Star Wars ~ Luke's Saber

[Organic Mechanic]

Oh, I do not doubt that you know of what you speak.

What "pleases me" in regard to this project, as I'm sure you've gathered, is getting it a close to indistinguishable from the filming prop as possible. This is why I am fully prepared to change this detail. I just need to be 100% before I make an irreversible change.

To me, I'm reading "Obvious" as "Assumed & Accepted", two things I'm unwilling to do. It wasn't so long ago that it was "obvious" to the majority of saber smiths and licensed replica manufacturers that the OWK ANH saber consisted of parts like a sink drain and a motorcycle grip. Just like it was assumed that there were only two styles of Exactra 19/20 - T-2000 bubble strips with the only distinction being a bit of frosting. These bubbles are different. They are neither as long, nor as wide as the bubbles the general consensus is based upon. They came out of the calculator almost perfect for placement between the lips and not under it. And as far as I can tell so far, they are the correct style for this saber.

My current set up is based on knowing what I needed it to look like, and a need for the saber to hold together solidly. I intentionally eschewed any assumptions in an attempt to replicate the mindset of the prop maker who produced the original. And in that regard, I succeeded. It was quick, simple, and effective.

Like I said before, the beauty of the current set up is that the door is not yet closed on going the other route. If/when I do change it though, there is no going back.


All that said, I also wish to thank you for your thoughts on the subject. Whether I agree with them or not, or even if I argue them into the ground, I value them highly. Your scrutiny is enhancing my own, and forcing me to rethink things, and think about others I've not considered.

I do still plan on attempting a proper recreation of that promo shot, but it will be a few days as the only room appropriate for such a shoot just got transformed into a sick bay.

I hope to continue the discourse with you, and anybody else, because the group's knowledge got me this far, and I honestly believe that I cannot achieve the perfect reproduction via my own observations and "Genius". :thumbsup

 

[scarf man]

I'll let my comments stand until you produce your next comparison pic. I must also add my thanks for your thoughtful and respectful debate.

 

[VFX Freak]

Wow. An Internet forum discussion in which the two parties disagree, yet there is no flaming/screaming/name-calling/playground shenanigans. How refreshing! I like this place.

 

[Jerome]

This is one of the most civilized debates I've ever seen. Well played, gentlemen.

And well done on your Graflex build. Brings me back to when I built mine, just last year. Me personally, I sanded the bubble strip so that it slid underneath the clamp. Only so that it stays in there and doesn't pop out. I figured that the vast majority of people who see it would not care either way, or are even aware that such a debate exists.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

:lol Thanks guys. I think that the civility you're so surprised by comes from the simple fact that we're not so much debating as discussing.

We both have the same goal. "Make this, and every build that follows, as close to perfect as possible."

I want the perfect saber, and I want you to have one too. :cool

 

[Sym-Cha]

Need any assistance in re-creating that Toe pic?


-Chaim

 

[kurtyboy]

I would also like to know the definitive answer on the bubble strips being filed down or not. I filed it down on my Obi-Wan ANH but left it intact on my Luke.

Need any assistance in re-creating that Toe pic?


-Chaim

 

[STEVE THE SWEDE]

Wow! Brings back memories! I can't believe I've sold mine many years ago. I still have my ESB version but the ANH is such an icon! Yours looks amazing. I too remember how nerv wrecking it was to rip out the exactra strip. Your write down regarding that subject was very well written. My strip looked identical to yours.

Regarding your discussion with scarf man I have to some what agree with him. I'm not saying that your clamp looks different then the toe pic. To be honest I can't tell due to the different lighting conditions. However, I too have owned a lot of original graflex tubes and they all "behaved" differently. Some could be tightened down super snug while others couldn't, leaving the two tubes loose and wiggly. I always figured it was depending on how much they had been used by their previous owners. What I'm trying to illustrate here is that I never seen two of these behaving the same exact way, it might be impossible for your clamp to close as snug as the original.

Anyhow. I'm not seing anything wrong with yours. I truly enjoyed the read, feelt like the good old days again!

Steve

 

[Clutch]

 

[Organic Mechanic]

Thanks all!

Chaim, if you've got ponters, I'll take 'em. Especially regarding lighting. You take amazing photos, and I make no claims on being able to accurately recreate that pic.

Mostly though, I just need to make myself DO it! :lol

Steve, like I said, I don't disagree with Scarfman either. I'm just reluctant to jump into what could be a $120 blunder. As it stands now, my clamp is tight, and you cannot grip the flash body and move it, or even rotate it while the clamp is tightened.


Also, I still need to get a shot with it in the display. I got one of Pastor Jedi's plaques, and found the perfect piece for mounting it with.

 

[Sym-Cha]

here's another picture which might be easier to copy regarding lighting ...

Just hang your lightsaber on a clip and if you have a piece of white foam board use that
to reflect light from your flash instead of direct lighting ... try different angles of the board
reflecting light onto the lightsaber. By moving it around you can see what the light actually
does on the surface of your graflex. Also zoom in and then focus manually and then zoom
out to get the rest of 'Luke's body' in picture as seen here:

The same applies for the Toe pic. Put a boot down on the floor with the saber in front ...

move camera a couple of steps back and zoom in to focus on the saber and zoom out to see the rest of Luke like so :

When your graflex is approximately in the same position as on the larger full
frame pictures you should be able to see the exact same angles of your graflex ... capiche?

Also the shadow of Luke gives you a basic idea where the light is coming from.

That's the way to replicate these pictures ... May the force be ... :lol

-Chaim

 

[Organic Mechanic]

Thank you! Now that you walked me through it, I think I understand the bit that was confusing me before about the light. The saber appears bottom lit because a) they were lighting Mark, not the saber and b)that means that it's getting more light reflected from the 'white' floor than anywhere else.

 

[Sym-Cha]

BAZINGA!

:lol

-Chaim

 

[Organic Mechanic]

"He can be taught!" :lol

 

[kurtyboy]

I didn't have any photographic experts to guide me when I did this a few years ago, and I only had a cell phone for a camera, but I was just trying to do a similar pic rather than actually prove anything!

 

[Organic Mechanic]

Wow! Great shot.

I intend to prove nothing though. Only to learn more about this prop, and make mine as good as possible. :cool

 

[scarf man]

I doubt any further comparison pics will prove either of us right. In the end we must agree to disagree, respectfully of course.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

I doubt any further comparison pics will prove either of us right. In the end we must agree to disagree, respectfully of course.

Oh, you're probably right about that, but reproducing the pic properly has now taken on a life of it's own in my head.

Besides, as suggested, it may change my mind completely by the time I'm done.

 

[scarf man]

I completely understand your new found obsession in trying to reproduce the photograph, and wish you luck.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Now where will you get that exact same boot as Kurtyboy used :confused Nice attempt by the way Marcus. You see Bryon, there's a lot more going on then meets the eye ... take a close look on the several reflections on those bubbles alone ... try to analyze the original photo's and where there might be lightsources ... yes there could be more then just the one ... i.e. even a simple piece of white board from the side can aid the overall lighting and be responsible for additional highlights on those bubbles ... I have yet to decide what to do with my exactra bubbles when the times comes to finish Luke's ANH graflex lightsaber ... properly.

-Chaim