Han Solo ANH Hero DL-44 Heavy Blaster ***COMPLETED PICS ON PG. 4***

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My DL-44 ANH Hero from a Denix Mauser

@Lichtbringer: You don't know how much it means to me that you approve of my work...it was YOUR Blaster threads that inspired me to give it a shot! In fact, if you dig through your PM Inbox, you'll find a message from me practically begging you sell me one of yours!

As for the outer diameter of my bull barrel, my measuring tape says it's 7mm around.

Time for updates!

The scope mount is now a single piece. After cutting a groove into the cradle with my Dremel, I JB Welded the mount and the cradle together. After it was cured, I used Apoxie sculpt to fill the gaps and to add details I wasn't able to carve out of the aluminum. This piece will be sanded smooth once the Apoxie Sculpt dries out. After that, I'll use some small slivers of aluminum to make the "teeth" that bite onto the scope bar.

I was planning on making the scope bar out of 3/4" X 1/8" aluminum bar, but it was too thin to clear the upper receiver of the Denix. I doubled up the bar and secured it with more JB Weld.

After drilling the proper holes to mount the scope bar, I JB Welded cut-down sections of a 5/16" bolt into the holes. These bolts aren't trimmed to the proper size yet as I'm awaiting the arrival of the knurled check nuts I ordered last night.

As usual, here's a shot of everything so far. I've got work for the next two nights, but after that I need to sand down the scope mount, fabricate the scope mount's teeth, affix a mounting point on the scope mount bar, and get the damn flash hider done. Jeez...building this prop has become an obsession.

Before I sign off, here's a shot of my work table. On it are most of the tools I use whenever I work on the blaster (not shown: Dremel with Flex Shaft, hacksaw, more Bud Ice).

Thanks for looking!
-Jonaas

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My DL-44 ANH Hero from a Denix Mauser

kpax just put up pics of his still in-progress super accurate Flash Hider and I totally want one RIGHT NOW. *SIGH* I guess I'll just have to make due with what I got for now.

 

[clancampbell]

Re: My DL-44 ANH Hero from a Denix Mauser

kpax just put up pics of his still in-progress super accurate Flash Hider and I totally want one RIGHT NOW. *SIGH* I guess I'll just have to make due with what I got for now.

Lol! Aint it always the way?

Really good work here btw, and i'm looking forward to more!

Rich

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Thanks for the props, Rich. As for kpax's build, I'm totally going to buy an entire kit and then do up another blaster (from an MGC, if I'm lucky enough to track one down).

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: My DL-44 ANH Hero from a Denix Mauser

@Lichtbringer: You don't know how much it means to me that you approve of my work...it was YOUR Blaster threads that inspired me to give it a shot! In fact, if you dig through your PM Inbox, you'll find a message from me practically begging you sell me one of yours!

You deserve it.

Yeah, i found your messages some days ago. Sorry i never replied, i was loaded with work in the real live and didn´t locked in here for many weeks - i also missed the whole "website hacked" thing. :confused

Not to far in the future i will make me a Merr Sonn - then i will give the flashhider my own try - at least if there is no better available than my existing. Then i will use the better on my ANH-Hero, and the second one on the Merr Sonn.

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My DL-44 ANH Hero from a Denix Mauser

Not to far in the future i will make me a Merr Sonn - then i will give the flashhider my own try - at least if there is no better available than my existing. Then i will use the better on my ANH-Hero, and the second one on the Merr Sonn.

Yeah, I remember you mentioning you wanted to tackle the Merr-Sonn next time and I'm sure you'll do an awesome job. If kpax and deadbolt's flash hider and parts kit turns out as amazing as it looks so far, I'll probably turn THIS blaster into my trooping/costuming blaster.

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Fresh out of a 12-hour shift at the hospital...time to get back to the REAL work.

After studying various pics of the Hero (and it's replicas) I realized that the open portion of my scope mount needed some work. After a bit of time with my round file, I got it to a place that I'm satisfied with (for now, of course).

I spent two (TWO!) hours crafting this little mounting piece for the scope bar out of layered aluminum bar and JB Weld. Cutting and shaping it to the proper specs was a nightmare...a nightmare that'll get even worse once I start fabricating the teeth on the scope mount. If the finished pieces don't slide together perfectly, all that time and effort will have been a waste.

I tapped the first of three holes onto the little mount piece and slapped it onto the scope bar just to get some measurements down. It sure looks the part so far!

All together for now. Hopefully today's mail will bring my knurled check nuts to switch out with those unsightly placeholders and my resin Hensoldt. Sadly, I screwed up my flash hider cone after a freak accident with an unruly Dremel, so I had to trash it. I put in an eBay order for a couple of cone-shaped pewter salt and pepper shakers. This time, however, I'm gonna be a bit more precise (which means I'm gonna have to invest in a Dremel Drill Press workstation).

Thanks for looking, everyone!

-Jonaas

 

[deadbolt]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Looking good, nice work on your mount and crossbar! :thumbsup


-Carson

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Thanks, Carson! And the flash hider that you and kpax turned out looks amazing! I'm sure the rest of the kit will turn out just as awesome.

I did a little work on the bull barrel today, fixing the taper on the flat portion of the underside. I cut a section of pipe to act as a stand-in for my scope just so I could visualize proportions better.

More updates to come later! Thanks, everyone!

 

[OdiWan72]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Keep the pics coming :thumbsup

Markus

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Ask and you shall receive, Markus!

