SWNZ Forums

Hello there. First time I have done a thread on this forum, so I thought I had better take Blaxmyths advice and do something about it. So. I thought I would kick off with a simple one. I have been wanting to make a E-11 Blaster for a while, and had in my possession a Kenner blaster that I bought new WAY back when. Still had the original price of $29.95 on it. Anyway, I decided to modify it to a E-11 although there would be a lot of work involved. So, I decided to start with the Hengstler Counter.
Having borrowed an original counter from a friend, I set about cutting up some MDF to size and cutting slots around the body with my trusty bandsaw. Once this was done, I sealed it all with super-glue, and when this was dry, I sanded the sides smooth. I then started laminating thin styrene sheet to the sides to provide a smooth finish for the other details to be adhered to.

cool welcome aboard looking forward to seeing your build

Thanks oota.

Good to see you on board, Nick. Looking forward to seeing lots more of your scratch builds.

Looking very sharp so far!

Thanks guys. So, I next cut up some thin strips of plastic and began placing them in position on the sides to replicate the ribs. On the originals, the tabs are made and positioned so that the counters can be locked together to get a bank of two or more.
Once this was done, I moved onto the back detail and set about drilling and cutting out the three slots and making the pronged contacts out of bits of brass and aluminium tubing. The flats on the ali tube are a bit on the big side, so I will be grinding these to a more suitable size later on. that's all for now. I am presently working on removing the moulded "T" track from the Kenner Blaster.

Sweet! I really like your 3 pronged contact, nice work

Here are a couple of pics of the Blaster with the "T" rails ground off. I have glued the two halves of the gun together so that I can cut off the scope and counter detail on top and replace these with my scratchbuilt detailed items.

Hi guys. Work on this will be on hold for a little while, as I want to get my Tie Pilot Costume finished for a troop next month. Will start posting more pics when project is finished. In the meantime here is a sample pic of what's to come.

sweet!