Converting historical guns to Star Wars blasters

[CSMacLaren]

I love the authenticity of some Stormtrooper and Solo blasters being conversations of actual WW2 era German guns.

I had an interesting debate with my roommate who comes more from antique collecting and shared that from a conservation and historical preservation perspective, when you modify an antique, it means that one less item that can be enjoyed in its original state by future generations.

Honestly, I hadn't thought of that. What do you guys think?

 

[Clutch]

I have no qualms modifying an antique whose sole purpose was to take human life.

 

[Russ257]

well some camera collectors are upset we keep buying flash tubes to cut up into lightsabers. but oh well star wars is part of history as well.

 

[firebladejedi]

Drill holes in a Graflex, sure..

Modify a broomhandle Mauser for a Solo blaster, why not?

Im into SW and like using the real items for prop reproduction, im not a antique collector :love

 

[slave1pilot]

*Pushes clutch off of his soapbox*
:rolleyes :lol

now onto my feelings about it;
If you modify a rare antique & you enjoy it after it's modded, then who is to say that others won't enjoy it after you?

 

[KevVader]

I don't know if I'd call Lee Enfield 303s, Sterlings, and Mausers collectible antiques.....yet. There were a boatload of these things made and there are still a lot of unaltered guns around. Maybe in 50 years....but an E-11 would still probably be worth more!

 

[stormtrooperguy]

we're doing a favor for collectors. every time i hack up an original, i'm making the remaining ones just that much more valuable!

 

[franz bolo]

well some camera collectors are upset we keep buying flash tubes to cut up into lightsabers. but oh well star wars is part of history as well.

I've never met an upset camera collector. There only to glad to take the money!! :lol They all tell me that it's a $5 piece of junk.

FB

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Mac,

I've thought about this issue too. And one thought that made up my mind is that when you're considering Sterlings, I've never seen a real working Sterling made into a E-11. What you find is hacked up parts kits that are not treated as antiques, but are treated as old bits that can either be built into a new SMG, new e-11 or tossed. In converting blasters, just as often SW fans are saving old guns from being chucked as much as they are destorying historical artifacts. Take Wtac's Sterlings for example, if it had not been for him buying the Sterlings from the MOD, they would have gone into a scrap bin and sold for their steel. Now these old classics have new life as treasued props by film fans.

The Mauser is a similar if not exact case. While I would hesitate to chop off the barrel and drill holes into a mint 1896 classic. I wouldn't feel the same refurbing an old rusty nonshooter, and taking something kicking around in some gun dealer's junk box and making it the pride on my collection.

The way I see it, converting antique weapons is like building a hot rod from a rusty old jelopy. Would I take an absolute mint 60s corvet and begin modifying it, no. But I wouldn't mind souping up and putting a custom paint job on a car which has been neglected for 40 or so years.

Before SW fans came along, graflexs were junk. Now they are prized possessions of hundreds of people. Parts that would have rotted or been tossed have been refurbed and given new life. And as someone who used to live next to the Kodak museum, I think that this is a really good thing.

my .02

Dan

 

[101radioman]

As a weapons collector I can see the arguement but after the MG ban in 86 anything coming into the us that is not for military of law enforcement is cut to peices anyway. Your not destroying a historical working firearms and will not effect the value of any working firearm out there.

Now if you want to take a fully working transferable class 3 sterling and turn into your E-11 have fun I can think of many more things to spent the 15-20k on, when you can get the part kits way cheaper.

 

[dcarty]

Being a Star Wars prop enthusiast and an Antique collector I sort of fall somewhere in the middle I guess and my answer would be "it depends upon what you're modifying".

When I converted over my Graflex flashes I made sure that they could be converted back 100% to their original state (bought extra bottom pieces, or used good replicas, so that I could drill with peace of mind). My 'trooper blasters will be made up of Sterlings that were already chopped to bits so no problem there.


