Han Solo Blaster *TOY CONVERSION

Nm1cciola

Active Member
I recently purchased This Mauser Toy Gun and am now am thinking that while it if a fun nerf style gun, What would push this over the edge for me at least would be to mod it into a Han Solo Type blaster. I have searched the past two days trying to find to see if anyone has modded this particular toy gun and I have been unsuccessful. All I have seen is people modding the the airsoft version. If anyone who is reading this has modded this particular version of the Mauser to look closer to three versions seen in the movies than I would be appreciative for guidance and help. Also if anyone knows which add on parts would fit this particular make of the mauser would greatly appreciative as well,
 
Like most toy Mausers, that looks like it is based on the M712 / Schnellfeuer and not the same "wartime" C96 (or MGC's replica of the wartime C96) that the old movies' blasters were based on. The The Force Awakens blaster was based on the M712 though, but made up with side-plates and other embellishments to look more like the ANH version ... except that there are of course still differences.

I would measure it and compare against the dimension of a real Mauser .. Then look at other people's TFA builds and see if someone has offered a conversion kit with side-plates that would fit.
I don't have M712 measurements, but I can't think that the measurements from the C96 would be much different. The picture below had been posted somewhere in the huge ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion thread.
 

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Outrageous!!! I am doing the exact same thing. And I think I can point you in the right direction and may be able to help a little bit more in the future.

While I could 3D print the whole thing, I don't have the kind of time to print all the pieces and sand and paint and etc... so after a couple fails on buying 1/2 scale mausers on Amazon I found that similar gun too.

I was able to find files on Thingverse with a really nice tutorial on how to mod this toygun to a C96 mauser base. Here is the link:


I was able to print 2 little files before my monoprice mini heat plate died... and they came out okay.. my printer was going bad as it was printing so while they aren't perfect I bet my printer messed them up a little. But I printed the clip and it was a bit to thick for my gun... so I'll be creating a file to fit my gun. I'd like to put like a battery or something that lights an LEDs so it looks full or empty... or just cool.. but not sure yet.

I'm building a Luke ESB gun... so I have to also create a flash hider that is more accurate then what I've seen on Thingverse... that and the toy gun has a thicker barrel so I have to adjust for that.

There are several very good files for a great Han Solo ANH DL-44 ... Im sure you can make those work.

I'm in limbo til I can fix my heat plate... and since its a major fix I'll be rewiring my Mini to prevent it again.

Anyways.. I hope that's helpful and points you in the right direction. Good luck to you sir and keep us up to date. If I can I'll try to help as time allows.
 
Like most toy Mausers, that looks like it is based on the M712 / Schnellfeuer and not the same "wartime" C96 that the old movies' blasters were based on. The The Force Awakens blaster was based on the M712 though, but made up with side-plates and other embellishments to look more like the ANH version ... except that there are of course differences.

I would measure it and compare against the dimension of a real Mauser .. Then look at other people's TFA builds and see if someone has offered a conversion kit with side-plates that would fit.

It is essentially the same size. Its nearly identical to my MR LUke ESB blaster. It is slightly wider than it should be but its to allow for the dart bullets... so the barrel is bigger and overall slightly wider... but it fits in my holster really well.. now that doesn't include any add-ons like the scope mount but I'm pretty confident that eyeballing the details it'll fit.

Oh and thingverse also has 3D printiable scope details or a regular file for scope detail stickers...


EDIT: updated for clarity.
 
And i found a couple more pics of the toy gun. So others can see it.

There are a couple on amazon the look all black(cut down on painting?) with an orange cap, but i cant tell if they are really 1:1. A lot say they are but they really arent.

I hope im not hijacking the thread... apologies if I am...
 

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Like most toy Mausers, that looks like it is based on the M712 / Schnellfeuer and not the same "wartime" C96 (or MGC's replica of the wartime C96) that the old movies' blasters were based on. The The Force Awakens blaster was based on the M712 though, but made up with side-plates and other embellishments to look more like the ANH version ... except that there are of course still differences.

I would measure it and compare against the dimension of a real Mauser .. Then look at other people's TFA builds and see if someone has offered a conversion kit with side-plates that would fit.
I don't have M712 measurements, but I can't think that the measurements from the C96 would be much different. The picture below had been posted somewhere in the huge ANH Hero DL-44 Discussion thread.

Thank you this was helpful was thinking of getting this parts kit and I think it might work. I was aware after some research that this partuclaur toy was based on the M712. Specifically my "mission statement" for lack of a better term is for this conversion to be similar or close as if it was in the same family of blasters. Was looking at this conversion 3d printed kit and still learning from my own printers idk if i'll tackle doing an accurate version just yet.
 
Outrageous!!! I am doing the exact same thing. And I think I can point you in the right direction and may be able to help a little bit more in the future.

While I could 3D print the whole thing, I don't have the kind of time to print all the pieces and sand and paint and etc... so after a couple fails on buying 1/2 scale mausers on Amazon I found that similar gun too.

