Magic of Myth ( MoM ) Luke RotJ Hero ( cave build ) lightsaber research, images, reference, & collaborative model builder's discussion.

[SaiyanCookie]

That particular Ace brand doesnt ship overseas and I doubt anyone would be able to send cans to fellow oversea rpf members on here as aerosol cans cannot be sent by air.

For those interested I have already put in an order of a number of aged gold colours from more common brands (particulary Vallejo). Once they arrive I will do some testing to try and get as close as possible to the reference photos we have.

Stay tuned non-Americanos

 

[BRRogers]

That particular Ace brand doesnt ship overseas and I doubt anyone would be able to send cans to fellow oversea rpf members on here as aerosol cans cannot be sent by air.

For those interested I have already put in an order of a number of aged gold colours from more common brands (particulary Vallejo). Once they arrive I will do some testing to try and get as close as possible to the reference photos we have.

Stay tuned non-Americanos

Thanks for doing that

 

[BRRogers]

Ok so for some who don’t know there is a cast of the Hero. It’s been around but is about to resurface as a member of TheRPF has agreed to do another run. This would be considered 2nd generation from the cave scene prop.
As these pop up again I want to make sure there is a clear understanding that, between multiple casting and whatever other unseen factors the casts cannot be fully trusted in terms of dimensional accuracy.
However relationships for ‘similar’ areas, proportional hierarchy and especially surface detail are things that can be gleaned from these casts.
To illustrate a specific item: the depth of the V grooves and the slant.
this is a photo of the cave build and the new casting.
The Vs in the grenade appear deeper on the casting, however the proportion of the lengthwise markers are similar.

rest assured, the current models (and runs) are taken from proportions and overlay from the aluminum cave build. Not the casting. However the proportional similarity to the casting can be illustrated here.

Now, to double back and double-check the model, This is Vs. the original cave build.

Hope this all makes sense and provides some more context before we see these castings come through

 

[Verity Cosplay]

To add to BRRogers. The specific phenomena is comprised of two underlying occurrences. First, volumetric shrinkage occurs beginning at the gel point of the resin. Second, gravimetric shrinkage occurs over the cure period to the glass state of the resin.

these two occurrences both are what cause the commonly known shrinkage/distortion
over generational castings, but even in the initial cast from the original artifact there is some distortion as a result of these two factors at play.

the earlier the casting generation and also importantly the type of resin used, the less the distortion, however it will still be present. It will be most pronounced in areas containing the least mass stabilizing the material. So the smallest diameter areas of the prop will be most affected by the two respective shrinkage factors.

just to state the science behind what BRRogers is illustrating.

 

[thd9791]

Well put, I learned alot

 

[Halliwax]

I’m trying to find a alternative color for those over seas.. no luck yet

 

[maxspr1]

I'm going to use a vintage can of Krylon gold I was able to pick up. It really looks like the exhibit photos, and when trying to match colors with old props, I always try to find what may have been available at the time. So, a can of common and not-especially bright or metallic gold spray paint from the 1980s sounded good to me!

 

[Odynn]

I've been doing a lot of reading catching up on all of this over the last couple days. I just received one of the Ultimate Heroes and was surprised by the overall size - it seems my impression was similar to what inspired this whole endeavor and this vault of discussion and effort. Very interested in how this project progresses! I'm new to the hobby and am learning I should have done a lot more reading before jumping on a holiday sale Very fun to see all this work and progress.

 

[Verity Cosplay]

I've been doing a lot of reading catching up on all of this over the last couple days. I just received one of the Ultimate Heroes and was surprised by the overall size - it seems my impression was similar to what inspired this whole endeavor and this vault of discussion and effort. Very interested in how this project progresses! I'm new to the hobby and am learning I should have done a lot more reading before jumping on a holiday sale Very fun to see all this work and progress.

We will have very exciting things to show very soon over in the actual run thread!

