Princess Leia Organa.  Imperial Senator and one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance.  Although her spaceship, the Tantive IV, is overrun by imperial forces, we see early-on that she will not be taken easily.  Hiding in the darkness, Leia manages to dispatch a stormtrooper with her trusty sidearm before she is captured.  Like the princess, her personal weapon, the DDC Defender sporting blaster, is slender and elegant.

While we don't actually get to see very much of this particular blaster, its few seconds on screen have become iconic.  The original filming prop used in A New Hope was composed of several unlikely components.  The base weapon was a Soviet 22 caliber target pistol.  This was apparently chosen for its small size so as to not appear bulky while being held by the petite Carrie Fisher.

An extended barrel was added to the base pistol, covered by a coiled cord (either the accessory cord fro and antique flashgun or a British telephone cord) and a finned component (a British plastic plumbing adapter).  The business end of the barrel is capped by a 22 caliber recoil compensator that was often included with this type of pistol for target shooting.

Although thought to be lost for many years, Master Replicas located the original prop in the possession of a private collector in England.  To create our replica, data was obtained from this individual on the origin and dimensions of the added components.  In addition, we purchased a mint condition Soviet 22 caliber target pistol for reference.  Upon examination of several of these Russian firearms and numerous photographs, it was evident that many variations existed in their basic design and details.  We therefore utilized an example that appeared to be a best match to the original filming prop.

Master Replicas' model of the Princess Leia DDC Defender is an accurate representation of the screen-used prop.  We hope that you enjoy our recreation of this elegant and historic film weapon.