Han's blaster isn't the only Star Wars weapon to be inspired by real-world guns. He referred back to the design of the German Mauser pistol Solo's gun was originally based on: The Mauser came with a wooden holster that could become a stock when required. The art shows how the the long barrel and shoulder stock were removed to create the pistol seen in the original trilogy. Savage, who has worked on concept design for multiple Star Wars films including The Force Awakensand Rogue One, explained that the idea for the rifle attachments came from prop master Jamie Wilkinson.
RELATED: Solo Sequel Series in the Works for Disney+ Savage's breakdown, posted to his Instagram, gives a detailed look at the concept art for the weapon. In Solo, it is stolen from the Imperial Outpost on Mimban by Tobias Beckett, before being broken down into a pistol configuration and given to Han. The rifle is the forerunner to the iconic blaster pistol.
Concept designer Matthew Savage has posted an animated breakdown of the DL-44 blaster rifle from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
