Plainsrunner Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Do you see what I see? Yes. Those are Sterling Machine Gun parts. I am getting a resin Blaster from RS, but my brother and I decided it would be very cool to make a blaster out of an actual Sterling. If it works out, I'll be posting progress photos in this thread. A friend of the family does really good mig welding, and my brother is an excellent fabricator and modeler. Should be an interesting project! Stay tuned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Is this a fool's folly of an endeavor? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4vrick Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Sounds like it’ll be fun.. real sterling e11 building is a universe, every one should go check out. The bapty e11 is also another option if you want accuracy. You should check out this one guy though if you haven’t, Chris a.k.a Field Marshall. He is a great engineer, sells a lot of deactivated sterling parts, CNC s a lot of the Sterling parts too. But these are another departments/ universes Michael... now now let’s go back to finishing your backpack/ PO application shall we? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 11 hours ago, m4vrick said: Sounds like it’ll be fun.. real sterling e11 building is a universe, every one should go check out. The bapty e11 is also another option if you want accuracy. You should check out this one guy though if you haven’t, Chris a.k.a Field Marshall. He is a great engineer, sells a lot of deactivated sterling parts, CNC s a lot of the Sterling parts too. But these are another departments/ universes Michael... now now let’s go back to finishing your backpack/ PO application shall we? Thanks m4vrick! This is kind of a cool side project for my brother and me to work on. You are right the primary project right now is receiving and tweaking my armor (which seems to be snagged in customs right now), outfitting my bucket with electronics before trooping, and building that backpack so I can advance in rank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchy Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 This is going to be a cool project for sure!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Guys. 6 hours of welding. It's still deactivated, but now it's time to grind and sand the welds to make smooth and then build this into a bapty blaster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4vrick Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Awesome welding! You did a good job there. Envy you too...i will never be able to bring in a deactivated sterling to this part of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Just now, m4vrick said: Awesome welding! You did a good job there. Envy you too...i will never be able to bring in a deactivated sterling to this part of the world. Thanks! I can't take credit for the welding though -- my brother's friend spent 6 hours getting it lined up perfectly. I'm putting in the time grinding and sanding the welds down which is also taking time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 I have questions about the bapty if anyone knows. Now that I have the basic frame welded back, I need guidance on a couple things: the grip — was the grip on the actual bapty props replaced with an aluminum grip as I’ve seen done on other builds or did they use the actual grip? I see that there is no trigger, so I’m puzzling through how to do that. the barrel— did they leave the barrel out completely or did they replace it with a wooden dowel or something similar? the receiver—- on another build I saw where an aluminum tube was inserted into the length of the shaft to replace the receiver. That that also correct? the counter—what version of the Hengstler Eagle Counter is the right one? I see numerous versions out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 If you're on Facebook, join this group ASAP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/801444749866194/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Just requested to join. I answered my own question on the aluminum grip. My only problem now is... where can I get one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henselmonster Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 23 minutes ago, Plainsrunner said: Just requested to join. I answered my own question on the aluminum grip. My only problem now is... where can I get one? Field Marshal, who makes replica parts for e-11s said he may look into producing them in the future. I hope so...if not, melt down some soda cans and make your own! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 The problem is that I’m not sure how to ensure the shape is correct if I try to melt one down myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 Well, the past 24 hours I've been searching the globe for the aluminum grips. Let me take you through my journey: First I posted here and at Whitearmor. I received tips that a few people have indeed built these things in the past, but typically it was several years ago. I made contact with Field Marshal and he says he will be looking at making them next year. So that's a dead end for me at the moment. I then managed to join the Facebook group linked above for Bapty builds. They referred me to an admin named Felix who has an accurate Bapty. He got his grips from a gentleman off theRPF forums, and gave me his contact information. I emailed him and also created an account over there. I also posted for help on RPF and got a tip on a forum member that molded some. I have a message into him as well. So that is where I stand at the moment. I'm hoping either the forum member or the contact Felix provided to me gets back in touch. Contingency plans? Use the stock grips until Field Marshal comes out with his grip? Sand down the stock grips so that they look smooth like a bapty grip? Not sure...