Re: Dewback_Rider's Luke ANH Macro Build
I was 10 when I saw Star Wars back in '77, and immediately wanted to live in that world, and play with those gadgets.
I bought the SUPER SIZE comic book and guided by its drawings (because there was not even a VHS tape to review and freeze-frame for images to work from) I made a wooden lightsaber from what I had available - 4 pieces of quarter round molding that I glued together, cut, hollowed the emitter end out, painted rust-oleum silver and added black grips, a screw in swiveling loop hook in the end, and a jeweled activation stud on the handle, just like the comic.
I didn't know then about Graflex ear tabs for holding in the bulb of the flash handle, I just knew SOMETHING stuck out from the back of the saber's front tip, so I glued on two small strips of wood there too.
I also wanted a set of macros like Luke used on Tatooine, spying on Tuskens, scanning the horizon. So, I set to making a set - again, out of what I had lying around. I was 10, so I had to be creative.
I started by gluing four 2x4s together to make up the main body. Sanded them smooth and painted them black. They were heavy, but it seemed to me then that macros should have some heft to them.
Again, I turned to the pieces of quarter round and glued them together for what would become the eye pieces/viewers.
You have to remember, this was 1978, and there was precious little reference material except the 20-30 times I had already seen the movie.
My father worked for the telephone company overseeing several projects that had to do with mechanical switching centers,and he was always bringing home burned out circuit boards or bits of equipment for me to have for my "projects". Many of those parts can be seen on these early macros, as well as a few TV parts, cassette recorder pieces, part of a watch, a few rivets pounded in to give the surface more greeblies, and in later years, a part of a wrecked X-wing model became a permanent resident above the eyepieces.
On the bottom, I attached two steel straps that I had clamped in a vice and hammered around into a U shape for belt clips. The weight of the 2x4s needed something sturdy to hold it up!
The "lenses" on the front were made from spray paint can tops painted black, because the inner loop inside looked sort of like the recessed lens opening.
This piece of my childhood, which survives with layers of dust, a few missing pieces, gross inaccuracy, but lots of love and commitment to the build, are why I am working on my screen-accurate macros today. I just thought I would share the motivation.