Build Log - Scout EC-17 Blaster (Polymer Armory)

[zjunlimited]

Edit: Project Completed

===============
So next up on the build list is the Scout Blaster from ROTJ.

I actually spent quite a bit of time looking here and there for a nice kit to build out. Being not as complicated of a build like the DL-44 or E-11, I figured there would be a several options especially since this wouldn't be a metal build. There are 3D printed, resin and rubber versions but ultimately went with a resin kit for a nice balance between wanting more experience with resin props, ease of finishing, accuracy, and quality of a kit. I purposely did not want a finished kit since part of my enjoyment with these props is to finish or build as much as my capabilities will allow.

My search led me to a thread from dinoignacio (who by the way I finally met in person at Celebration) and asked him about his Scout Blaster. It came highly recommended but I never heard of Polymer Armory before. I reached out on FB messenger and had a nice exchange with Eric. He was kind enough to walk me through the various versions he carried...plastic/resin stunt, solid rubber, plastic/resin hero including various photos of each. I ultimately decided I wanted a hero version and went with that.

Here is the kit upon receipt.

Very nice cast, very little cleanup needed aside from filling in some drainage holes, cleaning up some flashing / cast lines. It's a well put together kit with everything you see included.

Since the build is more about finishing, I'll start work on getting this to the basic black blaster and then focus on weathering it up a bit. I'll start with the below image but will look for other reference photos.

Here are some other links I used for reference purposes:

• Wookieepedia EC-17 Hold-Out Blaster
• Parts of Star Wars but more on their Facebook Page and the image below
• 501st Reference Library - Scout Trooper

 

[Sn4k3]

What was the most accurate version/vendor that you found in your research?

 

[zjunlimited]

What was the most accurate version/vendor that you found in your research?

RS Props, but I missed that run. This was next.

 

[Sn4k3]

RS Props, but I missed that run. This was next.

Im in the process of choosing a vendor for my first scout trooper.

Rs is one my choices, i wanna go with the most accurate i can find, i ca only think that if the blaster from rs is the most accurate according with your research, well... the rest of the costume must be one of the most accurate if not the most accurate out there

 

[zjunlimited]

Im in the process of choosing a vendor for my first scout trooper.

Rs is one my choices, i wanna go with the most accurate i can find, i ca only think that if the blaster from rs is the most accurate according with your research, well... the rest of the costume must be one of the most accurate if not the most accurate out there

For sure, RS is most accurate as they strive for lineage. If you can manage their Scout Costume kit then you are golden. It would be my choice hands down if it were in the cards.

 

[zjunlimited]

Some administrative details first...

Instructions

Now I didn't follow this exactly but used this more as a guideline for the build. More on this later.

Tools and Materials

• Utility knife
• Mini Spatula for putty application
• Disposable nail file with fine and coarse sides (which I cut into smaller pieces for certain sections)
• Hobby files
• 500grit sandpaper
• 0000 steel wool
• Vallejo Plastic Putty
• Tamiya Putty
• Spray paint - Rustoleum Self-etching primer for the aluminum trigger guard and screw heads; Krylon primer, Krylon Satin Black (Krylon Flat Black for misting but not necessary)

 

[zjunlimited]

Prep for Putty

• Washed all the parts with warm soapy water (I didn't follow the acetone wipe down)
• Scraped down the mold lines and other imperfections with the utility knife.
• Smoothed those specific areas with the nail file switching between the coarse and fine sides as needed.
• Opened up the various drain holes and "pits" using the tip of the utility knife.
• Sanded the entire blaster with 500grit sandpaper.
• Washed the parts with warm soapy water again.

Fill, Sand, Repeat
The Vallejo putty tube has a really nice pointy applicator that allowed me to fill those drain holes with ease. Once that dried, I used the Tamiya putty for the vast majority of the seam lines and such. Application was simple using a mini spatula.

Here are some photos of the areas that needed putty. The resin scope ring didn't require any filling.


