Trust me when I say that not a SINGLE component on the EE - except for maybe the front/rear thumb screws - will be identical to the LE. Similarities? Sure, from 5 feet away, maybe. But line the parts up next to each other and the differences will just
POP out. On the LE, dimensions were off on practically everything. Details were missing or misinterpreted. And most importantly, the parts were scaled to match the Denix, which is wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin.
The retooled Mauser is dead-on accurate to a real one and so all the parts are scaled correctly to match it. Not since MGC has the C96 been replicated so faithfully.
I spent so many hours and sleepless nights torturing myself over the minutest details, like whether an edge round or fillet was 0.25 mm or 0.5 mm, whether knurl grooves were 60 or 90 degrees, whether the cut-back flanges on the cradle were just the right depth or maybe 0.1 mm shallower due to the slight perspective angle, whether the pin on the scope knob was at the right angle, whether the taper on the front grill's 5 upper fins was 3 degrees or 5, that during the project I had dreams and nightmares about it all - I kid you guys not. :lol
Anyone less fanatical than I am would have settled for "looks ok." But those who've witnessed my obsession with this prop will tell you that I will not compromise - ESPECIALLY if my cad skills, research creds, and forum rep are to be showcased on a LICENSED replica, for God's sake.
Even if MR doesn't make a semi-functional Mauser or use gunsmith-quality manufacturing methods to fabricate the parts, they will still be more accurate than any fan-made interpretation ever attempted. I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of blaster replica pioneers like Bobadebt, Gavidoc, Wakal, Moffeaton, Corellian Exports, and others, and I've always been inspired by their dedication to accuracy and upgrading older versions based on newly-found reference materials. If it's the way we approach replicas, why would anyone criticize MR for adopting the same philosophy?
- Gabe