Vader MPP lightsabers details and specifications

You do a pretty good job at it, Roy! I've always been a fan of the parts you bring to the table. I actually ended up using your bubble strip to replace the vintage one in my Exactra since it's in my Graflex now. If I didn't have a vintage bubble card I'd be using yours :thumbsup

Thanks! I really did my best to be as exact as possible.
 
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Question:

What did you all use to bend the clamp tighter to accommodate the bubble strip without marring it? Almost 100% of the time, the bubble strip is never a snug fit in the clamp.

Would pliers over a towel work?
 
Question:

What did you all use to bend the clamp tighter to accommodate the bubble strip without marring it? Almost 100% of the time, the bubble strip is never a snug fit in the clamp.

Would pliers over a towel work?

on quite a few props the vertical parts of the clamp are bent inward like they forced the clamps together. I did this with pliers and painters tape and it did make a more snug fit.

I also swear by the packing tape trick - just a few layers beneath your card will thicken it enough to fit more snugly as well.

I forgot - to take up a decent amount of space on the sides of your card, I also cut some thin wire to size and slide it in.
 
I bought some screws from my local hobby shop today. #2-56 slotted round. Did a quick moc up with Roys track before I cut to length. They are brass so I need to paint them.

IMG_4522.JPG
What do you think?
 
I bought some screws from my local hobby shop today. #2-56 slotted round. Did a quick moc up with Roys track before I cut to length. They are brass so I need to paint them.

View attachment 824018
What do you think?

The hemisphere is still too high. This is my problem too, the screws are done shaped but flat.. hard to explain

I have notes some where on how big I though they were... was it 2.5mm round? I forgot...

Not enough time for anything right now.. I’ll be back


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The hemisphere is still too high. This is my problem too, the screws are done shaped but flat.. hard to explain

I have notes some where on how big I though they were... was it 2.5mm round? I forgot...
Yeah, you need to look for "pan head" screws.

Here's what I used on my ESB Luke saber - and these are on Gino grips. I just now dug around in my random hardware box and found them polybagged with no info on size or where I got them from (it was quite some time ago). I threw a calipers on one and the diameter of the head is .1625 inches, or 4.11mm (approximately)

ESB grip screws.jpg

I think these might be *slightly* too small for an ESB/ROTJ Vader though - maybe something more like a 5mm diameter head? Notice how it appears that the screw heads gouged into the T-track uprights when they were driven in (and they also appear to be even with the edge of the T-track at the same time)

DSCN0238b.jpg
 
D48thRonin;4479832 Notice how it appears that the screw heads gouged into the T-track uprights when they were driven in (and they also appear to be even with the edge of the T-track at the same time) [ATTACH=CONFIG said:
824298[/ATTACH]


I see that also and completely agree.

This would mean that different size screws were used for this saber than for the Luke.
Good catch.
 
Yeah, you need to look for "pan head" screws.

Here's what I used on my ESB Luke saber - and these are on Gino grips. I just now dug around in my random hardware box and found them polybagged with no info on size or where I got them from (it was quite some time ago). I threw a calipers on one and the diameter of the head is .1625 inches, or 4.11mm (approximately)

View attachment 824295

I think these might be *slightly* too small for an ESB/ROTJ Vader though - maybe something more like a 5mm diameter head? Notice how it appears that the screw heads gouged into the T-track uprights when they were driven in (and they also appear to be even with the edge of the T-track at the same time)

View attachment 824298

Damn perfect match!!!!! Thank you for sharing the size!!


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Hey all, I have read copious postings on this thread and Romans MPP run threads (as well as others), and although I gathered a bunch of great info, I am still a little confused as to some of the MPP details used in the various OT movies, particularly when this thread shows how much variance there is in real MPPs out in the wild. Would really appreciate some guidance from folks that may have high res captures of the movie MPP sabers. So here is what I have tried to figure out.
Proposed main visual differences between the ANH and ESB hero MPP lightsaber prop.
ANH - MPP with engraved B, S, E lettering above port holes (red painted S). Silver side bars, small B port hole, no external wires in ports, bent nail clamp pin, shorter t-track grips angled at ends, 5 3/4 bubble activator switch.
ESB - MPP with engraved B, S, E lettering above port holes (no letter color), black side bars, large B port holes for red wire, other wires in other ports (except none in S), shortened clamp pin, longer t-track grips square cut at both ends with one longer than the others lined up with the activator switch, slotted pan head screws on lower section of grips (possibly smaller pan heads at top of grips but not visually confirmed), 5 3/4 bubble actuator with led circuit board mounted underneath.

