Jango Rubies Westar-34 Mod

I recently had an event with the 501st. The only aspect of my costume that I wasn't pleased with happened to be the Westars. Kids want to hold them and when they see your Rubies Westars they know that they have the same ones. Takes something away from it. So, I did a quick mod until I can get some quality pistols.

One thing I did was take them apart and add weights to the inside of the grips as well as a steel bar inside the brass tube. This mod alone really gave these toys some added weight which makes them feel more realistic. Some chrome paint, a brass intake tube, a little sand paper, and Bob's your Uncle!

Keep in mind these are in no way going to replace a set of MR's or something that has been made to spec. I did this entire mod in a day and was pleased enough with the finished product to think that I might actually take some time and try to produce another set with better quality results.

they look pretty good dude!!! nice alternative at least... so what Chrome paint did you use? I want to paint mine so I don't ruin my resin ones.

they look good

It's more than just new paint. I'm surprised that no one else has picked up on this yet.

The brass pipe that you inserted into the barrel makes a huge difference. Another mod that you could consider doing is to add a bit more length to the barrel section, as I find that the Rubies blasters look a bit stubby/short to me.

I did use the Dremel to gut the barrel and the orange cap on the end of the barrel. Even with that it really was a pretty easy mod. I'm not sure the barrel length is off so much as the bulbous end piece makes it look short. I could be wrong. Anyway, these made a pretty decent replacement for the Rubies on short notice.

Originally Posted by Jango72

It's more than just new paint. I'm surprised that no one else has picked up on this yet.

The brass pipe that you inserted into the barrel makes a huge difference. Another mod that you could consider doing is to add a bit more length to the barrel section, as I find that the Rubies blasters look a bit stubby/short to me.

what chrome paint did you use?

The barrels are between 1 to 2 inches shorter than the resin and MR Westars, with the resin versions being the longer of the two.

Great! Thanks for the specs. I will see about adding in an inch or so and give that a try.

Originally Posted by Jango72

The barrels are between 1 to 2 inches shorter than the resin and MR Westars, with the resin versions being the longer of the two.

It's a Rustoleum paint. I can get the exact number if you wish?

Originally Posted by TLobe00

what chrome paint did you use?

If you're willing to wait until later tonight, I can post up a comparison pic of my resin Westar next to a Rubies.

Sounds good, thanks!

yeah, a part number for the paint would be awesome... I have been looking for a good chrome, since r-n-b'ing blasters is a pain in the patookey.

It's Rustoleum Metallic Finish 7718 Chrome.

I love how it turned out, the brass tube in the barrel is the kicker. Without that, it wouldn't look this good, even with paint. Does this one make the blaster sound and light up?

My custom mando is going to have a single Westar, and I was thinking of putting a high power LED into the barrel to give it a nice blaster effect. It shouldn't be too hard to work around the brass tube in the barrel, I assume it's got a decent diameter?

Hey do you know where they are doing resin runs? Or do you suggest the non-resin?

Hey Rup, I also forgot to ask, what kind of 'weights' did you use in the hilt?

Thanks dude,
Tony

The addition of the brass tube in very nice... May have to try that as well with mine.

I went to home depot and bought some large nuts (insert joke here). Then I just glued them with epoxy inside the handles.

Originally Posted by TLobe00

Hey Rup, I also forgot to ask, what kind of 'weights' did you use in the hilt?

Thanks dude,
Tony

Cool, I actually thought of that right after I had replied

They look great ! Im going to try this out ! I think i will file out the Made in China and words on the pistols ! Thanks Rupidupe !

Just a thought, Alclad makes AMAZING chrome paint. nneds an airbrush, and it stinks... but the results are the closest thing to chrome than the real deal. I will say nice mod though! Looks a lot better.

very nice work on those~

The more I look at these the more I realize how much further I could have gone. They were ok for a 1-day turnaround but with some effort I think I can make a very nice pair of blasters. I'll post more pics as V 2.0 gets rolling.

Those Westar's look great. Makes me wanna think about getting a pair for my Kal Skirata costume. They only cose like $10 each on amazon so they're cheap in case they break.

Christopher

Hi there Rupidupe, here is my work with the rubies blaster, works well to me and I have not doubt, thats is a good alternative........

check this out:

I like these types of pairs when trooping large events. Kids and adults always want to hold them and it sucks when they drop one of your MR's. So these are good throw away props. Actually I can even give these to certain kids because I have extras in my case at events. And they're cheap. Need a good set of other ones though

Well thats my works and is very good to mee..........seen good!!!!!!! besides all depends of you bucket cash..........jejjejej

Going to work on my Rubies Westars now, thanks for the tips. Were you able to take the nose all the way off, or did you leave it attached and just pry the body and shaft open?

When I paint my rubies blasters, I start directly painting the silver and later the gold........no sand it is required..works well for me and the paint stils good and resistant.................I dont disarmed the blaster just used 3M paint tape.............

It rained on my rubies after I painted which caused some drip marks, bummed. Not too bad though. (only spent $30 on them) One of the instructors at my Kung Fu school has some machine that shapes and cut metal, I have the dimensions for the Westar 34's and we'll see how they come out made out of solid metal. If they come out good, we might turn around and offer some to the DH.
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