SE-14r Blaster Pistol, inspired by the Lando poster for Solo

I decided to use the failed test print for the main frame to try some new finishing techniques. I wet sanded the PLA up to 1500 grit and then went quickly throught he small sanding/buffing pads from MicroMesh. The result is a near glass finish without any primer or paint.




I then decided to try my polishing graphite powder straight to the white PLA. Normally, you put it over a gloss black finish, but the result is more of a black chrome/glossy gun metal finish. I wanted to see if white would result in a lighter, more traditional chrome/pewter finish. The result is pretty good considering I didn't really bother to work out all the buffing marks and scratches.







Reminder, this is straight PLA from my Creality CR-10s printed at .2 layer height and then hand sanded, and polished with graphite powder. There is no filler, primer, paint, or finish of any kind (I did a dust coat of black to see when the low spots were gone with initial sanding at 120 Grit). In total, the time from raw print to this finish was about 10 minutes.

great result, looks like metal

My curiosity got the best of me so I went in and did a full sanding and then four very thin coats of gloss black (spray can, not air brush) and then did the graphite powder buff again. The look is a darker chrome but the orange peel from the paint is highlighted by the chrome finish.

What do you think? Almost wishing I had started printing everything in black PLA so I could simply sand and buff down the raw material and then finish with graphite. Not sure if the slight different in chrome coloring is worth the extra time as I am starting to get sick of this project.

The finish looks amazing in both cases. The light one is very convincing as a pearl finish and the dark one is a really great metallic finish.
What is this graphite stuff you mentioned?

NubcakeMoo said:

The finish looks amazing in both cases. The light one is very convincing as a pearl finish and the dark one is a really great metallic finish.
What is this graphite stuff you mentioned?

Click to expand...

I use a small (25ml) container of "Metal Polishing Powder - Chrome-Type" made by Uschi (www.uschivdr.com), but you can find it online by search for Graphite Powder. A number of tutorials can be found when searching YouTube for "Kisutte Ginsan" as that is the main brand that makes the powder from Japan (hard to find for sale now).

mrfochs said:

I use a small (25ml) container of "Metal Polishing Powder - Chrome-Type" made by Uschi (www.uschivdr.com), but you can find it online by search for Graphite Powder. A number of tutorials can be found when searching YouTube for "Kisutte Ginsan" as that is the main brand that makes the powder from Japan (hard to find for sale now).

Click to expand...

Thanks!

So all first round of test prints are done and assembly was relatively painless.

I need to make a few edits to some of the screw holes to allow the screws to thread into the plastic properly. Also need to tweak the outer shell to have a little more material for the butt-cap of the barrel to slide on better. Lastly, the scope mount needs to be tweaked to allow for the screws to be put into the barrel properly, and the side openings on the scope mount are too large compared to the prop photos.

The top site on the barrel also appears to be just a little off so I will redesign that, and I think I will make a few holes from the handle/frame into the barrel to allow for easier assembly. If I can get those changes done this week, I will release upload the files here for others to print and "beta test" on other printers/give feedback on other areas that appear to be wrong or need tweaking.

Thanks everyone for their input and sharing of photos and info.

Looking really good Mrfochs, do you have a list of all the fittings we will need to complete the model?

Glorious work!

NubcakeMoo said:

Looking really good Mrfochs, do you have a list of all the fittings we will need to complete the model?

Click to expand...

For hardware, it gets a little tricky as the prop uses countersunk, oval head screws with standard (straight) bit. I found that for the handle, receptacle cover screws work (the screws that fasten the cover plate on your outlet) so those are easy to find and you may have some laying around already. For the 12 smaller screws that attach the back rail and magazine, I ordered M3, ovalhead, standard screws from McMaster-Carr but their quantity minimum is 100 pieces for just over $10. The two screws in the side barrel, the two for the scope clips, and the one for the trigger guard are standard M3 Socket-head screws (I used 12mm length as they were what was on my desk, but I will make a full list with suggested hardware lengths with the print files). It looks like button-head or simple round-head screws for attaching the scope mount to the barrel, and I have note seen a photo that tells what type of screw is used for fastening the scope clips to the mount, or the site to the top of the barrel. I will make educated guesses for both of those use cases.

