Luke Hero Prop vs 7 Chamber/Phoenix

[Wells]

Hi. I come here to the experts for some honest feedback on the recent Hero run noted in the title.

Facebook as some debate over the length of the hilt in comparison to the original prop. As we all know FB ain't the best place for facts.

Is this replica accurate in its length....

How long was the original prop or is this not known?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Halliwax]

Hi. I come here to the experts for some honest feedback on the recent Hero run noted in the title.

Facebook as some debate over the length of the hilt in comparison to the original prop. As we all know FB ain't the best place for facts.

Is this replica accurate in its length....

How long was the original prop or is this not known?

Thanks in advance.

I don’t know how long it is.
Anakin starkiller is a wiz with this saber, hopefully he chimes in

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Thanks, Halliwax. I'm going to decline to comment here. I don't really like to comment on the relative accuracy of sabers made by other makers. It's too easy for critical appraisal to come off as catty bickering. And since I'm planning on doing my own Hero run in the near future, I don't want people to think that I'm attacking a fellow prop maker (who's work I have the utmost respect for) in order to sell more of my own products.

 

[badboibill]

I have SO many questions about this hilt... Lewis (7C) says that a lot of dimensions for this run were taken from photos of the original screen used prop (cave scene?) I didn't know that the community actually knew the whereabouts of the original Hero's, so right away I'm pretty intrigued by what photos/measurements were used, how the authenticity of the supposed original prop was authenticated, and how this hilt varies from all the others that came before it. It's super different from previous runs from other vendors, and most notably it's much much shorter in over all length... I wonder if this measurement came from the new photos?

 

[Halliwax]

Thanks, Halliwax. I'm going to decline to comment here. I don't really like to comment on the relative accuracy of sabers made by other makers. It's too easy for critical appraisal to come off as catty bickering. And since I'm planning on doing my own Hero run in the near future, I don't want people to think that I'm attacking a fellow prop maker (who's work I have the utmost respect for) in order to sell more of my own products.

Totally respect that man!

 

[MasterJedi]

Phoenix Props is on the RPF as dday, so hopefully he'll chime in.

I believe the length is correct, and other vendors have oversized it, but don't quote me on that until you have confirmation from Derrek or Lewis themselves.

As far as I know, besides the real copper neck (which was most likely painted aluminum on the original), the only truly inaccurate thing about it is the ring section which was no fault of 7C / PP, but instead a manufacturing error by the machinist, and Derrek and Lewis are replacing every one of the faulty ring sections to be accurate.

It's also the only hero on the market with an accurate blue PCB card, as well as the tri-ring offset from the control box. From what I've seen, only the VV/EA Gen 2 has that offset.

 

[Dann]

That hilt doesn't look too bad, but at first glance ALL of the grip rings look too fat.

 

[Halliwax]

That hilt doesn't look too bad, but at first glance ALL of the grip rings look too fat.

Glad you said it and not me! Lol

 

[Dann]

And I would hope, at least I know I'D do it this way, that the pommel would be a separate part that could be positioned wherever you'd want it.

Gotta keep all them options open!

 

[BTTUK]

That hilt doesn't look too bad, but at first glance ALL of the grip rings look too fat.

They are too wide. It is a mistake that was not caught before they were posted out to customers. Phoenix Props/7 Chambers have assured customers, they will be receiving correctly sized replacements.

 

[Dann]

That's a relief!

I can't see the pommel cubes too clearly in the photo you posted, but those are tough to get right, as well. Those look maybe a little bit too short.

 

[dday]

That hilt doesn't look too bad, but at first glance ALL of the grip rings look too fat.

Glad you said it and not me! Lol

Yup, as said before, the machinist made a change here in how they removed the anodizing and took too much off on the production vs the prototype.

Since these rings are on a slope, taking a 1 or 2/100 of a mm off more than expected means that the ring face gets bigger. This happened on all of the rings, equally, big and small. They machinist was made aware of their mistake and are making replacements for the run. We will be contacting the owners directly when the time comes to send you your replacement part.

 

[Halliwax]

Yup, as said before, the machinist made a change here in how they removed the anodizing and took too much off on the production vs the prototype.

Since these rings are on a slope, taking a 1 or 2/100 of a mm off more than expected means that the ring face gets bigger. This happened on all of the rings, equally, big and small. They machinist was made aware of their mistake and are making replacements for the run. We will be contacting the owners directly when the time comes to send you your replacement part.

Now that’s customer service!

 

[badboibill]

Yup, as said before, the machinist made a change here in how they removed the anodizing and took too much off on the production vs the prototype.

Since these rings are on a slope, taking a 1 or 2/100 of a mm off more than expected means that the ring face gets bigger. This happened on all of the rings, equally, big and small. They machinist was made aware of their mistake and are making replacements for the run. We will be contacting the owners directly when the time comes to send you your replacement part.

Is there Info anywhere about what research was used to create this hilt? It’d be great to have some of that... maybe a thread, or it could just be posted here? I think Lewis said he would start a thread but I haven’t seen anything yet.

