TFA Graflex Research (That's a Graflex, right? Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)

James Kenobi 1138 said:
I went back and looked at the saber from the Wired photos and you can see the circuit card is clear plastic.
Click to expand...

You are so right! How can we NOT have seen this?!

140f10aa62b7b3bc994b7967f600f85c.jpg


I will dive into replicating it. I wonder if this transparent material is a standard PCB base material.
Is still wonder why and how the Launch Bay saber got the mirrored version. Perhaps just a silly mistake!
 
A semi-transparent frosted edge card is super cool. It IS a great nod to both the bubbles and the original edge cards at once. I want one for every custom saber I make :)
 
halliwax said:
Son of Skywalker said:
I don't get what they were thinking with the glass eye at all. They had to have known that machining down the knurl would expose the brass but they did it anyway. And then why stop there and not machine smooth the red button?
Click to expand...
I think because all other references show the button the have the knurling still. I think they just confused the ep3 saber with the OT saber.
Click to expand...

I could see that happening but if they were trying to replicate the smoothness of the ROTS eye why didn't they also replicate it being colored solid.

I think you're right though...they were confused.
 
I'd hate to bring this up again, but after closer inspection of my blu ray, it appears the snow saber may have a small gap below the grips. I'm not referring to the lip or radius of the bottom edge either.
 
cayman shen said:
Maybe they just had a Graflex with a damaged knurl so they machined it flat so it didn't look as shoddy.
Click to expand...

They bought several Graflex hilts though and the knurling on the launchbay sabers look fine from what I've seen. Maybe you're right though and they only noticed the damage after they made it Hero ...then decided to just keep it the hero and machine it.
 
It's probably just another of those prop maker signature kind of things, each made their saber slightly unique, which is why there are so many variations. No real reasoning, other than being able to identify them.
 
I've been giving this a lot of thought and here is my take on the EP7 lightsaber.

First, I feel that we can throw out the Launch Bay sabers as screen accurate:
1. The grips are too long and go fully from clamp to end
2. While the circuit board traces are accurate-ish, it's a solid card and not translucent
3. You can see the Graflex info on the end cap, it's not covered
4. The glass eye is not turned smooth
5. Uses socket head screws instead of rivets in the grips

The only thing the Launch Bay sabers have going is the clamp cover. I don't know if they were made by ILM, Disney, or someone else but they look more like display pieces and don't match the film sabers.

With that in mind, I feel that there are 2 main 'Hero' sabers. The 'Maz Box' saber, and the other saber that is seen with Finn during the fight at Maz's castle, was the saber sticking out of the snow, and was the one Rey presents to Luke.

So I feel the Finn saber:
1. Has the turned-smooth eye
2. Has a clamp cover
3. Has a cover on the bottom covering the Graflex info
4. Has grips that go all the way down to the end of the bottom tube
5. Has grips that are cut short on the clamp side, and not short because the tube is pulled out but grips that are actually short
6. Uses rivets on both the grips and the dring
7. The circuit board is clear/translucent plastic

This is the most widely seen/used lightsaber in the movie and is the main 'Hero' prop. This is also the same saber from the Wired photoshoot so if you're wanting to make a replica of the main Hero prop, this is the version to copy.

The Maz Box lightsaber:
1. Has a clamp cover
2. Has the grips that are cut short on both ends
3. Rivets in the grips

Because this saber is only seen inside the box, you can't see if the end cap has a cover, you can't see if the circuit board is translucent, and you can't see if the glass eye is turned smooth as these features can't be positively IDed either way.

If you were making the Maz Box saber, as long as the grips are short and it has a clamp cover it would be accurate, but you could also cover the end cap, turn the eye smooth, and use the translucent circuit board.

Based on how I think the sabers are, I'm going to replicate the Finn Hero but with the Maz Box shorter grips.
 
Last edited:
James Kenobi 1138 said:
I've been giving this a lot of thought and here is my take on the EP7 lightsaber.

First, I feel that we can throw out the Launch Bay sabers as screen accurate:
1. The grips are too long and go fully from clamp to end
2. While the circuit board traces are accurate-ish, it's a solid card and not translucent
3. You can see the Graflex info on the end cap, it's not covered
4. The glass eye is not turned smooth
5. Uses socket head screws instead of rivets in the grips

The only thing the Launch Bay sabers have going is the clamp cover. I don't know if they were made by ILM, Disney, or someone else but they look more like display pieces and don't match the film sabers.

