Just a question about Westar blasters limited availability

Interesting question. reading what's in the posts I would then gather than anything MR made after the license expires would be considered fair game on recasting? So the Fett buckets, blasters etc etc? Just curious, as this could open up a whole new avenue for discussion

Oh and I don't think I am brave enough to disassemble my Westars to cast them (also have no clue on the casting side of things.)
 
Interesting question. reading what's in the posts I would then gather than anything MR made after the license expires would be considered fair game on recasting? So the Fett buckets, blasters etc etc? Just curious, as this could open up a whole new avenue for discussion

Oh and I don't think I am brave enough to disassemble my Westars to cast them (also have no clue on the casting side of things.)
Good point.
 
There are screen used, accurate resin props out there that people are using to make moulds from. However, there are many talented modellers here on TDH who I'm sure, with a pair of calipers, a MR blaster, and a couple weekends work, could easily whip up a master that could be cast from.

Option 1: Recast MR
Option 2: Recast Resin Prop
Option 3: Find someone to make exact replica for casting
 
You have the same thinking I do on the MR's, Cruzer. I just got a set of MR's last week and was thinking of how to do these nicely when the license expires and some time lapses possibly afterwards. In a weekend, I could mold these up and start banging out resin versions, but I would want to produce something better than a plain resin westar, so more research is definetly needed. I could see a mix of metal parts for the barrel and a tinted impact resistant resin grip. We'll see, I've got several other unique little Jango projects in the research stage first before blasters. So get going on them, so I don't have to.:lol:
 
well, the way i usually look at things is to get something good, but not perfect, done right away. then it takes the pressure off to perfect things.

do you think the jango blasters could be done in just a simple 2 part mold, coming out as 1 solid piece of resin?

they wouldn't be amazing, but they'd be better than what's out there now. then from there work on tweaking out the perfect metal / multi-part resin blasters
 
I've thought of the all inclusive 2 piece mold to make it all at once, but I wouldnt make them like that. Looking at my MR's in front of me, I see 5 areas that are potential problems in casting it like that, with one screaming to me, don't do it.

Your turn Cruz...
 
actually the one part mold wouldnt really give you what you want anyway...the parts that are chome you could never get them to look right in resin unless you had them dipped and that would be crazy...i think if the handgrip was done in resin and everything else done in a machined parts, it would make for a real nice blaster. Personally im going with some chome pipe for the barrel and most of the top parts will be misc chome hardware that i can locate to make them as clos as possible...the real problem with this blaster is the barrel end. without getting a machined alumin piece that is chomed, it will be difficult to have anything of high quality that can compare to the MRs
 
I'm not a huge fan of an all resin blaster for trooping anyhow, especially with any price attached to it. One wrong drop and it could be history. Heck, you should see me practiicing the jango spinning westar into the holster move. More than once it's come flying off the finger so far :lol:, so I'm glad I've got metal ones.

Regardless, I am going to leave this thread for Cruzer. This was Cruzer's interest thread, not mine, and I don't want to step on any toes here and get in his way. You guys know he'll do what's right, he always has.
 
Really I was just posing the question since we really don't have a good supplier for that one part. This would be a cool little side project if I had some extra time, but that's rarely the case for me these days. I could see it becoming a reality maybe after I do a few gauntlet runs. But right now, I'd find more relief in someone else taking this project on that could do it correctly and in the highest quality possible. So I'm serious when I say "please, do it so I don't have to".(y):lol:
 
I was just chatting with Dark-Side a little and he was saying it'd be expensive to make even just one set. That'd be nice when sets of MR blasters can no longer be found on ebay.

I still like the idea of flexible urethane (rubber) blasters to aleviate the delimmas of the whole accidental dropping problems you mentionied, Steelblitz.

The more I discuss this project, the more I get excited about it...so I need to unsubscribe to this thread asap!:lol:
 
One of my garrison squad members is currently playing around making molds with smooth-on. I'm going to talk with him about possibly helping me out with constructing some Westars. I know that I can replicate the parts and still keep a good deal of the details/accuracy, it's just what materials would be feesable to cast them in. ( I too don't want to see my resin blasters go flying out of my hands and shatter on the ground )

I'll keep you guys posted on what I can come up with. I might require assistance from those of you with experience in mold making and casting. ( **cough-Cruzer-** ) ;)
 
Just to be upfront, Jango72, there are so many stages, specifics, and intricacies to mold making based on the type of mold being made, that your best bet is to pair up with someone in your area who has the knowledge and can work side-by-side with you. There are some things that just can't be shown or would be impossible to accurately explain in text. I still don't have all of that knowledge which is why I had someone else more knowledgeable make my gauntlet molds. In addition, the high expense of silicone alone doesn't leave much room for many trial and error sessions.

The feat of coming up with an accurate pair of mold-able blasters alone seems like it's going to be a challenge. So if you're up to tackling this project, I'd recommend getting ahold of a pair of MRs you can dismantle and use, since it sounds like the majority consensous right now seems to be that it wouldn't be frowned upon by the Jango costuming community.

I say go for it. There's no better teacher than hands-on learning.(y)
 
Understood Cruzer, but my original intentions would've been to construct the parts, then ship them to you to have them molded and cast.
I have an idea at the moment... I'd first construct them out of wood and metal tubing, then have them cast in rubber, with a metal/brass tube running down the centre of the barrel. Or I could just make up a wood and metal Westar kit, some assembly required. ;)

I'll have to get together with my squad member to see if he'd be willing to help me out with this, and if he's got any other suggestions. I'll keep you guys posted as best I can.
 
Well, in the interests of keeping the costs low/reasonable, I think that I'll go with the wood and metal style. I'll see what I can come up with that could be done as a fully assembled or kit version. ( It might take me a bit as I think through the entire process in my head so that I can work out any concieveable bugs before comiting. I tend to alter my methods and/or designs as I'll have a brainstorm on a better or easier way to fabricate something. ) ;)
 
I have been thinking about this for some time as well, even at $300 the MR we out of my reach. I have the basic drawings done. I have them broken down into seperate peices. They just need to be dimensioned.

Most of the barrel pieces can be made from various types of tubing. I found some 1" Al tubing that is perfect for the main barrel and some 3/4" brass for the inner barrel.

The flash surpression is the hard part, but I just got my lathe up an running and I am about to give it a go out of plastic first just to work out the techique and then Al.

For a kit I think machined parts might drive the cost up, but a multi media kit with resin and metal and wood could be done fairly cheaply. For that matter even a partial kit could be produced for cheap, it would require more work for the buyer, but most of the materials are available at the hardware store and hobby shops.

Alan
 
so really all you're talking about would be a resin handle, aluminium barrel, and mount (cut accordingly for length, shape, and central channels) brass inner tube, then the only parts that need machining are the flash supressor, and "power cell" butt-piece

Now those two parts on their own are quite small, and would certainly cut down on moulding costs. Could a cold cast flash supressor and butt-piece achieve the same metallic finish as an aluminium barrel?
 
alan...I would be very interested in a MR scaled supressor set in the aluminum if you get them done in the future...Ive got the barrel worked out i think and im using some resin hand grips from a resin copy of what i beleive was a set of MR blasters. I got them off ebay and the resin was kind of poor...nothing i couldnt fix with bondo and patience but i figured i would lose the resin top and keep the hand grips, making the rest out of various chome plated tube...a set of machined aluminum supressors would do nicely to finish these up...lol
 
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