Blaster Modifying 101

by Amy Ratcliffe

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

Han Solo understood the importance of a quality weapon. The DL-44 he carried in A New Hope was integral to his character. If you’re cosplaying Solo, it’s an item you don’t want to sacrifice quality on. But how many people can really afford the Master Replica version of his blaster? Not this girl. All hope is not lost though; it just means you have to get creative.

A friend was nice enough to loan his 1980s era DL-44 toy to my Han Solo costume cause. If you don’t already have one in your collection, you can start with this very bright blaster from Amazon.. You could also dig around on eBay. You’re going to be sanding and painting it though, so just promise me that you’ll take a moment and make sure it’s not a valuable collectible.

Though this step-by-step is about Han’s blaster, you can apply these steps to modding any plastic weaponry. (Nerf guns are great bases)

Find Reference Photos
What do you want your finished weapon to look like? Use the magic of the internet or visual guides (if it’s a sci-fi series or film, there’s a visual companion). If you are working on an original creation, at least grab images of the paint finishes or textures you like on other weapons.

Prep for Painting

Buff the object (in this case, the blaster) with steel wool in a medium fine grade. Clean the blaster with either alcohol or dish soap and water. The alcohol prep pads for first aid kits are perfect for this. After it is clean, let it air dry or if you are impatient, use a paper towel to carefully dry it. Don’t use anything to dry it that will leave behind lint or residue. For the base colors, figure out what colors of paint will be going where and mask off areas of the blaster with tape accordingly. This is mandatory if you are using spray paint. Mandatory. Don’t make me send Stormtroopers after you.

Painting
Spray paint, like Krylon, is ideal for the base colors. Spray on enough coats to cover the colors underneath. In the case of a bright toy weapon like the one I linked above, it might take a few coats. Let areas dry before you remove or add more tape or paint further. After the base layers are dry, you can remove tape and continue to detailing. Double check your reference photos and pick out highlights and shadows in the image. Those are the paint colors you want to emulate.

Tonal variation is the key to making modification realistic, so make sure you use a few colors and light layers to add depth. For making all the little crevices stick out on the repainted blaster, I used a little black acrylic paint (Liquitex Basics colors are my go-to) mixed with a lot of alcohol. The ratio is around 1 part paint to 10 parts alcohol. This will be a water-like mixture. With a paint brush, cover the desired areas, and especially shove the bristles into the cracks. Before it dries, dab off big areas with a paper towel. The shading will stick around the crevices. Repeat this until you achieve the look you want.

Replicating the wood handle for this piece was tricky, but not impossible. From the reference photo, identify the lightest and darkest colors. Mix the light color (again, acrylic paint) and use it to paint the entire “wood” area. Let that dry completely. While it’s drying, mix the darkest color. Using a ratio of 1:3, mix the darkest color with a matte medium or water. Paint this on the entire wood area slowly. Do two layers, drying in between. If the area has crevices like the blaster handle, you want them to show. After the paint is dry, go over it with a black alcohol wash following the above instructions but this time just focus on getting it into the cracks and not all over the whole surface.

For the metallic highlights, use metallic color acrylic paint. Put a small amount of the paint on a dry paint brush. Paint a scrap surface until almost no paint comes from the brush. Then hit the edges and high points of the area you want to give a metallic look. Go slowly; it’s best to start off with very little paint on the brush.

Finally, add scratches with an open cell sponge or an acid brush. You can get the sponge from a make-up store and the brush from a car parts store. Or you can go the easy route and get them both online.

Voila! You have a blaster that is close to what Han Solo carries. At the very least, it will be better than what you started with. Modifying plastic toys into holster-worthy weapons is a great exercise for overall costuming. It puts your brain in resourceful mode and forces you to figure out colors, shapes, and textures. It will translate to all areas of costuming. Now, go buy a Nerf gun and make it awesome!

Amy Ratcliffe still has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up.  But until then, she will keep playing D&D, reading comics, and perfecting the ultimate chic lightsaber.  Strong female characters in the world of geek (movies, comics, & books) influence her attitude and costumes. Visit her blog Geek with Curves.

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