Posted 25 October 2009 - 01:32 PM

Stormtrooper BlasTech E-11 Raider with Brass BreechThis is post 2 of 3, the aesthetic part of the mod:Section 3 Butt CapThis section is solely devoted to the butt cap on the back of the propulsion system and if you are not doing the cosmetic part of this mod you can skip this whole section and substitute a plain PVC end cap in its place. For this piece I used the following materials:1 PVC end cap for 1 1/2 inch tubing1 lock ring, 1/8 sizeA scrap piece of 1/6th aluminum strip2 rivets, 1/8th sizeUsing the vertical disk table sander I shaped the end cap to what you see in the picture, giving it a somewhat flat top and tapering the sides down to a blunt point. I also shortened the cap after I was satisfied with the shape. The shaping process is one that took a little trial and error practice, taking a little off at a time as not to take off too much material. This is particularly poignant when doing the top piece as you will cut through the top before you get a perfectly flat surface. Picture below shows the progression from start to finished product:The strip of aluminum I cut with the Dremel into a somewhat diamond shape with rounded ends. To create the indentation in the diamond, I opened my vise about a half inch, used two layers of fine rag to protect the surface, and placed the diamond across the top of the gap in the vise with the middle over the gap. I then took one of those peg-board hooks off my workshop wall, a straight hook I should note, and laid it on top of the diamond piece right where the D-ring should be.I then gave the whole works a few light but firm raps with a small sledge hammer. This pushed the hook into the aluminum and indented a reservoir into the metal right where I want the D ring to end up.The D ring itself, I did not have so I took a ring 1/8 and cut the hex-locking nut off it. I just stuck it in the vise and made two cut with the Dremal, on opposite sides and pried the hex-lock nut apart with a screwdriver.The piece of aluminum, after cleaning it up and sanding down the edges was positioned in the center of the end cap with the ring beneath it, positioned such as to hided the two threaded ends. I then drilled holes for the rivets through the aluminum and through the PVC. With the holes made, it took a quick two shots with the rivet gun to anchor the D-ring into place. Prime it, paint it, done.Barrel HousingThe barrel housing is just as it sounds; it surrounds the barrel and is almost entirely for show. Materials need include:PVC tubingSheet aluminumSmall bit of woodFlathead screwdriver bitBrassPolycarbonate2 hex screwsThe main part of this is the PVC tube. The tube should be about 8 inches long and covered with holes in a systematic pattern. For this purpose I used a template from a movie prop forum, saved a little time from having to start from scratch. The differences are that I skipped the bottom row of holes and along the bottom I had to flatten out the surface.Because the barrel has a low sitting position relative to the pump rail, the PVC needed to be flattened across the bottom to get under the barrel without altering the comfortable angle. To do this I whipped up a quickie jig with wood and aluminum rod. The jig kept the tube up on its side, square to my circular bench sander.Next I manufactured front and rear sights using some sheets of aluminum. I drill and cut out the shapes, bent them into the proper angles with the vise and sanded them down clean. I then used a piece of wood and a flathead screwdriver bit to simulate the inside part of the sight.I finished off the front of the barrel with a disc of polycarbonate, I had tons of scrap lying around from other projects. I also added to the polycarbonate a short section of brass tubing that would secure the barrel inside the tube to the front of the weapon. The short tube acts like the fake barrel that was part of the stock Raider. I used a larger diameter Brass tube and let it sit somewhat loosely in the polycarbonate disk, the idea being to be able to make last minute adjustments in seating the barrel properly. I flared both ends of the short brass tube to make it easier for the barrel to enter and the dart to exit.I also flared the opening in the disk so the opening of the brass tube would lay flush. I also added a second disk of polycarbonate and two hex screws strictly for aesthetics in completing the look.On the left side of the PVC tube beneath the front sight I added a piece of curved metal to create what looks like an exhaust or muzzle break. I notched the PVC and secured it with plumbers putty.Scope and railTo make the scope and the rail it is attached to required a little experimentation and trial and error. The scope is made up of several random parts including CPVC, Polycarbonate, copper and a funnel. Do this anyway you like as long as the end-result is the same. This piece has not effect what-so-ever on the functioning of the gun. Here is what I did:Materials:1 CPVC 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch adapter1 CPVC 3/4 inch to 1 inch threaded adapter1 piece of 1 inch long, 1/2 inch diameter CPVC pipe1 PVC end cap 3/4 inch1 disk of polycarbonate1 plastic funnel1 copper pipe end cap half inch1 strip of aluminum 1/8 inch x 3/4 inch1 Balsa Wood square dowel 3/8 inch x3/8 inch2 hex screws 6/322 machine screws 6/32The mounting required a few pieces of Balsa wood square dowel to prop the scope up. I mounted the pieces to the strip with the hex screws, drilling up through the wood and attaching to the scope. I added plumbers putty to the Balsa as reinforcement.Stock and PumpThe folding stock for the E-11 did not suit my purposes because the Raider is pump-action gun. So for the purpose of this mod I designed what looks like a folding stock, in its folded position, but it does not move. The butt plate for the stock acts as the pump handle for the Raider. For this section I needed the following materials:2 Aluminum strips 1/8 inchx3/4 inch2 Aluminum strips 1/8 inch x1 inchSheet MetalAssorted machine screws and locking hex nutsThe strips of aluminum run down the sides of the raider and are secured to the body in three locations, up front at the pump handle, in