DC-15S Carbine Scratch Build

[Acrylikhan]

I've started taking the time to make the DC-15S Carbine for the ol' BARC trooper. I'll probably make the Rifle as well, but for now, this one will do.

 

I am using the Blueprints available on clonetroopers.net - and you can check 'em out clicking here.

 

So first things first. Starting at the Muzzle and working my way backwards. I had some scrap urethane cylinders from a few years back and they were the perfect size to turn down on a lathe.

 

 

 

The "sight" was 1/8th-inch drill rod bent into shape. I still need to add some styrene details on the sides.

 

 

The next section of the muzzle is a PVC 1-1/2 inch pipe. More detailing shortly.

[Ghost_Stkr]

Looks like a good start so far. Where do you get your styrene? I've been looking for some of decent thickness to scratch an E-11 Muzzle and cant find any.

[Acrylikhan]

Thanks Ghst-Stkr!

 

For thicker styrene, I go to McMaster Industrial Supply. (www.mcmaster.com). A little pricey, but it's the best place I know of thicknesses over 1/2". You should be able to get styrene cylinders if you're looking for them.

 

Back to the work table. I took my PVC tube, sealed one end and poured urethane into the tube to make a "core" that would perfectly fit the pipe. After it cured, I cut and machined two pieces at one inch thickness, and bore a 1/4" hole through the center. I urethane bonded the muzzle and the core together. I added the last remaining details on the muzzle with a couple styrene strips.

 

 

I cut the PVC pipe down to size. I want to get on the mill to cut some grooves in, but unfortunately that will have to wait a couple of days since we're using it for an important project. Since the lathe was free, I started the back portion of the barrel.

 

 

I had an accident on the lathe with my piece on it. The cutter cracked on edge off when I moved the wrong axis. Stupid me. I was going to hide my mistake under the magazine port, but I got discombobulated while I was talking with my boss, and put the detail piece on the wrong side without double checking my orientation. I will rebuild that area with a fiberglass/urethane patch, and either trim it on the mill, or sand it to shape. The other core was urethane bonded in place afterwards.

 

 

Time for the greeblie! I cut a piece of acrylic and sanded the mating end to fit the curve of the cylinder. Even though I was bonding it to the cylinder, I wanted a little extra hold.

 

 

I bore a hole through the center of the greeblie, and into the barrel end. I measured the head of the metal screw and did a second bore that only went about a quarter of the way down. Once it's secured, I want the screw head to be invisible: it'll be below the surface. I'll use a body filler to fill the hole with the screw head and sand it smooth. I used a coarse metalworking screw, about 1" to 1.25" long, and secured it. The I used a q-tip to clean up any excess glue that was pushed out.

 

 

It'll need a little fine detail sanding to crisp the edges, but for now it's good. I'll fill that hole later.

 

 

So far. Not bad. That chip is bothering me, but I'll fix it. That what I'm good at.

[pghfett]

Sure to be another top notch piece by my man Frank !!!

[Acrylikhan]

Back on the Carbine.... I forgot, there is a little shield thingie that is on the muzzle. Since I didn't have the time to turn it on the lathe, I did the next best thing.

 

 

I took a piece of 2-inch PVC pipe, and cut it to the proper length, then sliced it in half. Next, I took a heat gun and blasted it until it was semi-soft. I took the flappy piece, and held it to the side muzzle where it will be placed, burning my fingertips. Turned out good. After I had it at the proper diameter. I cut it to the proper size, and then bonded another piece of PVC to make the "wing."

 

 

 

I'm thinking I'll counter sink some holes in this piece, and bolt it to the muzzle. The interior of the pipe is sort of wonky from the manufacturing process. I still need to make an bright orange "safety plug" so that I can push it into the muzzle so that the cops don;t mistake this for a real weapon. (Illinois has passed a bill about toy guns having a orange plug in the end....)

 

 

I fixed the chip in the tail section. Bondo patched, and then cut to shape with the lathe. After it's painted, it will be invisible.

 

The real challenge was installing the ridges on the barrel. It turned out that if you take a seamstresses' measuring tape, and wrap it around the end of the 1-1/2" PVC pipe, it makes the process that much easier. As it turned out in my case, the ridges are a quarter inch thick, and spaced a quarter inch apart. I marked the areas and then used a carpenters' square to make straight lines along the length of the pipe. I did have to tweak it a little to get the pipe square enough to make the lines near perfect. After that, I chucked into the mill, and cut grooves where the ridges would sit.

