Surviving Lightsabers in the Lucasfilm Archives

[Shingouki28]

The Obi is resin and does not resemble anything used by production.

I'm certain thats one of the old "Comet Miniatures" resin sabers from back in the mid 90s. I had two of those at one point. I shaved the ribs off the booster section to make a shared V3 style stunt on one of them.

 

[Shingouki28]

I saved this from an ebay listing a while back.

 

[Halliwax]

I'm necro posting a bit to add some corrections to the record, for anyone new coming looking for info.

The Barbican saber we now know is the first attempt at a Vader ANH stunt saber. Ended up having to re-use Luke's, but it worked out in the end.


Halliwax, is this grenade all black? Do you know anything about B&W photos? I know blue shows up dark, red shows up lighter, etc. It ould explain the V2's paint scheme, and why only the upper (covered) part of Obi's saber is brass.

Also, the bottom ridge is not thick Anakin Starkiller I remember that thread about the tunisia saber....



Wanted to note that there's a copy of the Energizer saber there, behind the Barbican and the Icons Obi Wan. (If the original is still with Don Bies it's a copy). The emitter is put on sideways, that black dot facing us was in the front of the saber, so the black top must be rotated 90˚. Maybe it fell off, like when AL ROKER FLUNG THE FLASH HIDER OFF THE HOTH BLASTER IN 09.. Whew...

Anyway.

Tom this photo came out of a magazine around the 40th anniversary

The photo is pretty small, I was hoping for it to be larger

It sure does look black to me, but I’m no expert

 

[thd9791]

I saved this from an ebay listing a while back.
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Thank you! Another comet miniature, another one just came up in another thread recently. neat to see these old replicas

Tom this photo came out of a magazine around the 40th anniversary

The photo is pretty small, I was hoping for it to be larger

It sure does look black to me, but I’m no expert

I remember a theory that they sanded and stripped the upper neck to have a clean surface to weld the emitter on. Or glue, but either way..

 

[Halliwax]

Thank you! Another comet miniature, another one just came up in another thread recently. neat to see these old replicas



I remember a theory that they sanded and stripped the upper neck to have a clean surface to weld the emitter on. Or glue, but either way..

That would make sense

 

[chazzychaz]

I'd be shocked if Brandon allowed anyone to scan that prop. This looks to be based on the MR V2. The round flat head screw beneath the cone knob is a giveaway.



The V3 was a fighting stunt, never a belt hanger, but it also appears in this ROTJ production photo, even though in the final film it's the V2 that Vader is holding in this scene. (Apart from the closeup of it in his hands of course, which was a pick up shot added later using the 'Hero' prop.)

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I like the bottom shot of the ICSYHCANLS

 

[thd9791]

I edited my original post with the most up to date knowledge

So, ye thanks for summoning me!

A quick list:
ESB Pipe Stunt
ANH Motorized Vader/ESB Fighting Stunt "Barbican"
ESB Skywalker Ranch Graflex
V3 Cast Metal (Obi Stunt)
ROtJ Vader graflex (a bastardized ESB Luke fighting stunt graflex)
Luke ROTJ hero
Casts of Luke ROTJ hero post production
R2D2 Cast(s) of an Obi Stunt with hollow pipe inside
A Cast of the V3 (seen in Wired Mag)
(Last 2 maybe the same ones)

Energizer Bunny Saber resin casts

Private Collections (public knowledge)
Vader ESB/Jedi MPP Hero
V2 Lightsaber
Obi Stunt blank(s) (1 wood, 2 metal)
...

 

[thd9791]

Palpatine's lightsaber from RotS?

As far as I know, it was like all the other hilts made for production and was a custom piece the prop department made. The two button "eyes" on the hilt are LED's and the other bits and bobs on it are probably either custom machined or sourced someplace. Considering that Palpatine was only given a lightsaber quite literally at the last minute, I would presume much of the original construction was first sculpted (likely in 3D and then printed), cleaned up and given a custom paint scheme. I don't know if it was made in metal, I presume not, as many of the other PT sabers, especially in the later movies, were actually plastic/rubber and chromed (in a bonus feature on the DVD's, one the prop guys remarks how incredible the technology has come for them to chrome rubber) but that's not to say it may not contain some metal parts.

Between the two of his lightsabers, I much prefer the one he fights/uses with Yoda.

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I have a rumor from a pretty good source that there was a moment.... guys came into a shop (plaster shop, resin shop, something of that nature) and said, everyone start drawing lightsabers, we are behind and need some designs! one of those folks drew this hilt and it ended up being produced. Take it for what it is, but I thought this was hilarious

 

[Jamesfett]

Here is a pic I did not see posted here. I may have missed it. It shows the V3 and two Luke Hero's among other cool stuff.

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

One hero and ones Icons prototype replica

 

[Jamesfett]

One hero and ones Icons prototype replica

Were they trying to copy the rusty triangle?

I though this pic was way before Icons.

Coolio.

 

[thd9791]

If this is from the same set on original prop blog, I thought those were reference photos FOR icons, taken by them during one of their visits. If that’s the case, I never realized that they had started a prototype of the Luke hero before that visit

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

I have a rumor from a pretty good source that there was a moment.... guys came into a shop (plaster shop, resin shop, something of that nature) and said, everyone start drawing lightsabers, we are behind and need some designs! one of those folks drew this hilt and it ended up being produced. Take it for what it is, but I thought this was hilarious

Again, seeing how last minute it was, that's likely the case. I think even in the Prop Store auction, that was briefly mentioned with the sketch that came with it. Coincidentally, as the auction was about to be held, there was a post on Reddit by a kid who's grandfather worked on RotS and was responsible for chroming the hilts. In this kid's possession was a prototype Palps hilt, very similar if not the actual one put up for auction, that his grandfather kept.

I'm actually considering making the RotS hilt after my Luke sabers are finished out of cast bronze and brass.