OWK Technical Journal Lightsaber

Anakin Starkiller

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hello everyone,

So, it may seem weird. But, I've been finding myself, lately, feeling a little bit nostaligic for late 90s Star Wars stuff. This was the era when I first started reading all the EU books, first started hearing about speculation for a possible SW prequel trilogy, and first got into prop replicating. With that in mind, I drew up a 3d model of the OWK saber from the SW Techinical Journals.

I don't know if you guys remember these books. But when I was younger, these were my favorite magazines. They had, what I then though were, amazing blueprints of the original lightsabers from the films. And I remember taking these blueprints to high school metal shop, to try and replicate on my own. This was my first, unfinished prop build.

OWK tj.jpg

OWK tj2.jpg

I've got a soft spot for these props, inaccurate though they are. Anyone else?
 
It was an exciting time to be a fan. Especially considering it was the end of the dark period and we were going to be getting what we hoped would be amazing prequels. I too look back on that era with fondness, taking in any new Star Wars material my teenage mind could absorb.
 
I remember these magazines! and I hadn't remembered that specific blueprint until I read this...wow...
 
It's because of this magazine that my ANH Graflex had six grips for 22 years, until this past year! I also had a Heiland based Vader from issue 2. Now know to be way off, at the time I was amped to have it until some jerk stole it from a party my roommate had.
 
Yep, I still have those magazines somewhere. Loved looking at those blueprints. I think one even had an ad for the Icons saber which I drooled over for the longest time.
 
I remember seeing the Icons Luke Skywalker saber ad in a Star Wars Insider magazine (used to have a subscription years ago), and it blew my mind! That was probably the same year I found the original Replica Prop Bulletin Board Site. '97? '98?
 
Oh, yes! My scratchbuilt Skywalker saber was based heavily on the Technical Journal blueprints.

SWTJ-based saber.JPG

I changed some details on purpose, misunderstood other parts completely, and it's seen some repairs since then, but this saber wouldn't have happened without that nice 1:1 diagram to check it against.

I wish they'd put out more of those Technical Journals. They were pretty cool, and there's been a lot of hardware to "journal about" since then.
 
Oh, yes! My scratchbuilt Skywalker saber was based heavily on the Technical Journal blueprints.

View attachment 700327

I changed some details on purpose, misunderstood other parts completely, and it's seen some repairs since then, but this saber wouldn't have happened without that nice 1:1 diagram to check it against.

I wish they'd put out more of those Technical Journals. They were pretty cool, and there's been a lot of hardware to "journal about" since then.

now that is wicked cool! how long ago did you make that?!
 
Gosh, I remember those. I particularly remember the Heiland Vader. When I got my first Synchronar off of eBay, I was totally taken back when I saw the bulb release mechanism and hex endcap.

I, too, remember coveting the Icons saber. I think I saw an ad in a Skymall magazine or something during a flight and wanted one soooo badly after that.
 
now that is wicked cool! how long ago did you make that?!

Glad you like it! I built that saber in the mid-late 1990s. I've got the 1994 edition of that Technical Journal and the 1996 special editions of the other two, so it was somewhere in that period for sure. I should probably put up a thread about it...take some more pictures, now that this thread has inspired me to finally finish some repairs it was awaiting.
 
I remember mine, had a super shiny (maybe holographic) cover on it. Was the first time I was able to really understand what OB1's saber was like, since it's seen so quickly in ANH.
 
oh my gosh, I forgot about the nail/wire running from the clamp to booster section in those drawings!
 
I brought that up elsewhere at some point-- I think Shane Johnson caught a glimpse of the V2 long lever from an odd angle in a low quality image and discerned that detail.
 
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