Cross-build comparison
Which builds share a donor, which share fabrication techniques, and which are easiest from scratch versus from parts — the matrix across the whole hub.
Cross-build comparison matrix — Firearms hub
This is the “which build shares what” view across every subdirectory in the hub. Use it to answer questions like:
- “Which builds use the same donor firearm?”
- “Which builds share a fabrication technique I’ve already set up jigs for?”
- “Which build is the easiest to do from scratch?”
- “What greeblie / sub-assembly is shared across multiple builds?”
Updated as builds are added or deep-dives surface new cross-build relationships.
At-a-glance decision matrix
| Build | Universe | Era / film | Donor firearm | From-parts path | From-scratch viability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL-44 | Star Wars | ANH / ESB / ROTJ (Han Solo) | Mauser C96 “Broomhandle” pistol (see Mauser_C96/ for the platform reference) | Denix C96 replica + greeblies kit / airsoft C96 + greeblies / replica-maker package (Master Replicas, eFX, etc.) | High — most of the prop is greeblies (scope, flash hider, grips, scope rail) which CNC + 3D print well; donor frame is the only piece that benefits from a real-steel approach | Hero prop ID: a C96 “broomhandle” of indeterminate exact variant + a Hensoldt-Wetzlar “Ziel-Dialyt” 3× scope + a flash hider sourced from a WWII-era German MG (commonly cited as MG81 or MG15, debated) + custom grips |
| Mauser C96 | n/a — real firearm | C96 production 1896–late 1930s | is the firearm | Surplus/demilled parts kit + repro/replacement parts (barrel, grips, springs, small parts) | High but hard — receiver + barrel CNC well in the lab, but the screwless/pinless lockwork is one of the hardest from-scratch handgun actions; rifled barrel likely farmed out | Hub’s first non-prop build + the canonical C96 donor-platform reference (Mauser_C96/). Real-firearm legal posture (antique-vs-C&R, shoulder-stock SBR pivot, Schnellfeuer = NFA machine gun). Consumed by DL-44 and future Mauser-derived props |
| E-11 | Star Wars | OT only — ANH / ESB / ROTJ (Stormtrooper, Sandtrooper, Death Star Trooper variants) | Sterling Mk 4 / L2A3 SMG (canonical Sterling-platform reference lives inside the E-11 dive — Vol 3 Provenance authored 2026-05-25 — until a second Sterling-based prop justifies promoting Sterling to its own dive) | Doopydoo resin kit (community canonical) / Anovos / Rubies replica / airsoft Sterling (S&T / Snow Wolf) + greeblies / community 3D-printed kits | High — Sterling-pattern receiver is a wrapped + welded sheet-steel tube (sheet + TIG-weld + drill jig for the helical cooling-hole pattern); fire-control housing is CNC-able; greeblies (scope rail + scope pod + M38 tube) are 3D-print + CNC | Deep dive drafted 2026-05-25 · text-complete 12 vols · 311 KB HTML w/ 5 photos. Hub-first: three Path A donor flavors as first-class (A1 semi-auto Sterling clone via Wise Lite / IO Inc; A2 Sterling parts-kit / 80%-receiver with 922(r) compliance; A3 Class III registered full-auto). Heaviest legal posture in the hub so far (Vol 10). Primary audience: 501st Legion / FISD troopers. Photo pass round 1 complete; 5 documented open gaps, recorded in that dive’s photo credits. |
| STEN Gun | n/a — real firearm | UK Mk I–VI family (1941-1953; design Shepherd + Turpin at RSAF Enfield) | is the firearm | Apex Gun Parts / Sarco / IO Inc parts kits + US-made semi-auto tube receiver with 922(r) parts-count compliance (the iconic US “buy a kit and build” SMG project) | Highest in the hub — the STEN was deliberately designed in 1941 for crude wartime mass production (sheet receiver tube, fixed firing pin, lathe-turned bolt, no specialty steels); Jeff’s lab is two generations above what the original WWII subcontractors had. Path C (from scratch) is genuinely the easiest of the three paths for this build, contrary to the usual hub default | Deep dive text-complete 2026-05-26 · all 12 vols authored end-to-end across two calendar dates; STEN_Gun/03-outputs/STEN_Gun_Complete.html at 488 KB w/ 5 photos, scroll-spy = 3. Largest deep dive in the hub by file size. Vol 6 is the canonical hub treatment of the 922(r) 20-parts-count rule (other hub builds cross-reference rather than re-deriving). Vol 10 is the heaviest legal volume in the hub (NFA + § 922(o) + § 922(r) + 1982 closed-bolt + constructive-possession + state-by-state map + decision-framework table). Vol 11’s § 11.3 is the canonical hub treatment of WWII Sten magazine feed-lip pathology + Sterling-pattern aftermarket solution. Three build paths fully authored: A NFA Class III pre-86 transferable (Vol 5), B parts kit + US semi-auto receiver + 922(r) (Vol 6), C from-scratch lab build (Vol 7 — the centerpiece per Jeff’s “step-by-step guide of how we will make ours” ask). Direct platform-lineage tie to Sterling (E-11 donor) — Sterling replaced STEN postwar 1953; STEN Vol 7 is a near-direct lab-build template for the queued Sterling deep dive. Photos pending — Vols 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 frontmatter photo_credits_pending: true (deferred to follow-on session per the Mauser_C96 + E-11 text-complete-first pattern) |
(Add rows as new builds are scaffolded.)
