Author Topic: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster  (Read 53253 times)

Offline jkno

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Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« on: January 04, 2013, 06:12:41 AM »
Stormtrooper E-11 blaster - Stormtrooper E-11 blaster - Stormtrooper E-11 blaster - Stormtrooper E-11 blaster - Stormtrooper E-11 blaster



This thread will describe the Stormtrooper E-11 blasters as seen in SW. It will also try to show you the variants of these blasters and teach you about some of the greeblies/parts used to make them a genuine Star Wars Stormtrooper blaster.

This is about the REAL Star Wars, the Original Trilogy,  the point of origin from where everything started,, and where the props, armors and helmets were not perfect and idealized like they were in the Prequels, but in fact they were wonky and rough, and had dents, scratches and rubs, and were made by talented ILM artists in work-shops, and not by CGI.

The fantastic Stormtrooper blaster remains one of the most iconic sci-fi weapons of all times.





Below a pic of an original screen used Stormtrooper blaster from ANH & ESB (helmet is ESB only, but most likely it was an ANH used helmet with black repainted frown) - see its scope:





In SW in many cases including Stormtroopers they used real working weapons. Thus if not deactivated it would be a REAL weapon which could shoot bullets, which is not allowed on many countries.

That is why in ESB and especially on ROTJ Lucas didn't even use real Sterling sub-machine guns anymore, but went instead in many cases with resin copies of Sterlings upgraded as E-11 Stormtrooper blaster. In the end this is the closest thing to what was used in A New Hope. It is a replica only because it replicates what was used in the movies, but otherwise it uses exactly the same components used by ILM.

You could read more about the weapons of Star Wars here: http://www.partsofsw.com/index.htm. Or you can look here in the Behind the Scenes section: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/E-11_blaster_rifle

Quote: "The E-11 blaster rifle prop was built from a British-made Sterling L2A3 sub-machine gun. To give the actors something to react to and to give rotoscoping artists timing reference when animating blaster bolts, the E-11 rifle props in the original trilogy—which were still fully operational firearms—were loaded with blank cartridges that were then fired to provide a practical effect. Because of this, expended 9mm casings can be seen ejecting from the props in several scenes in A New Hope, particularly during the assault on the Death Star's detention level. This can also be seen briefly in a closeup of Lando firing one in The Empire Strikes Back."

The pic below shows a real Sterling (used for ANH and ESB E-11) and an ROTJ E-11 blaster which is a Model Gun Corporation conversion - thus they are not quite the same (read below this thread and understand the differences between ANH, ESB and ROTJ Stormtrooper blasters):




And a comparison of the blasters I have: Sterling SMG (without Hengstler at the time I took the photo), MR (I used to have 2 MR blasters, one complete with everything, and one loose which I sold), SDS, and Hasbro (unmodified).

 



 

The Master Replicas version is quite cool, but is about 90-95% accurate. The cocking mechanism (handle) and the spring on the right side of the real SMG is completely missing on the MR, that part is just a bit dented as a shape to what it should have been there, but no real hole. I know there were 501st customizing it and cutting that out, but is a hell of a job to do it since MR is metal too.

The weight is almost identical on both SMG and MR, thus quite impractical for 501st for trooping - heavy and not very comfortable. Trigger on MR is not working, neither is the A/S selector switch. The folding stock is one of the cool things MR could have done to make it work - I've seen people upgrading MR E-11 to have folding stock and seems it was not very difficult. It is a bit tricky to completely unfold the stock on SMG, but once you get the trick it is really fantastic - you need to push the end cap of the blaster in and also push the underside button (they both have springs) and only then the stock will open up completely and fit in the back perfectly.

My T-tracks are more accurate than the MR ones, so is the scope (original M38 and M40). But MR scope seems to be an exact copy after M38/M40 tank scope anyway (so quite accurate), and not after M19  (which also were used on E-11 blasters, mostly on ESB though), of course the MR blaster scope has that red computer targeting grid, which is very cool on its own. The MR blaster is cleaned up, looking very pristine, also having all the specific gun numbers and codes removed (maybe because of the gun laws).

The SDS E-11 is copied after a similar real Sterling which belongs to CfO, and thus is very accurate, on some components even better than MR (SDS does have partial cocking mechanism and even a spring like tube inside, plus a Hengstler counter copy and metal cylinders), on others it looses some sharpness, but being made of plastic is kind of understandable. After all the SDS blaster, as being made of PVC tubing and plastic/resin, is excellent for trooping, but will look cool on display as well.

The Hasbro Stormtrooper blaster is what you see LOL, unmodified it looks very inaccurate, but with some upgrading kits it may look cool too. Of course there are other fan made blasters or kits like Hyperfirm or Doopydoos which are very accurate, but more expensive than Hasbro version.

