yeah I see that picture, as have I seen clearer shots of that same clip. I don't see anything in that nor in the video that reads as a 1/4" jack. It still looks like the square connector to me. Although maybe a white one connecting to a black on instead of a red.
I've heard them called powerpole connectors. Here's the patent info on them. they have different sizes and lengths.
I don't see that as a jackplug at all. Vader didn't ever have a motorized stunt as far as I've ever seen. His blade was always crisp and still. I had always heard this was intentional to contrast his superior skills to Obi-wan's "flickering" powers dying out with his old age. But maybe that's just a rumor. Regardless Prowse never had a motorized stunt that I've ever seen. But he is seen using many various handles, including this one which to me (and many others, I'd have to go back and find the threads from years ago) appears to be the same previously motorized graflex that luke has in Obi-wan's hut (the one where you can clearly see the red and white connectors), with some slight paint modification. If that's the case, then it has these red and white connectors (round or otherwise), not an audio jack. Since that motor was no longer functioning (again I'll have to go back and look that up, but I remember seeing or hearing that it quit working early on.) it looks to me like the "tail" you see is just the clipped white wires and the black electrical tape wrapping above it, not a 1/4" jack.
I believe that Brandon has confirmed that the barbricon vader saber in the archives today was once Vader’s spinning blade stunt saber. During filming of anh it had a square emitter shroud and is featured in the Kenner figure card.
fair enough. Maybe I should have been more specific, as I meant there are no finished shots that made it into the movie with Vader having a spinning blade. My main point being there are shots of Prowse using various stunt sabers, including this one which appears to be Luke's motorized graflex style stunt, but without any spinning blade (wires were snipped).
That would be most appreciated.
This gets so confusing sometimes.
From what I'm doing in my experiments I'm getting the impression that it's the blades themselves that are the biggest issue. Golf shafts or even thinned snooker cues would have given true spinning straight blades but Jon Bunker has said they had trouble with vibration / wobble which is what I'm getting with off the shelf hardwood dowel. This puts a lot more strain on the motor/gearbox. If it also takes a while (20-30min) to work up a straight one & they're breaking lots that's a manufacturing problem too. Jon has also said they used untapered which would make sense for choreography / practice saving the straighter tapered ones for shoots.
