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"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." - Han Solo
Yet another example was a modified Lewis gun, which became the BlasTech T-21, preferred by those looking to turn Rebel scum into Swiss cheese with a rapid-fire blaster. Perhaps the most iconic surplus firearms used as props in the movie however was the Mauser C96 pistol or “Broomhandle” Mauser, which would not only become the Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc. Model 44 blaster carried by many Imperial officers, but also the iconic BlasTech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol carried by the stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, Nerf-herder himself, Han Solo.
Three Mauser C96 pistols were originally modified into DL-44 blasters for the film, with only one functional scope which was switched between the three depending on the detail needed in specific shots. One of the first close glimpses of one of the blasters is in the famous “Cantina” standoff scene between Solo and the bounty hunter Greedo. The DL-44 sees further action in the shootout during the escape of Mos Eisley. This specific pistol is documented by Tony Watts, who acquired Bapty & Co.
and its stock in 2000, as well as by Carl Schmidt, the lead armorer for
the film, as one of the three original DL-44 heavy blasters made for Star Wars: Episode IV, and the only surviving example. After filming of “A New Hope” had concluded, the three DL-44 blasters were returned to near their original “Broomhandle” configuration for use in other films by the prop company, their future importance to both the film and Star Wars community all but unknown at the time.
The story of this specific DL-44 blaster, like many such legendary movie props, is complicated, and is perhaps best told by those who oringally made it and later re-discovered it. Below is presented the partial text from the included letter from Tony Watts, the ownerand managing director
of Bapty & Co. from 2000-2020, in which he describes the original design and development of the pistols for “A New Hope”, as well as how this specific example came to be:
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