In the end both MR and the SDS are quite accurate on their own, some work may be done on both to make them even more accurate, but they are very cool nevertheless. But none is even close to holding a piece like the real SMG. The seller told me I won't let it off my hands and he was totally right.

I also got the cool stand for it which I totally prefer to the regular MR mirrored stand since I always like stands that look like a real weapons rack for blasters and environment stands for studio scale vehicles, and mirror bases for elegant lightsabers or space fighters. ;)

It seems there as many as 6 or even 8 different versions of E-11 in ANH (according to different scources), some with all greeblies (Hengstler counter and cylinders on the magazine - like SDS), some with just the Hengstler, some with just the cylinders (like Han's - and mine) and others with nothing (like MR).

I think this is an interesting read about how deactivated guns are allowed but not replicas LOL. Really stupid...


« Last Edit: January 07, 2013, 01:00:09 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2013, 06:13:07 AM »
The Stormtrooper blaster from SW Chronicles, it comes with wires, not much seen elsewhere:






And look at no. #31 in the pic below  :) - there is the tank scope:




Click on this link for full size:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4981/shermanh.jpg





Two or three of these small TCC capacitors is needed to be added between the dual cylinders to make them even more accurate:




In the end it should look like something this:









« Last Edit: January 07, 2013, 12:41:18 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2013, 06:13:28 AM »
For those not knowing what a Hengstler counter is and what part it has on SW blasters below are some details.

A Hengstler Corporation industrial mechanical counter was added to the side of some of the Star Wars Stormtrooper blasters (real Sterling Mk4/L2A3 SMG's) close behind the magazine receiver - not all SW E-11 had these, it seems they were crudely glued on and some fell off during filming.

According to http://www.partsofsw.com/ so far there have been identified 2 versions used in SW, they are distinguished by their logo: Eagle - Logo in the shape of an eagle with the number 890 down the middle, and Eagle Hengstler - Eagle logo smaller with Hengstler name underneath. The entire counter assembly was then painted black. Of course there are other type of Hengstler counters (the company still exists today) but these 2 are the accurate ones. You can see a Hengstler counter resin copy on my SDS blaster and a real one on my Sterling below. This real Eagle Hengstler is quite rare at this moment.










The accurate genuine metal socket Eagle Hengstler counter:





I even changed the numbers to these specific ones:


« Last Edit: January 07, 2013, 12:35:54 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2013, 07:19:05 AM »
Here is the Pugman Empire Strikes Back E-11 Stunt Stormtrooper blaster made from an original screen used stunt blaster. This is a rough blaster, with a lot of imperfections, but it is EXACTLY like the screen used, no idealizing or cleaning on it. I love itand wil lget one as soon as budget allows it.














Here's a cool publicity pic from ESB of stormtroopers arresting Leia with an ESB 'stunt' blaster... just like the one that these replicas are cast from:







More pics of the cool Pugman ESB E-11 blaster compared to the original screen used one - it shows the file marks and rough areas which have been faithfully reproduced:








« Last Edit: January 04, 2013, 09:50:10 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2013, 07:28:22 AM »
Master Replicas ANH Stormtrooper blaster - this comes without Hengstler and without cylinders, though MR supposedly wanted to make an upgraded version later.

From the MR site (unfortunately it doesn't exist anymore) - the original Master Replicas review of this blaster:

Prop Replica Details:

• Official reproduction of the "E-11" blaster rifles used by the Stormtroopers throughout the original Star Wars: A New Hope.
• The original prop was modeled after a 1950's British submachine gun.
• Our replica is made of metal with ABS parts and detailing and weighs almost 30 pounds.
• Comes with a custom display case, numbered plaque, plaque stand, and certificate of authenticity.
• Approximate dimensions: 21" L x 6" W x 9" H
• Limited Edition of 3,500 pcs.
• Carefully recreated from original archival materials and fully authorized and endorsed by Lucasfilm Ltd.
• This museum quality replica has a blaze orange plug set inside the barrel.


The prop makers modified the military version of a 1950’s British submachine gun to create this blaster prop. To create this fearsome weapon, the prop-makers modified the gun by adding plastic “T-track” to cover the barrel vent holes. A metal strip was bent into shape and attached to the top of the receiver in order to attach a WWII tank azimuth scope. The original 32 round magazine for the submachine gun was shortened to hold three rounds.

While many different resin stunt Stormtrooper blasters were used during filming, Master Replicas has recreated the metal hero version based upon the blank-firing submachine gun as used in A New Hope. With its heavy, steel construction, our replica weighs almost as much as the actual prop.

Master Replicas takes great pride in presenting this most sought-after prop replica. We hope that you’ll enjoy our interpretation of this iconic weapon.

