Re: Vader's MPP shroud
Right the B is also off centered, a bit to the left, mine has same detail.
The mpp tubes are made from brass, not steel or so.
If I remember correctly, graflex tubes are also made from brass.
The color in the letters is not always present I had several tubes, and if I remember correctly, only one had colors in the letters as only one had the serial number.
There are two different kind of bolts to fix the black box, flat or round, as there are several lever ring thickness variations, from simple to double (the round one for bulb releasing).
The bottom black ring are different, from plain, to "3 circles", the right one has circles.
The bulb holder has variations, under the spring, there is-are some ring(s) made from brass or aluminum, but the most visible change is the entry, can be sharp or rounded.
Unlike the body, that is chrome plated, this ring is nickel plated.
The clamp lever chrome plating can look very glossy but sometimes glazed, depending on the surface condition under it, but most of them are glossy.
If you take lots of care on the hollywood museum saber, you can see the shroud is very thick, like the actual parks replicas, I have never seen this kind of shroud, I saw two different kind of shrouds, stepped, and straight, but each straight I have see was thin walled version, not thick walled.
The stepped I had was thick walled, so it can be possible a straight thick walled shroud to exist, as parks replica.
For the moment, the most accurate existing shroud is the parks replica, because of its thickness, however you have to know the thread section is different to real deal, so no way to swap the shroud and keep original bolt.
The bolt used on prop is not a MPP bolt, this model doesn't exist, the riginal ones are made from steel, not brass and the knurling is not pyrami shaped, but straight, as parks replicas.
The hollywood saber MPP flash is a:
-rounded bulb holder version, nickel plated.
-flat bolts on button section thick lever version
-thick walled straight version shroud (never seen in real)
-tapered bars clamp
-3 circles on black bottom ring
-large B hole version