Some of you may be aware that I've be working on (with help from Nige) an airsoft SMLE based on original parts and Marui VSR-10 internals.
Well it's got to a stage where I think there's something worth showing so here are a few pics.
The whole gun. I still need to work on the rear sight and the top rear wood. That will need shaving down quite a bit.
The front of the gun showing the blued steel outer barrel (from B&Q). I need to make up the front sight yet. I have a blade, but need something to mount it on.
Another view of the front.
The hop unit will fit right under the rear sight. I thought this would be a major problem, but the original sight I have should fit over the top after it has been modified. I have removed most of the gubbins of the hob mechanism to save space and simplify things. Also I've had to file off quite a bit of the hop unit casing. Luckily it's not needed. In the end it fits quite snugly.
The rear of the gun where the stock meets the forewood. This was the bit that had me stumped. Luckily Nige was able to help out with his far superior woodworking skills!
Another bit I wasn't looking forward to that Nige was able to help with. The hollowing out of the magwell.
The mag fits snugly and locates with the hop unit perfectly. I just need to fit a section of the old VSR outer barrel inside to stop the mag hitting the cylinder and also provide somewhere to fit the velcro that will hold the mag in. An idea nicked from Sgt Heide's No4! 
Detail of the stock attachment. Some clever joinery there...
A screw hole in the trigger guard should allow a screw to be put in for extra strength. Though it's going to be awkward getting a screwdriver in there!
The plan is to fill the gap with P38 car filler to simulate the bit of the receiver between the stock and lower wood.
With the top wood removed you can see the steel outer barrel.
and again.
The VSR was one from an old friend of mine who doesn't get to airsoft that much any more. I upgraded it several years ago for him, so know it quite well. The wood was from http://www.e-gunparts.com . Much of the metalwork is from ebay, but some is from ds solutions and some from the gunner. Some bits were also picked up from the Leeds militaria fair.
I have all the bits I need now apart from the magazine. This should be on its way from Henry Krank as I type...
I really want to get this in shootable condition for the weekend so I can try it out. To do that I need to get the VSR mag fixed in place which will require me to get part of the outer barrel fixed in place as described above.
i have had that bugger for a week, but looking at it from a different perspective, it looks bloody marvelous, well done yith.
wowzer
thats fantastic
ooooooooooooo im jelous of the gun and the fact you have time to attempt it
well done both of you
WANTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
armoury. Sten lanchesteralike thompson m1a1 thompson 1928 Garand (m14 S&S) 1911 Browning HP Tanaka M10 stg 44 mp40 x 2 tanaka k98 MG42 (AK IN PLASTIC BODY) MG34 (ak in plastic body as well) Luger broom handle latex bayonet latex E-tool
It's not actually taking that long to do (speaking for myself, not nige). I've probably spent more time thinking about it than actually doing anything.
I think so far there's only been 2 or 3 nights work from me.
Re the fore sight block:
I have a set of SMLE blueprints, and it looks the same as the No.4's.
That's interesting... yes... I've just looked at my deac and you're right.
I've seen them on ebay and I think the gunner, so may have to get one... hmmm...
if i add up the bits of time here and there, about a (short) day.
Nice work, both of you.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Looks absolutely superb !:good: great work guys.
“I wanted to come to the Volga at a specific location at a specific city. By chance it carries the name of Stalin himself. So don’t think I marched there for this reason – it could carry another name – but because there is a very important goal... this goal I wanted to take – and you know – we are very modest, we have it already."
Adolf Hitler, November 1942
"Comrades, Red Army men, commanders and political workers, men and women guerrillas! It is on your perseverance, staunchness, fighting skill and readiness to discharge your duty to the country that the defeat of the German-fascist army and the liberation of the Soviet land from the Hitlerite invaders depend! We can and must clear the Soviet land of Hitlerite vermin."
Joseph Stalin, November 1942
Looking good! Looks like i'll have to fix my piling swivel after all! 
Very nice project you two
There's no chance at all I'll be at War and Peace. Sorry!
I'll look into that two part metal putty... sounds interesting.
Which of the sources you mentioned did you get the nose cap from?
I am forming a plan to see if I do a tempoary conversion of No.4 to SMLE. The most obvious difference being the nose cap. Looking at dimensions and pictures I think it may be possible to fit it on with some alteration to cap. To move forward now a need a nosecap to try and have been struggling to find one in the UK to buy.
Hmmm... I got the nosecap from ebay, I have seen them on the other UK sources' websites as well.
I'm not sure it will work. The wood on the SMLE is "stepped" at the front. The lower wood is a lot longer than the top wood.
When I was getting desperate for SMLE wood I did have a look to see if No4 wood would work instead and seem to remember giving up.
Also the rear sights are completely different - Tangent in front of the receiver for SMLE, and aperture at the back of the receiver for the No.4.
Well it's been a productive couple of days. Between enjoying the amazing weather my SMLE has come on in leaps and bounds. In fact it's so close to being complete that I plan to skirmish with it a bit tomorrow.
Oh and there's some of my pea green webbing there as well. Can you spot my repro pea green blanco from the original?
that magazine housing looks like it was cut with a lazer..................... 
Okay... I've just finished the wood off with dye and oil. No pics, sorry!
It's a few cosmetic things that need doing now.
The next thing is the bridge over the receiver.
This bit:
I'm not sure what to use for it. It needs to be easy to model, but very strong as it could be knocked easily.
I was considering bending some steel strip, if I can find some at B&Q and then adding some putty to it to thicken it a bit. Though how I would ensure that was firmly fixed to the receiver I'm not at all sure.
I do luckily have a deac to get the correct dimensions from.
I was considering bending some steel strip, if I can find some at B&Q and then adding some putty to it to thicken it a bit. Though how I would ensure that was firmly fixed to the receiver I'm not at all sure.
the same part on mine is screwed into a drilled and tapped hole on the receiver on the left side (as you're looking down the barrel when firing), and screwed to the trigger mech on the right hand side. It shouldn't be too difficult to bend a decent thickness of steel or ally bar to the outer profile, then fill on the inside to make the thickness up. The advantage is that the weak part (filler) is then less likely to be bashed/damaged.