There were at least 8 variations on the Stormtrooper blaster seen in ANH (and throughout the original trilogy). Almost all of these variants of the Stormtrooper blaster were constructed using British Sterling Mk4/L2A3 submachine guns as the basis, and the differences are around the scopes, use of wires, and other various bits and pieces that were used to modify the prop. In some cases for variations where original Sterlings were not the basis of the prop, MGC (Model Gun Corporation) Sterling replicas were used instead.



























« Last Edit: January 04, 2013, 07:30:18 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2013, 08:24:05 AM »
Wow, what an awesome resource. Time to go give this some front page love. Thanks for doing this Serg. I can't wait to get my hands on a few of these.

Offline jkno

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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2013, 08:31:18 AM »
ISY is the only place where I posted this complete info regarding Stormtrooper blasters so far.
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2013, 08:37:13 AM »
ISY is the only place where I posted this complete info regarding Stormtrooper blasters so far.

Wow thank you Serg. I am really enjoying it. You sure do know your OTC Info!

Offline jkno

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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2013, 08:41:14 AM »
Sterling SMG:




The place where the Hengstler counter was glued to the Stormtrooper blaster and then fell off, you can see the glue residue:




Hengstler counter in place:




Han Solo's blaster with curved/bent scope rail (not straight like MR blaster for example):




We talk about the cylinders seen on the magazine of some of the Stoprmtrooper blaster. Guess where they can be found again ... Mouse Droid and Luke's Landspeeder - they were some kind of military radar pieces, most likely some kind of capacitors:





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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2013, 08:45:13 AM »
Wow, such great history here Serg. Thanks again for sharing. I can't wait to get home and plug some of this on our Facebook Page.

Offline jkno

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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2013, 08:53:28 AM »
The various types of WW2 tank scopes used on SW blasters from ANH and ESB: on ANH E-11 there were the M-38/M-40, on ESB there were the M-19/M-32






Sterling SMG:



« Last Edit: January 04, 2013, 09:51:42 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2013, 09:52:17 AM »
In Return of the Jedi they used some ESB and ANH blasters, resin ones but the best known ROTJ blaster remains the Model Gun Corporation (MGC) Sterling conversion




Screen used ROTJ  MGC E-11:




Fan made ROTJ E-11 using MGC - very accurate:









Unmodified MGC:






Prototype Master Replicas Stormtrooepr blaster that should have come with Hengstler and cylinders too:



I have to thank for much of this info to the guys at RPF and FISD
« Last Edit: January 07, 2013, 07:45:52 AM by jkno »
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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2013, 12:49:05 AM »
And now the evolution and upgrade of my own Sterling SMG converted as Stormtrooper E-11 blaster

My Sterling blaster as it arrived to me without Hengstler and only with accurate Gino t-tracks and M-40 scope (and not the recently acquired M-38) and with its deactivation certificate. The cylinders were not the most accurate either. So the blasrer needed some upgrades.









Depending on the type of E-11 Stormtrooper blaster they used various real tank scopes: M-38, M-40 and even M-19 or M-32. Now on my Sterling there is the M-38 and the M-40 - easily replaceable, there are just 2 screws there connecting them to the scope rail. There are very small visual differences between M-40 and M-38. Both are made of solid brass, they come from the Sherman tanks from WW2, and are quite expensive and rare (over $100 and some even close to $175). Many times they come with the entire targeting assembly, and you need to take off that part, and have just the scope and the 2 original brass screws for the blaster itself. Accuracy of the E-11 at its max! :)









The Hengstler was painted in origial colors (see pics above) so I decided to make it accurate by paiting it black and then change the counter to show the iconic number 1138 ;)




The 2 cylinders sets I got, the one with dual small capacitors (left) and the one with 3 holes (right). In the one with the 3 holes I added the newly found screen accurate small capacitors I received from a good friend after painting them, they are just attached with their wires and no glue or anything else, so if I want to reposition them or take them off, it can be done in seconds.


The entire assembly is connected to the blaster with 2 flat and powerful rare earth magnets (glued to the cylinders and painted black), thus I can exchange between the two options and also change the position of the cylinders if want to - too bad Master Replicas didn't add some of these greeblies to their version of the Stormtrooper blaster, it would have been so much better:




Not shown here are the extra T-tracks I got from Marv, they are a bit different but accurate too.



In the end my converted Sterling with real Eagle Hengstler counter, genuine M-38 and M-40 scopes, accurate T-tracks, and cylinders - a real Stormtrooper blaster as seen on screen:








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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2013, 03:50:20 AM »
Just awesome background on one of our favorite blasters Serg. This is gonna be a great reference for those folks wanting to be screen accurate with their own blasters.

Offline jkno

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Re: Stormtrooper E-11 blaster
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2013, 04:00:35 AM »
This might help people who want to understand how the blasters were made back then and how to make an accurate replica. In fact many of the OT blasters were in fact made from real life weapons.  This might be useful even for not expensive blasters, it would work even on a Hasbro with doopy kit for example.
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