Rey's Gun TFA

[Darth Lars]

I noticed that there are different props: In some pictures the front plate is one piece, in others it is two.

Other observations: The barrel is slightly smaller in diameter than the width of the main body but thicker than the "ejector port".
There is no scratch above the right grip - the line in one picture is probably a fishing line used to hold it up.
The black squares are recessed less than the ejector port...

Things like cutting three exact grip frame shapes in different thicknesses would be a challenge[...]

I'm thinking of taking shortcuts here. Double up the left and right sheet metal parts, drill holes through both and screw together. Then cut those two together.
The inner core would be cut from MDF: the edge clad with aluminium tape. :$
The core would not need to be tapped if the plates are - there are a couple of bolts that go through from the right side - that could hold to tapped holes on the left.

layering sheet to do the panel lines and such

People have used tube-cutters to scribe lines around tubes.
Scribing straight lines on flat aluminium is not hard - it is mostly a matter of patience to scribe the same line repeatedly making it deeper each time without pressing too hard so that you would risk slipping.

The safety selector's plate, however... has a wide groove. The selector switch could be made from a aluminium scalpel/x-acto knife handle.
I'm hoping that the "lower cylinder" would be a found part. There might be metal bottles that would work for making the barrel end.

so sure, it could be done in theory, but it would take a lot of effort and skill to get it right.

Well, yes, but I was not comparing to modelling in 3D and printing it. I was comparing to building it in styrene/PVC pipe.
Then the skill set would be more comparable. It is mostly the amount of work that would be bigger - but so would the pay-off be.

BTW, how do your measurements compare to IAmTheClayman's?

 

[IAmTheClayman]

I noticed that there are different props: In some pictures the front plate is one piece, in others it is two.

Other observations: The barrel is slightly smaller in diameter than the width of the main body but thicker than the "ejector port".
There is no scratch above the right grip - the line in one picture is probably a fishing line used to hold it up.
The black squares are recessed less than the ejector port...

I actually just got back from seeing TFA a second time, and in addition to still loving it knowing the twists and turn ahead of time I paid a lot of attention to Rey's blaster. After seeing how it looked in Harrison Ford's hand (a decent fit if a little on the small side) and in Daisy Ridley's hand (definitely a little big, keeping in mind that Ford is 6'1" and Ridley is 5'7") I'm actually a bit more confident in my measurements.

Re the front plate: wasn't sure about this myself, and I didn't really pick up on it watching the film again tonight so I plan on keeping it as 2 pieces for now.
Re the barrel: if you're referring to the muzzle shroud, I'm definitely with you. Keeping with my theory that the prop uses Imperial measurements (seeing the blaster on screen cemented the 3" x 2.75" measurements for the receiver portion for me), I would assume that the shroud is 15/16" instead of 1" as I have it now, since if it were something like 7/8" it would be more noticeable.
Re the "scratch": you're definitely right about it not being part of the gun, because in another image taken from the right side there is no line. I had assumed it was some kind of weld, but I've removed it.

I want to make all of these changes and finish the front view, but once I do I'll post an updated version of the blueprints for anyone who's interested

EDIT: Also if I were to do a run of these, would people be more interested in an all resin casting or if the metal parts were aluminum cold cast?

 

[veektohr]

Aluminum for sure!

 

[IAmTheClayman]

Side note: does anybody know how long a broomhandle grip is supposed to be? By length I mean the measurement from the bottom of the curve (where the outside of your palm would go) to the flat, angle part (where your thumb would rest)? I think my blueprints need some slight overall rescaling, and having that measurement would make things infinitely easier. I've never handled a pistol before so I don't have any past experience to draw on for the scaling

 

[JDiamond]

@IAmTheClayman, the longest point 87mm

That's on a Denix

 

[Darth Lars]

Some dimensions on the Denix are slightly smaller and some are slightly larger than a real Mauser. I think the grips in particular are a couple of mm too long.
Member VFX Freak had once posted a picture of his Mauser on top of a cutting mat - with a grid. I scaled and rotated that to match the grips on the NN-14 and then measured the grid. That would make the barrel shroud about 1 1/4" in diameter and the receiver box ~3.69 (~93 mm) vertically.

But I think that the master for the grips is most likely to have been made from grips from a HFC/Marushin m712 airsoft - which Han Solo's TFA DL-44 was made of.. The number and style of the grooves match and it looks like they already have flat bottoms. The central holes have been filled and new ones made. Then they would have been moulded in silicone and cast in black resin - which would shrink them by about 2%. We should scale our measurements from such casts.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

The 3 sheets of metal for the frames are the easiest thing.

Paint the shape of the inner core on the thick sheet alu...

Yeah, but you're still going to have a fair challenge getting it to laser-cut precision, which is what I would want on this particular prop.

Top and bottom are probably no tubes, but can be made from them. Their grooves can be cut with a sawblade turning them in a drill used as a lathe, ...

I did mention using a drill as a lathe, yes. I've done it many times, but you don't have the exact precision that I'd want with this unless you made really good jigs to hold everything. (I wouldn't recomment cutting with a saw blade though, since it slips too easily. A Dremel cutter going in the opposite direction will give you a more even cut that is more like an actual milled groove.)

Sure, you want to sell your stuff, and maybe you really prefer it that way - but it´s not that hard to work with alu as you say. Off course it´s not as easy as buying and glueing some parts, it takes more time and practice, much more. No easy success, but so much more satisfying when done.

Same can easily be done with styrene sheet or other material without buying a kit, too.

But off course a kit is the easiest way, that can´t be denied.

Yeah, I wouldn't insult the intelligence of folks here by resorting to such tactics. Those that are interested can make up their own minds so I let "my stuff" speak for itself. So no offense, but I kindly ask that you keep accusatory statements out of this thread.

