Small update today. Finishing up the first build, just gluing everything together using clear 2-part epoxy.
Thoughts on glue.
It might be different depending on brand, but I find that clear epoxy glues are less prone to snapping and shock-forces, because they are slightly less rigid than the "metal epoxy" types. (Note: superglue/cyanoacrylate is pretty worthless for a hand prop. It's much too brittle and will snap easily. I know lots of folks use it on 3d prints and love it, but it simply doesn't handle certain forces well. It's great for fast fixes in the field when you just need to get something together for a little while, or for resin scale models (printed and cast) as well as things like lead miniatures, or for attaching rubber parts to fabric, but for anything that has to withstand some handling, use epoxy. And if you need it REALLY strong, us "JB Weld Plastic Bonder" (NOT regular JB weld or their "plastic welder"... you want the one called BONDER, becuse it cures super strong but stays just a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit "gummy" or flexible- not enough to create any flex in the part, but enough to withstand snapping or shock forces. Trust me on this: I did extensive testing with different glues when assembling a resin-printed Star Lord helmet and the JB bonder was just superior. (The only downside is that it takes a few hours to cure fully.) Now, it's possible that some printed resins might not work as well with JB bonder, but for my prints in particular, it can't be beat.
(You can also "weld" printed pieces by curing liquid resin with a laser, which will create a "perfect" bond with no seam, BUT it's a long process because a laser can only penetrate 1-2mm into cured resin, so it has to be done in layers. But I digress...)
These parts have a little bit of flex to them since they are hollow, so I opted to use some clamps while the epoxy set.
More stuff attached. Since this will not have electronics, I cut away part of the speaker grille in the side cover so that the disc would sit flush to the body. I glued the grip frame into the receiver, then added the grip sides later.
Attaching the safety lever...
Once the blaster i complete, I'll do a final round of weathering.
Now, I've started a second build. This one will have electronics taken from the Poe Nerf Glie 44. It will also have a similar paint job, but I'm going to try a different way of getting there.
Here you can see what I had to cut away to fit the AAA battery holder. My poor dremel did not like cutting the thick aluminum tube, but it got through... just had to pace it so as not to overload the motor. (1mm is easy, 2mm not so much. Plus I suspect that this is extra-hard stuff.) The battery holder fits very snug.
Luckily, the outer bar and slide will hide the cuts, and it shouldn't be weakened too much. I carefully cut a little material from the battery holder as well.
