JB Project / EE-3 and Sidearm

Hi all!
I received a package about an hour ago (a day earlier than expected!) containing some truly excellent looking goodies!
An ESB EE-3 and Sidearm! I'm very happy to be working on these for Mr. Bulloch.

The casts are really nice, and the parts arrived already primed.
Here's the Sidearm. It's a terrific one piece cast.





The EE-3 also looks excellent. Some of the subassemblies are already together, and the Heiland tube is already in place. The stock is a separate piece, which will make painting much easier! The stock greeblies are also individual assemblies, to be added after painting is completed.





I have a hot pink color scheme in mind for these that should look smashing!
More to come.

Originally Posted by superjedi

I have a hot pink color scheme in mind for these that should look smashing!
More to come.

It's called "FUSCHIA" ...I think it's a Polly Scale color..

Originally Posted by Spideyfett

It's called "FUCHSIA" ...I think it's a Polly Scale color..

I hear it's 'Salmon'... or 'Coral'.... very fetching!

Sorry Alex started it...




Hold on, You did!

Those look sweet @ss! are they the MoW's set?

The scope appears misaligned. Is it not attached correctly? I didn't notice it when I saw it up close...

It is an excellent piece, and almost made me want to switch to ESB!

I love this sidearm, seriously. I think It has... It has... ALL

Not sure about the scope alignment. . . I think there's a slight angle, but my camera seems to be exaggerating it.

UPDATE: Feb 28th

The only cleanup needed on the EE-3 was a small ring joining the trigger with the trigger guard. This may have been molded to protect the trigger during shipping.



After about 20 minutes with an X-acto blade and some small files, it's gone.



I used a half round file for the trigger guard portion to ensure I didn't alter the curve. In the light, you can see it looks nice and smooth.



I also taped off the Heiland and the ends of the scope, which have some clear acrylic (or clean resin?) inside to look like glass. Nice touch!



For my first painting step, I used a small brush and some black acrylic and painted the join lines between parts, and some of the deeper undercuts. Basically anywhere it might be tricky to get my airbrush into.
(After some soul searching, I decided not to do the hot pink )





Next will be an application of basic black over the whole assembly.

Very cool, go, go, go.

Superjedi,

I can't believe you removed that O-ring detail I purposely mounted

That little detail is to prevent the trigger from breaking if it's squeezed to tightly. Please put that detail back in it's place

Aahhhhh

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Superjedi,

I can't believe you removed that O-ring detail I purposely mounted

That little detail is to prevent the trigger from breaking if it's squeezed to tightly. Please put that detail back in it's place

Aahhhhh

Seriously? I really thought it was just for protection. . .
I can put something back in its place.

PM sent...

Looks good eric..MORE PICS!!!

PM sent MOW.

Originally Posted by batninja

The scope appears misaligned. Is it not attached correctly? I didn't notice it when I saw it up close...

I am also curious as to why the scope appears to be slanted in an upward position?

who casted the sidearm!... it looks great.

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Superjedi,

I can't believe you removed that O-ring detail I purposely mounted

That little detail is to prevent the trigger from breaking if it's squeezed to tightly. Please put that detail back in it's place

Aahhhhh

Thats what I thought it was for.... Wish I had one when my wife decided to shoot me with mine... *snap*

UPDATE #2: Feb 29th

OK, I figured out how I wanted to attach the stock. I'm using screw posts, similar to the T-bolt method for securing the helmet visor.
I got some aluminum screw posts from the hardware store (Note: for those of you in the U.K., these are made of aluminium ) and some button head hex screws to attach the stock to the bracket. It's a pretty nice pressure fit to begin with, but the screws will make it nice and secure.

I started by using a 1/2" Forstner bit to bore out 2 depressions in the stock. I held the stock in place on the blaster and used a mechanical pencil to mark where the holes should go beforehand.



