TFA Graflex Research (That's a Graflex, right? Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)

[Anakin Starkiller]

This thing is amazing. I wish I could get down to see it.

What blows my mind was that seeing this, convinced everyone that they were using real graflexes. And this wasn't even one

What is going on with that bulb release? I'm staring at where it intersects with the headshell and I'm seeing something totally different from a realflex

 

[teecrooz]

Not to mention the “clamp”

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

I know!!!! It's so amazingly weird! I'm in love. Construction is completely different from a real graflex. But, it totally sells on first glance.

It almost reminds me of Ant's Graflex Replicas. In the best way

https://www.tk560.com/jegner/Graflex-replica.pdf

 

[teecrooz]

The real question, make a replica that is Graflex sized, or full sized….

 

[Halliwax]

FULL SIZE!

 

[AnubisGuard]

Given that the prop would be out of scale with one of the two actors in that handoff scene regardless (Leia stand-in or the Maz stand-in) I'm surprised they chose to scale it to the stand-in-they'd be replacing with CG anyway. The way they apparently did it means VFX at both ends of the handoff and they had a to build a special huge prop.

 

[Halliwax]

There was a few screen caps of them building kylos 3d printed hilts.. and there was empty graflexs on the table.. they were the standard graflex size, but I wonder if they were the same construction wise…

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

The real question, make a replica that is Graflex sized, or full sized….

Probably graflex size. It's hard for me to understand how a full sized model would fit in my collection.
It would be kinda amazing to see in full scale!

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

The exhibit was only there June 15th through November 3rd.

Field Marshall went to it. He posted some photos to his fb page, but I didn’t see any of this prop. Maybe he has some he can share.

I'm almost relieved to hear it's not still on. The temptation to road trip it down there might be too strong.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Obviously this is pure speculation on my part, because I just learned about it today, but I bet this oversized lightsaber was only used for Lupita Nyong'o on-set while she was doing her motion-capture, and for that close-up saber reveal shot. Every other time we see Rey’s lightsaber it’s a regularly sized Graflex.

This is a cool revelation, and a neat one-off prop, but it doesn’t really change anything about the EP7 lightsaber for me.

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

There was a few screen caps of them building kylos 3d printed hilts.. and there was empty graflexs on the table.. they were the standard graflex size, but I wonder if they were the same construction wise…

I've thought this for a long time. There were stunt hilts that we not made from real graflex or roman replicas, but were hand made by the prop crew. I wish we had more info about these. The details have been a mystery for some time.

 

[Halliwax]

Wish I knew about this before it left… could have done another YouTube video

 

[Farrells Props]

Obviously this is pure speculation on my part, because I just learned about it today, but I bet this oversized lightsaber was only used for Lupita Nyong'o on-set while she was doing her motion-capture, and for that close-up saber reveal shot. Every other time we see Rey’s lightsaber it’s a regularly sized Graflex.

This is a cool revelation, and a neat one-off prop, but it doesn’t really change anything about the EP7 lightsaber for me.

I think they may have had Lupita's hand as base for the digital Maz Kanata hand to be added to after. All I've seen from behind the scenes and the "Hero" that Rey hands off to Luke is definitely a graflex.

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

As a prop builder, I find this design much more interesting than the graflex Rey hero, where you just slap a few grips on the bottom and bob's your uncle. Here they started a complete scratchbuild and successfully replicated a well-recognized object by cutting sheet metal and tubing!

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Look at the stunt that William is holding. It looks like there's a similar bunny ear setup here. I never did exactly understand what was going on with these Fauxflexes

 

[AnubisGuard]

My father has it

I have it

My sister has it

You have that jumbo graflex too

View attachment 1892160
View attachment 1892158View attachment 1892159

that graflex in the first trailer had a glass eye with out the brass showing, and if my memory is right.. no shiny rivets in the tracks…

I'm not sure the trailer Graflex is the jumbo, at least not the one at the exhibit. You can see a highlight on the shoulder around the glass eye, but the jumbo is smooth in that area.

 

[Halliwax]

I'm not sure the trailer Graflex is the jumbo, at least not the one at the exhibit. You can see a highlight on the shoulder around the glass eye, but the jumbo is smooth in that area.

The glass eye is what sells it to me, can you point out exactly what you’re referencing?

 

[AnubisGuard]

The glass eye is what sells it to me, can you point out exactly what you’re referencing?

To my eye, this highlight here looks like it's from the shape of the "shoulder" around the glass eye, though I just spent a few minutes with a flashlight and a Graflex trying to recreate the exact highlight and I couldn't.

At any rate, that area doesn't look level with the rest of the tube to me.

 

[Halliwax]

Gotcha gotcha! I was looking at the inside of the glass eye!

Good catch!

 

[Halliwax]

Maybe it’s just lighting, and that the knurling is removed in that scene