Well, I finished part one of my metal airsoft E-11 overhaul. Man, it’s been a ton of work so far but I’m really happy with the results. I can see myself tweaking this thing forever. The amount of e11 accuracy research other members have done is incredible. Sets a really high bar, in a good way.
I wanted this blaster to look worn, as if it was being used and maintained in a brutal environment. All the internal airsoft components are still in place, which means this bad-boy still shoots! Nothing beats the feeling of a beefy metal prop in your hand, and this blaster delivers on that big time. Generally, I tried not to break the bank on this build. You’ll see that in a few of the decisions I made. Here’s a breakdown of the current modifications:
Replaced T Tracks - The stock t tracks are a mess. I replaced them with the killer ones from Roy (WannaWanga!). The only bummer is that the holes in the barrel are a bit undersized. This makes cutting and installing tracks far more tricky. Mine came out pretty good, but if I did it again I could get the install even cleaner.
Rebuilt and relocated the scope - After much debate, I decided to keep the supplied scope and modify the hell out of it. That made for a good creative challenge. The nose was cut off the scope and flipped; I weighted it, added internal crosshairs, then textured the surface. A couple points to note on this part. 1.) Flipping the nose renders the factory optics useless. 2.) If you fill the mold seam on the top of the scope, the scope cannot be removed from the rail. You access the mounting screws by splitting the scope in it’s two pieces. That really drove me nuts from a design standpoint. The seam is still visible on mine for now. I moved the scope forward on the rail as well, which required some new holes in the factory rail.
World's smallest decals - In what can only be described as pure misery, I deiced to make some microscopic decals for the white letters on the scope. Tedious. I printed and cut out every tiny letter individually (small medical scissors crucial) then attached with layers of matte modge podge. On top, I layered some flat black paint and modge podge to blend it in with the texture. The result was surprisingly good. In person, you'd never notice the letters are all little decals. It was annoying, but added a lot.
Real Hengstler Counter - I picked up a legit counter and got it mounted into position. I was able to reuse the factory L bracket for mounting. Very convenient.
Repaint and weathering - For most of the paint, I used a standard blend of brushed / airbrushed acrylics, rub-n-buff, then clear coat. I also tried a new technique that I’m really happy with. I wouldn’t recommend this for trooping or heavy handling, but it’s rad for a display piece. To create a grimy look and feel, I splattered a very, very thin layer of plastidip on the main body. While still wet, I dabbed and cleaned some areas, and misted a satin finish clear coat over top. Once dry, I gently sanded the “grime” off where it made sense. The result feels 100% realistic in person, couldn’t be happier. It feels like the weapon built up gunk in crevices over years of use. This application is obviously not as tough as a standard paint app, but it seems to be reasonably strong. Should be more than enough durability for occasional handling. Honestly, the pictures don’t even do it justice.
Custom Spring - This model didn’t come with a spring, so I decided to make my own. This was made significantly more tricky by the internal airsoft mechanism. I wrapped some heavy wire around a pipe, then hand-shaped a smaller set of turns to fit correctly. If anyone has questions, I can post a pic of the DIY spring. It’s much easier to see the shape than explain it.
Power Cylinders- Opted to refinish the factory ones. They aren’t ideal, but they’re passable, especially after adding metal tips and paint. I also added 3 accurate center capacitors I had around, and some rear wires/fuses for added detail. I haven’t been able to bring myself to paint the metalmite capacitors. There just too cool looking. I might paint them in the future.
Wires - The factory counter wires are too soft, way too long, and generally not sweet. Thus, they were replaced.
Save the old counter! - Side note. If anyone does one of these, save the old counter. It’s not too shabby to use on a cheaper blaster.
DIY Stand - I made this stand out of $1.50 thrift store picture frame, haha. It’s cut perfectly snug, and the contact points are lined with fabric.
Some other work I plan to do… eventually:
- Replace the rail (for correct rear mount and no holes)
- Real M38 scope
- Potential power cylinder swap
- Accurate fabric insulated wires for counter
Without further blabbering and explanation, here she is. Let me know what you guys think. What would you tweak?
