Defining the OWK tunisia saber. Is it even possible?
- Thread starter Anakin Starkiller
- Start date
Hear me out please - look at the tunisia emitter/neck joint. To me this either means:
1) Rubber washers kept the emitter on, leaving it crooked
2) the solid bottom to the balance pipe, and its high placement, means this had resin cast parts, with a real clamp and pommel. Maybe even a real booster.
Has always looked to me like the grenade was upside-down with the neck jammed in. Maybe they did this, maybe they did it for a mold of the explosive that they couldn't travel with?
1) Rubber washers kept the emitter on, leaving it crooked
2) the solid bottom to the balance pipe, and its high placement, means this had resin cast parts, with a real clamp and pommel. Maybe even a real booster.
Has always looked to me like the grenade was upside-down with the neck jammed in. Maybe they did this, maybe they did it for a mold of the explosive that they couldn't travel with?
PrinceZip
Master Member
Just as a clarification, are you theorizing that the Tunisia grenade section is a resin-cast part?
The frags in the grenade do seem highly irregular and the windvane section does also appear like a solid piece, though I'm not 100% sure.
Yes, and the balance pipe. thanks for clarifying - it's a weird thing to suggest. That upper neck/BP area screams resin cast to me, with it's smooth transition to a solid BP section. Yes, the windvane seems solid too. It would also, like you said, help explain the chewed up grenade bumps, if it was a bad or sloppy cast.
Your not alone
The dark contrast of the area, and the matching shapes inside a sink knob have always suggested negative space to me too. First I've seen of a letter there, im glad you brought it up, its always worth challenging a little
I read through this thread again and I don't think we ever got there, when it comes to this prop. Resin and Rubber stunts were brought up, but only in the sense that they existed.
Removed by request
In this photo from Scott Juarez I see:
1) 8-9 scratches in the grenade, showing resin beneath
2) A thick, solid transition between Grenade and Balance Pipe
3) Solid Windvane
Clamp, Knob appear to be real, and I can't tell about the booster. As to why do it in parts... maybe they wanted to use a real graflex clamp, and knew it had to be "put together" because of the windvane, Balance Pipe and Booster (too wide).
It could be that the cast produced such bad Grenade Frag that Chaim's story happened, filling in the grooves and changing the grip sections, inspiring the stunts. They even cast the grenade upside down by accident. Conjecture though.
I read through this thread again and I don't think we ever got there, when it comes to this prop. Resin and Rubber stunts were brought up, but only in the sense that they existed.
Removed by request
In this photo from Scott Juarez I see:
1) 8-9 scratches in the grenade, showing resin beneath
2) A thick, solid transition between Grenade and Balance Pipe
3) Solid Windvane
Clamp, Knob appear to be real, and I can't tell about the booster. As to why do it in parts... maybe they wanted to use a real graflex clamp, and knew it had to be "put together" because of the windvane, Balance Pipe and Booster (too wide).
It could be that the cast produced such bad Grenade Frag that Chaim's story happened, filling in the grooves and changing the grip sections, inspiring the stunts. They even cast the grenade upside down by accident. Conjecture though.
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I think just from a practical standpoint, a cast or partially cast saber makes sense. We know how much one of these constructed from all real parts weighs. Does Alec Guinness strike you as the type that would be ok with walking around the desert with this heavy thing swinging off his belt?
DrkSideTndncies
Well-Known Member
Been on the other vintage Obi thread for awhile now but figured would chime in here. To me there is no end cap on the handwheel, which makes since to me due to the rotoscope setup used during saber fight scenes (why make that many versions of this hilt?) and as for the pineapple looking chewed up I agree with the photo above of what most of us on the hunt have owned at some point and that’s a beat up/rusty grenade. It really does look like a “peanutbutter” coated version just painted over with black by the prop crew rather than cleaned up first.?!?
What an outstanding and informative thread! I was reading earlier posts from a few years ago. Was there ever a clear consensus or any evidence on a male versus female balance pipe used for the Tunisia saber?
I was trying to locate where the balance pipes are on a RR Derwent engine diagram to see if it would have been easier for the prop makers to take two female balance pipes or perhaps one female and one male as a set in order to make the two sabers (Tunisia and Chronicles).
I was trying to locate where the balance pipes are on a RR Derwent engine diagram to see if it would have been easier for the prop makers to take two female balance pipes or perhaps one female and one male as a set in order to make the two sabers (Tunisia and Chronicles).
Female for sure... Male BPs have a flat bottom lip whereas female BPs have a bevel underneath the lip. Don't forget that a Derwent engine with all of its burner cans intact comes with 9 sets of male and female BPs.
To be clear, these grenade/sink knob sabers never were used for dueling. Only Belt Hangers!
I had always thought this was a chewed up grenade but that neck portion made me second guess it
Also There's no need... it's not like they just pried a set out. The whole engine was dismantled... and possibly more than one engine.
You see the parts from this engine(s) everywhere in the first movie. Death star turbo laser, lars family speeder, the lightsaber, the cantina... and then some in the second movie.
You see the parts from this engine(s) everywhere in the first movie. Death star turbo laser, lars family speeder, the lightsaber, the cantina... and then some in the second movie.
Ridire Firean
Sr Member
Hey Gang! I just wanted to point out that Alec Guinness'/Obi-Wan's hands being on his belt all the time WAS NOT because he was posing, it's because he was holding it up in place on his waist because that SUPER HEAVY, ALL-REAL PARTS Lightsaber was pulling his belt down all the time it was hanging off it! There's just no way a resin cast lightsaber would have that great an effect on his belt.
Did a quick search for pics to see if I could find anything to back up this statement. Found this:
I think video of him actually pulling up the belt (either in the film or BTS) and not just having his hand on it would do more to substantiate this claim. Otherwise its just another guess and certainly not an end to the discussion.
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Can't say I'm convinced by that picture - sorry.
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