Most of the work tonight involved drilling, tapping, and then attaching the mounting point to the crossbar. Everything has been JB Welded together and it's a pretty secure bond. The threaded 5/16" bolt will be stuck through the scope mount and secured with a knurled check nut. The two screws on either side of the bolt still have to be sanded flush and perhaps filled with Apoxie Sculpt for a cleaner look.

Here's the whole shebang put together and mounted onto the blaster. Please ignore the slight tilt of the stand-in scope...it's because of the electrical tape I stuck inside of the scope rings so the slightly smaller fake scope would fit securely. The cradle is slightly askew but not THAT bad. Looking at this picture, however, I'm now thinking I should reshape the rings on the cradle where the bolts screw into so they're rounder...but I'll probably get lazy.

And here we are now. As I was working in my garage, the mailman delivered the knurled check nuts I'd ordered. They're a bit smaller than I was expecting, but I'm happy with them. After I order the third check nut for the scope mount, I'll decide whether or not to modify them the same way that Lichtbringer did. My method will probably involve sticking them on the end of a power drill and clamping the drill to my work table in order to ghetto lathe them, but I'm absolutely sure that I'd take my eye out if I tried it.

I'll probably spend the rest of the night making the "teeth" for the scope mount and restarting my flash hider. But before I go, I have a question for all the DL-44 experts reading this: I'm planning to replace the Denix's grips with wood ones. I have two options: The first set have 20 lines and are relatively inexpensive (though the company that sells them are sold out at the moment). The second set have 32 lines and are really freakin' pricey (but are available). Which set is more accurate? Thanks in advance!

-Jonaas

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

32 is the correct amount.

Please keep in mind that the handle of the Denix is noticeable bigger than the real one, so you need to reshapen it´s metal frame to use replacement grips of the real Mauser (I had to do that on my MGC ANH-Hero, too). But the Denix is also sold with wooden grips, maybe your dealer can get a fitting spare set from/over his distributor, and maybe for a better price?

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

BLARGH! I guess I just gotta cough up the dough for the more accurate grips. But as for the grip modifications, I'm at least halfway done: The inside frame of the grip has already been cleared to make room for the wood grips' screws. Now to bite the bullet and order those 32-line grips. Hmm...maybe I should wait until my tax return comes in?

-Jonaas

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

This is the size difference i´m talking about:

A important difference - it feels completly different to my other DL-44s, due to the tiny handle. At least when wielding the blaster :love, not so much when stored on a shelf. :cool

 

[daryllwin]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Wow! That is fantastic. I'm still in my lightsaber collection phase, but maybe after I get enough sabers, I'll start on the blasters

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

@Michael: Yeah, I was a little concerned by how the gun would feel after cutting down the grip frame, but I'm pretty sure my blaster will spend most of the time holstered or displayed. Thanks for the pic!

@daryllwin: Thanks, friend! You know what's odd? One reason I've fought against buying/making lightsabers and blasters for years was because I knew that once I started, I'd never stop. I've kinda opened Pandora's box here with the blaster because when I was searching for my scope, I unconsciously googled "Graflex" too. It's all over now...I'm going straight to the poorhouse

-Jonaas

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

After finding out I'm getting a tax return (YAY!), I put in the order for my wood grips! Also, I got my salt and pepper shakers in today! Time to rock the flash hider (again)!

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Update time!

Since I'd mangled the FIRST flash hider I attempted to make, I searched eBay for a reasonable facsimile of the salt shaker I'd made the first one out of so I could give it another shot. Luckily, I found a set of the exact same salt and pepper shakers for a good price! It took a minute to get Mickey to give them up, though.

After chopping down and sanding one of the salt shakers and fitting it together with the other components of my scratchbuilt flash grenade: A piece of PVC coupling and the knurled cap off a bottle of shoe cleaner. All three elements of the flash hider will be mounted on a length of 3/4" tubing. Details will be sculpted on with Apoxie Sculpt. The "bullets" on the end piece will be painstakingly carved in one by one with a particular Dremel bit; I ran some tests on a scrap piece of PVC and I'm confident that with a steady hand, I'll get the look I desire. The holes on the cone section haven't been drilled yet, but I'm going to approach the task in a slightly different way than I did before in order to ensure that my holes are the correct size and perfectly lined up.

My scope mount is 100% complete! After some final smoothing, I shot a coat of primer on it and a couple coats of Krylon Flat Black. I won't start distressing the piece until the entire gun is all done.

Last shot of the night. Keep in mind that the cone of the flash hider in this picture is my old one and will be replaced.

I just ordered my gun belt from MP Filmcraft. It was pricey, but now I feel like my blaster wouldn't be complete without it. I snagged a resin droid caller from eBay, a CO2 canister from someone here on the RPF and I'm awaiting my belt tools kit and resin scope from Corellian Exports.

Later on tonight I'll work on the flash hider, reattach the old Denix sight and possibly start drilling holes in the new cone. But for now? Sleep.

Thanks, everyone!

-Jonaas

 

[FakeBritishAccent]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Tonight I finished re-mounting the Denix's flip-up sight. As I mentioned before, I decided to make it non-functional in order to cosmetically match the Mauser/MGC more accurately.

I started carving the bullet knurls on my PVC flash hider, but I'm not happy with how they look (thus the lack of pics for this update). However, with a little bit of fine tuning, I think I can turn out something acceptable (at least until I get my hands on kpax and Carson's machined flash hider, that is).

Also, I may be purchasing an actual Hensoldt. It's not the exact scope used on the Hero, but it's close enough for me. Stay tuned, folks.

-Jonaas

 

[OdiWan72]

Re: My ANH Hero DL-44 from a Denix Mauser

Please let us know about the quality of the MPF belt, o.k.?!

Markus