BEFORE:
Metal Evike/S&T Sterling
AFTER:
I wanted this blaster to look worn, as if it was being used and maintained in a brutal environment. All the internal airsoft components are still in place, which means this bad-boy still shoots! Nothing beats the feeling of a beefy metal prop in your hand, and this blaster delivers on that big time. Generally, I tried not to break the bank on this build. You’ll see that in a few of the decisions I made. Here’s a breakdown of the current modifications:
Replaced T Tracks - The stock t tracks are a mess. I replaced them with the killer ones from Roy (WannaWanga!). The only bummer is that the holes in the barrel are a bit undersized. This makes cutting and installing tracks far more tricky. Mine came out pretty good, but if I did it again I could get the install even cleaner.
Rebuilt and relocated the scope - After much debate, I decided to keep the supplied scope and modify the hell out of it. That made for a good creative challenge. The nose was cut off the scope and flipped; I weighted it, added internal crosshairs, then textured the surface. A couple points to note on this part. 1.) Flipping the nose renders the factory optics useless. 2.) If you fill the mold seam on the top of the scope, the scope cannot be removed from the rail. You access the mounting screws by splitting the scope in it’s two pieces. That really drove me nuts from a design standpoint. The seam is still visible on mine for now. I moved the scope forward on the rail as well, which required some new holes in the factory rail.
World's smallest decals - In what can only be described as pure misery, I deiced to make some microscopic decals for the white letters on the scope. Tedious. I printed and cut out every tiny letter individually (small medical scissors crucial) then attached with layers of matte modge podge. On top, I layered some flat black paint and modge podge to blend it in with the texture. The result was surprisingly good. In person, you'd never notice the letters are all little decals. It was annoying, but added a lot.
Real Hengstler Counter - I picked up a legit counter and got it mounted into position. I was able to reuse the factory L bracket for mounting. Very convenient.
Repaint and weathering - For most of the paint, I used a standard blend of brushed / airbrushed acrylics, rub-n-buff, then clear coat. I also tried a new technique that I’m really happy with. I wouldn’t recommend this for trooping or heavy handling, but it’s rad for a display piece. To create a grimy look and feel, I splattered a very, very thin layer of plastidip on the main body. While still wet, I dabbed and cleaned some areas, and misted a satin finish clear coat over top. Once dry, I gently sanded the “grime” off where it made sense. The result feels 100% realistic in person, couldn’t be happier. It feels like the weapon built up gunk in crevices over years of use. This application is obviously not as tough as a standard paint app, but it seems to be reasonably strong. Should be more than enough durability for occasional handling. Honestly, the pictures don’t even do it justice.
Custom Spring - This model didn’t come with a spring, so I decided to make my own. This was made significantly more tricky by the internal airsoft mechanism. I wrapped some heavy wire around a pipe, then hand-shaped a smaller set of turns to fit correctly. If anyone has questions, I can post a pic of the DIY spring. It’s much easier to see the shape than explain it.
Power Cylinders- Opted to refinish the factory ones. They aren’t ideal, but they’re passable, especially after adding metal tips and paint. I also added 3 accurate center capacitors I had around, and some rear wires/fuses for added detail. I haven’t been able to bring myself to paint the metalmite capacitors. There just too cool looking. I might paint them in the future.
Wires - The factory counter wires are too soft, way too long, and generally not sweet. Thus, they were replaced.
Save the old counter! - Side note. If anyone does one of these, save the old counter. It’s not too shabby to use on a cheaper blaster.
DIY Stand - I made this stand out of $1.50 thrift store picture frame, haha. It’s cut perfectly snug, and the contact points are lined with fabric.
Some other work I plan to do… eventually:
- Replace the rail (for correct rear mount and no holes)
- Real M38 scope
- Potential power cylinder swap
- Accurate fabric insulated wires for counter
Without further blabbering and explanation, here she is. Let me know what you guys think. What would you tweak?
BEFORE:
Metal Evike/S&T Sterling
AFTER:
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