Tom's ROTJ DL44 blaster

[thd9791]

Hey folks. I accidentally happened upon some ROTJ blaster parts and the Boba Debt Denix was my cue to begin. I think this is a field marshal bracket, which is 1/8 wider than the guns tapped holes. (I may have the makers of the gun and bracket mixed up) so I dug up a very thin brass washer with a lot of surface area and a small hole and used that to brace inside the magazine with my new hole since they were so close. Used a hex nut to tighten the countersunk bracket screw.

I took a long time sculpting the denix. This is my 3rd or 4th so this time I nailed the sight pin, did light detail on the hammer knurl, and it was already milled for the Rotj details. Skipped the trigger for this one, but I did fill in some of the casting circles and the words made in Spain with JB weld! Also left a trapezoidal flat area on the flip sight so at least the hinges are the only thing poking up. It looked much more impressive before I dusted black paint on it I guess haha

The scope is a leftover of my dads (redbutton ) scope and it's a close fit. I accidentally won two scopes that are better size wise. Someone please buy one from me! I'll list the one I dont want in the JY after i get them and compare them. The Bushnell here is a tad too big, and I had to slice off the threaded sleeve to get the scope ring in the right place.

That's all so far

 

[thd9791]

I should add that I cut down one scope ring (adjustments later when I get the right scope bell) with a full-on reinforced cutting dremel disc. It took 30 min and I almost burned out my craftsman rotary.

I actually pop-riveted some Derlin pistons in place with some E6000 underneath just in case. I seemed to have already had the right sized rivets (Roy? Field Marshall?) and I don't know how... or where they came from. I stacked two TINY hex nuts ontop of the rivet and it cleared the surface of the piston by a hair. Then comes the pop rivet gun and voila!

I also dragged a fine metal file and/or sandpaper over a lot of the flat surfaces of the Denix (hex shoulder, sides, rail, etc) and it made a huge difference in finish,

 

[Propdude113]

Nice work Tom!!

 

[Dann]

Weren't the piston halves attached with Phillips head screws (at least on the two scope ring version)?

 

[redbutton]

Great work....in progress!

 

[thd9791]

Weren't the piston halves attached with Phillips head screws (at least on the two scope ring version)?

I think so. This is talking at least in the 90s.

The blaster with rivets still in it has a broken scope that sits very forward

Blasters (lets say) 2 and 3 have screws and an extra scope ring. Blaster 2 even has a screw through the bumper. Blaster 3 that was just sold off has a scope that has been wrenched and rotated in it's cradle, scraping paint off and leaving the rivet side facing outwards and the "nozzle" near the flash hider.

Each of these modifications seems like an accident that was repaired. Since the milling marks on my denix are not matched to a specific gun, but idealized, I have leeway. Honestly, I want to do all the weird things they did differently for this one: make the scope, rivet derlin pistons on, etc. because it's different from all the others. and I'm running out of space haha

 

[Dann]

Ha! I know what you mean, I think my favorite, or at least the one I did has two scope rings, screw through the bumper and delrin Pistons I've had saved for YEARS!

Still need to add both screws to the flash hider, but it's almost done.

 

[thd9791]

Scope #2 of 3 experiment:

These photos are a little saturated, sorry for how dark they are, this scope is a standard slightly glossy black scope like a Weaver or Compac.

This is a Lyman "all american" 4x scope. I dont know a ton about hunting optics it the original scope on these blasters seems to be a 4x32 or similar scope. Thin retainer ring, and a sharp transistion from cylinder to bevel, with both being nearly the same size.

That's why I chose this scope, there are very few that fit these criteria even closely.

So I'd love some feedback! I have the bushnell photographed, the Lyman and the next one is called "the hunter" and is currently in Michigan with FedEx

My scope ring piece is still too tall for either scope, need to remove about 2 mm in height

 

[Dann]

I've got a handful of different vintage 4x32 scopes, and you're right, it can be tough to find all the correct attributes for the ROTJ scope.

