The Ultimate Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi Real Vintage Parts Lightsaber Group

[NickCline]

I think mugatu is spot on with the order - but the booster really is a step above. It took me about a year (and being conned once) to get the Hales, but even a newb like me managed it in the end. They are findable on militaria sites. Booster... well I think you need to have friends or ninja like skill (yes, Im name dropping) and this is the best place to make those friends. The highlight for me was finding a guy on a gun forum who wanted a booster for his ANM2 machine gun, and was told that his best bet was getting a replica from "those star wars nerds".. but I think I've told that story.

I'll repeat my thanks to mugatu and NickCline for their help on my journey, as well as the usual suspects. I still haven't posted images since my all vintage parts Obi-Wan was completed late last year....

Time to post some pics!

 

[mugatu]

Those are so thick!!! a) I can't believe you found some and b) do you think they were modified?

Thanks, Tom. Once again, it is you and I, neck and neck, in a mad dash to discover and uncover the true identities of these lightsaber/blaster parts!
I believe these are thick as well. They look thick in the photo anyway. They have not yet arrived to me unfortunately, so these might not actually fit either, but they look like the right ones to me, based on my interpretation of the Tunisia pics.
As for them being modified... no, I don’t think they have been modified. I spent a very long time looking for these (Hi, my name is Andy and I like sci-fi, building things, and spending long hours at night and on weekends searching for transistor washers that don’t seem to exist... BLECH!), speaking with my old nerd electrical engineer associates whom used to build brown PCB’s laden with these very same types of transistors and amps with no luck there, and finally I just had to put these washers on the back burner, because they were an enigma even among those I thought should very much be in the know. The washers seemed just like an MG81 flashhider as far as the likeliness of spotting one in the wild on any given day of searching.
And then one day, there they were. And like so many of the sources of where these real parts come from, it all made sense:

The reason transistor washers are so elusive is because there are no transistor washers; they are something entirely different used with something else very much like a transistor in size, but in no other way similar.

They are decorative washers, thick by design, for the sole purpose of visual appeal, found in multiples on a reel to reel machine. Why are they there? Do they do something special? Yes: they make that reel to reel look cooler than it would have looked without them. So I surmise they haven’t been modified because they were purposely designed to look exactly that way (“cool”) by the people that designed that R2R, thus they didn’t “need” modification.

Of course, this is only a theory though.

Time to post some pics!

I agree. I definitely want to see some pics. I know I wasn’t able to stick the dismount for you fezfox (in fact, looking back it was pretty abismal. I had some family things going on, which I had to deal with and my communication went down the shitter. Thank you for your patience and understanding), so yeah, I am really dying to see your Jedi weapon. You haven’t struck anyone down with it, have you?

 

[thd9791]

That's a beautiful set of info, thank you! It's good to know that there are no heatsinks that exist like that, its a littler verifying

 

[fezfox]

I agree. I definitely want to see some pics. I know I wasn’t able to stick the dismount for you fezfox (in fact, looking back it was pretty abismal. I had some family things going on, which I had to deal with and my communication went down the shitter. Thank you for your patience and understanding), so yeah, I am really dying to see your Jedi weapon. You haven’t struck anyone down with it, have you?

Only one militaria dealer in the UK....

Mugatu, we are all good! You came good in the end, so no harm done! You're the principle source of my saber!

Time to post some pics!

Okay, okay, okay, I'll dig out the photo box and get snapping!

 

[fezfox]

An elegant weapon... for a more civilized age.

 

[russellsch]

GORGEOUS!!!!

 

[thorskywalker]

Is this the same Thor Skywalker with the YouTube channel "Let's Talk Some Star Wars"?

I am afraid not, total coincidence regarding nicknames I have been asked this second time though I should probably check the guy out..

 

[eethan]

Oh my, it looks amazing! this is going to be the one that decides me to look for more real parts...

 

[thorskywalker]

Thank you very much ALL for the warm welcome and the invaluable help. I tried to read every single post in this thread very carefully and it seems there is a lot to digest and the journey is a 'long' one..