Here are the screw posts and button head screws I'm using. (The screw heads will be painted )



I used an X-acto blade to scrape up the flat bottoms of each depression, and sanded the flat parts of the screw posts to give my epoxy a nice rough surface to adhere to.
I used some JB Kwik and "buttered" each screw post, slightly twisting them into each depression in the stock, ensuring the epoxy flowed up forming a lip over each screw post.

I then held it in place on the blaster for 3 or 4 minutes while the epoxy kicked. This made sure they were exactly where I wanted them to be.



And here are the screw posts, post-epoxy.



I'll give them the recommended 4 to 5 hours to fully cure, then either later tonight or tomorrow I'll begin painting the stock.
I plan to use the wood graining tutorial from the Sci-Fire website.
If you haven't seen it, it can be found here: http://sci-fire.com/how_to_wood_grain.htm

I'm so confused.
Is the stock screwed into the bracket or just glued on?
From the posting it appears that you glued(JB Welded) the bolts to the stock, and then your going to screw them to the bracket. How is that secure at all? Wouldn't the strength of the bond be dependent solely the strength the weld created by the epoxy? Why put a screw in there at all? Would the bond be more secure if you just jb welded the stock directly to the bracket?
Shouldn't you be driving a screw or bolt clear through the bracket into the stock?

Please forgive my cynicism on the subject, I'm really just confused as to this method


86

86, it's just like attaching resin ears to a helmet using bolts. The bolts are epoxied into depressions in the backs of the ears, then held from inside the helmet with nuts.
Or using the same bolt/epoxy method to put your shoulder studs onto your armor.

These screw posts are attached to the stock using epoxy, then the bracket will be screwed onto it. It's not a "load bearing" connection, so I wouldn't anticipate any problems with it.

looking good!!

Those are sweet looking pieces and I know they'll look spanking when all painted up.
This project is going to be awesome when it all comes together

I know what 86 is on about, the stock is solid resin and so it has a fair weight to it, but I'm sure Eric knows what he's doing, it does sit snuggly into the bracket so I'm sure all will be cool

Suspect86,

That's an interesting design...I am concerned about the stock folding away from the stock bracket in a side-to-side motion...

Will you be bonding the bracket to the stock in addition to the hardware you've mounted ?

Christian

HeadlessHunter,

The stock is heavy hollow cast..to keep the weight down.

Originally Posted by superjedi

UPDATE #2: Feb 29th
I plan to use the wood graining tutorial from the Sci-Fire website.
If you haven't seen it, it can be found here: http://sci-fire.com/how_to_wood_grain.htm

If you have trouble painting it, (or can't get the Mohawk Paint)
You can send it to me, I'll paint it for you.

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Suspect86,

That's an interesting design...I am concerned about the stock folding away from the stock bracket in a side-to-side motion...

Will you be bonding the bracket to the stock in addition to the hardware you've mounted ?

Christian

I'm not sure I understand. What design?

Thanks for the comments, Christian! Everything seems solid so far, but I may epoxy the whole shebang together just to be on the safe side.

S1P, thanks for the offer! But I think it came out OK.

UPDATE: March 1st

You know the old saying: "March comes in like a Nexu and out like a Bantha. . ." I'm pretty sure that's how it goes.

OK, had to force myself to stop for a bit and snap some pics. I've been having a lot of fun on this rifle!
I wanted to give some variance to the scope/scope mount parts, and from the ref pics I've been using, it appears that the scope has a different tone than the main body of the blaster. I masked everything but the scope off and misted on some Floquil Weathered Black, then re-misted some flat black unevenly over that. Gives it a nice "not-so-new" appearance. I then shot it with some Dull Coat, then dabbed at it with a crumpled piece of paper while it was still wet. Makes some subtle wear marks in the finish. Not sure if the effect comes thru in the pics or not.



On the body of the blaster, I used a product made by "Treasure Gold." It's like Rub n Buff but comes in a more solid, paste-like consistency. I used a color called Pewter, and gently applied some over some of the edges of the Webley. It's a very subtle color shift from the bronzy-black. But it gives a great sheen to the high spots, just like it's been handled for ages.



I'll still go back with some Floquil silver and do some of the chips that appear on the reference pics.