With that in mind, I feel that there are 2 main 'Hero' sabers. The 'Maz Box' saber, and the other saber that is seen with Finn during the fight at Maz's castle, was the saber sticking out of the snow, and was the one Rey presents to Luke.

So I feel the Finn saber:
1. Has the turned-smooth eye
2. Has a clamp cover
3. Has a cover on the bottom covering the Graflex info
4. Has grips that go all the way down to the end of the bottom tube
5. Has grips that are cut short on the clamp side, and not short because the tube is pulled out but grips that are actually short
6. Uses rivets on both the grips and the dring
7. The circuit board is clear/translucent plastic

This is the most widely seen/used lightsaber in the movie and is the main 'Hero' prop. This is also the same saber from the Wired photoshoot so if you're wanting to make a replica of the main Hero prop, this is the version to copy.

The Maz Box lightsaber:
1. Has a clamp cover
2. Has the grips that are cut short on both ends
3. Rivets in the grips

Because this saber is only seen inside the box, you can't see if the end cap has a cover, you can't see if the circuit board is translucent, and you can't see if the glass eye is turned smooth as these features can't be positively IDed either way.

If you were making the Maz Box saber, as long as the grips are short and it has a clamp cover it would be accurate, but you could also cover the end cap, turn the eye smooth, and use the translucent circuit board.

Based on how I think the sabers are, I'm going to replicate the Finn Hero but with the Maz Box shorter grips.
Click to expand...

Amen!

Thanks for this overview.
The only thing I would add to the inaccuracies of the Launch Bay sabers, is that the thin traces of the circuit board are mirrored.
 
James Kenobi 1138 said:
I've been giving this a lot of thought and here is my take on the EP7 lightsaber.

First, I feel that we can throw out the Launch Bay sabers as screen accurate:
1. The grips are too long and go fully from clamp to end
2. While the circuit board traces are accurate-ish, it's a solid card and not translucent
3. You can see the Graflex info on the end cap, it's not covered
4. The glass eye is not turned smooth
5. Uses socket head screws instead of rivets in the grips

The only thing the Launch Bay sabers have going is the clamp cover. I don't know if they were made by ILM, Disney, or someone else but they look more like display pieces and don't match the film sabers.

With that in mind, I feel that there are 2 main 'Hero' sabers. The 'Maz Box' saber, and the other saber that is seen with Finn during the fight at Maz's castle, was the saber sticking out of the snow, and was the one Rey presents to Luke.

So I feel the Finn saber:
1. Has the turned-smooth eye
2. Has a clamp cover
3. Has a cover on the bottom covering the Graflex info
4. Has grips that go all the way down to the end of the bottom tube
5. Has grips that are cut short on the clamp side, and not short because the tube is pulled out but grips that are actually short
6. Uses rivets on both the grips and the dring
7. The circuit board is clear/translucent plastic

This is the most widely seen/used lightsaber in the movie and is the main 'Hero' prop. This is also the same saber from the Wired photoshoot so if you're wanting to make a replica of the main Hero prop, this is the version to copy.

The Maz Box lightsaber:
1. Has a clamp cover
2. Has the grips that are cut short on both ends
3. Rivets in the grips

Because this saber is only seen inside the box, you can't see if the end cap has a cover, you can't see if the circuit board is translucent, and you can't see if the glass eye is turned smooth as these features can't be positively IDed either way.

If you were making the Maz Box saber, as long as the grips are short and it has a clamp cover it would be accurate, but you could also cover the end cap, turn the eye smooth, and use the translucent circuit board.

Based on how I think the sabers are, I'm going to replicate the Finn Hero but with the Maz Box shorter grips.
Click to expand...

Second! All in favor say " I "
 
Well, translucent circuit card clears up the graphic anomolies I was seeing, so that's all well and good, but I don't know how we're going to replicate that part.

My manufacturer doesn't list "translucent/transparent" as a base material.
 
You could photo-etch the traces with the correct spacing on a sprue, glue down just the traces to the plastic still attached to the sprue, then cut away the sprue after the glue dries.

Or it could be foil that was laser printed on plastic.
 
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