My theory on the story of the Graflex
In ANH we have the hero graflex, a complete with all its parts 3-cell unit. 7 plastic t-track grips, exactra 20 bubbles, and a d-ring and clasp assembly from a graflex camera case have been added. Now when it comes to the specific model of graflex 3-cell used we need to look at the small details. The plating on the body of the flash is very shiny and reflective, polished looking. The bottom of the flash has a thin raised lip rather than a thicker more rounded flatter lip. The lever on the clamp is shiny polished looking plating rather than a matte finish and the pin attaching the lever to the threaded rod is dark in color, is not machined, and has no head to it. The glass lens bezel is matte and not shiny/polished, and appears to have a deep recessed lens. There is a fully knurled red button with beer tab and post intact. Finally the pins are hard to tell whether or not they are straight or trs style.
Now what kind of graflex model fits all of these criteria?
This FOLMER/NEW YORK model I found about a year ago is right on the money. It hits every reference point I've seen of shots of the anh hero.
Now the bladed stunt. As far as I can tell this is an aluminum tube fitted with a graflex clamp, glass eye, and red button, making up the only graflex parts on this saber. The clamp lever appears to be matte, the red button is a thin knurled version, and the glass eye has a shiny reflective plating.
Now lets move on to Empire
I believe this IS the ANH hero just reworked, and that every shot we see of Luke's Hero in both ANH and ESB it is always the same graflex. From ANH to ESB we see the removal of the old d-ring assembly and the addition of a new kobold bracket and the same d-ring used in ANH stretched out to fit the kobold, which has been riveted to the base of the flash. 6 grips notched at the end for fasteners, silver screws or possibly rivets in pre pro photos and briefly when luke falls of the tauntaun on screen, and the rest of the movie black screws were used. 1/2" mylar around the clamp. The tab and post are missing from under the red button and a second red button has been added whee the glass eye used to be. Of course then on dagobah the top red button goes missing.
So how do we arrive at the 2 sabers being one and the same, even there being only ONE ESB Hero for that matter? The details.
The plating on tubes all matches up, the clamp levers are all shiny reflective plating with the dark uncapped non plated non machined pin, and from the wampa cave scene we can see the ESB has a thin lipped bottom tube, and has NEW YORK visible on the bottom, which would match up with everything else the ANH flash has. Now for ESB lets also point out that the clamp card is the same in every shot as can be seen by looking at the bottom edge where the gold trace comes all the way up to the edge, and on the top edge there is a little bit of board before the gold trace and it appears to not be cut perfectly straight. There is also a small black mark in the top middle of the clamps screw slot, probably a bit of plating flaked off there. This can be seen every time that part of the saber is visible.
The bladed stunt used throughout ESB is a brand new Graflex 3-cell. It has a much more matte plating on the body, thick lipped bottom, matte plated clamp lever, 2 full knurled red buttons, with the tab and post being intact under the top button, the tab post is also shiny plated unlike the matte plating found on the tab of an older folmer version. This is most likely one of the most common models of graflex out there, a manufactured by graflex with a patent number, the latest year range. It has a clamp card similar to that of the Hero, 1/2" mylar around the clamp, the clamp is flipped upside down and fastened with 2 rivets, six notched grips with black phillips screws that appear to be casts of the original t-track, a metal strap and d-ring riveted to the bottom to look like the kobold on the hero, and the removal of the bulb socket for the addition of a dueling blade and hardware. In the bespin fight scenes black tape was wrapped around the graflex clamp and then removed at some point before this saber was sold at auction
The severed hand stunt saber is a graflex top tube with the red button, tab and post, and glass eye in tact, minus the bulb socket and bunny ears. it is attached to a rubber cast hand with either the botom tube and grips cast as well or possibly a kobold/linhoff style flash with grips attached.
Well now Luke's lost a hand and his trusty lightsaber, time to build a new one, no more Graflex in the picture.
In ROTJ there is only one shot involving a Graflex as far as I know of.