 

 

 

Turned out okay! Those greeblies that go on the sides, those will be a challenge. And we get this....

 

 

I'm starting to move into the rear body of the carbine. I cut out two boxes that sit behind the barrel, but on the sides of the carbines' back section.

 

 

 

I milled these out of acrylic. I'll bolt them to the aft portion of the gun. I'm still debating what material to use for the main body. I was going to use wood, but i think it's too soft, and might not have enough weight to balance the gun. I may go with 1-1/2 inch acrylic block and start carving. It's sturdy enough to to drill holes in, and tap to receive a 1/4"-20 rod to support and hold the barrel in place. It should also be heavy enough to balance the gun's weight. Because it is very thick stuff, and a complete solid piece, it will survive more than a couple of drops. Not that I'm planning to toss this thing around like a football... that's crazy.

 

 

Getting close to a 50% mark!

[Krizzle]

Looking good buddy!!!

[Lonescout]

Keep the pics comming! Great Job!

[DaVe]

Looking good... Keep up the good work.

[Acrylikhan]

I was really hoping to get more done this week. The discovery of a leak in one of my house's windows, and mold growing on the drywall cut into working on everything this week. So everything thing has been slowed by 90%.

 

I starting working on the magazine clip area. It would have to be a two stage assembly with a little acrylic bonding the two together.

 

 

 

I dove into my scrap bin and started pulling out every thick piece of acrylic I had. I didn't have any pieces thick enough to match the dimensions. I bonded together the inch thick chunk, with a couple of half inch pieces, and then cut it to size on the mill. Then chucked it up again and carved out the troughs on the corners. I set that on the side, and then took a piece of 1/4 inch thick sheet and fly cut it to about 3/16" thick. I bolted together two 1-2-3 machining blocks to set a perfect 90-degree corner, and used that to line the 3/16" flat acrylic sheet with the machined magazine's upper portion. Some acrylic bonding agent and it's good as solid.

 

With that completed, time to make the platform that the magazine. Luckily, the platform that teh magazine rest on has "even" dimensions, so I was able to cut a sheet of styrene on a table saw.

 

 

Now moving to the back half... I have the raw material for the main body:

 

 

A little more planning...

[Acrylikhan]

I did more carving on the block that will be the main housing of the carbine. I've trimmed it down to size and added a groove detail around the front and side edges. I still need to carve the details for the back, and create the detail pieces for the top.

 

 

I've etched in the box area where the hand will be bolted. Next part will be centering some through holes for some hex lag bolts. No glue here! The detail pieces on top will hide the lag bolts for the grip.

 

 

Speaking of handles and grips... I found a proper sized box of plastic for the job. Time know to remove the unnecessary bits.

 

 

For th texture part of the grip, I'm pulling an old trick using clay, resin and a old metal screen. The trick is, get some sulfur free modeling clay and get it heated up to about 100 to 120 degrees. Made a little flat surface out of it. Press into the clay the metal screen, and then using alcohol and a paper towels, smooth out the surface while removing any pushed through bits of clay. Let it cool to room temperature, which takes overnight at least. The next day, the clay will be hard. From one corner, carefully carefully, carefully pry up the screen from the clay. You should have a nice textured imprint of the screen in the clay. For the next part you will need a pressure pot for the next step. Mix your resin, and pour a small amount into your clay mold. Make sure that there is a small thin coat of resin on the mold. This is to remove any air bubbles that might get trapped in the finer details. Add more resin until you get about an 1/8th of an inch thickness. Lock it up into a pressure pot at about 45 to 55 psi, and let it cure! Pressurizing will crush the air out of the resin. Use a slow curing resin to get the best results. I used a fast cure, which didn't get all the bubbles out, but will definitely work for my nefarious purposes. The mold will be destroyed in the process of removing the resin casting. Here's the back....

 

 

...and the front. Nice texture. there are a dozens of ways to get a texture like this. You can use silicone, too, to make a permanent mold for other projects.

 

 

Now onto barrel greeblies. I'm not sure how to attach them yet, but at least I can start on the construction. There are two small cylinder and a strange "J" shape. The cylinders are easy. I have some spare drill rod that's close to the size and I'll cut and cement them in place.

 

 

The J greeblie will need to be sculpted. I got more scrap resin and whittled away with my mini router and band saw.

 

 

I made the greeblie larger that I needed. I drilled the holes straight through

 

 

I just cut it in half with a band saw and I've got one for the left side, and one for the right.

