DL-44 ANH Hero Blaster
Nov 9, 2013 2:29:52 GMT -5
Post by no6 on Nov 9, 2013 2:29:52 GMT -5
Here's my latest build. The least practical, and believe it or not, by far the most expensive in my collection. You really don't want to know how much this build cost. Seriously. And NONE of the mods went into making it shoot better. The base gun is the HJC "Box Cannon" - a C96 select-fire pistol. With a fake select-fire switch. Which makes me wonder why HJC decided to go with that model rather than a standard 1896, but who knows.
First came stripping the gun to the bare bolts, polishing and bluing. Several different grades of aluminum and zinc made for very inconsistent bluing, so I wound up using Tamiya metal primer (which is clear) and going with several coats of Tamiya Smoke. I finished with a coat of semi-gloss lacquer. Combined with some mild weathering, it gave the gun the appearance of a used, but well maintained antique firearm.
The plastic grips were replaced with replica walnut grips, which required a fair amount of work to fit. I also had to cut one of the metal support frames in the gun since the screw hole was in a different position than the plastic grips. I then restained the grips, applied a semi-gloss varnish, and then wore down with fine steel wool.
The scope mount was from a limited run that I was very lucky to get. The scope itself is the same brand (Hertsold-Wetzler) and vintage (WWII era) as the one used in the movie, but is a slightly different model, which you can tell by the windage knob. However, the body of the scope is exactly right, so a nice trade off. I also got it for a quarter (or less) than the exact scope--if you can even find one, so I consider myself extremely fortunate to have gotten this one.
Anyhow, it is a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with the first pass. I'll be removing the "heat sink" and accurizing it a bit, and will be repositioning the silver disk on the left side.
Now, not only is the least comfortable gas pistol that I own, it is the heaviest. The scope mount prevents me from having the high hand-position that I prefer, and it partially obstructs the mag release button. The scope is meant for a sniper rifle, so the eye-relief is about 5"--which doesn't really matter since the scope is mounted on the right side, and I'm a right handed shooter. The trigger pull is long and heavy, which is great because every shot is double action since it is non-blow back. The inner barrel has more wiggle than a drunk college girl standing on a rubber raft in Ft. Lauderdale during spring break, and to keep the cotter pin in the iron sight from falling out, I super-glued it in place, so that doesn't move any more.
And I think I love this thing more than anything else in my collection. :/
First came stripping the gun to the bare bolts, polishing and bluing. Several different grades of aluminum and zinc made for very inconsistent bluing, so I wound up using Tamiya metal primer (which is clear) and going with several coats of Tamiya Smoke. I finished with a coat of semi-gloss lacquer. Combined with some mild weathering, it gave the gun the appearance of a used, but well maintained antique firearm.
The plastic grips were replaced with replica walnut grips, which required a fair amount of work to fit. I also had to cut one of the metal support frames in the gun since the screw hole was in a different position than the plastic grips. I then restained the grips, applied a semi-gloss varnish, and then wore down with fine steel wool.
The scope mount was from a limited run that I was very lucky to get. The scope itself is the same brand (Hertsold-Wetzler) and vintage (WWII era) as the one used in the movie, but is a slightly different model, which you can tell by the windage knob. However, the body of the scope is exactly right, so a nice trade off. I also got it for a quarter (or less) than the exact scope--if you can even find one, so I consider myself extremely fortunate to have gotten this one.
Anyhow, it is a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with the first pass. I'll be removing the "heat sink" and accurizing it a bit, and will be repositioning the silver disk on the left side.
Now, not only is the least comfortable gas pistol that I own, it is the heaviest. The scope mount prevents me from having the high hand-position that I prefer, and it partially obstructs the mag release button. The scope is meant for a sniper rifle, so the eye-relief is about 5"--which doesn't really matter since the scope is mounted on the right side, and I'm a right handed shooter. The trigger pull is long and heavy, which is great because every shot is double action since it is non-blow back. The inner barrel has more wiggle than a drunk college girl standing on a rubber raft in Ft. Lauderdale during spring break, and to keep the cotter pin in the iron sight from falling out, I super-glued it in place, so that doesn't move any more.
And I think I love this thing more than anything else in my collection. :/