I also designed the handle/frame to have cutouts for adding standard 1/4-20 nuts into the handle as weights. This, along with printing with very high infill, gives the blaster a realistic heft to hopefully fool others into thinking the final prop is metal.

oof, that's amazing! I may need to convince you to model another blaster for me

tubachris85x said:

oof, that's amazing! I may need to convince you to model another blaster for me

Click to expand...

Thanks, but I have four more projects lined up after this since I originally thought I was going to get this done before the movie even came out.

Plus I still have a custom Black panther Helmet project I have been working on for a co-worker/client - fully detailed and lights up to demonstrate the Vibranium power collection from the movie, and I need to wrap up the scaled version of Rey's staff for my niece's birthday (only 4' tall).

Current state of helmet


Tests for running lighting inside translucent print with voids for lighting
With lights on:


with lights off:


Almost done with the staff weathering:

OK, so finally found a hi-resolution image of the other side of the blaster. It appears (as I suspected from the poster artwork) that there is a small rectangle jutting out from the other side just below the scope mount. I also finally have a better idea of the profile for the butt-cap of the barrel. I will be tweaking those designs and also doing a few additional modifications to make it so that the entire blaster can be assembled without any use of glue.

Lastly, going back to my original plan (and plan of the OP) to chrome paint an existing SE-14 model and then create a silencer, I can finally see the shape for the attachment to the nozzle. Taking that and guessing on the front of the barrel for now, I can finally finish the design for the silencer that screws into the main prop.

It has been a while since I last posted to this thread. I am still finding source material that causes me to update the design files (and subsequently reprint pieces). Just came across an HD resolution video on Lando's fashion where there were a number of really good angles of the blaster (see screen grabs below). As a result I think I have seen just about every angle of the prop, but just noticed what looks to be two screws in the bottom of the handle/frame. I cannot conceive what they would be for but as a result, I am tweaking the frame piece to reflect those holes as well.

Another good shot of the left-side of the blaster that includes the weird bump-out just below the scope mount:


An image that shows where the glass of the scope would be placed and it appears the glass was flat, and not convex like a lens:


Another nice image almost directly from the side so works to help with verifying scale and proportion:


Shot that caught my attention to what looks like screws in the bottom of the handle:

Quick Progress Update

All pieces for barrel and scope assembly are done, tested, and proved to work using just mechanical fasteners. This includes a moving "cocking sleeve" for the implied bolt action. The frame and updated handle parts are printing today and overnight. If they also work, I will release the files for test printing over the weekend!

The last of the Magazine pieces that were updated are wrapping up on the printer now. I feel pretty confident to release the files tomorrow with the following disclaimer:

Print at your own risk. All pieces SHOULD work with any standard desktop 3D printer. Tolerances for the barrel pieces are VERY tight due to the need to sand away layer lines prior to paint. The barrel will not slide together without sanding. Additionally, the scope barrel threads into the front scope nozzle. This too is a tight tolerance to prevent wobbling. Make sure you are not over extruding and print SLOW to prevent layer shifts and inaccuracies. Many pieces need support, but even with very high infill, this entire blaster can be printed in just over half of a 1KG roll of 1.75mm filament.

As a tip for printing some of the smaller items and the barrel sleeves: Use 1 perimeter with 99% infill. This ensures that there are little to no gaps in the prints, and things are as strong as possible (the out outer barrel sleeve is very easy to break if not careful and I recommend not sanding it until it is slide over the inner sleeves).

The entire model is designed to be assembled with actual hardware and no glue is required with exception of the knob for cocking the barrel. That has a small hole to allow for a finish nail to be inserted with a small amount of hot glue or CA Glue to attach to the moving part once the barrel is fully assembled. I will include a full hardware list along with the files, but these are just my suggestions and you can feel free to get creative or use other hardware that you have available.