Once everything was dry, I proceeded to sand everything down and went through one more, maybe two rounds of filling and sanding....each time focusing on only the main problem areas.

 

[JamesM242]

Thank you for posting - I'm looking forward to following your progress!

 

[zjunlimited]

Priming

Rustoleum Etching Primer for the metal parts - screw heads, trigger guard, scope ring

• used a piece of cardboard to hold the screw heads
• Initially used some wire to hand the trigger guard and scope rings for paint but later switched to chopsticks (later in post)

Krylon Gray Primer for the rest






Similar to the putty process, after priming, I went back maybe once or twice to fix certain areas that needed a bit more putty. Then sand and re-prime.

 

[zjunlimited]

Painting

This is where I became conflicted. In many of the reference photos the blaster seems "shinier" than other props. My understanding is that most SW props lean toward a flat or matte sheen so that during filming there's less reflection.

But according to the 501st costuming guide...

So I decided to spray some test pieces to confirm and the flat was too dull and semi was too glossy so Satin it was. Actually, after spraying the Satin and allowing it to dry per instructions, I dusted the parts with flat. Not sure if it had any visible effect but to my eyes it dulled the sheen just a tad bit. Honestly, not sure if this is needed....

Here's my makeshift drying rack using some disposable chopsticks and my vice....lol.

 

[zjunlimited]

Trigger Guard Mod

So of course, after I sprayed everything and was assembling the blaster I noticed the leading edge of the trigger guard is square but the reference photos (don't know why I didn't notice it before) has a bevel to it. This is noticeable in the Part of Star Wars photo I shared up top.

I marked in pencil where I needed to trim to create the bevel.

Using my trusty Dremel with a sanding wheel attachment I proceeded to grind away the bulk of the material and finished it with some hobby files

Finished Mod.

 

[zjunlimited]

Painting Completed

It's by no means perfect (I guess nothing in SW is) but I'm quite satisfied with how the finishing turned out. The quality of the resin kit was great. Minimal sanding and clean up. The areas that needed work is what I would expect. Overall, a wonderful kit. Thanks again to dinoignacio for the recommendation and Eric over at Polymer Armory for the kit.

The two areas that I will need to focus my attention to now is i) weathering and ii) fabricating (or purchasing) a stand. I'm not confident that a stand suitable for the Polymer Armory blaster exists but will take a look.

In the meantime, here is a photo dump of my semi-completed AFBB Scout EC-17 blaster.

 

[OdiWan72]

I have the same kit waiting for assembly. Is the screw at the back end seen on the actual prop???

 

[zjunlimited]

In the screen caps below, there is definite a “nub” of some sort. Whether it’s the hex screw or not, tough to tell.

References like the one I posted from Parts of Star Wars or the 501st costume site does not have this.
[edit] Looking at the Prop Store Auction photos that JediSeth posted in his thread, the blaster has the nub.

There’s also the possibility that both versions (with and without the nub) existed amongst all of the blasters they created.

 

[zjunlimited]

Display Stand

After scouring the World Wide Web I wasn't able to find a suitable display stand that would work in my mind. In fact, there aren't many display stands for the EC-17 to start with so the search didn't actually take that long.

So after searching through the garage for ideas, I found a piece a wood that I never used for another project which gt my brain juices flowing a bit. One thing I noticed (which you can see in the photos above) is that the blaster is not evenly weighted side-to-side primarily due to the scope which needed to be accounted for.

With this piece of wood, another idea surfaced which was could I create something that did not have the traditional vertical supports that you see with blaster stands. So the idea begins to materialize...

Rough measurements of the location of the blaster.


Using a 1/8" milling bit on my drill press I began the process of realizing my idea...


Once the desired profile was milled, I used a combination of a Dremel sanding wheel and nail file to clean up the edges.


