm finally happy with it...and yes, I am smiling in the pic below! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felice Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 speachless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog44 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 It certainly does look better like this to keep that ANH look. Glad you could remove it without too much trouble. Amazing results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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