However, there are a few things which I am not sure about, and while these have probably been asked multiple times, may I kindly consult your help again for the following matters:

1- Are the Exactra 19, 20 and the European (2000) bubbles IDENTICAL? Is it OK to buy any one of them?

2- What exactly is the difference between a male and female balance pipe? Can you either explain or show (via photos) I need to check mine to see if I have the correct one.

3- Regarding the sink knob, which is the DEFINITIVE version in terms of accuracy? The one that has the text written on an 'arc' or the straight one? Blue (C) or Red (H)? All I was able to figure out was none of the knobs are completely metal and the cubes are plastic in all versions.. so which one do I hunt for?

4- There seems to be extensive research by a fellow board member regarding the Graflex 3 Cell Flash and even the 3 Cell has multiple versions (e.g. having a patent number on the text vs not) so is there a 'specific' 3 Cell I need to hunt for? or is the middle section identical for all and it doesn't matter what I find as long as it is authentic and a 3 Cell?

5- The grenade's texture seems to have variations too. Which one do I hunt?

Thank you again for the patience

May the force be with you all...

 

[Sym-Cha]

Hi there thorskywalker,

1 No, between the Exactra 19, 20 or TI-2000 the shape of the bubbles may vary. From round to slightly flattened (see pictures).

However any of those is okay for an Obi-Wan controlbox.

2 See here the difference between a female (top) and a male balance pipe :

Picture courtesy parfaitelumiere.

3 As for the handwheel a C or H with either text curved or straight is okay for an Obi-Wan pommel.

Picture courtesy parfaitelumiere.

4 The G R A F L E X clamp is identical on any 3 or 2 Cell ... my advice look for a 2 Cell or even better just a single G R A F L E X clamp on offer on ebay or post a WTB in the Junkyard section.

5 Now for the grenade there are multiple variants ... the most accurate is a symmetrical cut on thick cubes and a sharp V shaped first ring after the windvane :

Picture courtesy 'Mechanismo' by Harry Harrison

Symmetric cubes, V-shaped cut :

A-symmetric cubes, l / shaped cut :

My advice ... nowadays ... go for any grenade you can get your hands on ... and if not 100% accurate, you can always try to upgrade later

Chaïm

 

[russellsch]

Great post Sym-Cha That should be stickied somewhere. I always love reading your posts.

Good luck with your build thorskywalker . Please post any photos of what ya got so far. I never get tired of seeing any part of this saber.

I'm totally drooling over your photos fezfox ! That Obi-Wan is jaw dropping!

 

[thorskywalker]

Master Chaïm,
WOW!!!!! Thank you so very much for taking the time to create this incredible reply!!!!!! Now I have a much better idea what to look for specifically...

Based on the photos, it seems I am lucky to have a female balance pipe, and it seems it is in pretty good shape.. Let me share some photos (thanks for the suggestion russellsch) after all, this is all I have at the moment but not a bad way to start the 'Journey' I guess..

May the force be with you all

 

[Panaflex]

The dings on the side of the BP are really nice! Looks very similar to the original. Nice score!

 

[eethan]

amazing balance pipe, this is indeed a great way to start!

 

[fezfox]

Thats a beauty!

 

[thorskywalker]

thank you guys... I also thought it already has some natural weathering and dings, which kind of look similar to the original so that is pure luck I guess Hopefully I will have periodical updates along the way as I score the missing pieces one by one...

 

[ANHSABERS]

View attachment 984766

What's inside the emitter to hold the Balance Pipe to the No.3MkI grenade section . . . still remains a mystery :confused

Chaïm

Was there an answer to the question please?

 

[teecrooz]

There is no answer to the question. It’s still a mystery! Some people see a cone. Others see a flat surface with a recessed hole.

I personally see a flat shiny surface with a smaller recess to a dark hole and not a cone that extends outward to the balance pipe.

 

[teecrooz]

I posted these on the Facebook thread, so thought I’d add them here for comparison to the screen caps.

Old, no longer available simplyprops adapter, as well as a booster bearing “cone”. Maybe someone can interpret something from the screencaps or from 4k77 and make a new cone available?

Note: not advertising for a banned member, just showing for comparison purposes. These are not available any longer.

 

[Halliwax]

ive said it before and ill say it again.. this thread is legendary