I'm talking about making a replica that looks precision-machined like the original does, which takes more skill the more hand-held you go. To make one out of hand tools is abolutely possible, to make a prop without help can be more gratifying than a kit (which is why I rarely buy kits these days since I can make most things myself), and I would prefer aluminum over plastic too, but not at the expense of accuracy of detail. I recently sold the only metal replica in the world of the Firefly Vera rifle for that very reason, because my new printed plastic pattern has a few more accurate details. Some props SHOULD look hand-made, some should not. But again- to each his own.

I'm thinking of taking shortcuts here. Double up the left and right sheet metal parts, drill holes through both and screw together. Then cut those two together.
The inner core would be cut from MDF: the edge clad with aluminium tape. :$
The core would not need to be tapped if the plates are - there are a couple of bolts that go through from the right side - that could hold to tapped holes on the left.

The core is probably different than the outer plates to accomodate a moving trigger. That one screw seems to act as the trigger axle. You'll also get a couple edge lines where the core differs from the sides at the top, where the aluminum tape ends, but those would not be too noticeable.

People have used tube-cutters to scribe lines around tubes.
Scribing straight lines on flat aluminium is not hard - it is mostly a matter of patience to scribe the same line repeatedly making it deeper each time without pressing too hard so that you would risk slipping.
........

BTW, how do your measurements compare to IAmTheClayman's?

The problem I see with scribing using a tube cutter is that you get a curved v-shaped groove, with no control over width, that also slightly deforms the surrounding metal, in addition to the fact that a tube cutter will easily slide a bit while cutting. I would still rather set it up in a drill, using a solid core of plastic as a holder while scribing with a dremel. For the plates, it would probably go a slightly different route to get even lines that match the top and bottom. If the lower barrel piece is indeed a found part, I would still start looking at industrial video parts or film reel spools. However, that piece could probably also be machined using a drill as a lathe.

My overall length came in at about 278mm.

 

[IAmTheClayman]

@IAmTheClayman, the longest point 87mm

That's on a Denix

Awesome, thanks. Now I remember reading somewhere that Denix Masuers are a little oversized when it comes to the grip (along with Darth Lars's follow-up post, which I only saw while typing this up), so the frame needs to be filed down to make it screen accurate. Since 87mm is 3.425", does it make sense that the frame is filed down 5mm (for a length of 3.228"), 7mm (3.15"), 10mm (3.03")? Does anybody know the dimensions of screen accurate grips?

EDIT: since Joatrash's post came in right before this one I figured I should mention that I have scaled everything up right now, and as a result the overall length of my blueprints is somewhere around 10 3/4" or 273mm

 

[Lichtbringer]

So no offense, but I kindly ask that you keep accusatory statements out of this thread.

What accusatory statements? People offer a product to sell it .... well, to sell it - if you offer it to not sell it .... i´m stunned.

All the above can be done by hand - not long ago metal trainees learned that before they were allowed to train on machines, that way you learned to "feel" how the metal works. I remember i had to file within hundred of a mm - sure, i hated it. :lol No need for such precision here, each one can decide by it´s own how fanatic he wants to go.

It´s just a thing of carefull working

 

[IAmTheClayman]

Don't mean to be posting so often, but I've been working all day to finish up my blueprints and I'm excited to share. The major difference between this and my first version is that I scaled everything up, now working on the assumption that the broomhandle grip is roughly 3 inches long (or 77mm). If this turns out not to be true...well then I guess there'll be a 3rd version of this for me to work on.

 

[gunlis]

If someone Would consider building this beautiful blaster i metal I would gladly pay for it.
Please send me a message if someone is interested

 

[JDiamond]

gunlis I am with you and I think there are a couple of people working on it. I think Rylo is working on one and a few others. I guess it takes time to go from concept to reality and it is not as quick as 3D printing when creating a full metal item as CNC programmes need to be written. The new year will see this blaster realised in metal and I know I will be waiting for it.
Best blaster from TFA I reckon :thumbsup

 

[Futurescape3D]

This is as far as we've come with this weapon model, but we want to 3D print it in our stainless steel composite to add weight and a more realistic look.

 

[VanOaksProps]

Those screws that we see in this shot look like those anti theft license plate screws. It's a hex with a pin and come with its own special tool.

http://www.therpf.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=556266&d=1447832222

Anyone have an idea as to what size tamper proof torx screw they are? Trying to gather all the extra parts before my blaster arrives.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

Anyone have an idea as to what size tamper proof torx screw they are? Trying to gather all the extra parts before my blaster arrives.

M4 in metric, so whatever is closest in imperial for those of y'all in the US. (heads are around 7mm diameter)

 

[Darth Lars]

The local hardware store has these metric Torx dimensions:
MRT 8.8 (ISO 14583): M3: 5.6mm head, M4: 8mm head
MRT 4.8 (DIN 7985): M3: 6mm head, M4: 8mm head

 

[Oahumakerspace]

I'm using M3 and it looks right. But the only reason I went with M3 was so that I could run the drill cycles without doing a toolchange. The two screws above the trigger pivot are smaller socket cap screws so I may need to drill smaller anyway.

 

[Oahumakerspace]

If you want to tackle this without a CNC, I've had good results in the past cutting aluminum on bandsaws and scroll saws. Finish that off with a stationary belt sander and a round file, you can get great looking edges. I have no idea how to build the center body out of metal without a machine but a small machine like a sherline could do it manually. The muzzle can be done with a drill press and a pipe cutter.

 

[Dokworm]

I'm looking to laser-cut this, I think it will work best for me personally.

 

[s2jesse]

By my measurements the barrel is 1.25" and i feel pretty confident about it.

Jesse