New Elstree Studio documentary with discarded Graflex.

[Captain Dunsel]

I have never understood the oft mentioned belief that the flashes were “returned” to Bapty’s, or some other prop rental house. This belief certainly applies to the blaster props, but not to the camera flashes.

According to Roger, the flashes were actually purchased in a lot (a box full, to be exact) at a photography shop and were not rented from a prop store, like Bapty’s.

These things (camera flashes) were a dime a dozen back then. I think we need to revise the thinking that the flashes were rented and returned to some prop rental house. The most likely story is that they were purchased items, owned by the production.

For that reason, the story around this Graflex certainly rings true to me.

I also think that the same “owned by the production” vs “rented by the production” logic applies to other production props that were cobbled together and altered in such a way that they could not be returned to a prop house, such as the macrobinoculars and Ben’s belt hanger saber...which increases the likelihood that they may both be in Europe, somewhere.

 

[Halliwax]

I have never understood the oft mentioned belief that the flashes were “returned” to Bapty’s, or some other prop rental house, in any case. This certainly applies to the blaster props, but not to the camera flashes.

According to Roger, the flashes were actually purchased in a lot (a box full, to be exact) at a photography shop and were not rented from a prop store, like Bapty’s.

Roger has been pretty consistent with that story.

He went to a friends camera shop looking for lenses for the macro’s

When he asked his friend if he had any junk stuff he could check out, and his friend told him about a bunch under a table

When he opened it he discovered the 3 cells

He claims he bought the entire box and ran back to the shop to start adding stuff to it. Never has he said he had to return them, or return it back to Bapty..

I continually see posts about returning the graflex’s back to bapty and can never for the life of me find where that rumor started

Roger’s memory isn’t credible anymore... and to be honest he probably hates us (the replica prop builders) because we have proven time and time again his lightsabers are fraudulent.. this information he leaks out “Robertson screws” “ we didn’t have a rivet gun” could all just words to screw with us.. “trolling”

I have always found it hard to believe that a prop builder/ tinkerer... doesn’t have a rivet gun...

I think he’s been trolling us for years just to “strike back”

 

[Kylash]

I think we can all agree, this is not something that can be easily faked. The rust on those welds and the strangeness of the modifications, all look authentic.

Of course now im trying to figure out how i can turn my riveted d-ring into 2 and still have the right placement..

 

[teecrooz]

The Obi-Wan grenade and booster could have come from Bapty though.

 

[DARTH SABER]

I think we can all agree, this is not something that can be easily faked. The rust on those welds and the strangeness of the modifications, all look authentic.

Of course now im trying to figure out how i can turn my riveted d-ring into 2 and still have the right placement..

Honestly it Doesn’t seem to be the same saber so I dont think you’ll have to bother.

 

[Halliwax]

I wish they spent a little more time fabricating the d ring.. and drilling the holes for the rivets...

Damn it’s ugly lol

 

[Gregatron]

Its not quite centered. Just a bit off center.
However, when I first noticed the placement of the D-ring wasnt along the edge (like was previously believed) I didnt place mine dead center either. i went off center just a bit closer to the edge..slightly more off center than Roys.

And that’s the thing—Roy’s model indicates a centered or slightly off-center position. This new version is VERY off-center. And the use of two rivets doesn’t match any of the contenders for a found-parts source of the bracket (such as the Graflex case), which only have one rivet hole.

I tend to agree that this may have started out as an attempt at a FX stunt build using leftover parts, which was subsequently abandoned.

 

[newmagrathea]

The Obi-Wan grenade and booster could have come from Bapty though.

I'm with you, I'll bet the grenade and the booster when back to Bapty, they would not have been damaged in a way that they could not be used for film.

 

[newmagrathea]

Looking at the d-ring tab I honestly think that they just made it themselves. It looks uneven in shape and the placement of the holes. It's not hard to make something like that.

 

[Gregatron]

Let’s say that they used the Graflex case for the d-rings. It has two brackets, right? That would theoretically account for two hero props, with a third prop (be it abandoned FX or lower-tier hero) needing a custom-made bracket, which this one appears to have.

 

[DARTH SABER]

Looking at the d-ring tab I honestly think that they just made it themselves. It looks uneven in shape and the placement of the holes. It's not hard to make something like that.

Thats what I did on my ANH. Couldn’t find one that accommodated the positioning I wanted to I Made my own tab.

 

[DarthWilder]

It was a rebel hoth rifle. I also tried to track that one, but it literally went to garbage bin. When they guy went to University, his mother thought it was a toy and threw it away. lost for always.

[

 

[SethS]

I too am feeling the theory this was intended to be the stunt saber but didn't work out so they went to the scratch built one.

This may have even been pre-internal motor, before they settled on that method.

As for the d-ring... I don't know if I'll ever be convinced that was taken off a graflex case when they are something so ubiquitous.

 

[dcarty]

WOW!!!! A treat to wake up to those pictures alright! Thank you for sharing the shots Reuben -- totally agree that it was an attempt to make a stunt saber that fudged up so they chucked it into the bin. I'm fascinated by the bubble strip and that it is cut/filed similar to the Vader ESB Hero.

 

[steven giunta]

I honestly think these were just thrown together,even the hero props.Look how different the stunt sabers look,they didn’t think there would be people pausing there movie and examining every detail.they probly just eyeballed the add ons. Yea it’s nice to think the d rings were perfectly centered and they used grip spacers to perfectly align each grip with the same distance between them. but in reality they probly grabbed a d ring,cut a scrap piece of metal to hold it and threw two rivits in it.so I doubt any of them have the d ring perfectly aligned.there essentially just slapped on the bottom of the flash.
When Christian said “box of d rings “ I always pictured a box of d rings with the clamp around it.but now I see this one I’m picturing a box of loose d rings that they would just grab a scrap piece of metal and make there own clamp.

 

[Panaflex]

Been gone for two weeks and I come back to see this. Fantastic! Good times.

 

[Kylash]

The bubble strip seems to have the filed out grooves similar to the one we've sen on the ESB Vader strip as well.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

The Obi-Wan grenade and booster could have come from Bapty though.

I think that anything that was altered by the production with drilled holes, rivets, tapped screws, parts removed, etc. would likely have been purchased by the production, vs. rented; even if that means they ended up having to “purchase” vs. “renting” such items from prop shops like Bapty’s.

I have a hard time believing that the bits and bobbles of the altered parts used in Ben’s belt hanger saber were stripped back down and the time was taken to put these bits back into their exact pre-production appearance and returned anywhere. The same with the items that were purchased as surplus aircraft scrap that become set dressing as well as hand-held props, such as the cantina still that became (most likely) IG-88’s Head or the balance pipe that became the emitter on Ben’s saber. But, who knows?

The blaster rifles could certainly be stripped of their t-track, scope rails, etc and returned as rented firearms from Bapty’s, of course.

 

[steven giunta]

anyone Planning to bend the s curve in on there vintage flash yet?

 

[Seneca]

I too am feeling the theory this was intended to be the stunt saber but didn't work out so they went to the scratch built one.

This may have even been pre-internal motor, before they settled on that method.
Agree don't think the D-ring /clamp came off a camera case.

As for the d-ring... I don't know if I'll ever be convinced that was taken off a graflex case when they are something so ubiquitous.