 

 

Question is, do I carve out piece so that it will fit over the ribs on the barrel, or do a punch a hole into the barrel and then cement the J greeblies in place? A mystery to solve....

 

To be continued...

[Acrylikhan]

Time to get a handle on things... I cut out the grip from the patterns I have. Problem is the grip is scaled up too big. I cut it down to a more manageable size, but it will still need some modification. I just need the general shape. The details that got cut off will be added later. Right now I'm working on how to connect the grip to the gun's main body.

 

 

The grip is a piece of one inch thick ABS. I measured out the location of the grip on the gun body, and scribed some lines and made center marks where I would drill out the holes. I transferred the measurements to the top of the grip and drilled holes that would allow me to add threads for a couple of bolts. I will be using 1/4"-20 socket head bolts to secure these two pieces together. I tapped accordingly....

 

 

The holes on the main body were drilled out the full 1/4 inch. I drilled a larger hole that went down around 1/2" to accommodate the socket head. The head of the bolt will be below the surface of the main body, hidden. Time for a test fit.

 

 

 

 

Flawless.

 

 

I made the trigger ring out of 1/2-inch acrylic. To attach this to the grip, I'll have to hollow out part of the grip. A combination of a band-saw, a dremel, and some files made quick work. Sorry... no mill today. It's logged up for a job at work.

 

 

I cut the slot, bonded the ring in place, and cut out the remaining detail pieces for the lower part of the grip, and for the back side. There might be some filler work I'll need to do, but that's easy and I'll do that closer to painting time.

 

 

 

 

I cut the trigger out of acrylic as well... I think it was 7/16" thick.

 

 

To get a better feeling, I did some modifications to slim up the form. I based a lot of it from the grips on my casting guns at work. The only thing I can't do is make the edges on the carbine's grip rounded. It might be more comfortable, but I'm going to a little more screen accuracy.

 

 

Feels really good, no sharp edges.

 

 

With a glove on and the trigger in place, I think it's going to be alright!

 

Next on the list, detailing the carbine's body, and then... ciphering attaching the barrel to the main body! More to come...!

[darthnova]

awesome, great a new Acrylikan Build!!! I sit back and enjoy

[Acrylikhan]

Hey Marcel!!! I got another update!

 

I went a little too nuts with the router digging a trough for the trigger loop to fit into. I'll glue in some acrylic filler blocks to take up the negative space, and then bondo in the rest.

 

 

The real headache was the detail block on the top of the carbine's body. It is made of four pieces. Cutting the angle accurately was probably the biggest challenge. I then worked some magic on the table saw, and acrylic cemented everything together. I know it's a little rough to see in this picture, being it's semi-transparent.

 

 

It's really hard to make it out in this picture, but there is a detail cut on the side of the block. It's going to be almost completely covered by two detail blocks that go on either side of this center block. I used my dremel router table to cut them in. By the looks of it with the screen photos and the plans I'm working from, I have to extend it back just a little bit more.

 

The "rail" that extends toward the back of the gun cuts into a riser on the back of the body. Dremel router to the rescue again!

 

 

Test fit looks good, and lines up with the front edge. I'll have to drill some holes and tap some threads to bolt it in place.

 

 

I got the texture grips cut out, and trimmed to size. I think there's supposed to be a beveled edge around the whole piece. I'll have to check that out again. The pieces also do not have a uniform thickness. Time for the old double stick tape down a piece of sanding paper and get 'r' done!

 

 

Looks pretty good on the handle though!

 

 

There are so many other greeblies all over this thing! It's like an infection! More planning on how to approach those, and then the mysteries of attaching the barrel to the body. More to come!

 

[Acrylikhan]

I am tackling the greeblies on the side of the barrel of the DC-15s.

 

 

 

The main greeblie is a weird "j" shaped extension. I've seen main other builders just cut a thin piece of plastic and slap it on the side there. I'm hoping to go the extra mile on this one. The problem is that the "ribs" on the barrel are a hard work around. I can either cut the exact shape out on both sides, and then bond it in place, or I can alter the greeblie to fit on top of the ribs and then bondo in the gaps. I've opted the second choice, mostly because it's easier, and there's less likely a chance I will ruin this part.

 

 

 

The greeblie I made was cut in half to make a left and a right side. I then used a sanding wheel, and a dremel, and a LOT of heavy rasp files to cut a channel down the middle of the part. The reference photos helped out a lot with this part. I ended up shaving the outer sides to fit more snuggly with the ribs on either side of the center.

