Unsolved Star Wars Prop Mysteries

The flash hider on Han's DL-44 in the ROTJ bunker deleted scene:

ep6-bts-554.jpg
 
Two years ago I was able to walk through the Skywalker Ranch archives and I took a bunch of photos of the A, B and Y-Wing helmets from all sides and the back. Some inside shots, too. I also took photos of the A, B and Y-Wing chest boxes/vests. I concentrated on the Y-Wing vest since there aren't any good photos "out there" of this piece. Unfortunately, permission to take photos was given with the condition that I not post them online, so I'm afraid I can't share the images. I can do my best to describe parts, though.

I have to say, when I stumbled on the Y-Wing vests on a shelf I about passed out. This had been my holy grail for years. I'm bummed that my A-Wing box photos came out a little blurry. I only had an iPhone 4S to use, since I really didn't expect to be permitted to take photos. Otherwise I would have brought a much better camera.

I do have some decent images of the B-Wing box greeblies. One thing to note is they're not precisely the same from box to box. I saw two, and one had male connectors and one had female connects. Below the box starting on the right (facing it) is the serial connector thing. Next to that is a round audio plug (can be male or female) on a square plate. Next to that is a circuit board. That same part appears on the other two pilot chest boxes/vests, too. That dark area along the left side almost halfway up is a series of diodes. Two black, then five beige (with stripes), and one more black. One a rectangular circuit board just big enough for the diodes to attach to.

I didn't get a photo of the B-Wing buckle, but I think it's just sewn onto the vest with some material there.

If I can describe anything else, let me know. I just made myself a photo book of almost all the pics. Nicer way to share them than flipping through my iPhone.

Scott


Personally, I would love to know what some of the greeblies are on the B-wing pilot helmet, chestbox and flak vest. I have a few figured out but the others... no clue.

For example...
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g...ces/Star Wars/Pilots/B-wing Pilot/Helmets.jpg
What the heck is that disc-shaped greeblie on the right side of the "dome" on the helmets? I've been staring at every picture I can find and have been trying to figure it out for the past three years and still can't come up with anything that looks remotely similar. There are two styles in the picture above: one seems to be a flat disc shape with four "vents" along the outside edge, while another one has four holes on the surface of the disc and no "vents" along the edge. Then there's another black disc on top-- which might be the Yamaha disc like on the Y-wing pilot helmet but it looks too small... I've compared the size of the Y-wing greeblie to the B-wing pilot helmet (I have some) but it's not the right size.

The closest picture I have seen is this one but it doesn't look like the same greeblie. It may be, I can't swear to it, but it just doesn't look the same to me. But maybe it is. But for that matter, I can't figure out what that greeblie is, either. Not one clue.
Here's another shot of it. It's also on the A-wing pilot flak vest.

I would also like to figure out what the greeblies are on the flak vest. I know the greeblie in the middle is a BENDIX bulk head connector, and I managed to find an accurate one, but the other two... no clue.
Same with the greeblie on the right side of the chestbox (the piece that's hidden under the hose in one picture, but can be seen in the full-body picture). I have yet to be able to figure out what that is, either. For my chestbox I had to rig something up, and while it looks pretty close, it's not perfect. I would love to find the accurate piece.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g...s/Pilots/B-wing Pilot/B-WingPilotTenNumb2.jpg

Also, the black (or is it gray? Maybe transparent milky white? I can't tell) connector thingy that's dangling at the end of the cord, also seen here. The heck...? :lol

And lastly, the rectangular black... thing that seems to attach the black side-release buckle to the flak vest. It would have to be something that attaches firmly to the flak vest (maybe it has screwed through the back?) or it would rip off from the weight of the chestbox... But what the pieces are I have no idea. I haven't found anything similar that's the right size or shape.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g...tar Wars/Pilots/A-wing Pilot/monCalPilot2.jpg

Yeah, so I've got a few things, but it's been bugging me for ages. :p
 
Two years ago I was able to walk through the Skywalker Ranch archives and I took a bunch of photos of the A, B and Y-Wing helmets from all sides and the back. Some inside shots, too. I also took photos of the A, B and Y-Wing chest boxes/vests. I concentrated on the Y-Wing vest since there aren't any good photos "out there" of this piece. Unfortunately, permission to take photos was given with the condition that I not post them online, so I'm afraid I can't share the images. I can do my best to describe parts, though.

I have to say, when I stumbled on the Y-Wing vests on a shelf I about passed out. This had been my holy grail for years. I'm bummed that my A-Wing box photos came out a little blurry. I only had an iPhone 4S to use, since I really didn't expect to be permitted to take photos. Otherwise I would have brought a much better camera.

I do have some decent images of the B-Wing box greeblies. One thing to note is they're not precisely the same from box to box. I saw two, and one had male connectors and one had female connects. Below the box starting on the right (facing it) is the serial connector thing. Next to that is a round audio plug (can be male or female) on a square plate. Next to that is a circuit board. That same part appears on the other two pilot chest boxes/vests, too. That dark area along the left side almost halfway up is a series of diodes. Two black, then five beige (with stripes), and one more black. One a rectangular circuit board just big enough for the diodes to attach to.

I didn't get a photo of the B-Wing buckle, but I think it's just sewn onto the vest with some material there.

If I can describe anything else, let me know. I just made myself a photo book of almost all the pics. Nicer way to share them than flipping through my iPhone.

