Slightly intimidated by this resin PKD2 kit I've just got

[Countrypaul]

I have just opened my Resin PKD2 kit

It’s the eBay one from Borderline Soul in Australia I understand it’s a recast of Rick Ross’s PKD2 that he no longer makes, I’ve seen a few builds on here & my understanding is that they’re kind of ok I hope that’s still the case, (I wouldn’t dare post this over on the RPF for fear of bringing down the wrath of the gods on my head)

On my budget (not a lot) & in the UK I’m not exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to blasters but I’d rather not buy recasts & resisted this kit for a while until I saw some of the great builds posted here, I have an Offworld but wanted something else to sit alongside it & it’s been a while since I’ve built anything.

I’ve built & painted a few resin blasters before & they’ve worked out pretty well but they were all Star Wars kits from Doopydoos in the UK & didn’t take much to put together (They make great kits & I’d love to see them do an original Blade Runner kit).

This kit looks like a pretty good cast nice crisp detail, not too many bubbles but a bit more complicated than anything I’ve done before, I’m not even going to attempt the electronics (I’m clueless)

The main grip frame is a little warped (common problem?) hopefully some warm water will sort that.

Looks like I’m going to need to drill screw holes for the grips & butt plate which makes me very nervous as my drill has no speed control!!

The grips look like they need some work but not sure how best to go about it, I’ve read about wet sanding & using brasso? really don’t want to do anything that’s going to ruin them.

I’m wondering if I need to finally give in & buy a dremel before I start this or do you think I’ll get away with my hand files & sandpaper

The instructions included seem to be for a PKD1 so any advice on putting this together would be appreciated

I probably just need to man up & get on with it

[ocd]

Iv've built 2 of these and sold them both on e bay for 250 +.

I have one sitting on the shelf that is almost ready for final assembly.
(needs painting and electronics, etc.)

This is a GREAT kit to learn how to solder and do the electronics. I did not have a clue on either before I built the first one.

Do a search on this site for the SID kit electronics as the procedure is the same and they have photo's. The instructions that come with your kit are fine and will do the job as long as you follow them.

Go to a Radio Shack and pick up a bunch of LED's to practice on first.

They sell a pack with assorted red, green, yellow, and clear 3 mm LED's for 2 bucks.

If you have never sanded grips before I would NOT recommend it.

Again go on Amazon and get the Novus Polishing kit.
Watch some vid's on U-tube about soldering. You can get a complete soldering kit on Amazon for 10 buck that will have every thing you need to solder it.

Soak the grips in HOT water to straighten them out. Same if it's the grip frame.

YES you NEED a Dermal. It's the minimum tool.

On the first kit I built I did not replace all the screws as I did not want to screw it up. The kit is SO much better though if you do.

Also you want to be carful when sanding around the lettering.

Do an initial lite sanding after you wash it, then spray it with any gray primer and sand as it makes the uneven spots easier to see.

You also might conceder adding some lead wights(fishing sinkers) in the barrel and in the body cavity. There is a indent from earlier kit that isn't used on your version.

TEST FIT every thing first using tape or rubber bands to hold it together.

Remember you CAN repair ANY part you might screw up. ( and HOW do I know this?)

Good luck and have fun.

best regards,
_________________
"No choice pal,..."

"Questions?,..."

[joberg]

What ocd said...and take your time, it's not a race; when you want to abandon/hammer the hell out of it, stand back, re-group and take a deep breath. It's true that without a good drill, you'll have to buy a Dremel for sure and yes, about the grips, blow dryer or hot water will take care of that (heavy weights after the hot water, 24 hours and it's staight).

Good luck, and don't be shy to post pics of parts you have difficulties with, I'm sure others will chime in and give you a hand.

[Countrypaul]

Thank you so much, your help & encouragement is very much appreciated.

I am excited to build this kit, I just want to do a good job,

My problem is I really enjoy the painting it's just the building that stresses me out just need to learn to be patient & take my time

I've taken your advice & ordered a dremel (figured that it was time)

Look forward to getting started & sorry if I keep asking novice questions

[Skin-Job]

Test fit everything multiple times.

Make a schedule and checklist of things that need doing and in which order.

Approach each task as an individual project to be completed to a predetermined level of fit and finish.

Develop the individual parts into sub assembles and it will go together smoothly.

If you're unhappy with something, fix it or do it again right away. Don't leave it.
Every time you see or handle the finished piece, the bad bits will jump out at you.

The voice of bitter experience

Most of all though, enjoy it. Enjoy every part of the process.
If it begins to feel like work leave it for a while...


Karl

[jakob2121]

And remember - six months after you're done, you'll still feel a twinge of frustration over the things you couldn't get how you wanted, but you won't even notice the small stuff when you actually handle it.

[Robotprops]

Your character shows through. The makers of these kits are artists and their work must be recognized.
Recast kits are not readily accepted, but some of the builds are.
I have an original Ross kit yet to be assembled, but this Aussie
recast was good practice.
The quality of the castings cannot be compared.
For my build I kept only the pieces that I couldn't (at the time) make myself.
The receiver, the mag well, and the two side plates were the only pieces that I kept.
this should be the link...

http://www.propsummit.com/viewtopic.php?t=3609&highlight=another+aussie+recast

[Countrypaul]

Sanding & filing & drilling & trimming & so on

It's coming on just slowly, the casting wasn't terrible but there has been a lot more tidying up than I first thought,

Determined to take my time & not rush it like I usually do

Lots of test fitting

Been drilling the holes for the screws but thinking I'll probably end up having to add some glue as I'm not convinced the screws will hold in the resin but that's ok, not planning on taking it apart again once finished.

