DL-44 Blaster Props ANH to ROTJ a Guide

[thd9791]

Scottjua has posted some amazing photos of the ESB blasters, I found a few on google myself showing the pitting and mottled blackening on Lukes, I think they're in the ESB blaster thread.

I do remember the old theory of the threaded stud blocking the mechanism, and I feel thats okay to toss out now. I don't know on-set gun rules, maybe they only put in the rounds they needed, 1 or 2 per gun

 

[thd9791]

I'm new to the other blasters so I need to catch up a bit.

This is the Han blaster auctioned.

An MGC.

are there good images of the real HERO? Has it been sold or displayed.?

View attachment 1536887

This is one of 3 confirmed MGC Return of the Jedi blasters. The only other was a live fire gun sourced from Stembridge in the US.

In ESB they have metal flash hiders, real tank scopes and real model kit greeblies on the side, not plastic flash hiders, fake scopes, milled sections and fake pistons like in ROTJ - that's how I tell them apart.

 

[cwoodreplicas]

Id have to look again but I think in ANH he fires more than once.

On the real movie props the mounts were brazed or welded and the threaded rods should not have entered the mag well. They would be welded to the outside.

The mounts didn't interfere with multiple firing in NR, ST etc.

I’m referring to ESB in this comment. The ANH ones probably were brazed, but the ESB blaster uses a lot of aluminium. Could be that the spacer was aluminium and therefore it was only held with the threaded rod to the body. Just a theory.

 

[scarf man]

Edit: Never mind, too slow.

 

[kpax]

Scottjua has posted some amazing photos of the ESB blasters, I found a few on google myself showing the pitting and mottled blackening on Lukes, I think they're in the ESB blaster thread.

I do remember the old theory of the threaded stud blocking the mechanism, and I feel thats okay to toss out now. I don't know on-set gun rules, maybe they only put in the rounds they needed, 1 or 2 per gun

It is true they only put in a limited number or rounds as needed.

 

[scarf man]

I’ve been holding off posting a section on the ESB hero for this very reason, I’m not sure.
Hashing it out will really help me solidify a good write up for posterity.

 

[kpax]

I’m referring to ESB in this comment. The ANH ones probably were brazed, but the ESB blaster uses a lot of aluminium. Could be that the spacer was aluminium and therefore it was only held with the threaded rod to the body. Just a theory.

I think any blank fire gun like ANH made by Bapty or other would be brazed on like Bapty apparently did several times with multiple Mausers both Left and right side.

I don't think Carl would cut into the mag well and stick a threaded rod in where a blank round could get damaged and possibly cause a catastrophic event.

 

[kpax]

The Stembridge blaster looks to be a real Mauser. Not sure if blank fire or deactivated.

I'd like to see good images of the Han and Luke blank fire or real Mausers if anyone can post.

 

[scarf man]

The turned aluminum flash hider and simply made scope bracket suggest to me that the prop dept. as opposed to an armourer had a larger role in the weapons on ESB’s production.
The fabrication of the greeblies in ESB are simpler, and seem to address a cost/time over aesthetics approach.

 

[scarf man]

The Stembridge blaster looks to be a real Mauser. Not sure if blank fire or deactivated.

I'd like to see good images of the Han and Luke blank fire or real Mausers if anyone can post.

The Stembridge‘s raison d'être is that of a blank firing gun. If the MGC was sufficient for filming, the Stembridge would not be necessary.

 

[kpax]

The turned aluminum flash hider and simply made scope bracket suggest to me that the prop dept. as opposed to an armourer had a larger role in the weapons on ESB’s production.
The fabrication of the greeblies in ESB are simpler, and seem to address a cost/time over aesthetics approach.

But that opens up an issue.

IF the prop department added the scope bracket it can't be a blank fire. They would need an armorer to handle any "live/blank fire" weapons.

Maybe the armorer brazed the mount points and the prop dept added the mount and scope etc? Working together?

 

[kpax]

The Stembridge‘s raison d'être is that of a blank firing gun.

Oh, getting fancy now...

Maybe.

Was it ever fired?

If not...a échoué son utilisation principale ; )

 

[scarf man]

But that opens up an issue.

IF the prop department added the scope bracket it can't be a blank fire. They would need an armorer to handle any "live/blank fire" weapons.

Maybe the armorer brazed the mount points and the prop dept added the mount and scope etc? Working together?

An armourer yes, but an armourer/gunsmith perhaps not. An armourer may only have been needed to check, and sign off on/handle the prop.
Drilling into the mag well may have rendered it single shot, thus the switch.

 

[scarf man]

Oh, getting fancy now...

Maybe.

Was it ever fired?

If not...a échoué son utilisation principale ; )

Yes in the bunker battle scene to shoot a trooper in the head. Merci

 

[kpax]

An armourer yes, but an armourer/gunsmith perhaps not. An armourer may only have been needed to check, and sign off on/handle the prop.
Drilling into the mag well may have rendered it single shot, thus the switch.

Possible but not practical... Who knows...
...not at all I'm sure...

 

[chubsANDdoggers]

Repost from ANH dl44 thread:

Im no gun expert and don’t pretend to be but because of this hobby I’ve become pretty familiar with the details of both an c96 & MGC. The tell is always the trigger and hammer am I right? That and any “bluing” that might appear which (unless I’m mistaken) is only on a real live fire. I’ve never seen an MGC that’s correctly blued. Make of this as u may but in each photo I think there is evidence that’s point towards live fires (deactivated obviously) being used…

 

[scarf man]

Possible but not practical... Who knows...
...not at all I'm sure...

Film productions are and have been exceedingly impractical. Who knows the kind of weird scenario which caused them to switch out blasters for one shot?

 

[kpax]

The best and easiest way to distinguish an MGC from a real Mauser is the trigger and bolt pins... Real Mausers do not have them.

I think my MGC replica has pretty realistic looking bluing... ' )

 

[chubsANDdoggers]

The best and easiest way to distinguish an MGC from a real Mauser is the trigger and bolt pins... Real Mausers do not have them

Good luck seeing that bolt pin in those photos

But the trigger you can see. The hammer don’t forget is another easy tell.

 

[scarf man]

I suspect also that in the scene where Han shoots, the blasters were only capable of firing one round. Having built a few real Mauser blasters now, the threaded studding messes up with the magazine, so it was probably not functional and could only hold one round. Hence the two pistols.

I think this is key information, practical experimental reproduction of a scenario that could have lead the production to use two live fire/blank fire Mausers.