Building My Dream Replica
By: Matthew Morgan
Tags: Replica, Hobby, Movies, Star Wars, Guns

Building My Dream Replica

Image courtesy of imdb.com

A Little Preamble

I’ve wanted Han Solo’s DL-44 heavy blaster pistol ever since I first saw Star Wars in the 1990’s. I found however that even as a child, the plastic toy versions just weren’t close enough to the real thing for my liking.

When I was 12, Master Replicas gained the license to make and sell Star Wars replicas. They produced two versions of the blaster in 2002 and 2006, both made with very restricted access to the props of the Lucasfilm archives. I was desperate to acquire one of these very sought after replicas, but the high-end price tag put them too far out of reach. By the time I was earning an income at the age of 17, the limited run of 1500 and 1250 blasters respectively had sold out, putting them even farther out of reach as third party sellers drove up prices.

Master Replica’s first DL-44 Replica. Image courtesy of Tested.com

My interest in the replica was reignited in 2013 when a video uploaded by Adam Savage’s Tested showcased the assembly of a blaster kit produced by Dark Energy Creations. The kit consisted of several parts machined from Aluminum and Pewter and were designed to fit on either a real, or replica Mauser C96. The replicated blaster parts were a result of intensive research, largely on the part of the RPF (Replica Prop Forum — you can view the research thread here, which is 224 pages at time of writing and climbing).

The original prop in all of its glory.

I never expected to own one of these kits myself, but when a new and limited run of parts was announced on the RPF I had to reserve one for myself. The completed kit came all the way from New York, and included a cheap Denix brand C96 Mauser on which to mount the included pieces.

I was happy with my replica at the time, but looking back on it now I cringe at how little effort I put into it. I rushed every step from assembly to finishing. To get a realistic look, some of the metal parts require bluing, a chemical process that gives the parts that ‘gun metal’ finish. I neglected to clean parts before hand, and skipped vital steps such as neutralizing the chemical with water between coats. It was a mess, and all because I wanted a finished product now.

Rebuilding the Blaster

Some years later, I decided I’d had enough of looking at a sub par, rushed result. I ordered a substantially more expensive kit of steel parts, detailed more accurately to match the original prop. I can’t say how many hours I put into building the new and improved replica, but it was a work in progress for a minimum of two years.

The replica C96 Mauser — note the soft looking metal and traces of the molding process.

I completely stripped back the factory paint job on the replica Mauser and took it to pieces. I reworked the trigger to give it a more realistic low profile instead of the chunky, molded trigger the gun came with. I filed definition into the grooves of the hammer and safety, while meticulously removing casting lines where possible.

Modifying the Mauser to give it a more realistic look.

I also spend hours sanding every inch of the gun to remove any pitting caused by the casting process and give it a flat appearance. This went a long way towards making it looks like a heavy, solid metal. My goal was original prop accuracy, and I feel I did about as well as I could with the cheap replica I had. This process took the longest, and was done over a period of weeks when I had time after work.

The refurbished hammer.

My dad had a big part to play in making these modifications, most of all by helping to mill the extractor from the bolt. This piece of metal was otherwise flat with a mold line up the middle. Once the extractor was shaped, I applied bluing compound to give it a dark appearance much like a real Mauser.

The milled extractor.

There are varying opinions when it comes to the original prop’s finish. While a real Mauser C96 was used, it was discovered that the top and bottom parts of the gun came from two separate Mausers; the bottom half being painted, and the top blued. Others believe the gun was completely blued, though chipping of the finish in original prop photos indicates that it was likely painted. Though not 100% confirmed, I elected to go with the half-painted finish as I liked the contrast between parts.

The assembled Mauser.

My hours of bluing have taught me patience and perseverance, and how important instructions can be. I can’t tell you how good it felt to achieve a finish after months of frustration.

The kit came with a steel flash hider and “bull barrel” to fit onto the cut-down barrel of the Mauser. The flash hider on the original prop was from a MG-81 machine gun, a German World War II aircraft mounted gun. These parts were blued, and I brushed the flash hider with steel wool to lighten it a bit.

For the scope mount, I purchased a stencil weathering kit from RPF user Scottjua. Scott is a master when it comes to the DL-44 prop, and produces film-accurate stencils for replicating weathering (not to mention fully completed blasters). The stencil is stuck onto the parts and then painted. When the stencil is removed, you are left with an accurate finish that I once dreaded trying to do by hand.

Applying the stencil.

The scope itself is a replica WWI era German sniper scope manufactured by Hensoldt Wetzlar. The text printed on the side of the replicas was deliberately incorrect in order to avoid any potential legal issues. The scope came with a dial and glass lenses — some prop makers like to apply futuristic looking reticles to the lenses however I wanted a more prop-realistic look, and left them as they were. The scope body was blued, and the mount, dial and clasps were painted a flat black and slightly weathered. To simulate paint chipping on the mount, I applied small dabs of toothpaste before painting which were removed afterwards, leaving areas of exposed metal.

The result of the toothpaste technique.

Once assembled, the replica was complete. I can happily say that after a number of years I’m finally happy with the finished product. This project was full of lessons, but most of all I learned that if you want to get the result you want, you have to put the time in. You can’t gain knowledge in anything without first trading time, and plenty of mistakes. There were points that I was set on giving up, or shelving the project indefinitely. Thankfully, I persevered. Now I have my dream replica, and I wouldn’t trade it for any of the official versions I once desperately wanted. This one is mine, and there will never be another just like it. For me, it carries memories; it’s something I shared with my dad and it’s a physical representation of all the lessons mentioned above.

Here are the images of the completed replica. I was lucky enough to have a stand made in a limited run by a member of the Replica Prop Forum.

Special Thanks

I couldn’t have finished this project without the beautiful kits sold by Dark Energy Creations, nor the endless advice provided by the Replica Prop Forum. Those guys have a real passion for what they do, and are still learning new things about this prop even now.

I also couldn’t have done it without the help of my dad, an amazing engineer and fountain of knowledge.

Last of all, thanks to all the people that listened to me rave about this prop over the years! (It’s probably not going to stop).