Luke ROTJ Lightsaber Hero - Norank Eng, Elstree, innards, etc.

thd9791

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I haven't seen this discussed, so I wanted to open up the topic.

First off, I heard that Norank Engineering produced Luke's ROTJ Lightsaber - and I'm missing some context. Did they produce the Yuma stunts? Or did they just work on the pick-up shot that got deleted?

So, Norank was like the resident shop for Elstree right? Just learned that one today

Norank Engineering - NORANK Engineering to the Film & Television Industry

I'm just looking for some background to start.

Next - where did they insert the batteries for the LED blinking shot? It doesn't seem there's an exit hole for wires on the Luke Hero saber, which leads me to believe there is one beneath the clamp box and there might be a few batteries inside the saber body, but that sounds ridiculous as I type it. Maybe the current circuit board covers up the hole? There was most likely more electronics for the pick up shot stuffed in there before. Any thoughts?

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Tom to get the lights to blink I think they could have powered the circuit with a simple watch battery, limited the space needed.

They only needed the lights to blink for a short time so a large battery wasn’t needed

funny being with the r2 builders I never heard that Norank build any lightsabers.. this is interesting! I wouldn’t put it past them building them with all the aluminum fabrication they have done in the past

I figured the aluminum yuma was made here in the states for the sail barge scene
 
**** you're right, maybe the Yuma and Hero are different? Or Norank made it for export to the states? Omg we need some seasoned RPFers here
 
**** you're right, maybe the Yuma and Hero are different? Or Norank made it for export to the states? Omg we need some seasoned RPFers here

I strongly believe yuma and hero are the same (ISYHCANL being the hero) because the 3 rings from the bottom to the top of the rings match exactly

What are the chances of that?

Idk.. love to hear what the veterans think. I recently learned in Seth’s book they think there was multiple yumas made, I’ve only seen one on screen and the hero, which all have matching rings

So idk about multiple yumas. This is just me :p
 
Hey thd9791 ! Not sure about the Norank question, but if you ask me...

The circuit board in the O.P.S. photo (#5 above) and the circuit board in your first screen shot (photo #8 above) ARE NOT THE SAME!

There's two 'squares' on the circuit board in the deleted scene screen shot, one larger, a gap, and then a smaller one.

There's one really large 'square' in the O.P.S. circuit board where the gap is on the deleted scene circuit board.

Soooo... there's more than one way to power up a set of IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND triangular LEDs. That is, IF the O.P.S. Hero lights up.


Calling #MadlynBurkert @alohamaddy ! If there's a Luke ROTJ Hero in the Skywalker Ranch Archives, please put some fresh batteries in it and poke at it with a Lightsaber Tuning/Screwdriver/Divider/Compass Thingy!!! And post up some pics here too of the circuit board, whether it works or not!
 
I did notice that most of the box is milled out and rectangular.

the bottom face, against the saber body has a round-cornered rectangle cut out. You can see it next to the corner of the post-production board dropped in there
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the control box has two openings. Our side, and then the back side. OR the box has 2 different hollowed out depths, and a solid bottom.
 
Yeah I'm guessing there were button cells inside the box for the LEDs.

And I thought the Yuma and Hero were the same piece, as well. Aside from the box, obviously. Maybe they milled the Yuma box out (and swapped the "lever" or modified it then painted black), or just made a completely separate one.
 
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One thing I noticed about these photos of the hero is you can see in the space just under the card some of the circuit board inside. That means that the board is not sitting on the bottom of the control box. If that is true the. Maybe there is a spot under the circuit card for the batteries.
 

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Looks like I was wrong, rounded corners inside, milled out
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not sure whats going on in there, but you can see the green LED pretty high up, so that old board must have been ontop of it?
 
Oh, I see what you thought.

I thought you knew that the rounded milled out corners ran the entire height of the cut out section.

That's the way I've always seen it, at least.
 
Hahahaha that gif is amazing.

I actually LIKE this control box, though. Warts and all!
 
How about this scenario;

The circuit board seen in the clip is the actual one that controls the flashing lights. Such a thing is a fairly basic timer operating 2 LEDs. Ok for a dimly lit screen prop seen for less than a second.

When the prop is set to go on display sometime later the actual circuit is deemed not interesting enough to look at, remove & replaced with a chunk of more complex stuff cut out from something else, & not that neatly fitted by the looks of it.

MPOSSIBLE TO FIND triangular LEDs.

I don't know if you're being serious about this? I assumed these were just bits of coloured (frosted or translucent) perspex back lit by a normal red & green LED or even small white bulb.
 
I have a few.... not for sale though.
 

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I don't think that there's any evidence that Norank Engineering made this prop. It doesn't seem to appear in any of the UK shoots. I think that the Norank Engineering idea just came from "Elstee Props" who have been hawking phonies for years and wanted to give their replicas some degree of legitimacy.

From what I've seen, this prop looks like it was made in the USA for the Yuma shoots, then modified by ILM for pickup shots, which may have well been done stateside.
 
Cool diodes, sure look like right as thd9791 says can be seen in his pic, right below the switch Mark H can be seen disguisedly using in the clip - next to the red dot.

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Here are photos posted a few years ago,someone was selling a production made saber made by Norank. To me it looks like an early replica,some parts look good but others like the fat rings just don’t seem correct.
 

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