Han Solo’s DL-44 Blaster

This post started out as a link to this auction listing for a DL-44 prop from Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. The fact that it has an estimated price of $200,000 – $300,000 is pretty interesting, right? Some might even say crazy. But before I could get to that, I took a trip down the internet rabbit-hole looking for info on replica DL-44 blasters. And that’s where things get even more fascinating.

Take a read through this post on Tested. It chronicles the long journey of two people to make the best A New Hope version of Han’s blaster that they can. The level of detail in the post, and the crazed obsession of the community behind the project is incredible, and filled with tidbits you had no idea about. Things like where all those extra bits on the gun came from. Look closely at the detail on the magazine in the photo. See the piston from a V8 engine model kit?

The more you read about it, the more intriguing it becomes. It turns out that one of the big breaks in the project came in the form of a Frank Sinatra movie, The Naked Runner. Didn’t see that one coming, did you? And it just keeps getting better. The post gets into the different version of the gun that popped up throughout the films, even highlighting the bizarro blaster where the scope, for some reason, appears reversed. The whole thing makes for a terrific read that celebrates the obsession for detail that thrives in fan communities.

Listed in General

Tags: DL-44 Blaster, Han Solo, Star Wars, Tested

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