Archive&Future
Sr Member
A blaster which needs no introduction, so I'll cut to the chase. My friend Jem and I both wanted to build Han's blaster after finishing our Graflex sabers, but we knew that we wanted it to feel just right.
We spent several weeks poring through research well trodden by makers far greater than us, before deciding that the best route considering our humble budget was to modify a die-cast C96 Mauser BB gun. We settled on the G12, which arrived swiftly and surprised us in its quality; It is most definitely too small to be a 'true' DL-44, coming in at around 75% the size of the real Mauser.
With the option of either a 1:1 plastic gun, or a 2:3 metal gun, the choice was a no-brainer....
Many of the components we've ordered haven't yet arrived, but we had enough to make a solid start. I ordered some superb little M4 thumbscrews, and also scavenged various other dials.
Disassembly was a breeze, the quality was far better than the money we paid for these
We started by using a sponge-tipped dremel to scuff the enamel away, but we soon realised that paint stripper would be a more efficient solution
After some thorough buffing with wire wool, they look quite magnificent!
We knew early on that authentic wooden handles would be the only acceptable solution, however reproductions of the famous broomhandles would be 25% too large for our builds; so instead we took a surplus plank of Canadian maple flooring and planed the tongue-and-groove shaping away.
Using the Dremel once again, we ground away the cage which originally held a steel counterweight; later on we'll fit a rectangular lead block instead which will sit flush on both sides, allowing easy mounting of the new grips
We marked out the alignment for the scope mount, before drilling 3.5mm pilot holes which we tapped with an M4 thread; despite being only some 2mm thick, the die-cast body still takes a machine bolt with relative strength: certainly enough for a scope.
So far, that's where we're at. Progress will likely be stilted, as our busy lives rarely overlap in spare time, but we'll be sure to keep this thread updated with each step!
We spent several weeks poring through research well trodden by makers far greater than us, before deciding that the best route considering our humble budget was to modify a die-cast C96 Mauser BB gun. We settled on the G12, which arrived swiftly and surprised us in its quality; It is most definitely too small to be a 'true' DL-44, coming in at around 75% the size of the real Mauser.
With the option of either a 1:1 plastic gun, or a 2:3 metal gun, the choice was a no-brainer....
Many of the components we've ordered haven't yet arrived, but we had enough to make a solid start. I ordered some superb little M4 thumbscrews, and also scavenged various other dials.
Disassembly was a breeze, the quality was far better than the money we paid for these
We started by using a sponge-tipped dremel to scuff the enamel away, but we soon realised that paint stripper would be a more efficient solution
After some thorough buffing with wire wool, they look quite magnificent!
We knew early on that authentic wooden handles would be the only acceptable solution, however reproductions of the famous broomhandles would be 25% too large for our builds; so instead we took a surplus plank of Canadian maple flooring and planed the tongue-and-groove shaping away.
Using the Dremel once again, we ground away the cage which originally held a steel counterweight; later on we'll fit a rectangular lead block instead which will sit flush on both sides, allowing easy mounting of the new grips
We marked out the alignment for the scope mount, before drilling 3.5mm pilot holes which we tapped with an M4 thread; despite being only some 2mm thick, the die-cast body still takes a machine bolt with relative strength: certainly enough for a scope.
So far, that's where we're at. Progress will likely be stilted, as our busy lives rarely overlap in spare time, but we'll be sure to keep this thread updated with each step!
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The solution might be Blacken-It, sounds similar. Anyway, they look great!
