Poor man's Vader ESB MPP ( of sorts)

juajn7fernandez

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
First of all I think I've mentioned this before but I am absolutely terrible at documenting projects. That being said I'll explain as much as possible and show you the images I did capture.

This year I decided to finally put together a collection of Original Trilogy sabers. I've had this MR Force FX Vader ESB since it came out in 2005. Although I've never been a fan of the FX sabers, the hilt was actually really nice compared to MR previous offerings. This one showed better dimensions than the previous 2003 ANH saber that was way too thick and a bit longer.

I few months ago I finally decided to remove the blade with the intention to find a way to accurize it some day, and I finally did it. I had just recently finished a Heiland synchronar and realized that the dimensions were actually amazingly super close. So I went on Ebay and found one of those cheap Heiland add-ons/ extensions ( if youve ever looked for a Heiland flash these pop up all the time). I went for the one with the one that has the reflector bowl because I noticed it came with two additional shroud screws and I had ruined the one that came on the MR FX while removing parts.

IMG_2041.jpg IMG_2042.jpg IMG_2043.jpg IMG_2044.jpg

The main thing I was after on buying this was the guts. Upon closer inspection ( after receiving the flash parts) I notice that the guts wont just slide in there as I had hoped, but they were too far off. So I got my dremel and some sanding wheels and went to town on the hilts interior walls. After a while I start to realize I'm never gonna finish shaving the interior of the hilt. However the Heiland guts were made os a softer metal that would shave down a lot faster ( not to mention all the shaving I had already done on the hilts interior)


IMG_2045.jpg

Sure enough once I got the dimensions for it to slide in, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the connectors on the electronic guts of the Heiland lined up beautifully with the MR FX hilt. I ordered some of Roy's cables and installed them to add the finishing touch.

IMG_2080.jpg IMG_2079.jpg IMG_2081.jpg IMG_2083.jpg IMG_2082.jpg IMG_2084.jpg


Now the reason why I chose to just modify this hilt instead of buying another full Heiland is because it has all the "right" ( replicated) markings of an MPP. It even has the two holes that were meant to hold the MPP plaque. Also the bottom cap looks a lot better and closer to the MPP cap, than the average Heiland squared off cap. ( BTW if you look closely that my ANH Heiland, you will notice I got really lucky and found a flash that had the correct shape of the connectors and the better looking bottom cap.)

Anyways, there you have it. It was a lot of fun to do this and I am very pleased with the results. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Cheers!
 
Thanks Jediscum! If any one is thinking of doing this mod, the one thing I would warn about (and can't stress it enough) the body of the MR FX hilt takes for ever to shave down. Granted I was only using an 80 grit sanding wheel on a Dremel (with the flexible extension to reach in deeper). I'm not sure what other tool could be used to expand the opening on the hilt. I will say it was a lot easier sanding around the body of the heiland electronics, to slim it down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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this came out awesome!! i always wondered if you could do this, and you proved it!! what year eFX saber did you use? i always seem them on eBay broken, or damaged and wondered if they could be used a spare parts.

i too want the saber to have the correct end cap, the heiland sticks out right away to me. this might be a possible option for me to explore. thank you for proving that it can be altered to look like a real one.

excellent job!
 
this came out awesome!! i always wondered if you could do this, and you proved it!! what year eFX saber did you use? i always seem them on eBay broken, or damaged and wondered if they could be used a spare parts.

i too want the saber to have the correct end cap, the heiland sticks out right away to me. this might be a possible option for me to explore. thank you for proving that it can be altered to look like a real one.

excellent job!


Thanks halliwax !! Its the 2005 model that I bought back when it came out.

So I love how Roy's cables look but as its already known from pictures of the original ESB/ROTJ prop, the blue and the white cables are actually a bit thinner than the grey and the brown cables. So I went looking inside some old computer parts I had in the closets and found a pretty good match for both the white and the blue. Replaced and voila:

IMG_2088.jpg IMG_2089.jpg

I think they could still be just a bit thiner, but for a random search in the closet, I would say its an awesome catch and a lot better than before.

halliwax - I got supper lucky when I went looking for a heiland and found one with the better / more accurate bottom cap and it had the correct round connector holes.

IMG_2090.jpg

I havent seen one like this again, so I'm assuming the previous owner had plans on turning it in to a Hilt as well and went through the trouble of replacing the bottom cap. Or maybe there was a model with both accurate features. Either way, keep your eye open for them on the bay. I'm always lurking lol.
 
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Thanks @halliwax !! Its the 2005 model that I bought back when it came out.

So I love how Roy's cables look but as its already known from pictures of the original ESB/ROTJ prop, the blue and the white cables are actually a bit thinner than the grey and the brown cables. So I went looking inside some old computer parts I had in the closets and found a pretty good match for both the white and the blue. Replaced and voila:

View attachment 663058 View attachment 663057

I think they could still be just a bit thiner, but for a random search in the closet, I would say its an awesome catch and a lot better than before.

@halliwax - I got supper lucky when I went looking for a heiland and found one with the better / more accurate bottom cap and it had the correct round connector holes.

View attachment 663059

I havent seen one like this again, so I'm assuming the previous owner had plans on turning it in to a Hilt as well and went through the trouble of replacing the bottom cap. Or maybe there was a model with both accurate features. Either way, keep your eye open for them on the bay. I'm always lurking lol.

thats a rare find!! Both of them are very nice!!
 
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