Now a short comparison of the blasters I have: Sterling SMG, MR (I have 2 MR blasters, one complete with everything, and one loose), 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 seem more accurate than the MR ones, so is the scope (original M-40). But MR scope seems to be an exact copy after M-38/M-40 tank scope anyway (so quite accurate), and not after M-19 (which also were used on E-11 blasters), 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 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. Now just to get a cool stand for it - working in progress already
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).
Mine just looks like this one:
Or here:
http://www.partsofsw.com/index.htm it is like the BlasTech E-11 (Stormtrooper Blaster) ANH Version C aka Han Solo's blaster from the detention cell block, when he is shooting at the comm panel. It seems the seller intention was indeed to make it like that, that's why no Hengstler on it, just the 2 cylinders.
BTW
an interesting read about how deactivated guns are allowed but not replicas LOL. Really stupid...
