In 2002, Master Replicas issued the first Han Solo A New Hope blaster replica, which according to high-end collectibles site ToyTracker, was a limited edition of 1500 and had a retail price of $450. The blaster sold out quickly and Master Replicas was so proud of their product at the time that they also released a lithograph blueprint of their blaster design, framed and matted for collectors to display along with their replica.
MASTER REPLICAS' SECOND ELITE EDITION DL-44 REPLICA.
Unfortunately, it became clear that this blaster was not as accurate as fans had hoped. For example, its dimensions were actually scaled to that of a Denix Mauser replica, not an original or even MGC replica. The Denix base was pretty obvious in that Master Replicas retained the stamped diamond Denix logo above the trigger on left side of the magazine. Says Dymszo of the effort: “Our first ANH replica released in 2002 was not nearly as accurate as I would have liked it to have been, but we were constrained by time/staff/budget and were forced to use the Denix mauser replicas at that time.”
Master Replicas would get a chance to redeem itself in 2006, when it released a second ANH DL-44 blaster replica, the “Elite Edition”. This version had a much more accurately milled body and working hammer and trigger action, along with wooden grips and a see-through scope. New details discovered by other fans were incorporated, such as the three-section “heat sink” fins on the gun magazine. Acknowledging uncertain details like the presence and location of the antenna greeblies, the Elite Edition actually offered a detachable set of t-tracks so collectors could configure it as they saw fit. The China-made prop was also unweathered (ie. had no painted damage or wear) because Master Replicas felt that convincing weathering could not be done in mass production, so it was sold “as issued” by the fictional company BlasTech.
Setting the production run of the Elite Edition to 1250 pieces and pricing it at $650, Master Replicas was surprised to find that their new prop didn’t sell out nearly as quickly as the original. In fact, retailers held on to products and had to lower the price to as low as $400 before the final units were sold. Today, an Elite Edition Master Replicas ANH blaster fetches well above retail on eBay (I own number 113 out of 1250). But that wasn’t enough to save Master Replicas, who saw the high-end collectibles market growth slow down after it was acquired by toy company Corgi in late 2006. There were only so many fans willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for multiple lightsaber and blaster replicas.
The current crop of prop replica companies, like eFX and Quantum Mechanix, don’t offer their own versions of the DL-44 blaster, but it’s unlikely that any prop replica made in large quantities and commercially sold would satisfy the likes of Carson Case and Pat Matera. As nice as Master Replica’s Elite Edition looks, it’s a better prop to look at than to hold. In hand, it feels overtly like a singular object, not something that was pieced together from multiple parts. The fact that it’s a mass-produced fabrication is apparent; you never get the sense that it is a pistol--real or replica--with pieces attached to it. And here’s the rub: the Elite Edition is already considered inaccurate by today’s prop replica standards.
Awesome! 
