New Elstree Studio documentary with discarded Graflex.

[Gregatron]

I agree that it’s aluminum, but I’m still entirely not sold that it’s handmade on the toe pic saber. Yes, the loop is a bit crimped, but that could have been done to prevent the d-ring from flopping around. The Elstree saber bracket definitely looks handmade, of course.

I ask this non-rhetorically: What seems more likely—that they had loose d-rings floating around and handmade brackets for them, or that they found at least one d-ring with an aluminum bracket (from a picture-hanging kit or whatever) for the hero, and then crudely replicated it by hand for the Elstree saber?

It just seems too coincidental that any number of found-parts brackets (be they from picture-hanging kits or Graflex cases or whatever) which people have unearthed over the years look to be just about the right size and shape. Why go to the trouble of handcrafting one when found-parts brackets that fit the bill already existed?

 

[Halliwax]

Wow guys, great compile of pictures! Nice detective work gregatron!!

It is 100% true his belt was stolen? I imagine if his belt was stolen the graflex was with it...

 

[teecrooz]

We know who owns the belt now though. A very well respected member of the prop collecting community.

 

[Halliwax]

Wow so it really was stolen at one time. Wonder if the graflex was attached to it..

 

[Aison]

WOW!! Some amazing stuff.

As for welding. The tube is brass, so depending what was used to weld it needs to be considered. If it was brazed and tacked using an oxy torch, depending on how good the person is, there could be a lot of heat going in as it would take longer than a mig set up for brazing. Those welds to me look like they were done with a oxy torch. I have done both in my Panel beating days. A good oxy welder probably would not put in much heat either. After looking at the washer and top again I agree, the deformation does not look like it was from heat.

THD9791 bought up the glue residue, I really think the grips need to be counted.

Before I mentioned a grip missing when they were at the sandcrawler. There is another possibility that it did not fall off. The tracks could have been glued on one by one without measuring and that is the gap left over.

It's a pity we cannot see if the clamp lever is shut on the B/W promo that has the engraving on the sidebar.

I really think it would be beneficial if the experts on here could actually see the elstree in person.

Thanks Gregatron for answering those questions, some great thinking.

 

[Gregatron]

There are definitely a good number of tells in those Seidemann photos. Hamill has the different haircut (and face!), new belt, and the HOLIDAY SPECIAL saber. Ford has his FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE haircut and the Greedo Killer blaster. Threepio has two gold shins (instead of one gold and one silver), and is missing the antenna pieces on the backs of his hands. Artoo is the remote-controlled version with the struts attaching the legs to the body. Vader has the Kobold “saber” instead of the MPP. And so on.

All of this adds up to one answer: For these post-production photos, they had to scrounge for leftover props and parts as well as fabricating new ones, since certain key items were either unavailable, lost, trashed, in private collections, or stolen.

 

[Aison]

As for making the clip, the time it took me to make was only a few minutes.

 

[Gregatron]

We can see both sides of the toe pic prop in these photos (taken during the same session), and there look to be seven equally-spaced grips.

 

[Halliwax]

View attachment 996293 View attachment 996294

We can see both sides of the toe pic prop in these photos (taken during the same session), and there look to be seven equally-spaced grips.

You believe this is the same saber?

 

[Davy Jones]

I have another one of that side. Mark's hand covers a lot unfortunately. If we are calling the other picture "the Toe pic" can we please call this one "the dick pic"? - just to maintain proper nomenclature?



Also slightly off topic: I'd be grateful if people wanted to think up saber related captions for this funny pic. I think it's almost meme worthy.

 

[Gregatron]

You believe this is the same saber?

Absolutely. I posted a few photos from that particular publicity session upthread. Hamill posed with the saber in both hands, and they also took a shot of it sitting at his feet.

 

[Gregatron]

I have another one of that side. Mark's hand covers a lot unfortunately. If we are calling the other picture "the Toe pic" can we please call this one "the dick pic"? - just to maintain proper nomenclature?View attachment 996295

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE CUT OFF HIS LEFT HAND, TOO? IT’S IN THE WAY! ARGH!!!

 

[Halliwax]

I have another one of that side. Mark's hand covers a lot unfortunately. If we are calling the other picture "the Toe pic" can we please call this one "the dick pic"? - just to maintain proper nomenclature?

View attachment 996295

Also slightly off topic: I'd be grateful if people wanted to think up saber related captions for this funny pic. I think it's almost meme worthy.
View attachment 996296

Thank you very much for sharing all these photos

 

[Halliwax]

Absolutely. I posted a few photos from that particular publicity session upthread. Hamill posed with the saber in both hands, and they also took a shot of it sitting at his feet.

Great, I was a little confused

 

[Gregatron]

GUINNESS: “Mark, could you please hold the prop from the other end so a bunch of nerds can examine it, 43 years from now? Thanks.”

 

[Aison]

Looks like a teenager eye roll after they been asked to do chores XD

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

The rivets on the side of the Graflex kinda look like the rivets on Luke’s belt to hold his saber clip.

Thinking about d-rings: the Vader had a loose d-ring added to the shroud. The Kenobi had a loose d-ring added to the sink knob. It’s not out of the possibilities that a loose d-ring was used on the Luke saber. My concern is that there are so many other 1-hole Tandy-style d-rings with clips on so many other ANH props/costumes that it’s not like they didn’t have any available. Plus, I know from shopping at Tandy that they sell both loose d-rings and d-rings in clips, so common sense tells me the prop/costume/set teams would most likely have both available.

Like, they probably didn’t pry open a clipped d-ring for Vader and Kenobi, why would they have made a d-ring clip for Luke when an already clipped d-ring was in the same supply box?

It’s possible those 2 rivets on the side were for an original d-ring clip that they didn’t like, went with the d-ring on the bottom, and removed the outside d-ring clip and filled the holes with rivets.

Also, it’s possible the d-rings/clips were plated differently then, say nickel plated instead of chrome like today, and that’s why the color looks bluish.

 

[Aison]

GUINNESS: "Screws or Rivets" XD!

 

[Gregatron]

Someone may have to examine a teensy little thing called 4K77–which may or may not exist, of course—to see if any additional details can be discerned from moving, onscreen footage, since the Blu-Ray version of the movie (which is only 1080 HD) is full of DNR, crushed blacks, and other artifacts.

 

[Gregatron]

The rivets on the side of the Graflex kinda look like the rivets on Luke’s belt to hold his saber clip.

Thinking about d-rings: the Vader had a loose d-ring added to the shroud. The Kenobi had a loose d-ring added to the sink knob. It’s not out of the possibilities that a loose d-ring was used on the Luke saber. My concern is that there are so many other 1-hole Tandy-style d-rings with clips on so many other ANH props/costumes that it’s not like they didn’t have any available. Plus, I know from shopping at Tandy that they sell both loose d-rings and d-rings in clips, so common sense tells me the prop/costume/set teams would most likely have both available.

Like, they probably didn’t pry open a clipped d-ring for Vader and Kenobi, why would they have made a d-ring clip for Luke when an already clipped d-ring was in the same supply box?

It’s possible those 2 rivets on the side were for an original d-ring clip that they didn’t like, went with the d-ring on the bottom, and removed the outside d-ring clip and filled the holes with rivets.

Also, it’s possible the d-rings/clips were plated differently then, say nickel plated instead of chrome like today, and that’s why the color looks bluish.

My thoughts exactly. If they had access to both plain and peanut (bracketed) d-rings, why would they go to the trouble of fabricating a bracket from scratch? Especially on a hero. Beat-up and cobbled-together nature of many SW props aside, a hero prop should still look at least somewhat respectable on-camera.