In ANH we have the hero graflex, a complete with all its parts 3-cell unit. 7 plastic t-track grips, exactra 20 bubbles, and a d-ring and clasp assembly from a graflex camera case have been added. Now when it comes to the specific model of graflex 3-cell used we need to look at the small details. The plating on the body of the flash is very shiny and reflective, polished looking. The bottom of the flash has a thin raised lip rather than a thicker more rounded flatter lip. The lever on the clamp is shiny polished looking plating rather than a matte finish and the pin attaching the lever to the threaded rod is dark in color, is not machined, and has no head to it. The glass lens bezel is matte and not shiny/polished, and appears to have a deep recessed lens. There is a fully knurled red button with beer tab and post intact. Finally the pins are hard to tell whether or not they are straight or trs style.
Now what kind of graflex model fits all of these criteria?
This FOLMER/NEW YORK model I found about a year ago is right on the money. It hits every reference point I've seen of shots of the anh hero.
Now the bladed stunt. As far as I can tell this is an aluminum tube fitted with a graflex clamp, glass eye, and red button, making up the only graflex parts on this saber. The clamp lever appears to be matte, the red button is a thin knurled version, and the glass eye has a shiny reflective plating.
Now lets move on to Empire
I believe this IS the ANH hero just reworked, and that every shot we see of Luke's Hero in both ANH and ESB it is always the same graflex. From ANH to ESB we see the removal of the old d-ring assembly and the addition of a new kobold bracket and the same d-ring used in ANH stretched out to fit the kobold, which has been riveted to the base of the flash. 6 grips notched at the end for fasteners, silver screws or possibly rivets in pre pro photos and briefly when luke falls of the tauntaun on screen, and the rest of the movie black screws were used. 1/2" mylar around the clamp. The tab and post are missing from under the red button and a second red button has been added whee the glass eye used to be. Of course then on dagobah the top red button goes missing.
So how do we arrive at the 2 sabers being one and the same, even there being only ONE ESB Hero for that matter? The details.
The plating on tubes all matches up, the clamp levers are all shiny reflective plating with the dark uncapped non plated non machined pin, and from the wampa cave scene we can see the ESB has a thin lipped bottom tube, and has NEW YORK visible on the bottom, which would match up with everything else the ANH flash has. Now for ESB lets also point out that the clamp card is the same in every shot as can be seen by looking at the bottom edge where the gold trace comes all the way up to the edge, and on the top edge there is a little bit of board before the gold trace and it appears to not be cut perfectly straight. There is also a small black mark in the top middle of the clamps screw slot, probably a bit of plating flaked off there. This can be seen every time that part of the saber is visible.
The bladed stunt used throughout ESB is a brand new Graflex 3-cell. It has a much more matte plating on the body, thick lipped bottom, matte plated clamp lever, 2 full knurled red buttons, with the tab and post being intact under the top button, the tab post is also shiny plated unlike the matte plating found on the tab of an older folmer version. This is most likely one of the most common models of graflex out there, a manufactured by graflex with a patent number, the latest year range. It has a clamp card similar to that of the Hero, 1/2" mylar around the clamp, the clamp is flipped upside down and fastened with 2 rivets, six notched grips with black phillips screws that appear to be casts of the original t-track, a metal strap and d-ring riveted to the bottom to look like the kobold on the hero, and the removal of the bulb socket for the addition of a dueling blade and hardware. In the bespin fight scenes black tape was wrapped around the graflex clamp and then removed at some point before this saber was sold at auction
The severed hand stunt saber is a graflex top tube with the red button, tab and post, and glass eye in tact, minus the bulb socket and bunny ears. it is attached to a rubber cast hand with either the botom tube and grips cast as well or possibly a kobold/linhoff style flash with grips attached.
Well now Luke's lost a hand and his trusty lightsaber, time to build a new one, no more Graflex in the picture.
In ROTJ there is only one shot involving a Graflex as far as I know of.
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