And here's that gear. below!
Yesterday was refresh day, fixed up all the little details on my customs that I had grown to hate...
First-- my photo swapmeet special. While I enjoyed the minitripod body, it was a little too narrow, and in retrospect, the emitter end was a little too plain. So I added some t-track and threw on the MPP 2.0 shroud I wasn't doing anything with. Now it has a little more body/
Next... man I loved/hated this thing. There was magic in that vintage gear fit perfectly into an off-spec Obi-Wan pommel. I used roman's space with a peak clamp and was still happy... but that TCSS body and emitter... ehhhh... Even the Canon Y shroud couldn't help it. The more I looked at it the more I passionately hated it. I kept the lower half and just waited-- having the idea that maybe I could find other not-quite-right Obi-Wan parts. That started to be a thing when I found a resin MK 1 grenade on ebay-- similar body, but different pin section. I trimmed it down, threaded it to the rod I already had holding the lower half together.
I was hoping for some random jet engine parts to land in my lap for am emitter, but that was wishful thinking. Instead, I got kinda clever I think. I had a bunch of Canon surplus parts from a lot. Using tripod adapters that are threaded for the mount usually on the bottom of flash guns I built a thin-neck style top. The "wheel" area is basically two Canon endcaps threaded together, the texture tape hides the bayonet style holes. The Canon slave makes the upper emitter area, a Y bulb socket for the emitter itself, and topped off by a gray stubby Heiland shroud.
Next-- as inspired by @
poopaPoppaPalps, a Kalart flash. Initially I was happy with its snub end and pictured it as a small assassin saber... but all those o-rings felt to hardware to me... and I started to really not love it, especially with how cool Poopa's is.
This refresh might be my favorite. I love it now... Once again using the neck section designed by @
AnubisGuard with a couple of hard drive rings on it, a stripped Heiland shroud (both provided by Anubis), I added to the bottom with a section of a Luke knock-off saber V2 lower half. Little tape, shapeways grip, and an endcap from yet another tripod mount piece and Im sold.
Turns out I've decided to refresh all my Canon sabers... This one got a minor change. The stubby shroud started to look like something was missing-- so I added on the Y shroud/guard that I pulled off the saber above, and built a new emitter. I also replaced the thumbscrew.
This Canon X was one I loved upon completion, but just didn't hold up to where my abilities are a year later. The lower half was always a little sketchy as a plastic flash extension. It just seemed really iffy and janky. I stripped it down, added an actual lower Canon body, and ditched the TCSS emitter end for a custom one I cobbled together from an Argus, a Leitz and some hard drive parts (again, thanks Anubis!)
All Canons have an inner battery case, which was perfect to set some screws into to attach the emitter section into place.
I tried some lower profile t-tracks I think are off an Anakin FX saber.. but they are rubbery and maybe too sloppy looking. What I'd LOVE is some metal aluminum t-track. Once I get that I'll replace the grips.
Finally, my first Canon Y. This was "my version of Anakin's first saber." One detail people got hung up on was the bulbous clamp band at the top. I wanted to give it a little blocky-ness on the head, to sort of call to the Graflex which I saw this as a progenitor too... also it covered a lot of holes.
I recently got a weird Heiland clamp I hadn't seen before. It was most certainly blocky, so I put it on instead. I am guessing people will love or hate it. For now I love it, but I could change my mind, obviously...