VFX Freak
Sr Member
Hi everyone, as the title implies I'm new to the world of making replica props. I'm another one of those guys who saw Star Wars as a kid, and it's been a part of my life ever since.
I've collected a few props from companies like Sideshow and MR, but when I discovered I could make my own using the same components as the original prop-makers, I was hooked.
Luke's Lightsaber from Star Wars seemed like a simple one to start with, since I'll be trying to dredge up model-building skills that have been dormant for many years. It's an instantly recognizable, iconic prop, and if they were real they'd be the coolest (and most dangerous) thing ever.:love
So I read the threads, did my research, hit Ebay, and got started.
Thanks to everyone who has put so much time and effort into finding and sharing so many tips and so much information. And thanks for looking, I know there have been LOTS of these builds posted here.
I'll start with a few photos of what I've got to work with.
My Graflex is one of the earlier versions with the straight pins and duller finish, just what I wanted for this saber. It's battered and scratched up, but there's not too much corrosion. I gave it a good cleaning with a product called ACF-50. It's a penetrating lubricant and corrosion inhibitor made for the aircraft industry and it worked great.
I plan on building a weathered saber that looks like it's been through the wars, so I like that this Graflex is kind of beat up. You can see in the above photo that a chunk of the Bakelite is broken off. I'm okay with that.
The whole kit consists of the Graflex, the Exactra 20 calculator that I got on Ebay for WAY too much money,:confused a T-Track kit from Gino, and a D-Ring from Strapworks. I'm not sold on the D-Ring, but I'm working on that.
There are a couple more photos in the thumbnails below, and I'll post more as I begin to make progress. Thanks again for looking.
I've collected a few props from companies like Sideshow and MR, but when I discovered I could make my own using the same components as the original prop-makers, I was hooked.
Luke's Lightsaber from Star Wars seemed like a simple one to start with, since I'll be trying to dredge up model-building skills that have been dormant for many years. It's an instantly recognizable, iconic prop, and if they were real they'd be the coolest (and most dangerous) thing ever.:love
So I read the threads, did my research, hit Ebay, and got started.
Thanks to everyone who has put so much time and effort into finding and sharing so many tips and so much information. And thanks for looking, I know there have been LOTS of these builds posted here.
I'll start with a few photos of what I've got to work with.
My Graflex is one of the earlier versions with the straight pins and duller finish, just what I wanted for this saber. It's battered and scratched up, but there's not too much corrosion. I gave it a good cleaning with a product called ACF-50. It's a penetrating lubricant and corrosion inhibitor made for the aircraft industry and it worked great.
I plan on building a weathered saber that looks like it's been through the wars, so I like that this Graflex is kind of beat up. You can see in the above photo that a chunk of the Bakelite is broken off. I'm okay with that.
The whole kit consists of the Graflex, the Exactra 20 calculator that I got on Ebay for WAY too much money,:confused a T-Track kit from Gino, and a D-Ring from Strapworks. I'm not sold on the D-Ring, but I'm working on that.
There are a couple more photos in the thumbnails below, and I'll post more as I begin to make progress. Thanks again for looking.
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