The Ultimate Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi Real Vintage Parts Lightsaber Group
- Thread starter Sym-Cha
- Start date
I like your style. Maybe you can keep harassing roygilsing to do another run of mpp shrouds! [emoji14]
The more I look at this the more I believe.
Holy sh******!!!!you haven't heard? .... he's doing a new run
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a real vintage parts Obi saber?
Personally, and this is just for me, stuff like the d ring and washers and screws I've never cared about. How are you gonna prove it's an exact certain d ring or screw? And, how are you gonna prove it's a "vintage" part? We also still don't have any confirmation about the transistor brand, although I do like the Solitron logo theory we worked on a while ago.
One example for me is the Exactra screws. Everyone seems to use them because they can be identified and proven to be vintage, but it's never made any sense to me. If the point of the screws in ESB was to hold the grips on that kept falling off, a screw designed to bite into plastic wouldn't make sense. A common sheet metal screw would be much more common, and do a much better job.
One example for me is the Exactra screws. Everyone seems to use them because they can be identified and proven to be vintage, but it's never made any sense to me. If the point of the screws in ESB was to hold the grips on that kept falling off, a screw designed to bite into plastic wouldn't make sense. A common sheet metal screw would be much more common, and do a much better job.
I personally Hate, I Abhor, I LOATHE the 'vintage Exactra screws' and the 'vintage d-ring pulled off a Graflex camera case' crap.
Did the lightsaber prop makers actually remove and pull apart the d-ring off a camera case to re-use the d-ring on the lightsabers? Who the hell knows? Anything is possible.
A d-ring is a piece of wire formed around a d shaped form to make a ring. There isn't anything special about them, just like there is nothing special special about screws.
It's so much more probable that every set designer, set builder, costumer, and prop builder had a stash of d-rings in their tool box that they purchased via surplus and used a totally average, nothing special, ho-hum, regular everyday d-ring just like we can buy today at the hardware store or from Tandy leather.
I don't begrudge anyone using whatever they want on their lightsaber builds, live and let live, and if people sleep better at night thinking their saber is more 'authentic' and somehow 'better' than everyone else's lightsabers because they pulled screws off an Exactra and pulled the d-ring off a Graflex camera case than more power to them.
Personally I think it's silly. But whatever.
Vintage pedigree means nothing to me. I find all this "Oh muh vintage" garbage counter to the pursuit of accuracy. You have a vintage grenade... good for you, you've spent hundreds if not thousands on one with the wrong windvane, and it's beat to hell. Replicas of original parts offer the chance to weather accurately, or at least personally.
I prize accurately replicating historical movie props, not chasing down overpriced historical tchotchkes, only to mangle them to make what I'm after.
I love antiques, history, Star Wars, etcetera, and am not squeamish about butchering a graflex flash, or some other item in pursuit of my hobby, but somehow this vintage obsession has gotten out of hand. Some in this particular niche, (ANH Obi sabers) have created a fiat-sentimentality, celebrating vintage over accuracy.
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Well said, better than I said it at any rate.
NathanM
Well-Known Member
I've got some samples coming in thaty we're going to be looking at. They also depend on how you prefer them to be used, over the op amp or op amp on top. I prefer the look of them slid over so they would suit those needs if they fit right. They may also make for a good reference for hunting down vintage ones.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I used to be happy with a couple of replicas but I got sucked into the real parts world. I spent what is a lot of money to me on my parts but nowhere near what a lot of others guys have spent and there's no way in the world I can afford to spend or even justify spending 5k+ on a balance pipe. That's about the same as what my car is worth!
I've picked up some parts for a song compared to what they're going for lately. 2-5k for a 2 step MPP - forget it!
I like doing the searching as well, you get to find a little bit out about history in the process. But that's just me.
But I agree, the real parts pricing has got out of hand, not just in the community but in the real world too now that a lot of vendors are clued into what the parts are used for. I call it the Star Wars tax.
NathanM
Well-Known Member
Totally. And if anyone finds their real parts to be lacking for them and want to sell them at a reasonable price, please PM me. Something tells me I won't be seeing many new messages in my Inbox though, lol. Just a hunch.