Last thought i have is on the MPP metal contact tangs inside the B, S, E connection ports. I have seen original,parts with and without the metal contact terminals/tangs. Is the thought that ANH had these since it was less modified and the ESB didn’t have them and so wires were inserted?

Lots of questions I am afraid, but after reading a multitude of facts and differing opinions here, I wanted to try and consolidate the knowledge if at possible.
 
I think these might be *slightly* too small for an ESB/ROTJ Vader though - maybe something more like a 5mm diameter head? Notice how it appears that the screw heads gouged into the T-track uprights when they were driven in (and they also appear to be even with the edge of the T-track at the same time)

View attachment 824298

I agree totally!

Also, I've made the dings in the top of the ridges by using a hand drill and letting it fall through once it broke through the flashgun wall. The drill falls, hits the T track and makes that same mark next to your arrow.
 
Hi Roy,
I had looked at the lightsaber guide book, (awesome by the way and I have used it to ensure my alignment of my sabers are accurate), but I did not see MPP details specific to the ANH. Looking again after your comment it might be that I misunderstood the statements on the ESB versions. With the statement that the ESB had large B port holes I assume that meant the ANH had small ones. Boy do I feel stupid. Maybe my eyes had glazed over by the time I got to that wealth of info.

but.......a couple of questions that I can’t find still, revolves around the ANH version. If the ESB version has a difference from the ANH with three stamped rings on the end cap, what was the ANH one actually like, assume it was blank with no grooves? finally, if I assume that the B port on ANH is small, again because the guide lists the difference that an ESB was larger, then I am just stuck with whether the ANH & ESB had metal connection tangs in all the ports. The guide doesn’t mention this and the pictures do not allow confirmation of such.

any thoughts on those last two pieces of my puzzle. Call it my OCD with me trying to get my sabers just perfect.
 
I don't know that much about the ANH MPP lightsaber. Not that much is known because very limited and only poor quality images are available. And if it's not in the guide book it's probably not known. Perhaps that parfaitelumiere who started this thread knows more about the specific details that you mentioned. But then those will be somewhere in this thread as well.
I'm sorry, I can't help you with porthole sizes and groove differences!

-Roy
 
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The fact the ESB is mentionned with specific informatiosn doesn't mean the ANH is different, just, it means I don't know more about the ANH, because the informations are too small.
It means the ANH can either be a small or large b hole type and with or without grooves on the cap, as the obiwan ANH lightsaber can have a hot, or cold, or something else, pommel cap, even no cap at all.
The only sure information is the clamp has a narrow opening, because wide opening is very wide, no way to fix a exactra bubble on it.
Quite sure the ANH also has a genuine MPP clamp, not what I think to be custom made from steel for movie on ESB version.
 
Quite sure the ANH also has a genuine MPP clamp, not what I think to be custom made from steel for movie on ESB version.

Hello Parfaitelumiere, Do you mean a steel clamp or the shroud for ESB? I know we generally believe that the shroud was remade in steel (or potentially yet another MPP manufacturing variation -- granted no one has found one with a steel shroud "in the wild" yet).
 
I mean the shroud, the shroud of ESB version is a custom made for me, with probably a part made on a lath, another quare part anb maybe welted.
I contacter the actual owner to get additionnal photos, sadly I never get a reply from them.
 
You mean Stephen Lane?
Here's the post with multiple images from the real prop:
https://propstore.com/blog/top-5-star-wars-artefacts-in-prop-store-ceo-stephens-personal-collection/

I don't really believe the suggestion that a steel shroud was made from scratch by the prop department. Far too much hassle to make it out of steel or to replicate it at all. I think it's an early production run (cast part) but quickly replaced by aluminium for reduced weight. We know they later added a step in the shroud, probably for assembly advantages.
 
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