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 My plan now: 1. finish everything else 2. Use stock Sterling grip until I can figure out a solution or find a solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 Continuing on my grinding and sanding. The body was cut right along the groves in the back where the end cap goes, and thus it was welded back together where the end cap goes which erased one of the grooves for the cap. I had to use a dremmel tool to recreate the groove shape so that it would go on. After much cursing and gnashing of teeth I was successful. Grinding and sanding continues tomorrow. Meantime: I have the proper power cylinder incoming (style D), and made from real components. I also have a real eagle counter on the way. Also...I have a real magazine on the way. It will pain me to cut that thing into a quarter to insert a wood block inside of it -- but it must be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 I'm not 100% but I thought the grip was made of wood and filler. I know the doopy doos guys just sand the resin to shape though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Airborne Trooper said: I'm not 100% but I thought the grip was made of wood and filler. I know the doopy doos guys just sand the resin to shape though. Hmm... I was under the impression that it was aluminum. I guess I need to do more research. I'm afraid substituting resin as a handle will be a major weak point in the gun with the rest of it being heavy metal. I can see where that might go sideways if you carry it around enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 According to this site: http://www.originalprop.com/blog/movie-guns/star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope/ They were custom fabricated aluminum grips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 13 minutes ago, Plainsrunner said: Hmm... I was under the impression that it was aluminum. I guess I need to do more research. I'm afraid substituting resin as a handle will be a major weak point in the gun with the rest of it being heavy metal. I can see where that might go sideways if you carry it around enough. Well the doopy doos kit is a resin kit. I didn't know they had custom aluminum grips made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 9 minutes ago, Airborne Trooper said: Well the doopy doos kit is a resin kit. I didn't know they had custom aluminum grips made. I wouldn't be surprised if they fabricated them on-site in the desert for the scenes. Seems like what they did out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 It's "moving along" Most of the welds are now ground down and sanded. Still some more sanding/smoothing to go while I wait for parts to come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 Also, because the cut went RIGHT ACROSS the mount groove for the end cap, I had to re-create that grove so that the cap would go back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 21, 2018 Author Share Posted May 21, 2018 Current situation: Gun is sanded for the most part. Just a couple place left to take care of. I found an aluminum tube to go into the body that fits. I have ordered an authentic (genuine) Hengstler Eagle Counter and it's on the way. I've ordered a power cylinder style "D" that is made from actual parts. The scope my brother had turned out to NOT be the correct scope. M38s are extremely hard to come by. I can't even find one to purchase even if money was no object. My search will continue for a genuine M38 scope to mount on the blaster, but until that time I've ordered a high quality reproduction made of metal. Left to do and figure out: 1. scope rail 2. counter mount bracket 3. aluminum solid cast grip (my plan at this point is to use the stock grip until such time that I can figure out how to make one or find a place to buy one. 4. after I figure out the grip I'll fabricate the bapty trigger guard So my bapty will be a work in progress for a while it seems when it comes to authenticity. I'll lack the grip, the trigger guard, and the authentic scope (though I will have a very accurate reproduction for the scope). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plainsrunner Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 After doing some research -- I think there are two schools of thought on the barrel for these Tunisian blasters: 1. wooden replacement barrel. This seems to stem from one non-screen used auction of a Bapty that had a wooden replacement barrel installed. 2. No barrel. This theory is supported by the fact that the DLT and other rifle versions from the Tunisian shots lacked barrels completely. Also, the e11's lacked the screws at the end of the shroud that would hold a barrel in place. I'm leaning towards no barrel at the moment. We could all be partially right (and wrong) and the different blasters had multiple configurations, but there isn't enough film to determine that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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