I was able to find files on Thingverse with a really nice tutorial on how to mod this toygun to a C96 mauser base. Here is the link:


I was able to print 2 little files before my monoprice mini heat plate died... and they came out okay.. my printer was going bad as it was printing so while they aren't perfect I bet my printer messed them up a little. But I printed the clip and it was a bit to thick for my gun... so I'll be creating a file to fit my gun. I'd like to put like a battery or something that lights an LEDs so it looks full or empty... or just cool.. but not sure yet.

I'm building a Luke ESB gun... so I have to also create a flash hider that is more accurate then what I've seen on Thingverse... that and the toy gun has a thicker barrel so I have to adjust for that.

There are several very good files for a great Han Solo ANH DL-44 ... Im sure you can make those work.

I'm in limbo til I can fix my heat plate... and since its a major fix I'll be rewiring my Mini to prevent it again.

Anyways.. I hope that's helpful and points you in the right direction. Good luck to you sir and keep us up to date. If I can I'll try to help as time allows.
I'm glad that we were unconsciously on the same path with this idea I was looking at that conversion kits well on thingverse and TBH as I have said in my previous post my "mission statement" for this conversion to be similar or close as if it was in the same family of blasters. Was looking at this conversion 3d printed kit and still learning from my own printers idk if i'll tackle doing an accurate version just yet.
 
And i found a couple more pics of the toy gun. So others can see it.

There are a couple on amazon the look all black(cut down on painting?) with an orange cap, but i cant tell if they are really 1:1. A lot say they are but they really arent.

I hope im not hijacking the thread... apologies if I am...
BTW your not hijacking the thread Don't worry about it I would be fine if this thread gives others the ideas or process to turn this particular toy into a proper DL44
 
I guess based on that picture that these DL44 parts would work

Cool! Thanks, I'm glad I'm not stepping on toes.

Id be very careful with that Etsy kit. The mauser looks like the one i got from Amazon that said it was 1:1... it was at best 50% size. Id ask the seller to provide a scale reference to prove its 1:1.

The Amazon one I got even said 1:1 on the box... not sure how they got way with that.
 
So I've printed the item from the thingverse files I posted early. They came out pretty good. The magazine clip is still a bit too large... so I created a another one. I've also started surgery on the toy gun too.

Here are the prints from thingverse:

DL44 LEFT SIDE 2.png
DL44 LEFT SIDE.png
DL44 RIGHT SIDE.png


I created a magazine and printed one.. to fit bullets and allow for the firing mechanism. I made in in two pieces so I could print a nice bottom and it came out pretty good. It does fire a bullet. I have to shoot it upsided down as I don't have the spring mechanism in it yet. Here is what the clip I made looks like:

DL44 MAG BITS.png
DL44 MAG INSIDE 2.png
DL44 MAG v4.png
 
I had the same idea and acquired the exact same toy Mauser a few months ago. Rather than doing any 3D printing, my plan at the moment is to modify the toy Mauser using sheet styrene, PVC or possibly brass or aluminum tubing for the scope, some found parts, and probably some donor parts from the Rubies Han Solo blaster and the mostly crazy-looking Solo: A Star Wars Story blaster. The latter is so ridiculously inaccurate that calling it "inaccurate" is almost beside the point; other than the scope, the handle, and the flash-hider, it looks nothing at all like Solo's gun. I get the impression they must have been trying to deliberately make it look totally wrong. However, I may be able to use parts of the flash-hider along with other parts of the Rubies flash-hider to make something that looks reasonable.

My current plan is to blend all the added parts, where necessary, with Aves Apoxie Sculpt, and add some metal to the interior housing to give the thing some reasonably satisfying heft. I'd also like to reassemble the thing so that the trigger is still spring-loaded.

Here's a look at the alleged blaster Hasbro made (I think they made the same toy in blue for TFA):

Hideous Hasbro Solo Blaster.jpg


I'd love to discuss how to accomplish some of the modifications so I can determine what I want to do, what I think I can do, and how much I want to hew toward replicating the prop versus trying to achieve what a "real" DL-44 might look like up close.

SSB
 
So, I'm trying to find a way to recreate various parts for the blaster that don't involve using 3D printing. I have nothing at all against the latter, except the cost of getting parts that don't require tons of clean-up work. Also, considering that the gun will be mostly plastic, I don't want to use materials that will add a lot of weight that will create unbalanced stress on the gun when complete. Therefore, I also want to keep metal parts to a minimum, although I do anticipate building a metal support system of some sort into the scope mount.

