willrhami
Member
Currently working on my first legitimate feeling Star Wars prop, perticularly a full metal custom Star Wars blaster which I am calling the DL-180.
It’s an amalgamation between the DL-44 wielded by Han Solo and the A-180 carried by Jyn Erso,my two favorite blaster props from the Star Wars films. I took the base of the A-180 which was a P08 Luger from WW2 and put the side mounted scope and the flash hider on the front onto it.
I also wanted to make sure it was a full metal prop. I recently went to Galaxy’s Edge and built my own lightsaber, and one of my favorite things is handing it to people and seeing their faces at the real weight and feel of it. I wanted that same reaction to this as well. I also wanted to capture the details that made the props of the original trilogy special. I love that you can look at the close up pictures and see the marks and indented impressions of gun smiths written in English. I also love that they had to make the props in a non invasive manor for ANH as they rented the guns they used from a prop house that made that request. I also wanted to capture the subtle weathering of the props, with small scratches and a genuine feeling of a used item, not a painted new item to look used.
That was the major idea there. So, I drew it up.
This wast the original design though. The silver scope mount was originally a tactical mount system, but it became so hard and muddled that I eventually just gave up on that design and the entire project. That’s as until I was in my costuming class in my theatre department at key high school and someone handed me a broken base plate of a serger sewing machine. And this is how it came.
This sparked so many different ideas in my head that I just couldn’t stop thinking about what I could use it for. And then I remembered the blaster project and it hit me. This is the PERFECT scope mount for the blaster. That’s when I drew up the design. It was rough, but it worked ok. So I got to work.
Over the next two weeks or so, I learned how to use pop rivets and practiced drilling precise holes in various metals, then, after LOTS of mesureing, drilled two holes in each hose clamp and drilled two holes in each of the slots to widen them enough to fit 1/8” pop rivets.
After finishing that, I bought the scope, and it fit PERFECTLY. It was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever completed. I added tons of tiny scratches to make it look like the blasters we see in the original trilogy. Next, it was time to get some screws.
Through my search, I ended up at the Custom Saber Shop, which was a FANTASTIC resource for all things screws. They had tons of fiffrent thumb screws, hex button screws, and supplies for drilling and taping. Here’s what I ended up using:
•8-32 Brass Knurled Screw with Shoulder (5/8”)
•8-32 Brass Hex Button Head Screw (1/4”)
•8-32 Black Hex Button Head Screw (5/8”) [x2]
•8-32 Red Knurled Screw (.3”) [x2]
•8-32 Black Set Screw (1/4”) [x2]
•3/32 Allen Wrench
•5/64 Allen Wrench
•8-32 Tapping Set
•Tap Handle
•Industrial Lubricant
All of that only cost me $25 which for me was an absolute steal. They arrived and it was everything I ever wanted. I then ordered the air soft Luger from Umerex Legends, particularly the standard model, not the special blow back model. When it arrived, I drilled and tapped the detail side and applied the screws, and added a silver detail not in the original drawing, as well as a brass screw intended for the scope mounting but became part of the detail side.
The drilling and tapping went EXTREMELY WELL, and I was super satisfied with it.
The next day, I used a dremel with a sanding wheel to get the other side flat and got it looking really smooth until the scope and scope mount laid flat. I then drilled and tapped those holes and proceeded to laugh like a giddy child. This was the end result.
The end result is so great. I’m really happy withit. Right now, I just need to buy the flash hider, I’m planning to buy the ROTJ Stembridge Flash Hider from warmachinepaintball.com which is made fantastical and looks great.
Until then, this is probably my best work I’ve ever done, and I’m so happy to have it.I’ll list some final pictures when I finish it all. Thanks for reading all this, hope it gave you some ideas!
Complete Parts List:
Umerex Legends Air Soft P08 Luger (Standard Model)
Umarex Legends P.08 All Metal .177 Caliber BB Gun Air Pistol, Standard Action, Legends P.08 Air Gun Amazon.com : Umarex Legends P.08 All Metal .177 Caliber BB Gun Air Pistol, Standard Action, Legends P.08 Air Gun : Sports & Outdoors
•NcStar 4x20 Compact Air Scope/Blue Lens
NcStar 4X20 Compact Air Scope/Blue Lens (SCA420B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R4HSW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IV8BEbAE92BHH
•Screws (Listed Above) from Custom Saber Shop
www.thecustomsabershop.com
•Titanium Mac PowerBook Heat Sync (Heat Sync on Scope mount/silver detail on left side)
www.thebookyard.com
•Serger Needle Plate (Scope Mount)
www.sewvacdirect.com
•1/8” Pop Rivets/Riveter
•44mm Hose Clamps (x2)
Tools Used:
- Sharpie (Silver/Black)
- 8-32 Tapping Set w/Handle
- Drill with Bubble Level on Top
- Small Bubble Level
- Quick Grip Clamps (x2)
- Self Healing Matt
- Two Part Apoxy
- Hack Saw
- Painters Tape
- Ruler
- Dremel w/Sanding Disks, Sanding Drums, and Precision Grinding Bits
- Sandpaper (80,130,150, and 200 Grit)
- Sanding Twigs
- Ruler
- Black Liquid Shoepolish (works great for weathering in light coats, gently whips off and repeat until darkened)
All these tools can be interchangeable, and I believe in using as few tools as possible to finish these projects. I like a challenge, so for me, even using a drill and a dremel were in charted territory. It might be a bore to list all this stuff, but I would like to know what that person used I’d I wanted to do this project, so that’s what I did. Hope that also helped.