Scott
Do you know which B-wing pilot chestbox(es) you saw? There's like three or four different styles that I've seen references to, some of them I don't think were even used in the movie... The ones I see the most are the one Nein Nunb, Ten Numb and Keyan Farlander wear with the big red button near the center and the black circle near the bottom, and another style that has a black box instead of the circle, an orange and a red button instead of the larger red button, and another box on the left side of chestbox. Then I've seen one or two small pictures of one that combined both styles, then there's one that was sold at the Hollywood Auction that was completely different (and didn't look finished 'cause it didn't have a way to attach a hose or slots for the webbing straps-- I think it was more of a test prop), and I think I've seen one other style as well... Things seem kind of random for some of the chestboxes.

Where is the audio plug you mentioned located? Is it in the black "trench" between the two halves? I know there's a round... something... in the trench, I can see it when I brighten up pictures, though I can't tell what it is. And where is the circuit board located? I'm having a hard time imagining it, I guess. And the diodes, are those along the very edge in the cut rectangle, next to the dark gray area on the Ten Numb box with the two blue buttons?
 
My own personal mystery would be how in the hell 1" diameter stunt blades were anchored into lightsaber handles like the V2 (hollow for electronic motor) or Flash Handles - seeing as some were much MUCH larger than the blades....set screws wouldn't have been enough I don't think.
 
I scaled the anh blades to 15mm (0.59") at the base and 10mm at the tip. Thats what I went with on my working luke stunt saber and it looks about right.

My own personal mystery would be how in the hell 1" diameter stunt blades were anchored into lightsaber handles like the V2 (hollow for electronic motor) or Flash Handles - seeing as some were much MUCH larger than the blades....set screws wouldn't have been enough I don't think.
 
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I also took photos of the A, B and Y-Wing chest boxes/vests.
Could you tell me what the greeblies are on the A-wing chest box? There were very little pictures available when I built one four years ago, and those were blurry.
My interpretation was a Visible V8 Engine carburettor and two round buttons on the right side, a TIE pill box on the top and a Visible V8 Engine cylinder top cap on the front. Maybe coffee stirrers on the left side... but I am not sure. All four sides sloping except for a box extending out like on the X-wing pilot's chest box.
 
The one I'll trot out again is the bit along the top of several blasters that seems to function like some sort of targeting sensor:

Merrsonn44-2_zps48b37339.jpg


Looks like an electronic component of some kind. Its use in ANH would mean mid-'70s vintage, possibly UK-specific. I've not seen any connectors that have that straight bit of wire before the curling starts.

Also, that greeblie just above the grip on this side, the circle on the beveled rectangular base... Might that be another electronics part? A transistor cover or some such?

If either of these have been identified, I haven't heard about it.

--Jonah
 
Shot on a different continent, made from a firing Mauser already in the UK to avoid live firearm importation hassles. Some say it was made with the same Mauser parts as the ANH.
 
Also, that greeblie just above the grip on this side, the circle on the beveled rectangular base... Might that be another electronics part? A transistor cover or some such?

I believe that rear circle is the remains of the old scope mount. The upper part of the gun is cast from the Han Hero, but the lower appears to be the original Naked Runner body. My guess is there was a mounting post there when molded and that it was rough cut off the casting (looks like saw marks). There is likely a second circle under the Imperial disc at the front.
 
The one I'll trot out again is the bit along the top of several blasters that seems to function like some sort of targeting sensor:

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o95/Adabiel/Star Wars/Merrsonn44-2_zps48b37339.jpg

Looks like an electronic component of some kind. Its use in ANH would mean mid-'70s vintage, possibly UK-specific. I've not seen any connectors that have that straight bit of wire before the curling starts.

Also, that greeblie just above the grip on this side, the circle on the beveled rectangular base... Might that be another electronics part? A transistor cover or some such?

If either of these have been identified, I haven't heard about it.

--Jonah


Looks to me like a remote shutter switch for a camera
 
Chris, good call on the scope mount. I totally hadn't even considered the original Naked Runner gun body as a candidate. That's checked off my list now. The top piece I know is a connector of some kind, but what make and purpose? It doesn't match any flash synchronization cords, remote shutter release cords, electronic component plugs, or anything else I've run across in my searches.

--Jonah
 
I don't know if this has been mentioned. If so, the Search box and Google have failed me. Apologies if so.

In my explorations, I came across evidence of the existence of a company called Hovi-Mix that operated out of Denmark. They operated at least into the early 90s (they're mentioned in a 1992-dated catalog of suppliers to another company). They appear to be long-since defunct -- at least defunct enough to have left only the scantest trace of their existence on the internet.

However, if you type "Hovi-Mix Sanitet" into Google, you'll find what few vestiges of information still exist web-wise. 'Sanitet' translates roughly as 'sanitation' or 'sanitary' but, in a Scandiwegian context is often more similar to meaning 'hygeine', as in 'bathroom'-related. I have a contact in Denmark and asked him what he knew about them. He hadn't heard of them, but his uncle apparently had. They seem to have been involved in the kitchen-and-bathroom fittings business. Note: this is second-hand hearsay, but it's what I was told.

If true, it militates against the interpretation of the legendary "mic-tips" as being audiophonic equipment and weights the argument towards it being a faucet / tap aerator or filter of some kind. Thing is, if that really was their business, and they've really been out of business for 20-odd years, it creates an impression of the FX guys just buying a box of generic parts from the plumbing supply store (which is in line with Barry and others' recollections), but the manufacturer of which is long gone -- which could explain why they've been so hard to trace.

Nothing concrete, but an interesting data point.
 
I'd love to know what the table from the Mos Eisley Cantina actually is. Looks like a barrel of some sort, but what from?
Cantina Table 01.png Cantina Table Wall Greeblie.png
 
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