Dreadnought’s Boba Fett EE-3 carbine rifle kit build

[Dreadnought]

Hi all. While the preparation of other parts of my costume go on in the background, I thought I’d do a thread of my carbine rifle kit build. This kit from April Storm Props has two advantages over many other similar Boba Fett blaster kits. Firstly, it is not unreasonably priced. Secondly, as it was produced in Australia, I was able to avoid the potential Customs headaches of importing it into the country.
So, to paraphrase the Rifleman’s Creed, this is my EE-3 blaster. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Here is the kit straight out of the box:

After quite a bit of sanding to remove most rough spots (although I did want to leave some texture as the original blaster is certainly not nice and smooth), print lines and excess plastic around the edges (including the 5 fins on the top of the barrel that support the printing process), the parts were washed and dried ready for gluing. The glue I used was PVC cement, usually used in plumbing. It slightly melts the ABS plastic to create a strong weld.

After a little bit of shaving of the edges of the handle to get it to fit into the slot, I glued the handle to the stock:

Next, gluing some of the smaller parts of the kit: the knobs to the scope, the end to the barrel and the ‘skull’ greeblies on both sides of the stock.



I filed and sanded the scope mounting block until it sat snugly in the divet on the top of the barrel. Then I lined up this mounting block with the one that was already part of the main section of the gun - this gave me the position for the barrel so it could be glued.

Gluing the trigger and the trigger guard was a big pain in the sarlacc but eventually I got there. With the scope also glued, it was time to leave it all overnight.

Next step will be the painting.

[Firestorm]

Looking good there Dreadnought

[Bally]

Interesting, I was wondering how the PVC cement went for gluing ABS. I've been using Loctite super glue for small jobs but I am going to need something I can smear over large areas when I start putting my DC-15 rifle and carbines together.

[Dreadnought]

Looking good there Dreadnought

Cheers Matt. Sanding and gluing I can manage but the painting will require at least a smidgen of artistic ability because of the weathering, so we shall see...

Interesting, I was wondering how the PVC cement went for gluing ABS. I've been using Loctite super glue for small jobs but I am going to need something I can smear over large areas when I start putting my DC-15 rifle and carbines together.

Yes, the PVC cement is strong (and was recommended by April) but challenging to work with as it's very runny. Dries fast too.

[Dreadnought]

Some more progress on my blaster. Here it is fully assembled:



The pesky trigger didn't fall off during the night (Oo-er!) so that's something. Next I hit it with a couple of coats of matt black.



Once I was happy with the coverage when it all dried, I sponged on (very randomly) a grey wash which toned down the black. I then applied burnt sienna in strategic spots to simulate rust. I've seen people go crazy with the rust on Boba's blaster but to me it makes no sense - why would a professional bounty hunter's weapon of choice be so neglected? So I wasn't going to go crazy with the fake rust. I also dry brushed on some raw umber to give it some overall dirty patches. Once this was dry it looked...not completely bad:



Next I dry brushed some metallic aluminium spray paint on some of the sharper edges - basically anywhere that might have weathered back to the silver metal. And a quick clear coat to protect it. I'm not 100% happy with it and I may revisit it before my costume is finished but, for now, it's done.

[Xmez]

It looks pretty awesome to me.

[major payne]

If you want to get rid of those print lines. buy some Smooth-On XTC-3D. It's an epoxy resin, very easy to use and saves a heap of sanding time. It's also clear, so your painting wont be all in vain, but it's really glossy, so you'll probably need to paint it in a matte finish again.

[Dreadnought]

It looks pretty awesome to me.

Cheers man. Not screen accurate but not bad to troop with.

If you want to get rid of those print lines. buy some Smooth-On XTC-3D. It's an epoxy resin, very easy to use and saves a heap of sanding time. It's also clear, so your painting wont be all in vain, but it's really glossy, so you'll probably need to paint it in a matte finish again.

Good to know major. I did sand the hell out of the print lines and in some places they are hardly noticeable. I'm ok with them but I'll definitely keep that resin in mind for future reference.

I do have a general question - what's the best clear seal coat for this sort of thing? I used Rustoleum Ultra Cover Satin Clear and it looks fine. But should it be a matte? What brands do others recommend? I guess I want that protection but I don't want it shiny or it affecting the colours etc. Any advice most welcome.

[Altair]

As Payney said, the smoothon X3D resin is good stuff and it finishes as smooth as glass. Also for future, a couple of coats of Spray Putty helps to fill in the lines a little bit.

Regarding clear, I like the White Knight Crystal Clear Acrylic, if you want a matte finish grab the satin clear.

[Dreadnought]

Ok, now I'm getting paranoid about those print lines...I knew this blaster would bring me grief. I spent some time this morning repainting most of it as I wasn't happy with how the clear coat ended up - seemed ok at first but it looked more glossy today. Based on videos I checked out this afternoon, if I used the X3D resin now it would be too glossy and I'd have to repaint. Although now that I have significantly repainted it, and therefore have to clear coat it again, I wonder if I used the resin now would the clear coat reduce the gloss of the resin? I'm kicking myself that I didn't wait longer than a couple of days between building and painting, then I might have discovered this miracle stuff existed and been able to use it before I got to the painting. Once more, my novice skills are highlighted...sigh.

White Knight, got ya. But you've confused me - if I want matte I should get the satin? Aren't they different things?

[Dreadnought]

Ok, Smooth-On XTC-3D ordered and will soon be on its way. Hey, once I knew about it I had to have it...Thanks guys for sharing your wisdom

[Cyclops]

Prior to the smooth on a good rub with an acetone soaked rag will basically melt the surface layer and as you keep wiping can get a glass smooth finish , test it on a piece first to get the hang of it , do that then putty and finish with smooth on and you'll have a worthy product , it is labour intensive and there are no shortcuts or five minute fixes but it's worth the effort to do it properly, matte and satin are essential low gloss or flat finishes .

[Dreadnought]

Prior to the smooth on a good rub with an acetone soaked rag will basically melt the surface layer and as you keep wiping can get a glass smooth finish , test it on a piece first to get the hang of it , do that then putty and finish with smooth on and you'll have a worthy product , it is labour intensive and there are no shortcuts or five minute fixes but it's worth the effort to do it properly, matte and satin are essential low gloss or flat finishes .

Awesome, thank you cyclops for the advice, much appreciated. Once I'm back on track, I'll post another update on my blaster. Or possibly more questions...

[Bally]

I wouldn't be toooooo worried about some print lines. A lot of the metal parts on rifles have machining marks on them, particularly on the barrel and receiver area they don't look out of place. But all over does look a bit too much, especially on areas that would realistically be made out of wood or plastic. One of the things I've put a lot of time into getting rid of is the stepping in the objects with curved surfaces, where the curve is really made up of straight lines. It can be more noticeable in small radius curves like the scope. My DC-15a is mostly PLA so I haven't used the XTC yet but I'm looking forward to seeing the difference. Other than that I think your colouring and weathering looks excellent.

[Dreadnought]

Cheers for that, I appreciate it. Yes, the stock is probably where the print lines are most obvious so I'll definitely use the XTC on that. And yes, the scope suffers from those stepping marks you mentioned. On reflection, I think I'll use the XTC and the other methods cyclops mentioned on the entire blaster and then repaint it to eliminate the gloss of the resin. I'm speeding down this learning curve but hopefully I won't actually crash...