ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion - Three ANH Greeblies Found

[thd9791]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

if it helps at all, another thread had a pic of the movie prop on exhibit...http://www.therpf.com/f9/c3po-eye-material-25185/

 

[pinder91]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

if it helps at all, another thread had a pic of the movie prop on exhibit...http://www.therpf.com/f9/c3po-eye-material-25185/

While an interesting thread, as I hadn't seen it before, that is not the ANH hero blaster.

 

[thd9791]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

Ah,yea I should have seen that scope from a mile away, my mistake!

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

...while there is a lull in the action...
I am re-re- examining the Mystery disk once again.

Note the highlights pointed out and see the "edges" of what appears to my eye to be a recessed cutout in the frame rather than simply missing paint.

I do not think that if they had glued a disk to the blued frame and the disk fell off it would have removed the bluing that way. (I once had a mini red dot sight (EPC) that attached to my gun with crazy type glue and when I removed it the bluing remained.)

Blueing would not come off like paint. And why is the disk silver-ish? They wouldn't have striped the bluing off first I am sure.

I also wonder about the "silver" under the Grill on the LEFT side mag well bottom. Is that paint, or missing Bluing?

I suppose that IF there was very thick paint around the disk it would net the same effect, but you just don't see that on the HERO.

At any rate, there is definitely a "depth" to the disk.

...at least that's what I think...for now.

 

[pinder91]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I thought that was the consensus already. The surface of the disc has always appeared to be recessed to me.

 

[deadbolt]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

Although the disk does have a hint of being recessed at certain angles, I think it may be from some other reason. In that close up photo the disk looks very flat and non-recessed.

That area under the grill on the mag-well looks to me to be a chip in the paint exposing the metal underneath. And considering how silver that chip appears to be, it seems possible that the disk could be the same sort of thing.

I'm not sure if glue/adhesive or paint will affect vintage bluing like on the Mauser or not, but most likely wouldn't on more modern style bluing.

Maybe those apparent recess reflections are scratches instead? Tough to tell for sure either way. I wish there was some reference with a more solid answer!


-Carson

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I can see you point, but when I look at the images above, the "highlight" moves around the disk depending on the lighting angles. (I left the angles the same as the full photo to illustrate the lighting angle)

All the other highlights on the frame (trigger guard, frame recess etc) are in the same position on each different photo showing depth/edge.

I think if it were paint the edge would not show the highlight revolving around the disk so much.

...so hard to tell.

Any info on this image. Anyone have the full pic?

 

[dcarty]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I'm still very much of the non-machined disc school of thought.

From past threads my recollection is that it has been pretty well established that the Hero blaster was painted black. I know this has been put forward before and confirmed as much as possible by some of the guys on the board who worked with MR (which is slightly ironic for my argument since MR did machine the disc on their EE Blaster--lol).

To my eye the "silver" we're seeing is more of a gunmetal color contrasting against where the black paint has chipped off. The bluing on the Mauser I have is definitely more of a gunmetal grey color compared to other pistols I own that have a black hue to them.

I'm also a "path of least resistance" kind of guy. It seems more practical to me that they would glue a bunch of greeblies to a pistol to make it look "space age" then paint it black so that everything blends nicely. One of the greeblies falls off leaving a bare patch and there's your disc.

I think there would have to be a practical reason for them to mill into the side of the pistol. Attaching a greeblie doesn't strike me as reason enough especially keeping in mind that the pistol was rented. Though you could argue that the pistol might have been milled before it ever got anywhere near the Star Wars set and at the very least the right side of the Mauser was certainly modified to mount the scope.

The bottom line is that so far the pictures we have don't give us a definitive answer.

--jeez it took me along time to write my reply, I agree with what deadbolt said!

 

[thd9791]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I do also agree, from first glance's sake. That looks like something used to be there and fell off, whenever that was. Practicality and rush jobs defined the prop dept. they only machined a minority of Props/Pieces

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I agree with the practical thoughts on how they may have made it and agree they used the easiest method and did not machine a disk in the frame to glue a greeblee on... but maybe it was machined there for another purpose before they used it for the HERO?

The MR below show their attempt at the Paint version and the milled version for comparison.

Neither really looks right and gives the same effect as the HERO... but the paint looks better since they did not weather the disk and it looks funny.

The painted version is a little small on the MR.

Either way we ill need to figure a reasonable way to replicate this feature.

We were thinking of getting some 1 inch aluminum foil stickers to add to the kit.

They could be used as a simple way to add the "silver disk" as the final look or as a guide to placement and mask for paint. The user could sand the frame to silver, place the disk/ mask and over paint the frame, then peel off the disk to reveal the raw frame color then clear coat the whole frame.

What do you think?

 

[pinder91]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I suppose it is possible that the "edge" we're seeing in really just a thick layer of paint making it look milled. I would guess that if they milled a flat spot up front for the scope mount in the Naked Runner, they would've done the same a bit father back creating 2 discs. Not to mention there should be another hole as it appears the NR mount was screwed into the body of the gun.