 

[Dann]

I remember theorizing awhile back that those detail bits in the box were photo etched brass, I was so giddy when Bryan confirmed it, and she looking at the pics from the auction, it's so obvious! I love it when things like this are discovered.

I've also been thinking lately that the Hero might be yet another "cleaned-up" aluminum cast from the same mold as the stunts. This time, with much more cleanup than the V2. Too many things are lining-up, and it just makes too much sense to me that this is the case.

 

[BRRogers]

Sounds like a round of image comps and proofs are in order

 

[Gregatron]

I remember theorizing awhile back that those detail bits in the box were photo etched brass, I was so giddy when Bryan confirmed it, and she looking at the pics from the auction, it's so obvious! I love it when things like this are discovered.

I've also been thinking lately that the Hero might be yet another "cleaned-up" aluminum cast from the same mold as the stunts. This time, with much more cleanup than the V2. Too many things are lining-up, and it just makes too much sense to me that this is the case.

...could that mean that the Yuma and the hero are two separate hilts, both cast from the mold?

 

[Dann]

I still think they're the same hilt.

The amount of "cleanup" looks exactly the same, and for everything to match up so perfectly even on two separate pulls from the same mold, seems a pretty slim chance. As far as post casting lathe work goes.

 

[thd9791]

Dan are you saying the Yuma and ROTJ hero may be ANH era?

 

[BRRogers]

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

The Yuma , ISYHCANL, and Hero are absolutely 100% one and the same. I’d bet this whole thread on it at this point with what I’ve gathered.
Wether the Yuma came from a stunt cast is the question posed. Proofing that the Yuma had a stunt casting lineage hasn’t been attempted yet, but considering the lengths I suppose is worth exploring. It hasn’t yet been done though. I’ll work on some comparisons as soon as time allows referencing the Wood buck, cast aluminum, V2, and V3 along with the hero as soon as I’m able

 

[thd9791]

Thanks for clarifying! I just wasnt sure of the idea yet.

Very interesting idea.

 

[Dann]

Yeah, that's all I'm saying. As far as the "hero" being around in the ANH era, I doubt it. I mean, maybe the casting existed, from which the ROTJ hero was made (if indeed that's what it was derived from), but I wouldn't think it'd be "cleaned up" until the ROTJ era.

And yeah, Bryan is totally right. I'm just theorizing here, I could be wrong!

Remember, I'm the same idiot who thought the Hero box could've been sitting on a milled flat!

 

[Gregatron]

Let’s look at the timeline. The ESB prop was hauled out on the first day of shooting, and deemed unusable, due to the continuity problem. The V2 stunt was then hastily pressed into service. After that, the Yuma and other stunts were used both in thr studio and on location. Finally, the hero was used for pickup/insert shots for the two closeups, one of which was cut from the film.

If a clean(er) casting had been floating around, then why use the chipped and dented V2? Seems more likely that, after the V2 (perhaps the only viable non-Graflex and non-MPP saber on hand, since it had been used for ESB rehearsals) was pressed into service, old (or new) castings were then pressed into service for the stunt scenes to be filmed during the next few months. And then the Yuma (or a similar casting) was cleaned up (or newly made) for the inserts.

 

[Mouse Vader]

Remember, I'm the same idiot who thought the Hero box could've been sitting on a milled flat!

This has been resolved then ?

 

[PrinceZip]

As some of you know, I had the opportunity to visit SW Identities Exhibit in Japan and see the Luke ROTJ Hero prop in person.
Even though the reference pictures did not turn out well due to poor lighting and display set up, I was able to observe the saber closely via binocular, and I took notes on the spot.

For those interested, attached in this post is a PDF of my note.
It's not 100% detailed, but I picked out important areas in my note and summarized them here.

Again, this was just my observation and may contain errors.
However, I was able to confirm some key areas that were previously left uncertain mainly — the emitter nipple interior and the pommel endcap