Thankfully, there are TONS of scopes on eBay to sift through. Like, thousands! I can waste an hour or two EASY, just scrolling past them.

So many different Japanese companies making scopes in the 60s and 70s, many of which I'm sure were coming from the same factory, just getting stamped with different brand names.

There are so many subtle differences, even among the same exact models and brands, it can be tough even finding a perfectly matching PAIR!

I've got two Lyman All American 2.5 power scopes. One is a bit older than the other, but there are subtle differences in dimensions between them, too.

I can help you out, though, if you need any. Shoot me a PM if you want me to help ya look for the right objective!

 

[thd9791]

Thanks Dan! PM incoming.

That other "Hunter" scope is still out west, so in the mean-time I've got some updates.

I got a product sample that I believe to be a modern day version of the front of the scope. The original appears to have a seam-line down the center of it's face, as well as casting lines around the rim... which has led me to believe it's a plumbing cap or something similar... pipe cap, ferrule, etc. This is a product sample from a company in the UK, because I couldn't find any that matched in the US. Doesn't exactly match the old product, no casting lines or slight radius to the corner, but it's pretty sharp. Maybe someone else here can complete the search!

The cap might be a tad long, but it has the same beveled back rim, same sharp corners and looks to me almost dead on with diameter. Comparing it to the 1" scope ring, that is.

At least its another option to weigh against CE's ROTJ scopes if they're in my budget

Also, here are the original scopes they made for the film. Note that the auction blaster's scope is turned on its side, and the melted area is where the rivet was.

 

[thd9791]

I did quite a bit today - and it took breaking down some parts to learn some new things. I used a 3d printed scope that's a tad small to start comparing things

First I lowered the scope ring block even further. This was dremel work, metal file work and eyeballing.

Next I took the scope I didnt want and used it to practice cutting scopes! A reinforced cutting disc made easy work of this. I used painters tape to make a line to cut. I rubbed it against a metal file or two to smooth out the unfinished end!

Now with the scope cut up I could test fit the cap.It's close, extremely close, but not an exact match. Its about 1/16 larger in diameter than the props' cap, and doesn't have the casting lines around the rim and face. It is the CLOSEST thing I've been able to come up with and it is a loner... I've been unable to find anything close, plumbing caps, ferrule, pipe thread caps and custom ABS or caplugs, nothing. Used a piece if old vacuum plastic tube as a spacer like I think they did

While doing this, i accidentally finished the scope. Well, the broken version. I clipped it on (with the stub just barely fitting underneath the bell) and was like ..oh.. that's it, the one missing the front cap!

I still have to decide between two scopes that I actually want to use, this Bushnell was a test run.

I went ahead and painted the body some more, this time with the professional flat black Halliwax turned me on to.

I pulled the flash hider off an LS mauser I made with a Derlin FH and ruined the sideplates.. kind of a goner so I trimmed the factory burrs, sanded it a bit with 800 water grit, and repainted it!

Still need to add a bumper and proper grips.

Anyone upgraded their MGC to wood grips and willing to sell me their plastic ones? Anyone have these old bumpers?

 

[thd9791]

Here is evidence that the other "second" blaster has a scope cap with a seam-line down the center, just like the Ripley's Blaster.

This one also has a screw through the bumper and screws through the pistons. Just like the Ripley's blaster, looking like a "second." I wish I knew what those scope caps were!

It gives me the impression that this one:

Was supposed to be a "Hero" version - using the Rivets, better milling marks, and closer "knurling" on the FH as clues. Its a shame that THIS scope is the one that's broken

This didn't end up being the Hero, the LFL archives "second" ended up in the shot where he looks over his shoulder. The Stembridge also ended up in a lot of close-ups due to the choreography of the Endor scenes.

Also note that the scope slides in and out of the scope ring for these shots, and the sight hinge appears loose too.