Shared-element index
When a sub-assembly, greeblie, fabrication technique, or finishing recipe is shared across two or more builds, list it here so the deep-dives can cross-reference rather than re-authoring.
| Shared element | Builds | Where it’s documented canonically |
|---|---|---|
| Real-firearm donor + bolt-on greeblies (machined + 3D-printed) workflow | DL-44, E-11 | Pattern emerges across the DL-44 and E-11 fabrication workflows. Promote to a dedicated “machined-and-3D-printed greeblies” pattern section here once a third prop reuses it. |
| Parkerized + weathered finish | DL-44, E-11 | Both use parkerized black as the period-correct base + weathering applied to taste. Recipe specifics will be in DL-44 Vol 8 + E-11 Vol 8 once they ship; recipe should be cross-referenced rather than duplicated. |
Examples this section will eventually hold (more builds):
- Sterling SMG donor → E-11 (Stormtrooper) currently lives inside the E-11 dive; promotes to a Sterling dive of its own if a second Sterling-based prop is scaffolded (DH-17 is the obvious candidate)
- Mauser C96 donor → DL-44, possibly other BlasTech-derived builds
- Webley revolver donor → various imperial-officer sidearms (canon hold-back), maybe ROTJ Bib Fortuna’s piece
- Bluing recipe → most Mauser-derivative builds
Build-path family tree
The from-parts and from-scratch volumes across builds will often share fabrication patterns. As patterns emerge, document them here so the deep-dives can refer to a single canonical procedure rather than each volume repeating it.
| Pattern | First documented in | Reused in |
|---|---|---|
| (none yet) |
Examples this section will hold once there are enough builds:
- “CNC-machined aluminum scope ring from billet” — common across any prop with a top-mounted scope
- “3D-printed-then-skinned grips” — common across donor-frame mods where original grips don’t fit / weren’t right
- “Hot-bluing on small steel parts” — common across most period-correct builds
- “Patina-on-aluminum to match aged steel” — common across props where mixed-material parts need to read uniformly
Donor-firearm index
When a build relies on a donor firearm, list it here so cross-build questions (“can the C96 frame from my DL-44 also work for X?”) have an authoritative answer.
| Donor | Builds | Variant requirements | C&R / antique status | Common acquisition paths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauser C96 “Broomhandle” | DL-44; future Mauser-derived props | Most prop-accurate: a “Bolo” variant (short barrel) or a standard 5.5″ — the screen prop’s exact variant is debated; see the DL-44 dive, Vol 2. Canonical platform reference: the Mauser C96 dive’s variant survey | All pre-1899 production = federal antique; most post-1899 C96s are C&R-eligible (serial cutoffs are variant-specific — verify per the Mauser C96 dive, Vol 3) | Auction houses (Rock Island, James D. Julia), specialty C&R dealers, Denix replicas (non-firing), airsoft C96s (Marushin, WingunReply) |
| Sterling Mk 4 / L2A3 SMG | E-11 (donor); standalone real-firearm deep dive queued 2026-05-25 (aspirational queue position 3, after AK-47 and SVD); future Sterling-based props (DH-17 obvious next candidate) | E-11 uses the standard Mk 4 / L2A3 configuration. Canonical Sterling platform reference: currently the E-11 dive, Vol 3 (Provenance authored 2026-05-25); on promotion to a dive of its own it mirrors the Mauser C96 dual-role pattern (standalone build and canonical donor reference for E-11 + future Sterling-based props). The “deferred until a second Sterling-based prop is scaffolded” posture from 2026-05-23 is rescinded — Sterling gets its own deep dive at Jeff’s 2026-05-25 explicit ask. | NFA Class III machine gun (full-auto Sterling SMG, Mk 4/L2A3); not NFA for semi-auto Sterling clones (Wise Lite, IO Inc) — state laws vary; NFA + 922(r) parts-count compliance for parts-kit / 80%-receiver builds. Demilled UK Sterlings import as parts kits (cut receiver) | A1: Wise Lite Arms or Indianapolis Ordnance (semi-auto clones); A2: Sterling parts kit importers (Royal Tiger, Apex Gun Parts) + US-made 80% receiver; A3: NFA dealers (Class III Form 4 transfer, ~$30K+); B: Doopydoo resin kit, Anovos / Rubies replica, airsoft (S&T, Snow Wolf) |
| STEN Gun (UK Mk I–VI) | n/a — is the firearm (STEN_Gun/); platform-lineage donor to nothing in the hub but the Sterling lineage cousin to E-11’s donor (Sterling replaced STEN postwar 1953) | All Mk I–VI in scope; Mk II is the canonical build target (most-produced ~3.7M of ~4.5M total; most-photographed; most-available as parts kit). Mk V is the natural secondary (wooden furniture + Lee-Enfield No 4 sights) | NFA Class III machine gun for original full-auto STENs (pre-86 registered transferable). Parts-kit + US-made semi-auto receiver builds: NFA-exempt but 922(r) parts-count compliance required; 1982 closed-bolt-only rule for new semi-auto SMG designs (pre-1982 open-bolt semi-auto STENs grandfathered). Deactivated UK / wartime-capture specimens often available as parts kits (cut receiver) | A: Class III dealer transfer (NFA Form 4, ~$10-25K); B: Apex Gun Parts / Sarco / IO Inc parts kits + US-made semi-auto tube receiver (the canonical US “buy a kit and build” SMG project); C: from scratch in 9×19 — the hub’s most-tractable from-scratch real-firearm path since the STEN was deliberately designed for it in 1941 |