...Plus you see this thicker shroud on the Planet Hollywood Vader saber that also has small piece of T-track on the underside by the shroud...
Yes, as Seth says above - they started the film with a motorized dueling saber for Vader and another for Luke. Vader's had the big square shroud on. At some point, they painted Luke's with a black emitter and let Vader use it for the duel.
After ANH, at some point the square shroud on the Vader dueling saber (aka the "Barbican" due it first being displayed there) was rounded off to better match other Vader sabers. But I don't think it was used for filming again. I don't think the Barbican shroud was ever used on the Luke motorized saber.
The endcap on this Vader saber is beautiful. Reminiscent of the MPP but with mtiple flanges and stuff
I'm a fan of the t track greeblies, like hans blaster, but it doesn't match anything on an MPP placement wise right? Other than the riveted label
It matches the bulb release assembly on an MPP.
That would be on the rear of the saber, near the square shoulders. Heiland flashes have a release there though
Pic #2 on this post I clearly see a piece of t-track where the bulb release would be
https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=285849&p=4386270&viewfull=1#post4386270
I feel like I owe the Barbican an apology. [emoji3]
In the bulb release spot you're seeing the same unidentified greeblie that is still on the Barbican today. The first pic shows the short piece of t-track where the S ports of an MPP would be.
Both pictures show the same t track looking piece to me. In the more recent pictures there is only the 1 unidentified piece. Given that they obviously did some machine work to it post ANH and we know those t tracks were notorious for falling off, it looks like parts have been replaced. At the time of ANH there are either two pieces of t track on the saber or the whole square part of the shroud spins.
EDIT
I brightened pic#2 and I still can't tell if I see the vertical part of a t track or if the part is completely flat and its just part of Vader's glove that I'm seeing. Could be either one to me at this point. I concede it could very well be the flat part as seen on the Barbican, but personally I'm not convinced.
one other piece of compelling evidence that this saber was indeed present
before and during filming of ANH and as far as I can tell not mentioned yet, is . . . the attached stunt rod which, as
we know, was partly black and silver due to light reflective tape to create the laserbeam effect as was Obi-Wan's ...
and Luke's lightsaber :
Since the first action figures* came out almost one year after the release of STAR WARS why then was the next picture of Darth Vader with that ANH stuntsaber chosen for the packaging? Any thoughts about that?