Bill Doran Blade Runner blaster build

[tennantlim]

Here's my attempt at the Bill Doran BR kit that was printed in resin for me by an awesome friend. In all honesty, I'm not entirely happy with my build as I broke a few pieces and made a couple of cracks due to improper tapping methods. There are some minor alignment issues that aren't obvious, but they bug the heck outta me! In any case, here goes...

Shortly after I received the kit...

The first modification I made was the side rod which was designed to break apart when the cylinder is released.

I had a metal rod from Coyle so I put it to good use here.

Painted in gloss black and inserted 2 green LED bulbs to complete this part.

Next, I swapped out the Weaver scope knob and binding post with pewter casts from Tip Top Workshop.

In that same spirit, I went with a flat gunmetal magazine body with a gloss black top. This provides a subtle contrast against the semigloss black magazine housing.

The 'steel' parts are painted in Molotow chrome.

I broke the bolt assembly axel so I scratchbuilt a new one with two styrene tubes; one within another one for enhanced integrity.

I wanted a 'machined' looking tip that protrudes through the front of the upper receiver, so I used one of the nozzles from a leftover borden connector and coupled it to a brass tube. Here you can see the two styrene tubes I mentioned above.

Test fit.

Tip Top Workshop makes the perfect clear amber resin grips for this kit. I got the 'rejects' set at a bargain and they turned out beautiful after some polishing with car wax.

The steel parts were sprayed over in layers of gray Copic refill ink. Since the ink is translucent, you have complete control over how much of the base chrome you want to show through. Assembling this kit was so satisfying...and frustrating as I broke the cylinder release catch, thus rendering the cylinder jammed in its place.

 

[tennantlim]

Finally, I weathered it with oils and pastels to suggest a reasonable amount of use.

You may notice the safety catch is different from Bill's design. That's another resin cast from Tip Top Workshop.

The open vents in the magazine have clear red styrene stuck behind them with blu-tack in case I decide later to install lights. Steel sheets are stuck against the clear red styrene to reflect light through them.

Thank you for viewing!

 

[Bluewinters21]

Yours came out so much better than the one I just did. Good job!!! Also, That's a neat trick with the Copic refillable ink. I've used Copic Markers since the early 2000's and never thought to do that. Is it durable?

 

[tennantlim]

Yours came out so much better than the one I just did. Good job!!! Also, That's a neat trick with the Copic refillable ink. I've used Copic Markers since the early 2000's and never thought to do that. Is it durable?

Thanks for your kind words buddy. I actually dig the black finish you did on yours. If I make a second one, which I really want to, I had planned on a black-blue steel version with wooden grips.

The Copic is cool, but requires a top coat to seal it in. The scratches you see in my photos were made before I sealed it and it only needed some light scrubbing with steel wool.

 

[tennantlim]

I wasn't 100% satisfied with the paintwork on my Bill Doran PKD, so I took it apart and repainted a few parts.

The Steyr frame, bolt end and handle were painted with Alclad Steel. Rub n buff was applied along the edges and on the frame to create a subtle patina.

The bolt and butt were painted chrome with Alclad and given a black oil wash to age them.

The clear amber grips were a tad too orange, so I airbrushed them with heavily thinned gloss black to reduce the saturation. They were then polished with car wax.

 

[Bluewinters21]

I really like how this came out.

 

[BeardySi]

Looks great! Good to see how well the Alcad stainless steel turned out - mine arrived today for my PKD so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it when the time comes.

 

[LoneWanderer]

This looks fantastic really! What alignment issues bug you? I didn't notice any in the pics!

 

[stussy]

looks good mate,nice finish.

 

[joberg]

Excellent job! About spraying Molotow chrome; easy to do with an airbrush?

 

[Mojoatomic]

Man, this is just a fantastic build. All around.

 

[tennantlim]

I really like how this came out.

looks good mate,nice finish.

Man, this is just a fantastic build. All around.

Thank you very much!

 

[tennantlim]

Looks great! Good to see how well the Alcad stainless steel turned out - mine arrived today for my PKD so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it when the time comes.

Just to clarify, I used Steel for this, which is a darker shade and has a matt finish. But yeah Alclad is a wonderful product!

 

[tennantlim]

Excellent job! About spraying Molotow chrome; easy to do with an airbrush?

Thanks! Molotow is tricky to airbrush. You really have to find a sweet spot with the psi and spraying distance, especially for large surfaces where you want consistent coverage. I much prefer Alclad now.

 

[tennantlim]

This looks fantastic really! What alignment issues bug you? I didn't notice any in the pics!

Mainly with the screw holes. I don't know if it was due to expansion/contraction of the resin parts during shipping, or if I had affected the alignments after sanding. Almost none of the holes line up during assembly so I've had to make compromises. But they're subtle so they don't show up in photos.

 

[biguk]

I’ve just picked this PDK up from TipTop. Went for the full kit with lights, looking forward to building t though it’s been a while since I’ve done any modelling, and a first gun kit. I have a E-11 on the way too. I’ve opted for Moltow Chrome for the pistol butt. But I’m yet to decide on a colour for the barrel. But these photos are a great inspiration!

 

[tennantlim]

I’ve just picked this PDK up from TipTop. Went for the full kit with lights, looking forward to building t though it’s been a while since I’ve done any modelling, and a first gun kit. I have a E-11 on the way too. I’ve opted for Moltow Chrome for the pistol butt. But I’m yet to decide on a colour for the barrel. But these photos are a great inspiration!

I'm humbled. I think you will be very satisfied with your TipTop kit. Enjoy your build!

I have since moved on to Alclad, my current defacto medium for metallics, which I used extensively in my recent PKD build. I feel the Alclad Chrome is more 'dimensional', if that makes any sense...

 

[biguk]

I'm humbled. I think you will be very satisfied with your TipTop kit. Enjoy your build!

I have since moved on to Alclad, my current defacto medium for metallics, which I used extensively in my recent PKD build. I feel the Alclad Chrome is more 'dimensional', if that makes any sense...

Can I just ask what laquer you used. I’ve bought Alclad matte clear coat, but I’m thinking that might end up dulling down the finish to much.

im a total beginner with an airbrush. Lockdown made me start this hobby up again. May have bitten off more than I can chew. But I wanted a challenge, and I’ve been looking for a PKD for ages.

 

[tennantlim]

I don't use any clear coat over my metallics but here's a great post about the subject by Mr Mold Maker.

 

[Paul1232]

This looks amazing. The darker shade of the grips is gorgeous. I moulded my own from my 3D print of this but they came out slightly to small for some reason, not sure why so I decided to paint my printed ones white, lots different and I love it but yours... love it more!
I broke a few bits on the build as well so had to resort to scratch building a few parts as well, more down to my printing and impatience that Bill’s files I might add!! Great job mate.