 

 

Any gaps will be filled with bondo, sanded smooth and primed. It will look flawlessly integrated with the barrel. Right now, it's tacked in place with superglue and contact cement. It's not going anywhere!

 

 

And it's pretty well aligned on either side. Good fit!

 

 

The next part was a little more tougher problem. There are also two cylinders by the greeblie. From the plans and the measurements, the smaller one is about 0.218" and the larger is just about 0.437". The smaller one I am use scrap drill rod, but for the other I managed to find an old broken X-acto blade handle that is close to the side I need.

 

 

I drilled out the holes using a drill press and a vise to lock the barrel in place. This had to be done very carefully, because I was cutting out an irregular surface. It worked out very well!

 

 

I chopped my cylinders down to size, and checked the fit. Good snug fit! I'll cement these in place later, after I finish the bondo work on the "j" greeblie.

 

 

I would have made them both pass through the tube entirely, but I have a 1/4" x 20 threaded road that will pass through the barrel, and connect the entire barrel assemble to the main body of the gun. So, I cut them to fit.

 

 

My screen photos and the plans I've been working from look somewhat like this. I'll get that glued in place just as soon as I start getting some primer on everything.

 

 

And there you have it! The barrel assemble is complete with all of it's respective parts! A coat of primer is the next step. Since this for my BARC trooper, scratches and chips that are present from the building process, will give a nice look of wear in the battlefield. Any any flaws I don;t like, I'll carefully take them out. Weathering should be a lot of fun!

 

Coming very soon... A coat of primer, and then a mock assembly!! Next parts to build will be the folding stock, and the magazine and it's holder. Much more to come!

[SL-9135]

You never stop amazing me. wow.

[Acrylikhan]

Thanks man! Another updater...

 

The barrel assemble will be attached to the main gun housing with contact cement, and this 1/4" x 20 threaded rod. This secures in the muzzle, barrel, and rear barrel assemblies, to a threaded hole in the front of the main housing.

 

 

To make this easier to bolt into place, I used an epoxy called JB Weld, and three nuts. I secured them all to the top of the threaded rod, and each other with the JB Weld. After it set, I used a dremel to cut a good size notch for a screwdriver. All too easy.

 

 

Okay... a coat of primer....

 

 

 

 

As to be expected with a scratch build there are flaws. Some of the seam lines are showing, and there are gaps that need to be filled and then sanded flush.

 

 

Bolt holes need to be filled and then sanded flush. I added another greeblie, a couple of half round styrene strips with curved ends (just below the second hole on the housing).

 

 

There are some glue runs that will need some sanding down, and seam lines to be patched. The muzzle I turned has hundreds of tiny pin holes that will be patch with some acrylic putty. Other flaws like this damaged barrel rib, I will keep. It'll give a nice battle used look... even though no one will probably notice.

 

 

Now for a some showing off...

 

 

 

 

More to manufacture...

 

[Acrylikhan]

I have attached the magazine to the main body and part of the barrel assembly. The plans made the magazine assembly much more difficult than it should be. It called for cutting the attaching base to the contour of the barrel's base. The easier method, and still keep the look, was to simply trim down the barrel base to fit the magazine assembly. The trough wasn't hard to cut. I used a band saw to cut the edges of the trough in, and then zipped off the rest with the dremel router. I did set up a jig with a vise so that the cut would be even.

 

 

I did find I forgot a detail. The ribs on the barrel do not stretch the length of the barrel from end to end. There is a 1/16 inch sliver of the barrel that is untouched by the ribs, BUT is connected to the magazine. I had to carefully lathe off the piece of the PVC pipe and attached it to the barrel end. I made sure that this was in place before cutting the trough for the magazine.

 

 

I was able to work around the long "L" shaped boxes with ease. The magazine rests on an 1/8 inch platform, which sits at the the top of the long "L" box. All I had to do was fill in the void where the platform hung over the side, and connect it to the rest of the assembly that is on the back of the barrel. Lucky for me, it was an even measurement all around! Easy cut, 1 - 2 - 3... done.

 

 

I drilled, and tapped a hole that will secure this to the barrel. With this new change to the design,, I was forced to make the end of the barrel permanently attached to the main gun housing. No biggie. Sometimes, you just have to change of the fly.

 

 

Here's a couple of close up shots of that 1/16 inch detail on the barrel. you can see how the magazine barrel mates with it flush.