 

[thd9791]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

Yea I was going to ask if that was an old place for a scope mount that only needed one...screw/attachment?

 

[lonepigeon]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I agree with the practical thoughts on how they may have made it and agree they used the easiest method and did not machine a disk in the frame to glue a greeblee on... but maybe it was machined there for another purpose before they used it for the HERO?

Except we have photos of the Hero before the grill was added and there is no disk there. The modification occurred while the Hero prop was being made, not before.
I agree it looks a little thick to just be paint, BUT it also doesn't seem to cut into that ridge above which it would if it was milled.

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

True enough! Thanks for the input and thought guys.

food for thought...

The MerrSonn seems to be molded with the NR frame and HERO receiver since they all have the same damage.

This dent shows on the production HERO but not the Pre production...

Does not explain the disk...

some questions and observations...

thoughts??

 

[lonepigeon]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

thoughts??

My opinion on a couple of your questions...

Receiver damage:
The receiver was not damaged before it was cast for the Merr Sonn. The damage you're seeing on the short-barreled (aka broken) Merr Sonn is not the same as the damage on the Hero. It's generally in the same spot, but it's not in the casting because the undamaged long-barreled Merr Sonn doesn't have it.

The cut off NR mounting stud "disk" on the Merr Sonn:
IMO the NR mounting studs were likely welded on so the only solution to remove them was to cut them off - both of them. The remains of the front mounting stud are underneath the Imperial disk.

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

My opinion on a couple of your questions...

Receiver damage:
The receiver was not damaged before it was cast for the Merr Sonn. The damage you're seeing on the short-barreled (aka broken) Merr Sonn is not the same as the damage on the Hero. It's generally in the same spot, but it's not in the casting because the undamaged long-barreled Merr Sonn doesn't have it.

The cut off NR mounting stud "disk" on the Merr Sonn:
IMO the NR mounting studs were likely welded on so the only solution to remove them was to cut them off - both of them. The remains of the front mounting stud are underneath the Imperial disk.

Thanks for the input!

Interesting about the Long Barreled MerrSonn not having the damage. I don't have a high quality image of that one to see it. Thanks!

Maybe there was something mounted after the build that attached there or damaged that spot? Holstering?

So basically they took the NR gun, slapped the FH on it and made a mold that they used for the MerrSonn castings.

After that, they see they cant use this gun for Han Solo because he cant holster it etc. but the NR upper receiver works well and has the Bull Barrel and FH so they get another lower receiver as seen in the pre production shots and mount the ST on the right side.

"It looks too plain!" says Lucas "add some more doohickies!"

They add the Grill and Glue on a Mystery disk and antenna/sight so it looks more like the Merr Sonn guns with the Imperial Disk Pulley.

The Disk falls off the first time Ford holsters the blaster.

They decide to leave it off and not "fix" the damaged/missing paint area because... who knows, same reason they did not fix the broken antenna/sight.

The missing Disk remains in the bottom of the holster to this day. ( my theory)

...Who's on first? I don't know... Third base.

More parts shortly.

 

[dcarty]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

That's pretty much the sequence that I've imagined over the years (though somebody needs to check that holster!)

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

I just noticed this in some "slightly" better Q images.

I enhanced them to show better. Maybe Chris can confirm if these marks are there or not on the better images.

It seems that there is more funky stuff around that "damaged" area on the Hero and MerrSonn's

Maybe this is glue residue - ( on the Leia CU the "glue" can be seen where the other half of the Grill should be and looks the same.

On the Hero the CU shows some roughness in that same area.

Maybe they originally tried to glue some other Greeblie on there and it just did not work so it was removed?

Maybe a "tube like" thing going from the center of the pulley to the rail connecting the two spots?

When the Mauser fires, the upper receiver moves a little forward and back,- maybe it broke off the first time the fired it? One reason the side grills would not work on the HERO.


Just a thought...

 

[kpax]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

This image shows a little more "glue"? Note the shape of the glue.

Looks like something was definitely glued on here.

It looks to have been glued on the top of the upper receiver rail against the upper receiver next to the chamber.

It may have been a tubular shape, almost like the "laser sight with coil wire" they used on the MerrSonn. Maybe the original position? Same forward position just lower?

Now what I thought was damage" from the lower quality images seems to be glue residue from a lost or removed part.

Seems all the blasters have this same residue.

But the missing thingy did not remove the paint or bluing like the disk.

What do you think?

 

[deadbolt]

Re: ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion

The grey patch around the residue area on the Merr Sonn looks like it may be something to do with paint and the resin that the blaster is cast from. In the same photo, the area around the missing grill piece looks to have the same kind of thing going on there too. The missing grill outline is a bit off-shape so it's tough to tell, maybe chipped or partially painted areas?

If it's chipped then the mystery disk on the DL-44 seems a little more intentional considering how clean it is. But unfortunately it's tough to tell without close-ups or more pre-pro references.


-Carson