DarthBlanK
New Member
I'm sure this has been done before, but thought it would be helpful to new people to document a recent experience hunting for found objects to construct Darth Vader's Lightsaber from A New Hope. This was my first build, and I set out to create a Vader saber on a budget with as much found parts as possible.
Started out looking for a vintage Shroud, and after many months,
Finally found a Heiland with a two step for 50 bucks and pulled the trigger.
Unfortunately the innards had been gutted, so I ended up grabbing a flash extension for 20 bucks to swap in the emitter.
Next step was to upgrade the clamp, but after scouring the net for a bit and realizing how rare actual MPP parts were, I decided I would need to unfortunately go with a replica. Several people have made them over the years, but most are out of stock at this point. Luckily the custom saber shop still has some.
I also picked up an Exactra 23 for 35 bucks. I knew it was the wrong model and would not have bubble strips, but I was hoping I could score some cool looking LEDs or PCB board, but did not find the purchase worth while, as nothing fit well or looked cool enough to put in the clamp. For purely symbolic purposes, I did grab a black piece of tape off the PCB and place it on the back of the repro bubble strip, which changes the reflectivity slightly.
I then moved on to the T-tracks, and given the stories of Mark busting up his hand on them, I decided I would use a "found part" made of softer rubber. Ended up finding a Rubber Seal Protector that looked cool for 10 bucks, and also grabbed some double sided tape for another 10 bucks.
I was nearly complete, but still missing the Bulb Release. I had a similar looking piece from the flash extension, but it didn't sit properly due to the length and nob on the back of the spring button. I was getting close to just grabbing a 3D print off Shapeways, but thankfully Wanna Wanga got the repro back in stock before I pulled the trigger. Still had to drill a hole in the Heiland to get it positioned properly.
And there you have it.
Not screen accurate, but the most found parts I could locate on the market.
Full Item List / Cost / Source:
Started out looking for a vintage Shroud, and after many months,
Finally found a Heiland with a two step for 50 bucks and pulled the trigger.
Unfortunately the innards had been gutted, so I ended up grabbing a flash extension for 20 bucks to swap in the emitter.
Next step was to upgrade the clamp, but after scouring the net for a bit and realizing how rare actual MPP parts were, I decided I would need to unfortunately go with a replica. Several people have made them over the years, but most are out of stock at this point. Luckily the custom saber shop still has some.
I also picked up an Exactra 23 for 35 bucks. I knew it was the wrong model and would not have bubble strips, but I was hoping I could score some cool looking LEDs or PCB board, but did not find the purchase worth while, as nothing fit well or looked cool enough to put in the clamp. For purely symbolic purposes, I did grab a black piece of tape off the PCB and place it on the back of the repro bubble strip, which changes the reflectivity slightly.
I then moved on to the T-tracks, and given the stories of Mark busting up his hand on them, I decided I would use a "found part" made of softer rubber. Ended up finding a Rubber Seal Protector that looked cool for 10 bucks, and also grabbed some double sided tape for another 10 bucks.
I was nearly complete, but still missing the Bulb Release. I had a similar looking piece from the flash extension, but it didn't sit properly due to the length and nob on the back of the spring button. I was getting close to just grabbing a 3D print off Shapeways, but thankfully Wanna Wanga got the repro back in stock before I pulled the trigger. Still had to drill a hole in the Heiland to get it positioned properly.
And there you have it.
Not screen accurate, but the most found parts I could locate on the market.
Full Item List / Cost / Source:
- Heiland 3 D-cell Flash w/ reflector - Auction
US $49.95 + $10.95 ship - Vintage Heiland Multi Socket 24-0 camera flash extension - Auction
US $17.99 + 4.95 ship - VINTAGE EXACTRA 22 CALCULATOR TEXAS INSTRUMENTS - Auction
US $35 + 6.00 ship (Not really used) - Replica MPP clamp - Custom Saber Shop
$35.00 + 10.71 ship - Car Rubber Seal Protector Guard Strip - Amazon
$9.99 (Hard to work with) - Double Sided Waterproof Mounting Foam Tape, 0.4IN Width - Amazon
$9.99 - Replica MPP Bulb Release - Wanna Wanga
$25.00 + 7.00 ship
