As I was lovingly gazing at my new most prized possession it occurred to me that this thread could serve as a shrine to dmachinist, kpax, scottjua and all the other superheroes of the RPF that put in an unimaginable amount of time and effort to make the childhood dream of owning a Han Solo blaster from Star Wars come true for so many of us.
Also, it could serve as inspiration to all the folks out there getting their box 'o goodies in the mail from DEC and looking at the weeks or months-long dedication and effort that will make that dream a reality for each of them. For many people (like me) this will be their first serious incursion into replica prop building. It couldn't be a better prop and there couldn't be a better forum to support them.
Keep in mind that each of these DL-44s will be an individual work of art and an expression of the creator's vision of the prop and reflection of their skill. Not everybody is blessed to be an artist and professional prop maker... so please be nice.
Here's my baby.
Here she is in repose on display. I opted for a CostumeBase pleather gun belt, leather hoster and greeblies. Not screen accurate by any stretch, but since I was shooting (pun intended) for playability I prefer it over a stand.
Here's the right-side view. Please excuse the unfocusable camera. I don't know what the problem is (probably me). Open the image in a new tab to see it full-sized:
Like most folks I was only able to acquire a Denix as the base. Everything you have heard about these replica's softness is true, but it sort of makes the project more of a challenge at the same time. All those MGCers out there don't get to spend near as much time trying to make their replicas look somewhat like a broomhandle mauser as we Denixers do. :/
I opted for the DEC wood grips (love 'em). They come unfinished so you can choose your own stain and you have to Dremel out the Denix handle innards and drill a hole in the frame for the screw. You also have to sand down the angle where the grips meet the frame at the top. A Dremel and the know-how to use it are essential for this build. If you don't have or know how to use one you will by the end. Remember, the trick is not to take off too much. MUCH easier than trying to add material back. You will have many a tense moment and sigh of relief when you don't screw something up permanently. Somehow I made it through with only one Denix but that will not always be the case.
From this angle you can also see many of the small details that make the prop awesome. You have to widen the area between the grip and trigger guard for comfort. Taking out the trigger and sanding it down makes a huge difference but expect a WTF experience getting it back in. Fitting the bull barrel is an excellent exercise in when-is-enough-enough. You'll have to cut down the allen lug that holds the flash hider on, the screw that holds the grips on, this ugly bolt nub the replica comes with that the hammer rests on, the screws that hold the scope mount on and a plethora of casting flash and irregularities.
Here's the left side:
As I'm infested with younglings I decided to go with as-issued instead of weathered and paint instead of blue. I wanted a prop with sound and lights in a holster that the kids could run around the house shooting at each other and weathering it for me and not worry about the finish. Here it is fresh from 3 coats of matte black with polishing in between and still tacky from 3 coats of polyurethane. I'll see how the poly likes some hand polishing and may add a few more coats. I'm still not 100% happy with the mystery disk but, as many of you will also ask yourselves, will I ever REALLY be 100% happy with it? :/
Rear view:
Taking time with a hand file to even up the hammer grooves is painstaking but well worth the time. I also needed to sand down the back of the hammer because it would bite into the web of my hand when cocking using the bolt. Not sure yet what, if anything to do with the scope. Some sort of red dot setup would be awesome but of questionable practicality. Maybe a light-gathering fiber optic setup would be more reasonable. Hmm... I'm holding the brass endcaps in with a few drops of Elmer's glue just in case.
Top view:
This is where some detail specificity and artistic interpretation come into play. I couldn't stand the funky notched deal on the rear sight hinge but I didn't feel the urge to replicate a blued ejector on the bolt. It just seemed incongruous to me for a blaster to have an ejector. Ditto with the gold finish on the sight adjustment knob. Sanding down the black finish with 1000 grit to expose the silver knurls works for me. Go figure.
Also, this is where a decision has to be made on the sight greeblies. I went with existent with angle-cut t-track and full-length pistons. But that's just my muse
Front view:
Here you can see that I left the inside of the flash hider silver and added a 10mm LED. To get lights and sound I used the innards from a new 2015 Disney "Rebel Blaster" and got a friend to drill out the barrel with his drill press. I had to buy a AAA holder and blue LED (actually 10 for $3 shipped... how do they DO that?) from China on fleabay and Dremel out a sound chamber in my beautiful DEC walnut grips but it was totally worth it. Here's a video of the result:
I just freakin' love it.
Anyway guys, I know there have been quite a few of these builds and an equal number of adventures associated with them. If it would be possible to start a discussion by those who have gone and are going through it, I think it would in a small way justify the herculean effort to make this a reality and inspire those that are just beginning.
Drew