 

[thd9791]

The scope made it here from Oregon, but the guy sent me the wrong scope. its not the one in the picture, rather its likethe Lyman, except it has rust all over it and gouge marks on the scope bell. I hope he refunds me, exchanges it or something, we are in contact.

Anyway I'm going to keep searching. I've also got the OD of that cup to between 33 and 35 mm, and its very thin schedule.

Yesterday I glued down an old bumper. It's a tad big, but we literally lost 3 of the 4 that I had stashed away somewhere. Pics soon

 

[thd9791]

Alright folks, I'm sharing some of my research. I was told by BPF that these black ferrules are the closest they have. Once you get above 30 mm they're all round ended like the small one here. The 1 1/2 inch one here is the only flat one they have, and it's a bit too large.

The two white caps are plumbing fittings schedule 40 (a little thick walled) and they are nearly the right diameter BUT as you can see not deep enough. The smaller one is unfortunately a plug and not a cap. Note though, there is a seam line right down the middle, exactly like the cap were looking for.

The bigger white cap is endcap. (Bought new from a crappy hardware store full of new items) and the seam line plug is a Spears. I got it from an OLD hardware store with bins of these but zero were endcaps. They also had Charlotte fittings that were close as well, production wise

I also have reason to believe the rear of the scope is not a found part. Except for one gun, the riveted piston one, which looks to have a hollow tube, doesn't seem possible if the rear is machined. More on that soon if people are interested

But here's the only good one I have yet (disregarding the wrong scope I waited for, still grumpy about that haha)

 

[thd9791]

yep, so these are fake

Derlin back half

and these might be real scopes

 

[Dann]

I agree, good sir.

 

[thd9791]

I finally got The Hunter, and .. well.. it matches in shape and ratio. However, it's all around larger than what were looking for. (1 3/8" ish OD of the Bell)

Strike out again!

I actually think we might be looking for a super inexpensive scope.. maybe even an air gun scope? The bell we see on the "hero" blaster and the Ripleys one doesn't go back that far, but it's got a decently sloped bevel. I can see some current Chinese ones that look like the Derlin scopes... just seems like all these 4x20s are a tad larger than what we see on the prop

Here are the two scopes, a DL44Blaster 3d printed one and actually a FM machined version which is rather small

 

[thd9791]

So, I decided to cut up at least one of my scopes and get rid of the other. I kept he Lyman intact, intent on getting rid of it. The Hunter was one of those Japanese ones and has a much more accurate shape than the wrong end of a bushnell i was using.

Thing is, the bell is still too big. Much better looking.. however.. after doing some scaling it appears the real bells are smaller than most 4x32s. Also, the exposed scope tube is not 1"
.. must be a different type of scope!

Here's me working with the scope parts, in the middle of making another Harry Potter wand from found parts

 

[thd9791]

I did a little work today, and it got messy.

I got a pair of MGC grips (of course) and after some smelly dremeling in the basement, got them to fit this newer denix frame. I tried to keep the plastic cylinder around the screw, but just didnt have the fine tools to dial down the diameter and have it slide into the drilled out denix hole.

Instead I used the drill press to thin an old steel standoff, and chopped it to length

Next was the OUTSIDE of the grips. I got the brass escutcheon from the upgraded denix stuck in there and used e6000 to hopefully secure it....

So I used apoxoe sculpt to literally sculpt the rest of the grip that the 9 omitted. Water to smooth it out, and the edge of a razor saw to draw the lines. This one is tricky as hell

I'm going to paint them satin black I think.

In testing out washers inside because the escutcheon sinks in when tightened, but the grip floats with a washer in there. Maybe they're not stuck to the grips yet

I could also full on glue the grips in place... last time I HAD the mgc nut. I suppose I could have made one, but I like using the ones from the denix and now that I opened the hole I'm stuck so heres to hoping the glue stays!

 

[thd9791]

Next morning, I used 200 something and then 600 or 800 grit sandpaper, the razor saw teeth too, to end up here