Excellent news MrFochs, really looking forward to starting this project!

OK, Everything has been tested. I still have some small tweaks I want to make to the "site" on the top of the barrel, but I think the files are ready for others to test print.

As I stated in my last post, the barrel pieces are designed to only have a .15mm tolerance. This was done because you will need to sand away a noticeable amount to get rid of layer lines and the end fit needs to have minimal slop. I have not tested printing this with the intent of simply putting together without sanding. I would guess you would have to scale (only in X and Y) by 1-2% for each barrel piece inside the "Outer Sleeve."

I will take everything apart and then take pictures of the proper assembly process, but for not I included a fully assembled and an "exploded assembly" file that is saved in 3mf format (can be opened in the free "3D Builder" app on any Windows 10 computer.

Everything was designed to make sanding as easy as possible and be assembled with actual mechanical fasteners. In addition to the 3D printed parts, you will need to have:
- 8 Switch plate cover screws (oval head, standard/flat head/slot): for handle plates and back frame attachment piece
- 12 M3x8mm oval head, standard/flat head/slot screws: for magazine assembly and attaching top side plates to frame
- 4 M3 flat head screws (hex/phillips/torx/etc all work) at least 12mm in length: for attaching outer and second sleeve to frame, and scope mount body to base
- 6 M3x8mm Hex head screws: for bottom of handle, scope clips, trigger guard, and site (guessed on this as no picture shows how actually attached to blaster)
- 2 M3x12mm Hex head screws: for side barrel/muzzle attachment
- 2 M3x8mm button head hex screws: for attached scope mount to barrel (can't tell if this is correct from pictures, but definitely a more rounded screw head)
- 2 M3x6mm button head hex screws: for attaching the small barrel attachment piece just below the scope on the left-hand side (original post edited to include these)
- 2 M3x25mm hex head screwws: for attaching scope clips to scope mount
- 2 M2x10mm hex head screws: for attaching trigger rail to trigger
- Spring from a ballpoint pen: to put in trigger spring print to allow the trigger to function
- *Optional* 10 small bolt nuts: to be glued into the handle frame and give the blaster a more believable weight.
- *Optional* Mother of Pearl pickguard material (for guitars) to make grip insets (use inset print files to make templates) I bought this, but have not yet made final pieces






Click here to download files as a single zip (all 3D print files in STL format, and two 3mf files to show assembly)

Looks amazing, any tips for printing the frame piece?

NubcakeMoo said:

Looks amazing, any tips for printing the frame piece?

Click to expand...

I printed it on it's side with support in the trigger cavity. This orientation ensures that the slight radius of the frame that attaches to the barrel is smooth, and also has the added benefit of a better finish on t he handle curves (i.e., no layer lines affecting curve resolution).

For the frame, muzzle, butt cap, and magazine piece, I printed with two perimeters and 75% infill. This is complete overkill, but gives the main portion of the blaster, a nice heft and solid feel. The barrel and scope pieces all used 1 perimeter with 99% infill. This ensures there are no gaps or weak points in the thin walls.

For all the smaller detail items like the site and scope clips, I used a little trick I picked up a few years ago - set your slicer to have 1 bottom layer and then set top layer count to the number of layers needed to print the entire model at the given layer height resolution. This makes the part 100% infill, but most slicers do a better job of filling in all spaces on the top and bottom layers vs an internal layer with a specific infill percentage. Most slicers also have top and bottom layers print at a slower speed so the end result is typically less ghosting and better layer adhesion.

Note, I forgot to add three M3x6mm Button head hex screws to my original post (now updated). These are used to attach the "Barrel Addon" piece on the left-hand side. I have not seen a closeup of the small rectangle that is on the barrel, but the images I have seen seem to indicate a black inset piece with three small circles. I assumed those circles to be screws.