From what I've seen of prices over the last few years, to get anywhere near a decent Broomhandle Mauser will run you around $800-$900 at least--really cherry ones are typically $1200 or more (unless you are fantastically lucky or have the right connections--or both). They're beginning to get scarce so I would never, ever take a Broomhandle in excellent condition and drill into it to turn it into a toy. I bought a not-to-trashed Broomhandle for about $450 on Gunbroker about a year and a half ago that would make for a great restoration project and work very nicely as the basis for a blaster. Again, I'm taking something that's already a little past it and turning it into something new.

That's my rationale at least, and my $.02

Dave


(While I was typing up my reply so was Dan "Anaking Starkiller" and he pretty much summed up my sentiments )

 

[spcglider@aol.com]

In my book, cash is king.

If you want to spend the money and modify a real piece to be a prop (graflex or gun), then more power to you.

As the antiques become more and more scarce, the price will rise to meet the demand and supply. So in the end, the practical upshot of using the real thing is that (like using the actual vintage model kit parts for replicas of spacecraft studio miniatures) you're making it more expensive for prop builders down the line.

But that isn't to be helped.

Antique collectors already know and accept that prices will rise. So screw them. You're already competing with them for the stuff. So why fret? If they don't want to sell to YOU, then that's their own lookout.

And I say that as an antique collector AND a prop builder.

 

[Jimbo890]

Please don't convert a collector's piece to a prop! There are plenty of average or below base guns to work with. A really nice original C96 Broomhandle Mauser will run a pretty penny are are sought after by antique arms collectors. There are plenty of 'shooter' grade Mausers floating around that are OK to do this to.

As for the Sterlings, there are a few active Class III machine guns available, but the best case for an E-11 is the parts kit route, built up as a dummy gun.

 

[voice in the crowd]

The Imperial War Museum has enough stuff to preserve the past.

Anything left over is fair game

 

[Serafino]

The last real Obi grenade I had I carefully sold to an arms collector. I don’t like the idea of rare parts of the historical record being mauled for the sake of celebrating a movie.

I think we can afford to have some empathy with other collectors.

I also think that reality-based collectible value of objects probably has more long term reality than fantasy-based value of replicas made from ‘authentic’ parts. So I worry that destroying an original for the sake of a replica is a reduction in objective long term value.

HOWEVER, I also believe that everyone has a right to do what they will with their own property. All anyone else should be allowed to do is judge them for what they did.

As has already been said, a lot depends on how rare the thing in question is. Luckily price tends to take care of that issue–the rarer the item the less likely someone will blow its value for the sake of a prop replica.

 

[Chingon]

I've never met an upset camera collector.

Go over to the forums on graflex.org and mention that you want to turn a graflex flash into a lightsaber. You'll meet quite a few upset camera collectors, real fast!

 

[KnightAsylum]

I don't have any issue it. Unless you are converting the last one known to exist then it is all fair game. PLENTY of these pieces in museums and in private owners hands. The world is not over run with Star Wars fans to the point that prop making is destroying history.:rolleyes That all being said, if you own it (even if it was the final one), do what you want to it, it is yours.
History is the past - shake it off, and cut it the $#@^ loose. :wacko
Besides you are making something from a "long long time ago" so you are just creating an antique, out of an antique.

 

[tango'd fett]

I have a real deac sterling and in converting it to an E11 I have in no way damaged the weapon so they can still be preserved if anyone wants it in the future.Most of the props were hired during the movies and were modified in a way that they could be returned in their original states. As has been said most of these items would be junked and they are being given new life and added enjoyement from there association with a much loved movie franchise. Saying that i would hesitate to cut the barrel off a mauser !!

 

[tubachris85x]

There is a large costume shop down the street from my place, one of the workers is a huge SW fan and purposly ordered a metal broom handle mauser replica just because he recognized it as the Han blaster, only $98 too! I told him that if I had the cash, I get it and convert it myself

 

[Chingon]

There is a large costume shop down the street from my place, one of the workers is a huge SW fan and purposly ordered a metal broom handle mauser replica just because he recognized it as the Han blaster, only $98 too! I told him that if I had the cash, I get it and convert it myself

Sounds like he bought a Denix. Its what most people use to build their DL44 replicas.