I’m most curious about the measurements... where were they taken from, and how? Was there cooperation from the owner of the original prop? Has the original prop been validated in some way?

 

[Dann]

Well, there are the resin castings out there, that came from a production mold, so, as long as you factor in any shrinkage, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a replica of this version pretty darn close to perfect, in theory.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some new versions of this one!

 

[Scott2815]

Hi. I come here to the experts for some honest feedback on the recent Hero run noted in the title.

Facebook as some debate over the length of the hilt in comparison to the original prop. As we all know FB ain't the best place for facts.

Is this replica accurate in its length....

How long was the original prop or is this not known?

Thanks in advance.

I have same question about this hilt, I love everything about it but I was really surprised how small it is. I know there are resin castings in museums? But castings resulted in shrinkage of the overall size so I too would like to know where the measurements were taken from, just for interest really

 

[badboibill]

I have same question about this hilt, I love everything about it but I was really surprised how small it is. I know there are resin castings in museums? But castings resulted in shrinkage of the overall size so I too would like to know where the measurements were taken from, just for interest really

I mean, anytime you get in on a run and the finished product is *drastically* different than anything that’s come before it, it’s kind of nice to have an explanation. Like, doesn’t anybody else want to know why it’s way smaller than any other Hero run? Especially now that the rings were called out as a machinist error... I’m sort of wondering if the length is a machinist error as well? Also keep in mind that the oversized rings were obvious to many of us, but went totally unnoticed by PP/7C... so it seems like it’s reasonable to want to know about the research and sources behind this run. Lewis is going off of a source who (he believes) has one of the original screen used props. So I don’t think he’s using any casts as a guide. But again, I’m just guessing. Maybe he used a combination of casts and photos of what he believes to be the original prop? And the only way I found out about this supposed screen-used-prop-source is because I asked him about it directly on Facebook.

PP’s “signature dish” has been super accurate and high quality hilts at a premium price. I’m ok with the price, but after a super long delay (which is ultimately still ongoing) and an undetected and significant machinist error, I’m left scratching my head and wondering what exactly I’ve got on my hands here. It’s the difference between a hilt I’ve got to try and sell, and a super-accurate Hero prop... and all of it hinges upon the research, the source(s) of information, and the validity of the source, and the work of the machinist.

Idk. Anybody else feeling like this?

 

[Scott2815]

I mean, anytime you get in on a run and the finished product is *drastically* different than anything that’s come before it, it’s kind of nice to have an explanation. Like, doesn’t anybody else want to know why it’s way smaller than any other Hero run? Especially now that the rings were called out as a machinist error... I’m sort of wondering if the length is a machinist error as well? Also keep in mind that the oversized rings were obvious to many of us, but went totally unnoticed by PP/7C... so it seems like it’s reasonable to want to know about the research and sources behind this run. Lewis is going off of a source who (he believes) has one of the original screen used props. So I don’t think he’s using any casts as a guide. But again, I’m just guessing. Maybe he used a combination of casts and photos of what he believes to be the original prop? And the only way I found out about this supposed screen-used-prop-source is because I asked him about it directly on Facebook.

PP’s “signature dish” has been super accurate and high quality hilts at a premium price. I’m ok with the price, but after a super long delay (which is ultimately still ongoing) and an undetected and significant machinist error, I’m left scratching my head and wondering what exactly I’ve got on my hands here. It’s the difference between a hilt I’ve got to try and sell, and a super-accurate Hero prop... and all of it hinges upon the research, the source(s) of information, and the validity of the source, and the work of the machinist.

Idk. Anybody else feeling like this?

Yep this pretty much sums up how i'm feeling Jon :/ well said by the way!

 

[Wells]

Your opinions are shared here. I got in on the run last minute so the delays were unnoticed by me but the rings were a disappointment and I was on the verge of selling but happy that the issue is being addressed so ultimately decided to keep the hilt, at least until the updated grenade section arrives.



I’m very keen to find out where the overall size is sourced from though and how accurate it is.



One other thing that has come up is the Goth Chassis was due Monday but has now been postponed as the measurements provided for the finished product where inaccurate which further makes me question the sizing.

 

[Scott2815]

Your opinions are shared here. I got in on the run last minute so the delays were unnoticed by me but the rings were a disappointment and I was on the verge of selling but happy that the issue is being addressed so ultimately decided to keep the hilt, at least until the updated grenade section arrives.



I’m very keen to find out where the overall size is sourced from though and how accurate it is.



One other thing that has come up is the Goth Chassis was due Monday but has now been postponed as the measurements provided for the finished product where inaccurate which further makes me question the sizing.

Hmm yes that is interesting about the chassis, will keep an eye on this thread and hopefully some answers will materialise. It's also the thickness that i'm not sure about as it seems very slim but again it's hard to compare it to photos of the actual prop scale wise.
Proportionally it all looks good but feel as though it's scaled down somehow but then again looking at the Cave scene and the ISYHCANL scene it doesn't look big, it's a confusing one and I actually really like the hilt in it's own right.
Actually having had another look at the ISYCHANL screenshots either the hilt is quite small or the chap playing Vaders hand double had large hands, a combination of both i reckon.