Please be aware before reading this tutorial that in the UK the new law ,called the violent crimes reduction bill now prohibits the manufacture ,import and
purchasing of replica weapons ,see here http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/010/06010.29-35.html#j8008.So
if you do not have a valid reason as listed here you will be breaking this crazy new law !!! Back off Mr Brown I built this 2 years ago!
PROP HISTORY
In Return of the Jedi the propmakers did not use a Sterling L2A3 as the E11 base weapon but instead used a Model Gun Corporation replica of the canadian
sterling copy the C1. Extra parts were added including a door catch ,scope rail, hand made scope,some u channel for vent rails and what is widely reckoned to
be 2 winchester rifle hammers that were riveted to the side.
ASSEMBLY
Shown here is a method of building this prop using 36mm diameter pvc plumbing wastepipe and resin parts .Downloadable templates were used for the barrel or
receiver and can be found here www.imperial-fleet.com/bbc simply tape the two together and wrap around your
tube and you have the correct length to cut ,here is a ANH barrel i did but its the same process. 
Once taped in place begin drilling the
holes ,firstly with a smaller drill then open up with larger ones until the correct size is achieved.The ejection port can be done by drilling holes around
the edges and then cutting out the whole area with a dremel type tool or a jigsaw with some of the blade snapped off so it doesn't bottom out. 
heres a pic of the completed
receiver with all the necessary resin parts minus the endcap and vent rails that will be fabricated later.
now cut a further piece of pvc pipe long enough to
go from the rear of the receiver and slightly passed the ejection port.Then cut a section out along the entire length( amount not critical) so that it can be
slid inside the receiver to cover the cocking slot and inside of the ejection port.The piece that shows inside the port can also have grooves added ( 2
vertical & 2 horizontal joined to each other)to simulate the actual prop.
Now the resin parts can be added,I add the grip
first, this is actually a L2A3 grip but extremely close to the MGC grip and ( which is near impossible to get in resin) close enough !!Wrap sandpaper around
another pice of the pvc pipe and sand the part of the grip that is to join the receiver so you get the correct curvature to aid in its joining.this will also
save time filling later if its a good joint. I put 2 screws into the top of the grip assembly and drill 2 elongated holes into the receiver so that it slots
into it and then glue with 2 part epoxy glue,this gives added strength buy many people get on fine with just epoxy.Here the scope rail is being test fitted too
The mag housing and scope rail are next
,mag housing is sanded with a curve the same as the grip and secured with a screw and epoxy. Always drill a pilot hole through the resin first so the screw can
slip through and only engage into the plastic below otherwise you will risk cracking the resin. the scope rail is also screwed in place too (no glue needed)
and the scope can be screwed in place by fixing it from underneath and adding a little epoxy too.
here also is a top view to show how the scope
rail is fixed,you can also see the door catch has been screwed in place as well.
The rear sight is a converted
L2A3 rear sight sanded to the correct ROTJ shape with 2 castings of the head of an allen bolt ,but real ones could also be used.tThis is then fixed with
epoxy.
The winchester hammer copies are
then drilled and attached with pot rivets to match the real prop but you could just use small screws,the stock retaining clip is also epoxied in place and the
first part of the endcap fitted.The endcap is made from a pvc stop end ,this comes with a lip all around when you buy it ,but this is easily cut and sanded
off.
and heres a close up of the endcap
and rear sight
Next is the trigger guard
and trigger,these were also different to the L2A3 on the ROTJ E 11,the trigger is resin but the guard is best made from aluminium as its a lot stronger and
easy to bend to shape. Small sheets of aluminium are available from E-bay ,diy stores and hobby shops and can be cut with tinsnips or dremel type tools.Trigger
is glued with epoxy but the guard is best riveted or even fixed with small screws.
An aluminium curved piece will need to be made to
attach the folding stock to,2 small slots are cut for this to be pushed into and then epoxied in place.
Now the front of the folding stock can be screwed
here and either riveted or epoxied to the bracket behind the grip.
heres another view of the full stock in
place.
The front sight is made from aluminium
and downloadable plans for this can be found at the same place as the barrel templates along with parts for all this blaster if you alternatively wish to
scratchbuild any of the parts.A length of chain was purchased and 2 rings used for this prop ,the other is on the endcap and will be seen later.The muzzle
<which is attached to a piece of electrical conduit to simulate a barrel was then epoxied in place.
Resin shoulder stock piece as fixed in place with
2 rivets on each side ( the actual props did not have folding stocks and were riveted just like his)
Now another aluminium piece is fabricated from
templates and riveted to the endcap with the other chain loop mentioned.
The U channels can be made from electrical
conduit which is available from most DIY stores and is simply cut down the middle creating 1 rail from each side 
7 in all will be needed the longest (top ) being
about 163mm ,side 155mm and the 2 bottoms 135mm ,also to be fabricated in aluminium are the hand guard that go on the ejection port side of the blaster, there
are downloadable plans for these too..
The
u channels should be riveted on as in the movie and they are simply drilled and riveted in place between the holes on the reciver tube..
PREPERATION AND PAINTING
Here is another view , any filling needed is done at this stage and all areas sanded smooth and a coat of grey acrylic automotive primer is added and making sure you do this in a well ventilated area ,this will also show up any imperfections that you have missed as the prop will be all one colour and easier to see. this is rubbed down again and a final coat of primer is added.
Allow to dry thoroughly and spray with a coat of
black satin acrylic automotive paint. This will have to be done from all angles to ensure the paint goes into every nook and cranny so i sometimes hang the
prop on a peice of wire so i can get all around it then turn it up the other way (when dry ) and get anywhere alse that has been missed, here are some views of
the painted prop before weathering. 
..
WEATHERING
NOTE if you want a new unused look this is not necessary but for a worn bashed about on Endor effect read on
There are a few methods of weathering, one used is to paint the whole prop with
silver paint before the black topcoat and to then scratch away the black to reveal the silver.This can look effective but you do run the risk of going through
the silver too and into the grey or resin beneath and it is also a lengthier and more costly process. I prefer to dry brush my props after the black coat with
silver and brass effect paints. Take a medium to large model or artists brush and dip a little silver paint onto it, remove the excess onto some cloth or paper
then brush the almost dry paint onto the raised areas of the prop.You can move the brush repeatedly from side to side as well and when you get more confident
larger areas can be done in a relatively short time. For inspiration look at pictures of props or real weapons and see where the wear would occur.Basically all
raised areas corners and edges will take knocks and scuffs so try to immitate this as much as you can .dont do too much ,less is more as they say and can look
overdone, so do a little step back and work your way around..Another method is to spray a small amount of silver effect paint onto a piece of flanel or cloth,
leave it to dry for a while then rub the prop with the painted part of the cloth and the silver will go onto the raised areas too.I also drybrush a little
brown onto some areas to simulate dirt and rusting. These methods may require a little practice so maybe try them on a scrap or test piece first until you are
confident to try it on the prop.Dont worry if you mess up at first as you can always spray over with some black and try again. good luck
Here's a few pics of the prop with weathering.
Great Tutorial