the middle just forward of the clip and in the back beneath the PVC. The shape of the strips were not important, what was important was to keep the attachment bolts to a minimum for aesthetics, while anchoring it to the body in such a way as not to interfere with the pump handle and make the pieces removable.The two forward strips of aluminum were trimmed to go around the clip area. The back two strips were bent in a vise to angle there screw holes back to the mounting point near the butt cap. I used two strips on each side instead of one because of the angles involved in getting around the clip housing. Other than that there is nothing special about them. I rounded the edges and sanded them smooth.As for anchoring the strips, I started with the middle screws just in front of the clip housing. I drilled throw the strips and the plastic body. Inside the gun I mounted hex locking nuts to accept the machine screws that would hold the pieces on. I used plumbers putty to cement them in-place, using a toothpick to make sure the threads stayed clean and clear of putty. The location of the nuts ended up right about where the dart tooth sat. As I no longer needed the dart tooth with the breech I was using, I tossed it and utilized its vacated space.The pump grip which also doubles as the shoulder butt of the stock took a little thought. The outer casing had to look somewhat like the shoulder but of the stock but also had to hide the functioning of the pump. Beneath the casing, I kept part of the original grip that came with the Raider; I just cut off the bottom half of it. The top half would operate the pump action and be mounted inside the casing. The casing had to be wide enough to encompass the grip and slide up and down the strips of aluminum that were acting as the folding stock.I basically had to coat the grip with blue painters tape and pack plumbers putty in between the grip and the casing, leaving two channels on the sides for the aluminum strips. I coated the grip with tape so that the putty would stick to the casing, but not the grip.The body of the Raider did not need too much modification, besides stripping off the Nerf logos and the raised digital camouflage bits. I did have to completely redo the ejection port because the size and shape was all wrong, so I will start there.Ejection PortThe ejection port, as I said was the wrong shape and size and the door was covered with holes. First step I took was to remove all the door and related parts from the gun and I lined the entire section with a very thin layer of aluminum. I cut it to fit using tin-snips. The job was not perfect, but did not have to be because its not viable in the finished product. I notched it here and there for protruding plastic bits inside the gun and slapped it in place. I did not glue it down, it was a tight fit and glue seemed unnecessary. On the outside of the gun I layered in plumbers putty in two stages to fill the hole in the plastic shell. The aluminum served as a platform for the putty and gave it something to anchor to, besides the plastic. The key here is to support the thin aluminum from underneath and do not press too hard and distort the metal.After drying I went to work on the putty with the dremel and sanded down the putty so it was flat, while at the same time, trying to feather it in to the surrounding plastic so it would look like part of the gun. Take this slowly and do not damage the surrounding plastic. It also makes sense here to not have used too much putty or you will be dremeling all day.When all was smooth I applied some sandable finishing putty to further feather out the putty and make it look like it is supposed to be there. This is the same thing an auto body shop might fix a dent in a car. When the putty dries its very soft so light sanding is all that is needed to smooth it all out and make it look good. Viola! A shell with no hole in the side! Let us make a hole!After first penciling out the size and shape of the new ejection port, right on the putty, I cut it out. Here I was cutting through the layers of putty and through the aluminum underneath. It is important to take this step slowly and gingerly as not to dent the metal or cave in the putty.Next I installed a shield in front of the ejection port, I likewise installed a smaller but similar piece at the same time just behind one of the holes in the barrel housing (see the section on the barrel housing). Both of these pieces were made of sheet metal, cut into a bell curve shape. I put some curvature into each piece by holding them over the rounded part of a hammer head and tapping the shape with a smaller hammer. I used the hammer head like an anvil to shape the pieces. As you can see in the picture I notched the shell where the bell curve would be installed, in part to get it an anchorage point and to keep it from sliding.Final StepThe absolute final step, not to be done until absolutely everything else is done first is to apply the grip guards to the barrel housing. The grip material is actually a rubber strip with adhesive backing. It is the last aesthetic element and its one that I think completes the whole picture in a way that is very distinctive and eye-catching. The strips are applied very easily, but I wanted nothing to happen to the strips and the adhesive so I made this the absolute last step.I have a link to a guy that sells the stuff by the foot, his usual clientele are Star Wars nerds who make replica prop guns, hey wait a minute. ww.blast-tech.com I think it was $5 per foot and I used about four feet.To apply the strips, simply cut to fit. The top one for example goes in the first available hole behind the front sight and ends at the last hole at the end of the housing. Each successive strip alternates moving forward or backward by one hole to give it a staggered look.That is it. Thanks for reading the entire write-up and feel free to ask questions, I am sure I forgot something. I am already working on a Rev 2 of this mod. It always happens, you get halfway through a mod and you come up with new innovations, then you have a choice, scrap the project and start over or finish the thing and do a Rev 2.-NerfDude113810/25/2009