It’s an amalgamation between the DL-44 wielded by Han Solo and the A-180 carried by Jyn Erso,my two favorite blaster props from the Star Wars films. I took the base of the A-180 which was a P08 Luger from WW2 and put the side mounted scope and the flash hider on the front onto it.
I also wanted to make sure it was a full metal prop. I recently went to Galaxy’s Edge and built my own lightsaber, and one of my favorite things is handing it to people and seeing their faces at the real weight and feel of it. I wanted that same reaction to this as well. I also wanted to capture the details that made the props of the original trilogy special. I love that you can look at the close up pictures and see the marks and indented impressions of gun smiths written in English. I also love that they had to make the props in a non invasive manor for ANH as they rented the guns they used from a prop house that made that request. I also wanted to capture the subtle weathering of the props, with small scratches and a genuine feeling of a used item, not a painted new item to look used.
That was the major idea there. So, I drew it up.
This wast the original design though. The silver scope mount was originally a tactical mount system, but it became so hard and muddled that I eventually just gave up on that design and the entire project. That’s as until I was in my costuming class in my theatre department at key high school and someone handed me a broken base plate of a serger sewing machine. And this is how it came.
This sparked so many different ideas in my head that I just couldn’t stop thinking about what I could use it for. And then I remembered the blaster project and it hit me. This is the PERFECT scope mount for the blaster. That’s when I drew up the design. It was rough, but it worked ok. So I got to work.
Over the next two weeks or so, I learned how to use pop rivets and practiced drilling precise holes in various metals, then, after LOTS of mesureing, drilled two holes in each hose clamp and drilled two holes in each of the slots to widen them enough to fit 1/8” pop rivets.
After finishing that, I bought the scope, and it fit PERFECTLY. It was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever completed. I added tons of tiny scratches to make it look like the blasters we see in the original trilogy. Next, it was time to get some screws.
Through my search, I ended up at the Custom Saber Shop, which was a FANTASTIC resource for all things screws. They had tons of fiffrent thumb screws, hex button screws, and supplies for drilling and taping. Here’s what I ended up using:
•8-32 Brass Knurled Screw with Shoulder (5/8”)
•8-32 Brass Hex Button Head Screw (1/4”)
•8-32 Black Hex Button Head Screw (5/8”) [x2]
•8-32 Red Knurled Screw (.3”) [x2]
•8-32 Black Set Screw (1/4”) [x2]
•3/32 Allen Wrench
•5/64 Allen Wrench
•8-32 Tapping Set
•Tap Handle
•Industrial Lubricant
All of that only cost me $25 which for me was an absolute steal. They arrived and it was everything I ever wanted. I then ordered the air soft Luger from Umerex Legends, particularly the standard model, not the special blow back model. When it arrived, I drilled and tapped the detail side and applied the screws, and added a silver detail not in the original drawing, as well as a brass screw intended for the scope mounting but became part of the detail side.
The drilling and tapping went EXTREMELY WELL, and I was super satisfied with it.
The next day, I used a dremel with a sanding wheel to get the other side flat and got it looking really smooth until the scope and scope mount laid flat. I then drilled and tapped those holes and proceeded to laugh like a giddy child. This was the end result.
The end result is so great. I’m really happy withit. Right now, I just need to buy the flash hider, I’m planning to buy the ROTJ Stembridge Flash Hider from warmachinepaintball.com which is made fantastical and looks great.
Until then, this is probably my best work I’ve ever done, and I’m so happy to have it.I’ll list some final pictures when I finish it all. Thanks for reading all this, hope it gave you some ideas!
Complete Parts List:
Umerex Legends Air Soft P08 Luger (Standard Model)
Umarex Legends P.08 All Metal .177 Caliber BB Gun Air Pistol, Standard Action, Legends P.08 Air Gun Amazon.com : Umarex Legends P.08 All Metal .177 Caliber BB Gun Air Pistol, Standard Action, Legends P.08 Air Gun : Sports & Outdoors
•NcStar 4x20 Compact Air Scope/Blue Lens
NcStar 4X20 Compact Air Scope/Blue Lens (SCA420B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R4HSW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IV8BEbAE92BHH
•Screws (Listed Above) from Custom Saber Shop
The Custom Saber Shop
Titanium PowerBook G4 heat sink (667MHz-1GHz) 922-922-5445
www.thebookyard.com
Juki Replacement Serger Needle Plate Fits MO644D, MO654DE and More
SewVacDirect offers Sewing Machines, Embroidery Machines, Long Arm Quilting Machines, Quilt Frames, Sewing Machine Cabinets, and Sewing Supplies from brands like Juki, Janome, and more!
www.sewvacdirect.com
•44mm Hose Clamps (x2)
Tools Used:
- Sharpie (Silver/Black)
- 8-32 Tapping Set w/Handle
- Drill with Bubble Level on Top
- Small Bubble Level
- Quick Grip Clamps (x2)
- Self Healing Matt
- Two Part Apoxy
- Hack Saw
- Painters Tape
- Ruler
- Dremel w/Sanding Disks, Sanding Drums, and Precision Grinding Bits
- Sandpaper (80,130,150, and 200 Grit)
- Sanding Twigs
- Ruler
- Black Liquid Shoepolish (works great for weathering in light coats, gently whips off and repeat until darkened)
All these tools can be interchangeable, and I believe in using as few tools as possible to finish these projects. I like a challenge, so for me, even using a drill and a dremel were in charted territory. It might be a bore to list all this stuff, but I would like to know what that person used I’d I wanted to do this project, so that’s what I did. Hope that also helped.
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