At this point I thought about painting the stand black (like most of my other stands) but I thought the black blaster and black stand would look too boring. So since I first saw the Scout trooper and the blaster on the forest moon of Endor, the story goes that this blaster was found after DSII was destroyed and the stand is made out of a fallen tree.

So looking in my cabinet of chemicals, I found a can of stain that was left over when I made my mini-Maz box years ago. Perfect...


So after a quick test on the back-side of the stand...I applied the stain to the rest of the wood.

After waiting a few minutes and wiping off the excess, now to give it the full 8 hours to dry. In the meantime, moving onto the last part....weathering the blaster....

 

[zjunlimited]

Finished!

Weathering was pretty straightforward with this prop since there really isn't too much to do. I focused on how the blaster is holstered (right lower leg - evident by the majority of the scratches on the left side of the blaster) and where the hand positioning would be.

I started with some 0000 steel wool over the entire blaster to tone down some of the shine and to create variation in the reflectivity of the blaster to remove the "new" look. Staying with the steel wool, I focused on the left and right sides and the grip area since that is where most wear would occur.

Then I moved on using the nail file (coarse side) to slowly remove the black paint to reveal the gray primer underneath to create the majority of the wear most evident in the photos.

I used the fine side of the nail file to dull down specific areas (i.e. right side of scope) that aren't scratches but also aren't deep enough to reveal the grey.

To finish off everything, I blended specific areas that were either more pronounced or looked too artificial using 0000 steel wool.

And here is the completed stand. It works surprisingly well and the blaster is kept upright simply by the friction of the cut out. And so far I can't see any perceivable wear where the stand is contacting the blaster.

Depth of cut out is ~3-3.5mm deep

After the first coat of stain, I sanded everything down with 220 then 500grit sandpaper, applied another layer of stain, wet sanded with 500, and applied two layers of Krylon Matte Clear spray.

 

[zjunlimited]

Final thoughts...this was a fantastic kit and a thoroughly enjoyable build. One of my simpler and less complicated projects mainly due to how well the cast was. Very clean and minimal cleanup. Highly recommend Polymer Armory if you're looking for a EC-17.

And it was fun trying to figure out a stand. At the end the stand doesn't look like much, but researching and sketching out ideas before I settle on this design was enjoyable. Plus I had the scrap of wood already so glad I could repurpose it. Sometimes simpler may be better.

Let me know if there are any comments or questions.

 

[lonepigeon]

Looks great! I recently finished the same kit.
I was also debating the paint luster - did the same satin with flat overspray. In the end my final coat was Gliddens new matte black quick dry paint. Good stuff. It even dried over an odd spot in the casting that remained tacky after the previous paint.

The rear Allen bolt is on the hero blaster but not the stunt. The hex hole isn’t as obvious on the original prop because the interior edge is rounded. I swapped the bolt that came with the kit. Same bolt was used on the strange Han droid caller that was out on tour (that’s why I already had it in my parts bins).

I replaced the resin Motorola transistor with a real one. Just a personal preference because I like real parts.

I swapped the Phillips head screws for correct slotted type. Black light switch screws work perfect.

I beveled the front of the trigger guard too.
It’s a great kit. Super clean casting. Very sharp. You can even still read the Single Point name on the scope (which was only painted). I think it was the only kit in my search that cast a real correct Single point.

 

[zjunlimited]

Thanks!

I thought about the Motorola transistor mod but I was a bit impatient to get cracking on this project. Felt like I could always go back later…lol.

However though, is it as straightforward as grinding the cast transistor flat and epoxying the transistor to the grip? Any photos of the mod? Or finished?

And for the Philip screws I presume you mean the ones for the scope ring? I didn’t notice that that in my research so thanks for that detail.

I also like the fact that you can see the wording on the scope.

 

[zjunlimited]

Part 1: Finished Blaster Overview
Part 2: 7:12 Wood Stand Overview
Part 3: 9:52 Raw Cast Kit Thoughts
Part 4: 12:01 Clips from Build Process
Part 5: 19:20 Kit Assembly