Only partially visible behind that blade is the brush guard, extruded from of 5/16" plate steel on the real thing, and punched with 908 ( Yes, Nine Hundred and Eight!) 1 inch holes in a very symmetrical pattern. Without this highly detailed brush guard, our model wouldn't have possessed all the character of the prototype, so it became a "must do" for us.

The shape of the guard was fairly easy to replicate. But all those holes? Can't you just imagine drilling 908 holes in ANYTHING? Let alone a chunk of solid brass? Then add to that the holes needed to be .016" in diameter, spaced apart by only .0087"...??? Talk about one formidable task!

Yet we were able to accurately replicate these 908 holes exactly on our model! How? Well sir, fortunately for us, we have our own high speed CNC Milling Machine here on the premises! We first made a CAD drawing of the guard, then spotted all the centerlines for the holes, specifying the depth of each hole by using different colors for different depths. ( Required since the guard isn't "flat" but has a curved face. See drawings below. )