1978 Star Wars Magazine Weapon Descriptions

[DeVine]

Found some very interesting magazines whilst hunting for collectibles. Both of these issues really caught my eye, not only for their incredible artwork, but for the fascinating articles inside. Some might find them enlightening, the lightsaber description really stands out to me for inaccuracies. All other weapons have pretty accurate representation so it's odd how incorrect this one is in particular, but what's there is very interesting. I also included a short part of the other magazine that has an interview with Mark Hamil and he talks briefly about the lightsaber prop. It confirms what I've read online about the grips being plastic and this is hard proof. Interesting that they switched the grips later in the movie with rubberized ones.

Hope you enjoy!

DeVine

 

[Alan Solo]

That's really interesting. Some best guesses there, so I assume they had no behind the scenes access.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

That issue gets brought up every so often around here. I still have mine from when I was 9.

I’m surprised how well my copy held up since I used to go through it constantly as a kid and dream. I bought from the local drug store specifically for that prop article. Probably my very first interest in props.

But I also dreamed of some of the cool merchandise inside that was advertised…

 

[Treadwell]

I think the sponge rubber was for the dueling saber.

 

[DeVine]

Mara Jade's Father such a great find! I got a few different ones from the collector I dealt with, I can post them later. I think it's so great to find these articles from right around the films release!

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

I like how they kind of called it almost 45 years earlier...

 

[DamnYankee123]

Pretty sure my brother (now estranged sadly) has our copy of that edition of Fantastic Films. It’s been 30 or more years since I looked at it, but I do recall the ads and articles and the descriptions and graphics of the props. We had a bunch of other publications from those years as well. Early Starlogs, editions of Cinefex, slick multi page programs that were handed out at showings of ESB and ROTJ. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on that stuff now.

 

[Aku]

Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine

archive.org

Not all of them, but you can find them online

 

[Doh2]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I had some of these as a kid.