The sci-fire tutorial for the wood stock went great! I began by spraying the stock semi-flat black. After it dried I used a wide brush to apply some ivory/beige latex paint. Just like the sci-fire tut says, I didn't apply it too heavy, letting some of the base black show thru.
For the wood tones, I used 2 different colors in the Design Master series: "Glossy Wood Tone" first, then "Walnut Wood Tone" around the edges. These are basically sprayable stains that are semi-transparent, so I built up a couple of coats, making sure I was still letting the "grain" show thru. After they were dry, I used an extremely light misting of flat black, again around the edges, then sealed it with Krylon flat clear.
I think it came out great!



Here's the opposite side. The screws still need some paint.



Finally, another angle to show the butt end.



The next thing I'll do will be to mask off the pistol grip and airbrush on some Testors Metalizer Brass.

Yes it did come out great

Amazing finish on that stock!!

SuperJ,


That's one beautiful paint scheme..Rifle and sidearm are in very good hands.

Christian

It looks so good that i'm tempted to trade it for my HS Webley.

Great work... from the Maker and Painter of these items.

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

SuperJ,


That's one beautiful paint scheme..Rifle and sidearm are in very good hands.

Christian

Couldn't agree more....fantastic work SJ..

Wow. That woodgrain turned out great!

Okay, I have a room full of stuff I need wood-grained! That came out awesome!

Makes me wanna do my own EE-3 now, must...finish...FPH.....first

Originally Posted by superjedi

These screw posts are attached to the stock using epoxy, then the bracket will be screwed onto it. It's not a "load bearing" connection, so I wouldn't anticipate any problems with it.

i have to disagree there. i think that's a focal point of weight... the stock is a big solid mass, about as heavy as the front of the gun. but where the front is supported by your hand on the grip, the stock is supported by that bond.

i would at least suggest epoxying the entire surface of the bracket where it touches the stock. why rely on 2 little spots like that?

and on a different note, the stock looks awesome!!!

I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with the way the stock came out. It looks like it should be a lot heavier than it is.

I did reconsider the stock/bracket connection and decided better safe than sorry. So I applied some epoxy and stuck them together. The whole assembly is still removable by unscrewing the bracket from the pistol grip section. There are some screw inserts set into the flat side of the pistol grip, so it makes a nice connection.

I've been painting the stock greeblies (they're drying now) and have misted some flat black onto the Heiland tube to show some "carbon scoring."
Pics later!

UPDATE: March 2nd

OK, I'm gonna call the EE-3 done.
Finished the final parts last night and earlier today, including the brass pistol grip, the stock greeblies, and the weathering on the blaster body and Heiland tube.

First, the Heiland tube. I misted some flat black onto it in a very uneven random pattern. I then wadded up a paper towel and dabbed some of it off, exposing the base metal, then resprayed some of those places with a lighter mist of black. Gives it a nice charred look.





On the pistol grip, I airbrushed some Testors metalizer in brass. I went over that lightly with Rub n Buff Antique Gold to add some tarnish, then finally in the checkered portion, I added a brownish wash to simulate dirt and grime that had gathered down in the crevises over time.



On the stock greeblies, I first sprayed on 2 shades of Testors "One Coat Lacquers" which I think are primarily for model cars. I used a coppery shade and a reddish shade. They have a nice metallic look to them. I was trying to get as close as I could to the "anodized" red that these parts seem to have.





The photos really don't capture the metallic look of these sections.



The edges of the greeblie "wings" were chipped with Testors Camoflauge Gray.

So tomorrow I'll begin the sidearm!

Absolutely gorgeous paintjob!!!

incredible!!!!

Yup!!! Beautiful!!!! Especially love the stock!!
D

Superjedi,

Looks amazing...There are some red tones in the ESB screen used prop. Looks like a soft blending with a rust tone similar to the Jedi version but not a harsh.