 

 

 

On to the shoulder stock... Being that this is a completely digital construct in the movie, you can pretty much design anything you want without much consequence for functionality. It needs to look cool. The stock was never shown in an extended position. It's debatable... but I don't think it ever was. Personally, I think LF wanted the gun to look like a precursor to the E-11. So the retractable gun stuck is probably an homage to that. I will not make the stock functional, but if I do change my mind, I have some pretty good ideas how to do it.

 

On with the manufacturing processes... The first thing I need to build is the pivot. It is basically two cylinders that are merged together. I cut both cylinders on the lathe out of ABS, then took the smaller and essentially cut it in half. I stripped off most of it with the band saw, and then used a circular sander to flatten it out as best I could. Next, I used ABS cement to bond the two together. After it set, I packed the gaps with bondo, and then sanded it smooth. The result:

 

 

I set up the drill press and centered a hole through the larger cylinder, and then tapped it so it would accept threaded bolts. After that was finished, I got some 1/8 inch flat aluminum for the shaft of the stock. I need to cut two slots for the aluminum to fit into. Back to the bandsaw for the initial cuts, and then to some heavy rasp files to smooth it out. The aluminum fits great.

 

 

Next step, the aluminum must be bent into shape. Holes to accept the bolts that thread into the pivot need to be drilled, and then the butte of the stock will need to be constructed. The butte will be made out of 1/8th inch styrene. If it was going to be function, I would go all metal. Since it's nothing more than fluff, plastic will do just fine. I will probably start that this weekend without a doubt.

 

I am coming to the end of the construction phase. Hole patching and refining has appeared on the horizon! Still more to come!

[Acrylikhan]

The retractable stock!

 

 

Continuing off of the egg shaped hinge, I've got the majority of the piece completed. I am a bit surprised that it was a little easier than I anticipated.

 

 

The forks plugged into the slots I cut with ease. Afterward, I drill a few holes to lock them in place on the hinge. I then used CA+B.S. compound to lock them in place and make a smooth transition from the hinge into the forks.

 

 

Bending the aluminum forks was another matter entirely. I tried to keep it consistent. I even tried bending both bars at the same time. But alas, one has a slightly different shape. No biggie. It's not going to be functional, and it still looks spot on.

 

 

The stock portion is plain ol' styrene. I ran out of ABS sheets. This will work, and will have some great gouges and scrapes once I start trooping with it.

 

 

 

I will be switching out the smaller screws for the hex driver type bolts I'm using on the hinge.

 

 

And there you have it. I still need to drill and tap a hole to bolt the hinge in front of the trigger. There is one piece left to finish. On the muzzle and part of the barrel is yet another greeblie. It's a five inch, strange shape than fits under the "chin" of the barrel. This "chin greeblie" will help secure the far end of the gun stock to the gun. I've already started working on it, I'll post pictures of it soon.

 

The bondo's been thawed. Painting soon to follow...

[Acrylikhan]

The carbine is almost complete! The final photos are close at hand!

[Acrylikhan]

Okay... almost done. A quick update.

 

 

So this is what I got so far. (Sorry.. I left the folding stock at work! but it looks cool too.) Painted flat camo black, and added the greeblies around the gun grip. I have to make one for the magazine, but that's another story.

 

 

Looks good.

 

 

Here's a close up of the "chin" detail. It's funny... it is there in some of the screen captures, and other times its not. Since it's hidden from view by the folding gun stock, it doesn't matter. Besides, I need someplace to bolt that far end of the gun stock to to keep it in place.

 

A couple of peopled wanted to see the "J" greeblie detail after the bondo sessions. So... here ya go!

 

 

 

Detailing and weathering has been started. More to come!

[mrbungle]

super nice job.

[SL-9135]

I spy a Vader lid in the background...

 

DUDE nice job.

[Acrylikhan]

Thanks! I just need to post the completed pictures. I think I got carried away with the weathering. It looks like the black anodizing came off the metal. It looks like it survived heavy abuse in the swamps and jungles of Kashyyyk, the wear and tear of metal scrapping up against metal armor and droids; high heat from heavy firing.

 

When I'm satisfied, I'll post the final pictures.

 

I think I need to put a couple of black and dark brown washes over some of the silver dry brushed areas.

 

We'll see...

[mrbungle]

you need to post finished pics!!

[Acrylikhan]

I will! I will!

 

I'm not satisfied with the results yet.... but soon!