Han Solo ESB + ANH all metal Blasters, step by step

[Lichtbringer]

from Star Wars, DL-44, off course. :love
I needed a break from doing the cinema, so i decided to do something completly different - good old metal-work.

First i had some plans printed in 1/1:

The next needed thing was a Mauser, prefered a metal-replica from Denix:

(Barrel shortened, frontsight was sawed off)

Disassemling and modifying it, drilling and tapping the magazine for the scope-mount screw.
Then using the lathe to modify a knurled fastener, and to produce a 1/8" thick plastic-spacer with the same diameter:

Overall shot:

Next job was turning a flash hider - custom, not any one from the show, just for the fun and the practice:

Here it is:

Yesterday the next original parts arrived. Now i have to decide if i go for all-metall and turning some on the lathe - or make some molds and cast them from resin:

Some more made parts:

For the next blaster (they used 6 different versions in the 3 movies - still some work to do):

I´m still hunting for the right scopes and some other parts.

 

[HeroWorship]

Re: Blasters

Just beautiful! Wish there was a vid so I could see you actually make these parts.

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: Blasters

Just beautiful! Wish there was a vid so I could see you actually make these parts.

Thanks.

Well, not much to see there - no hot chick in a bikini in my shop.

Only a man in the 40s with wide hips, working on a small lathe and a drill press.

 

[GeneralFROSTY]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

Would you be offering a run of the upgrade parts in the JY at any point??

 

[RoCKo]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

i´d be in too! please let me know when your doing a run!

amazing work, i want to do a DL-44 some day too and this is very inspiring!

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

Run? Upgrade parts? I´m not sure what parts you´re asking about.

I have no access to a cnc-machinerie company, what would be needed for many equal pieces of one kind with a good and constant quality, in a acceptable timeframe.

I´m just doing some individual pieces for "my personal blaster", for the fun of the hobby/building - my flash-hiders from the movie guns i planned to find a company which machines them. For them there is equipment needed that i don´t have.

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

I made a new flash-hider

This is for my own idealized blaster, the movie-replicas will be more accurate. I like the sleeker look, but i´m not completly sure which version i like more.

While searching my greeblie-box i found some really old bump-ons, which might work for the rotj- version.

 

[Prefect42]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

Mighty fine work there, Lichtbringer. Looking forward to more pictures.

It's fun to see a DL-44 with artistic interpretation.

Ted.

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

Mighty fine work there, Lichtbringer. Looking forward to more pictures.

It's fun to see a DL-44 with artistic interpretation.

Ted.

Thanks, Ted.

Sure, i will do the others, the "real" ones, too - but i like the idea to have my "own" displayed with them.

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: DL-44 - metal Blasters

HeroWorship,

you asked for a vid. I have no vid from the process, but maybe some pics are good too?

This is my shop, you see the machines are small - usually i use them for model making, mostly for styrene.

That´s the way the material looks before

Turning a flash-hider

For fabricating the ANH-fasteners from above i first put a threaded rod in the chuck

With the fastener on it, before any work

Making the "step" on the backside

Turn it over to the other side

Turning the inner step

The slighly smaller version for the middle fastener

These are the genereal stages when turning something new: Putting some slighly oversized raw-material in the chuck

Turning the front to make it smooth/flat

Turning the sides to the needed diameter

When having no cnc, the most important part - measuring. Better one time to often than not enough.

Flipping the piece, and turning the part that was in the chuck to the same diameter as the ready part

Nearly ready - just a little bit to long. That´s for more comfortable working, has to be turned down to the right length in the last step

This might give you a guess what it will be in the end

It´s no vid, but it might help to understand what has been done to make such parts. My main problem is the size of the machine, it is capable of metal work, but only in many smaller steps than a 2 ton lathe in a professional workshop. So i need a few hours for a flash-hider, on a big lathe it could be done in half an hour, and on a cnc in some minutes.
But for my small stuff from time to time this is enough.

I hope everyone had some fun time while watching these.

 

[IFA]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Nice work on the revell pistons !!!! :thumbsup

 

[jokerfish]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Awesome job man, cant wait to see it finished!

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Thanks, guys.

I will post pics as soon as i have something new to show.

 

[Don93]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Very cool, especially the home metal working.

 

[jediscout]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Ditto. Really enjoyed seeing the In Process shots. Very cool pics!

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Many thanks for your nice comments. :cool

As there are really some out there who like this kind of "making of", i will try to show the process as good as i can.


I´ve sawed the turned pistons in half

The problem with cutting is ... you loose material where the saw works. You have to choose between a little bit on both halfs, or one perfect half and one thats a little bit smaller. I choosed to have a perfect for the ESB, and a not completly perfect for my version. It´s not that much difference, 1mm, you only notice it when you know it. I used and ruined a etched Zona-saw to get a thin as possible cut - sadly they are not here available, i need to order a new in the US.

Next part was milling the slots

I think i can live with the result

And attached to the gun, this is the "not perfect" half

There is not so much left i can do on this blaster now - mainly i´m waiting for the ordered M19. There are some small greeblies on the left side i have to make, but up to now i made no decision if i do them in metal or plastic.

 

[Hirohawa]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Awesome work!

 

[philip7]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

great work, will you makin and sellin these ?

 

[cosmic_x]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Wow, Michael this is awesome, and I was wondering what you are up to these days

habe gerade gesehen, würdest du auch eine für mich machen :love

 

[Lichtbringer]

Re: Han Solos DL-44 - metal Blasters

Thanks to all of you.


Philip 7, i´m afraid i will not. As i explained earlier, my machines are to small to deliver a run in a acceptable timely manner - it would take too long, and would be to expensive if calculated on a "x money per hour"- basis. For such a job a CNC-machine-shop is needed to produce the parts with reasonable prices.
And i believe the name "Lichtbringer" is a good one in the SW scale modelling world, i don´t take the risk to ruin it with such a try.

Sorry, i hope you understand.


Hi Kostas,

i was burned out at making Starship-kits (to many on my "have to do"-list), i had no drive to do anything kit-related for months. Everytime i tried, i sat at my workbench and stared at the waiting styrene ...... and was bored, even before starting. :unsure

I needed to start something new, something i havn´t done before - something that´s a new challenge for me. So i first made a big step at finishing my Enterprise-homecinema (not ready yet, but a mayor step), and then i started these blasters.