Hats off to yah man

LOVE the way it came out Eric.....Beautiful work, as always

OK, after re-reconsidering, I've decided to go with the original pink color scheme.
I've hacked apart the blaster to make painting easier.
Here's the main body of the Webley.



Here's what I'm hoping to match as far as the overall paint scheme.



And the sidearm concept that I plan to recreate:



So watch for lots of pretty pretty updates!

(NOTE: Breathing too many paint fumes can be hazardous to your sanity)

Oh pink, thats just super, my favourite, how about a nice ribbon hanging off the stock?

Dude you've done an awesome job so far, I can't wait to see the sidearm take shape!!

Looking great, nice job!

I love this M16... But not pink, I like it BLACK

Good Work SJ :thumbup

Think Pink!

Pink?? What was I thinking??

UPDATE: March 4th

PHASE II: Sidearm

OK, don't really have any in progress pics of this piece. The paint job was very basic. I sprayed the whole blaster with Floquil Zinc Chromate Primer. I really like this color, and it shifts a bit from brownish-red to slightly more "orangey" depending on how strong the light is.
I gave it 2 coats, then 2 coats of Krylon matte clear. The Krylon is actually more of a cross between matte and satin.



For the exposed barrel and insert, there was some very tricky masking involved. I masked off the straight portions with some blue painters tape (love this stuff!) and I wound up painting on some Winsor & Newton masking fluid for the curves where the inserts "enter" the gun body.
Once I had made sure to burnish down the tape really well, I sprayed on some Testors metalizer in Stainless Steel. I let it dry per the directions, then buffed it with an old T-shirt. It brought it up to a really nice shine!
For a final touch, I used a small brush to paint the barrel "interior" with flat black.



So that's it, gang! Mr. Bulloch is ready to be armed and dangerous! I'll be packing these up to send to TX by the end of the week.
Thanks for following along!

Nice! One thing, what Flash Tube Cell you have used for the EE-3?

Thanks

It's a Heiland flash used for the EE-3 barrel. I think either Christian or Spideyfett found it, I can't remember.
It's chrome plated, so it looks really nice!

Originally Posted by superjedi

It's a Heiland flash used for the EE-3 barrel. I think either Christian or Spideyfett found it, I can't remember.
It's chrome plated, so it looks really nice!

Batninja found it... I prepped and glued it on.

Looking great SJ..

Thank you for the help And maybe spidey or SJ knows whats model is It?

Thank you so much!

Hey, Aren't you done with these yet???

More Pics.!!

Looks like the Heiland 2 cell I had in my old blaster, that sidearm looks great nice work Eric!!

You guys wouldn't happen to have the innards of that Heiland Flash Tube left, would you? If you do, let me know

Thanks!

pm sent

Originally Posted by GCNgamer128

You guys wouldn't happen to have the innards of that Heiland Flash Tube left, would you? If you do, let me know

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Hey Guys,

Philip Wise (RebelScum.com) sent me a Lucas archive photo of the mysterious ESB rifle greeblie. Unfortunately I can't share the mystery photo but here are the newly made models before I make the molds. These will be included in the JB project rifles as well. I have no plans of making these available at this time but feel free to copy them if you like

Best,
Christian

Nice moulds Christain... any reason that we ESB fetts cannot obtain these... dare I say accurate greebles? I mean if you are gonna mould them anyway? just askin...

Mojo,

Not saying I wont..Just not at the moment. I need to finish up some other projects first.

MOW PM sent.

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Mojo,

Not saying I wont..Just not at the moment. I need to finish up some other projects first.

Uh... That's just a big tease.
Why say anything at all?

Originally Posted by Man of War Studios

Hey Guys,

Received a Lucas archive photo of the mysterious ESB rifle greeblie. Unfortunately I can't share the mystery photo but here are the newly made models before I make the molds. These will be included in the JB project rifles as well. I have no plans of making these available at this time but feel free to copy them if you like

Best,
Christian

Starting to look familiar. Nice work.

Originally Posted by SingleSeat

Starting to look familiar. Nice work.

you can say he had a little help from his friends..

and yes great work MOW. :thumbup