arkangel
Well-Known Member
Having collected MR products since 2002 (mostly lightsabers), I thought I'd make a thread to hopefully address some of the questions I have, as well as offer a place where others can satisfy their curiosities. Some of my questions are simply true/false in nature but I thought it would make for a good discussion. A numbered Q and A would probably work well for this, so I'll start.
Q1. Due to natural growing pains of a new company and outsourcing / machining difficulties when MR was just starting out, the ep 2 Obi-saber did not meet it's designer's intent/expectations. (ie: dimension inaccuracies, grip cut out only across 1/2 the sabers diameter, etc. ) If this saber met design expectations, would it not be the same dimensions as the Ep 1 Elite version, since the ep 2 version was a chromed stunt ? Wouldn't it only differ in a few areas such as no holes in the pommel cubes, shinier finish, no purple hemi, etc, but still be the same dimensions as the more precise elite that they produced much later ?
Q2. Due to the considerably small size of the ep 2 Anakin saber, was a steel weight added to the inside of the hilt to help give the impression of quality, since the real saber's light weight felt a bit insubstantial and lighter than MR's other saber offerings at the time? I've seen the screen used ep 2 Anakin, Mace, and Dooku at Celebration 2 but not sure if anyone would have an idea as to their weight. This has been a long standing question of mine simply because the ep2 Anakin seems disproportionately heavy, which I'm sure most collectors have noticed.
Q3. The ROTJ Luke Elite saber is longer than MRs regular hero offering but not any thicker in diameter. I realize that the ROTJ luke hero has a speculative history at best, but what new information led to an update in the size and dimensions for the Elite release?
Q4. Did Sam Jackson's stunt saber really have "bad muthaf..." inscribed on it or was this just an amusing urban legend. I don't remember seeing it on the screen used one at Celebration 2 so I'm guessing it's a myth that did it's rounds on the internet.
Q5. The MR Rotj Vader saber has a plaque stating a production run of 1500, but I've heard that only 500 were produced? Is this true? If so, it would certainly account for it's rareness and high price on the secondary market.
Q6. Wouldn't the first 500 US made Luke rotj sabers, as well as the remaining China run be considered equally accurate? Aside from a difference in finish, the grip ridges are a bit thinner on the US made ones, but both could be argued as a correct interpretation/average of the real props uneven grip ridges. If I'm remembering correctly, there was a post where someone claimed that the exact grip ridge average falls somewhere between the 2 production runs.
That's all the self indulgence I can muster at the moment. Please share your thoughts/knowledge with numbered matching answers and add some of your own burning questions. Much appreciated..
Q1. Due to natural growing pains of a new company and outsourcing / machining difficulties when MR was just starting out, the ep 2 Obi-saber did not meet it's designer's intent/expectations. (ie: dimension inaccuracies, grip cut out only across 1/2 the sabers diameter, etc. ) If this saber met design expectations, would it not be the same dimensions as the Ep 1 Elite version, since the ep 2 version was a chromed stunt ? Wouldn't it only differ in a few areas such as no holes in the pommel cubes, shinier finish, no purple hemi, etc, but still be the same dimensions as the more precise elite that they produced much later ?
Q2. Due to the considerably small size of the ep 2 Anakin saber, was a steel weight added to the inside of the hilt to help give the impression of quality, since the real saber's light weight felt a bit insubstantial and lighter than MR's other saber offerings at the time? I've seen the screen used ep 2 Anakin, Mace, and Dooku at Celebration 2 but not sure if anyone would have an idea as to their weight. This has been a long standing question of mine simply because the ep2 Anakin seems disproportionately heavy, which I'm sure most collectors have noticed.
Q3. The ROTJ Luke Elite saber is longer than MRs regular hero offering but not any thicker in diameter. I realize that the ROTJ luke hero has a speculative history at best, but what new information led to an update in the size and dimensions for the Elite release?
Q4. Did Sam Jackson's stunt saber really have "bad muthaf..." inscribed on it or was this just an amusing urban legend. I don't remember seeing it on the screen used one at Celebration 2 so I'm guessing it's a myth that did it's rounds on the internet.
Q5. The MR Rotj Vader saber has a plaque stating a production run of 1500, but I've heard that only 500 were produced? Is this true? If so, it would certainly account for it's rareness and high price on the secondary market.
Q6. Wouldn't the first 500 US made Luke rotj sabers, as well as the remaining China run be considered equally accurate? Aside from a difference in finish, the grip ridges are a bit thinner on the US made ones, but both could be argued as a correct interpretation/average of the real props uneven grip ridges. If I'm remembering correctly, there was a post where someone claimed that the exact grip ridge average falls somewhere between the 2 production runs.
That's all the self indulgence I can muster at the moment. Please share your thoughts/knowledge with numbered matching answers and add some of your own burning questions. Much appreciated..