First up is the scope. I'm still reading through the really long DL-44 thread -- where there are allegedly measurements to be found somewhere (I hope they aren't in an image with a long-dead link), I'm currently working from measurements I took from the Rubies blaster (and in another thread, I found measurements of the scope that suggest the Rubies scope is quite close to the correct size, if not dead-on). A trip to Home Depot didn't turn up much at first; most of the PVC there was Schedule 40, which is thicker than I would like, and most of the thinner pieces were polypropylene, which I want to avoid. On a second trip I found a 3/4-inch "side mount run-off drain tube" for about $5 and change; I believe I can use that for the narrow part of the scope. The drain tube is 63 inches long and is a thinner PVC, so I have several opportunities to screw it up and still come away with a usable part. A flashlight I picked up a year or so back at Tractor Supply should provide the transitional section between the larger and smaller diameters of the scope, because the front portion widens the same way -- and at the same angle -- as the real thing does (I bought it on clearance exactly because I thought it looked like a DL-44 scope). The wider end of the Rubies scope is available to cannibalize, so that is my current "no additional cost" option for that part and probably makes the most sense. I hesitate on that option only because I only get one chance to cut it correctly, or I would have to get another Rubies blaster to try again. If I get all that solved, I can turn my attention to the end pieces of the scope. Not sure how I can pull those off -- I wonder if anyone makes just those parts available as 3D prints.

With regard to recreating the prop versus trying to model a "real" DL-44 ... I already know I cannot do the former using a plastic toy and plumbing parts. I have already decided that I want the flash hider to mount so that it is actually in-line with the barrel, rather than the dropped-down, off-center mount given to the prop gun. Given that, there is another feature on the prop that drives me a little crazy on close inspection -- the model engine cylinder parts used as the heat-sink grille. They look fine on screen, but in close up photos, it is obvious they don't fit very well and leave very visible gaps, especially when viewed from underneath. So, how do you make a heat sink that looks very close to the onscreen appearance but still looks reasonably functional? I like the way the Rubies version handles this, where the ribs look like actual discs submerged cleanly into the housing. My idea is to use flat washers, but there were a couple of possible methods I could use to put them in place. Option one is to make cuts into the front of the housing, into which the washers could slide. That sounds ideal if the cuts are absolutely straight and perfectly horizontal, and if they are cut with exactly the right kerf (a lot of uses of “if” there). With the tools (and skills) I have available, that sounds a little terrifying, to be honest! Option two would be to cut the washers so that they fit snugly around the housing, which allows for me to make as many attempts as necessary to get a sufficient number that work. I do question, however, whether that offers enough surface area at the points of contact to achieve a sufficiently strong bond for epoxy, and if not, if there is a reasonable work-around. It is probably the method I will try first just because, if I determine it won’t work, I can still try option one. Option three, I suppose, would be to get one of the available 3D-printed replica parts and fill the gaps on the bottom that bug me.

What about the bull-barrel? A piece of thin(ish) PVC pipe — with a thicker section added to the inside along the bottom — should work, as would a Schedule 40 piece thinned out some on the upper portion near one end. Either would allow me to add the bevels present on the prop using files and/or a belt sander, as well as letting me flatten the bottom using the belt sander, giving a look similar to the prop. A metal tube of the right diameter and thickness would also work, of course. The choice may well come down to what fits and is available for a reasonable (i.e., dirt-cheap) price.

For the little antenna greeblies that sit on top, just behind the barrel, I feel certain that I have seen little plastic pieces of almost exactly that shape — just have to remember where. I think I could probably make them using aluminum or plastic rod, shaped on the belt sander or disc sander. Using telescoping lengths of tube, it should be possible to make them with a recess for a piece of brass rod to attach to the narrow end. Might take several tries to get a set that closely matches.

I have collected several different knurled discs that closely resemble the knurled thumbscrews that are used to attach the scope mount, and most are aluminum IIRC. I just have to find them … and then see how closely they match the size needed.

On the main housing of the real gun, I note there is a protrusion on the very bottom at the front (easy enough to add), just below the heat sink parts. There is also a angled sort of wedge-shaped feature (it flares out toward the front) at the top of that piece, on both sides, that I would like to add. Will probably just add that with styrene, using Apoxie Sculpt to blend it into the housing.

The rails (I think that is what they are called) that run along the sides, with their milled-out centers — still trying to determine the best method for that. For me, those are an iconic feature of the “real” gun, so I can’t leave them as-is. Just trying to figure out the best method to recreate them. I think they stand out to me because they have always caught my eye. They were even present on the original 1978 Kenner toy, which is the only Star Wars toy I bought 41ish years ago that I know I still have today. That toy (made back when a toy gun could be black out of the box) certainly has lots of inaccuracies, but considering the general level of accuracy in toys during that era, it did a remarkably good job at capturing the spirit of the original prop. It looks way more like Solo’s gun than that elongated monstrosity Hasbro offers now! I painted and weathered mine about a year after I got it, when I was about 11 years old.

I welcome any ideas or comments, especially of those who have already done this and tried any of these things, or used a different approach to achieve any of these effects.

Anyway -- yak yak yak yakety yak ...

SSB
 
Hi its been way too long with any update but life has been busy and i recently got a new 3D printer and finished designing a new flash hider for this... it blows me away how well this is turning out for a toy gun conversion.

Edit: the blaster below is my MR Luke Replica for scale and over all reference.
 

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