For me, the important pieces are the main ones. I don't care about the d-ring, spacer, washers, or cone being vintage or 100% accurate.
I've started applying this to other sabers and builds too. I like the main essential parts to be vintage when possible, that's enough for me. My eyes glaze over when you have people blurring out circuit board photo details as if it's some huge life changing secret. I'll just get a replica and be done with it.
I've started applying this to other sabers and builds too. I like the main essential parts to be vintage when possible, that's enough for me. My eyes glaze over when you have people blurring out circuit board photo details as if it's some huge life changing secret. I'll just get a replica and be done with it.
I know what you mean but I quite enjoy watching people do forensic work on these pieces. [emoji2]
This is my philosophy also. Try and get real parts when you can (Graflex, AS Handwheel, Exactra bubble strip, etc...) but the little stuff like screws, d-rings, washers- it's just hardware.
If you want to purchase a vintage 1070's reel-to-reel player just to take it apart and cut out red, grey, and blue wires to use on your Vader ESB saber then by all means do so. I prefer to just buy wire from the electronics store. Wires are wires.
Accuracy is the goal, not necessarily vintage, but if you want/can use vintage then that's good too but it isn't magical or special.
Of course folks can have their different strokes. I'm just voicing an opinion that accuracy is being sidelined by vintage-ness. I too used to like the hunt, but for the purposes of identification of a part, so that one of our many vendors could offer up an accurate replica.
These are basically my feelings as well.
A real parts saber was only important for me for a Luke ANH when I first started out, but then I started my Obi ANH and realized I wanted as many original parts as possible, because of the history. I don't need to replicate the look of the original saber as much as I want to make a good looking version of it from the parts I've gathered.
I've had some pretty decent luck so far and managed to find multiples of parts which I've gone and flipped to recoup my costs and get parts back into the community. I can't understand some guys having 6 of a certain part that are just sitting in boxes or whatever. But with the parts I've gathered and moved on I could have built 4 Obis with exception of the balance pipe. I guess my collecting is centered more around these particular two sabers, and I don't have a lot of interest in loads of sabers and blasters and helmets etc.
I guess it's really just individual taste, and I wish some of the parts we covet weren't so rare and expensive. I've managed to build my Obi and Luke sabers and actually made a bit of money off of sourcing and moving multiples so I haven't technically spent any money on them. I know that isn't everyone's experience and I basically treat it as 'prop play money' but I wish it was easier in a lot of ways for people. Anyway, I get that real vs replica parts are two sides of the coin that the other side usually doesn't understand, but in a lot of ways it would have been sooooo much easier if I had just bought a saber from Roman and called it a day
I've had some pretty decent luck so far and managed to find multiples of parts which I've gone and flipped to recoup my costs and get parts back into the community. I can't understand some guys having 6 of a certain part that are just sitting in boxes or whatever. But with the parts I've gathered and moved on I could have built 4 Obis with exception of the balance pipe. I guess my collecting is centered more around these particular two sabers, and I don't have a lot of interest in loads of sabers and blasters and helmets etc.
I guess it's really just individual taste, and I wish some of the parts we covet weren't so rare and expensive. I've managed to build my Obi and Luke sabers and actually made a bit of money off of sourcing and moving multiples so I haven't technically spent any money on them. I know that isn't everyone's experience and I basically treat it as 'prop play money' but I wish it was easier in a lot of ways for people. Anyway, I get that real vs replica parts are two sides of the coin that the other side usually doesn't understand, but in a lot of ways it would have been sooooo much easier if I had just bought a saber from Roman and called it a day
I can understand the desire for vintage and the shift away from accuracy. My perspective is very different from the newer guys. I've spent twenty years learning about these parts in drips and drabs as they were identified, now one only has to spend a few minutes searching to find out all that information. I've been saturated in pre HD screen grabs, and modifying or upgrading parts every few years as new information came to light. Looking at this prop as a whole, and scrutinizing every esoteric detail, builds a relationship to the prop that is bigger than it's role in the film.
You just can't buy that wonderful sense of community and accomplishment, that is the sentimentality that I value.
You just can't buy that wonderful sense of community and accomplishment, that is the sentimentality that I value.
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Just saying
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