Jm419
Sr Member
Today, I finished my 100% screen accurate all-real parts Luke ANH lightsaber. It's a big achievement for me, and I've always wanted an accurate model. This saber was the first lightsaber ever to appear activated onscreen, and ever since I saw it ignite, I wanted one. When I found out that it could be accurately reproduced from a few camera parts, a calculator, and some T-Track, well, that was it, I was into it.
Something I noticed about this lightsaber was that it could either be bought complete (from several different vendors, and for a hefty price), or assembled as you got the money to do it. That fascinated me; the other major passion of mine is toy trains, and my favorite train is a Lionel 685 Hudson, made in the 1950's. These trains were beautifully assembled, but they cost a lot of money to manufacture, and were difficult to afford, especially for families during the Great Depression.
When Lionel released their premier pre-war model, the 700E 4-6-4 Hudson in 1937, they wisely released two different types of it: One which could be bought for the then impressive $75.00 (over $1,100 dollars today), or could be assembled in kit form, and bought over time. Naturally, during the Depression, many families couldn't drop a month's wages to buy a toy train, so many of them were assembled by the kit form, rather than the more expensive premier model.
The Lionel 700E is widely considered the Holy Grail of Lionel trains, and when it appears in good condition at auction today, it regularly sells for $2500.00 or above.
I thought it was an interesting comparison to the Graflex ANH: you can buy an assembled one for around $1000 in some places, or build one yourself by buying the parts when you can afford them. The Luke ANH is my favorite lightsaber, and good condition Graflex 3-Cells / 700Es are hard to come by, and can be considered the top of the line in their respective hobbies.
My personal Graflex ANH came to me in a slightly inaccurate form, as a modified Graflex 2-Cell Flash bulb. My father built this for me as a present for my Eagle Scout Rank, and I've had it in a lovely case ever since.
Recently, though, I began to upgrade it, with the intention to have it a modular system, so I could switch between Replica and Gift with ease. After purchasing a 3-cell base off of Ebay, getting T-Track grips, and an Exactra 20 bubble strip, I had a screen-accurate Graflex - though it took me several years to do it.
I built a case for it, cannibalized some MR stands, and put felt in the bottom. Now I can display the Replica or Gift version of this saber, and I have all the parts in the case. I have my Holy Grail, and so do many Lionel 700E train owners. The Graflex Luke ANH is my favorite lightsaber, and now, I own the definitive version.
Something I noticed about this lightsaber was that it could either be bought complete (from several different vendors, and for a hefty price), or assembled as you got the money to do it. That fascinated me; the other major passion of mine is toy trains, and my favorite train is a Lionel 685 Hudson, made in the 1950's. These trains were beautifully assembled, but they cost a lot of money to manufacture, and were difficult to afford, especially for families during the Great Depression.
When Lionel released their premier pre-war model, the 700E 4-6-4 Hudson in 1937, they wisely released two different types of it: One which could be bought for the then impressive $75.00 (over $1,100 dollars today), or could be assembled in kit form, and bought over time. Naturally, during the Depression, many families couldn't drop a month's wages to buy a toy train, so many of them were assembled by the kit form, rather than the more expensive premier model.
The Lionel 700E is widely considered the Holy Grail of Lionel trains, and when it appears in good condition at auction today, it regularly sells for $2500.00 or above.
I thought it was an interesting comparison to the Graflex ANH: you can buy an assembled one for around $1000 in some places, or build one yourself by buying the parts when you can afford them. The Luke ANH is my favorite lightsaber, and good condition Graflex 3-Cells / 700Es are hard to come by, and can be considered the top of the line in their respective hobbies.
My personal Graflex ANH came to me in a slightly inaccurate form, as a modified Graflex 2-Cell Flash bulb. My father built this for me as a present for my Eagle Scout Rank, and I've had it in a lovely case ever since.
Recently, though, I began to upgrade it, with the intention to have it a modular system, so I could switch between Replica and Gift with ease. After purchasing a 3-cell base off of Ebay, getting T-Track grips, and an Exactra 20 bubble strip, I had a screen-accurate Graflex - though it took me several years to do it.
I built a case for it, cannibalized some MR stands, and put felt in the bottom. Now I can display the Replica or Gift version of this saber, and I have all the parts in the case. I have my Holy Grail, and so do many Lionel 700E train owners. The Graflex Luke ANH is my favorite lightsaber, and now, I own the definitive version.