Need to start on the grips now, hopefully they'll buff up with the new dremel

Planning to paint all the parts individually before I put it together which I've not done before with other kits

My Sidkit concept Leon Blaster arrived today so I need to resist the urge to start on that instead

[joberg]

So far so good Paul and there's nothing wrong by starting another piece, sometimes it's great because it permits you to take a breather from the main one and start again, somewhat refreshed.

[darthwolf7]

I ordered and built one of these kits! it was fun but as everyone has been saying take your time and be patient! I was going to order a few more of them and put them together for some friends...it was fun the first time. I didn't take any photos though?! Bad idea? I will document my next project for sure!...good luck and feel free to ask me for any advice...I did some custom things to mine like adding the green LED's and painting it like the hero prop...as well as adding the visible wiring like the hero prop had...it came out OK...z friend bought it for $200.00 when I was done with it... I plan to make myself one again at some point....

[joberg]

Darthwolf7, yes we always like to see pics of any build (everybody builds differently and it's always nice to see other techniques/tricks).

Show us your next WIP when comes the time

[darthwolf7]

I will...I can at least see if I can find a few pictures of it?..I will post photos of my next project for sure!!!!

[Countrypaul]

Slowly but surely (well maybe not surely )

Got all the parts of mine painted, not going for screen accurate here, figure the PK2 is a unique design maybe an earlier or later model to the hero

Everything undercoated metallic silver & then satin black on the receiver & bolt, gloss black on the side covers & steyr mag & rub n' buff silver on the grip frame, planning to weather it down so the silver comes through the black in places

Never used rub n buff before & whilst it looks good it keeps coming off on my hands so I guess I need to keep buffing

Not 100% sure how I feel about the gloss parts but I think I'll stick with it for now, I wanted the contrasts in finish

Actually I really liked it all silver & nearly kept it that way maybe next time

Spray painting has been slow work as its been minus 2 or so most of the week & not much warmer in my garage

Turns out my grips are in pretty poor shape lots of air bubbles & I don't want to sand in case I just open them up? Cleaned them up a bit, but can't seem to get them clear, tried buffing with the dremel

Also painted my Leon Blaster, lots of buffing to do on that one,

Ive taken pics every step & will upload some when I work out how & when I'm not on here on my phone,

Thanks again for the encouragement

[darthwolf7]

I had similar problems withthe grips...I used 1000 grit sandpaper and a tiny bit of mild fish soap to sand mine down...then I let them sit until dry and repeated the process until was happy... never got to the bubbles be cause of the fine grit sandpaper... hope this helps a bit...oh yeah, dute the soap in warm water then dip the paper into it to sand....

[joberg]

Try to choose spray cans with ajustable nozzle (spray vertically or horizontally). As for spraying with low temps or even into the minus it depends what you want to achieve.

For the V.K. I sprayed a matte black at around 5C (the paint dryed fine inside afterwards) But for the main body, I wanted a "hardware-computer-plastic finish so I sprayed it at -10; so when the colour hits the surface it tends to have a kind of "spotty" finish and it stays that way even inside.

Wet sanding will give your grip a better look for sure but wont get rid of the bubbles...you can also use Turtle wax (not too gritty) to smooth in out.

[Countrypaul]

Been meaning to update on this

I finished the PKD2 & the Leon Concept Blaster about 2 weeks ago,

Really wanted to add picture as I took lots as I went along but I’ve not figured out how to upload yet (doesn’t help that I’m usually on here on my Iphone)

Thanks for all the advice & encouragement as I went along

I’m pretty pleased with it, think the grips were a bit beyond my best efforts in the end (filled with bubbles) didn’t do the electrics but mostly because I wanted to be able to see through the grip frame which I cut out to match the hero (best I could).

Added lots of weathering & some metal details & I don’t mind that the grips aren’t perfect as it fits in with the beaten up look I was going for

Honestly will try to post pics soon if anyone is still interested,

In the mean time I picked up a built up version of this same blaster from Fetterboba here in the prop shop, my intention was to paint one of these all black as a Patrolman style blaster but it arrived today & the thing is a beauty

Thinking my Aussie build must have been several generations of casting away from this one as the lettering etc. is much better & the Grips are fantastic (not a bubble in sight) either that or the quality of the kits has taken a nose dive,

It’s also much heavier (but may have had some weights built in?) & the triggers pull

Anyway I don’t think I’ll be painting it black, that fate may befall my own build but we’ll see

I’ve got another one of those Chinese toy blasters which I’ve enjoyed converting in the past so planning on having a play modding this in the next few weeks.

[joberg]

We're always interested in seeing pics, either WIP and final prop or final prop

[jontom]

Would love to see pics!

[centech]

*bump*

I've got one of these kits coming. Would love to hear about your progress and see any pictures.