The Ultimate Luke ANH Graflex Research & Discussion Thread

Another thought I had, about the d-rings being attached on the side of the Vader and Kenobi saber.

I'm assuming the same prop team made most of the other hand props we see in ANH, correct?

So, the same prop guys who installed d-rings on the side of the Vader and Kenobi also attached a d-ring to the side of the Droid caller Like wears on his belt. Han Solo's fits in a neat clip, but Luke's hangs from a d-ring mounted on the side of the Droid caller.

I know the sets of holes drilled in the Luke ANH saber are too close to be a failed attempt to attach a Kobold clip to the side of the Graflex, but I wonder if the first attempt was to try and attach something similar to a Kobold clip but it was abandoned because it made holding the lightsaber too uncomfortable or something.
 
that's a pretty neat idea! it would follow that they had this same idea when setting up the hand props for Empire (arc welder, Graflex lightsabers)
 
Kobold clip or something like it mounted on the side will get in the way of the t-tracks, maybe that's one of the reasons they didn't use a side-mounted clip.
 
It's a very plausible theory, but I do have one problem with it: why would they choose to hide the holes with additional rivets instead of shuffling the grips around to cover them? I just have a hard time believing they would have put visible fasteners in the side of the hilt if they didn't serve a structural purpose.

To fit into universal prop rules-- cause maybe the change was made on set and it would be faster.
 
Can someone dig up those proto-saber photos (the early, MacQuarrie-ish prototypes NOT made from flashguns) which came out some years back? I don’t recall if they had d-rings installed, but, if they did, that those might give some hint of the early design intent.


Also, I find myself wondering why they would CENTER the d-ring on the bottom endcap (as opposed to putting it close to the edge of the endcap on the side opposite the clamp, like on the ESB version) if they were trying to make a more comfortable belt-hanger than it would have been with a (theoretical) side-mounted ring.
 
Let’s not forget. Before the graflex. The safety torch was brought to Lucas

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I think the d ring on the bottom idea. came from the torches.

I can’t get in the “d ring attached on the side” camp.. think from the beginning the d ring was always meant for the bottom, and they got it from the torch..
 
It should also be noted that both the MPP endcap and the Armitage Shanks handwheel are not the flattest or most structurally-sound surfaces to install a d-ring onto. Heck, there’s been speculation that the Tunisia version of Obi-Wan’s saber was even missing the handwheel’s endcap. In both cases, the d-rings were side-mounted, as a result.

On the flipside, the Graflex’s endcap is flat and reasonably well-attached to the tube (although it may well have needed some reinforcement, as discussed here).
 
It's a very plausible theory, but I do have one problem with it: why would they choose to hide the holes with additional rivets instead of shuffling the grips around to cover them? I just have a hard time believing they would have put visible fasteners in the side of the hilt if they didn't serve a structural purpose.
Visible to who though? It took over 40 years until anyone else to notice them
 
I'm imagining a world where some repair I've done – where I've quickly jammed a bunch of mis-matched screws to hold something together – is now 40 years later being examined under a microscope by a bunch of people trying to understand the method to my complex assembly technique :)
Go read Motel of the Mysteries by David Macaulay.
 
BLUEPRINT REVISION

New research gives new insights and when new evidence comes to light it is a good moment to reevaluate your previous work. Nate Dalzell (Iron Destiny Props) was the one who released two new views of our beloved saber prop: a back view of the saber with finally a look at the D-ring assembly with the double rivets and the ‘dark side of the saber’ side view, the unknown side with two of the four handle rivets visible.

So, with Nate as my motivator, critical spectator and QC, I have come to the conclusion that my previous ‘accurate’ Graflex Luke ANH blueprint wasn’t accurate enough and several changes were necessary in order to improve it. These include:
  • Different T-track grip lengths (this one hurts!) they vary between 92.5 and 93.4mm
  • Slightly different T-track grip locations
  • A wonky handmade D-ring bracket (the D-ring itself didn’t change)
  • Refined handle rivet locations
The previous lengths of the T-tracks were based on the fact that the bottom part of the tube was not fully extended giving it the possibility to separate the bottom from the clamp. Instead, the bottom can’t be separated from the clamp since in reality the grips are roughly 1mm longer and touch the edge of the clamp while the bottom is pulled out.

I spend a lot of time to do new 3D perspective overlays while tweaking the details of the virtual replica. The conclusions are in new overlay images and in my revised blueprint.

Of course, I will make a new grip guide and I will start a run of wonky D-ring clips soon.
For those who still prefer an idealized double rivet D-ring clip, I will continue to sell those as well.

perspective-matched-overlays-scaled.jpg


Blueprint-Luke-ANH-2021-scaled.jpg


Cheers!
Roy
 

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