Han Solo ESB + ANH all metal Blasters, step by step

Just beautiful! Wish there was a vid so I could see you actually make these parts.

HeroWorship said:

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Just beautiful! Wish there was a vid so I could see you actually make these parts.

Thanks.

Well, not much to see there - no hot chick in a bikini in my shop.

Only a man in the 40s with wide hips, working on a small lathe and a drill press.

Would you be offering a run of the upgrade parts in the JY at any point??

i´d be in too! please let me know when your doing a run!

amazing work, i want to do a DL-44 some day too and this is very inspiring!

Run? Upgrade parts? I´m not sure what parts you´re asking about.

I have no access to a cnc-machinerie company, what would be needed for many equal pieces of one kind with a good and constant quality, in a acceptable timeframe.

I´m just doing some individual pieces for "my personal blaster", for the fun of the hobby/building - my flash-hiders from the movie guns i planned to find a company which machines them. For them there is equipment needed that i don´t have.

I made a new flash-hider



This is for my own idealized blaster, the movie-replicas will be more accurate. I like the sleeker look, but i´m not completly sure which version i like more.



While searching my greeblie-box i found some really old bump-ons, which might work for the rotj- version.

Mighty fine work there, Lichtbringer. Looking forward to more pictures.

It's fun to see a DL-44 with artistic interpretation.

Ted.

Prefect42 said:

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Mighty fine work there, Lichtbringer. Looking forward to more pictures.

It's fun to see a DL-44 with artistic interpretation.

Ted.

Thanks, Ted.

Sure, i will do the others, the "real" ones, too - but i like the idea to have my "own" displayed with them.

HeroWorship,

you asked for a vid. I have no vid from the process, but maybe some pics are good too?

This is my shop, you see the machines are small - usually i use them for model making, mostly for styrene.



That´s the way the material looks before


Turning a flash-hider




For fabricating the ANH-fasteners from above i first put a threaded rod in the chuck



With the fastener on it, before any work


Making the "step" on the backside


Turn it over to the other side



Turning the inner step



The slighly smaller version for the middle fastener



These are the genereal stages when turning something new: Putting some slighly oversized raw-material in the chuck


Turning the front to make it smooth/flat


Turning the sides to the needed diameter


When having no cnc, the most important part - measuring. Better one time to often than not enough.


Flipping the piece, and turning the part that was in the chuck to the same diameter as the ready part


Nearly ready - just a little bit to long. That´s for more comfortable working, has to be turned down to the right length in the last step


This might give you a guess what it will be in the end



It´s no vid, but it might help to understand what has been done to make such parts. My main problem is the size of the machine, it is capable of metal work, but only in many smaller steps than a 2 ton lathe in a professional workshop. So i need a few hours for a flash-hider, on a big lathe it could be done in half an hour, and on a cnc in some minutes.
But for my small stuff from time to time this is enough.

I hope everyone had some fun time while watching these.

Nice work on the revell pistons !!!!

Awesome job man, cant wait to see it finished!

Thanks, guys.

I will post pics as soon as i have something new to show.

Very cool, especially the home metal working.

Ditto. Really enjoyed seeing the In Process shots. Very cool pics!

Many thanks for your nice comments.

As there are really some out there who like this kind of "making of", i will try to show the process as good as i can.


I´ve sawed the turned pistons in half


The problem with cutting is ... you loose material where the saw works. You have to choose between a little bit on both halfs, or one perfect half and one thats a little bit smaller. I choosed to have a perfect for the ESB, and a not completly perfect for my version. It´s not that much difference, 1mm, you only notice it when you know it. I used and ruined a etched Zona-saw to get a thin as possible cut - sadly they are not here available, i need to order a new in the US.


Next part was milling the slots




I think i can live with the result


And attached to the gun, this is the "not perfect" half




There is not so much left i can do on this blaster now - mainly i´m waiting for the ordered M19. There are some small greeblies on the left side i have to make, but up to now i made no decision if i do them in metal or plastic.

Awesome work!

great work, will you makin and sellin these ?

Wow, Michael this is awesome, and I was wondering what you are up to these days

habe gerade gesehen, würdest du auch eine für mich machen

Thanks to all of you.


Philip 7, i´m afraid i will not. As i explained earlier, my machines are to small to deliver a run in a acceptable timely manner - it would take too long, and would be to expensive if calculated on a "x money per hour"- basis. For such a job a CNC-machine-shop is needed to produce the parts with reasonable prices.
And i believe the name "Lichtbringer" is a good one in the SW scale modelling world, i don´t take the risk to ruin it with such a try.

Sorry, i hope you understand.


Hi Kostas,

i was burned out at making Starship-kits (to many on my "have to do"-list), i had no drive to do anything kit-related for months. Everytime i tried, i sat at my workbench and stared at the waiting styrene ...... and was bored, even before starting.

I needed to start something new, something i havn´t done before - something that´s a new challenge for me. So i first made a big step at finishing my Enterprise-homecinema (not ready yet, but a mayor step), and then i started these blasters.

and the blasters look very good, wouldnt expect otherwise from you

Having nothing i can do at my own version atm., i startet the ANH-one.

First drilling and tapping the bar


Then disassembling the Mauser and drilling/tapping the body of the gun.


Next was screwing a bolt in - cut to length, and secured with loctite "strong" (be sure it has the correct length before using loctite). I always use the cut side where it it not visible.


In the time the loctite needs to harden, i ensured a proper fit with fixing it with the machined fasteners on the bolt, and a long screw in the other hole.


The same procedure with the other bolt. As the material of the mag is much thinner, i beefed it up from the inside with a nut.


Cutting and securing the middle bolt - and again the use od loctite "strong" (i use it on all bolts, but not on the fasteners - for the later dissassembly for painting).


And again, securing it for a proper alignment with the fasteners, for the time the loctite needs to harden.


And ready is the lower part of the mount.


Now i have to to a search for the missing ANH-parts. Metall would be prefered, but first class resin-casts (as a starship builder i can´t accept crappy casted parts) are OK, too.

I think CE is the way to go, resin-related? Or Droopydoos?

cosmic_x said:

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and the blasters look very good, wouldnt expect otherwise from you

Thats a pretty kind way to say i´m a nitpicking old german.

Thanks, my friend.

Damn, that's beautiful work!

Sehr cool mein Freund