Empire Strikes Back Graflex Lightsaber

CarbonicFlame

New Member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #1

I was recently gifted an authentic Graflex 3 Cell by my art teacher. I only need the grips, D-ring, and the cover peice for the button to complete it. In keeping with the authenticity of the peice I'd like to use original parts, the main problem with this is that I don't know where to look or how to find them. If you have original parts that you'd be willing to sell or can point me in the right direction to I would be grateful for the help.

 

JaxAndTheMoon

Sr Member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #2

Ebay, my friend.... Ebay is generally the place to find the original calculator bubble strips, but beware the cost. The grips are always up for question as to what they are originally, but Roy over at wannawanga.com has an awesome kit for almost all of the original trilogy sabers

 

Darth Lars

Master Member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #3

Bubble strips were not used on the Luke ESB lightsaber - it was a piece of circuit board in the clamp.
As with the T-tracks, nobody knows where the real part came from but artisans have an idea of how it looked.

Wanna Wanga has replicas of both circuit boards and bubbles.
Another option for the circuit board would be Slothfurnace - check the Junkyard for a link to his shop. His is more expensive because it has a Luke ROTJ version 2 lightsaber pattern on the other side, a more vibrant gold and better soldering.

Luke's ESB lightsaber did have a second red button replacing the "glass eye". There should be replicas available if you can't get a real one for a good price.

 

Last edited: Jan 6, 2016

Trooper_trent

Master Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jan 6, 2016

• #4

or if you can't find a second red button, just leave the glass eye and go with a TFA version.

 

JaxAndTheMoon

Sr Member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #5

Whoops my bad! I've got my mind wrapped around ANH lately.

 

newmagrathea

Sr Member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #6

Here is the list for ESB that you need:

Second red button from a graflex
pcb connector board for the clamp switch (you might find one in the junkyard otherwise a replica will be needed) The exact board that was used is unknown
mylar tape for the clamp to cover the "Graflex" text
t-track 6 pieces (wannawanga.com and todd's costumes have a good replicas) original source is unknown.
Kobold clip and d-ring taken from a kobold flash

 

CarbonicFlame

New Member

• Jan 7, 2016

• #7

I'll probably end up doing The Force Awakens version because I can't seem to find another red button (and I don't really want to go with a replica), but also don't want to remove the beer tab and possibly damage the body. Plus I think it looks cooler.

 

Last edited: Jan 7, 2016

Panaflex

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jan 7, 2016

• #8

CarbonicFlame said:

I'll probably end up doing The Force Awakens version because I can't seem to find another red button (and I don't really want to go with a replica), but also don't want to remove the beer tab and possibly damage the body. Plus I think it looks cooler. http://www.therpf.com/webkit-fake-url://8e1888e7-2407-48bd-a35f-fe0d23be8180/imagejpeg

Click to expand...

Just at a note on the beer tab:
If you open up up the flash and take a dremel to the beer tab rivet from the inside, you won't damage the exterior finish.

Just in case that's your primary reason for not going ESB.

 

CarbonicFlame

New Member

• Jan 7, 2016

• #9

While removing ever tab is one of the reasons why I'd rather do a TFA version over ESB, my main reason is that I want to keep the integrity of the peice.

 

E

E Williams

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jan 7, 2016

• #10

Darth Lars said:

Luke's ESB lightsaber did have a second red button replacing the "glass eye". There should be replicas available if you can't get a real one for a good price.

Click to expand...

Trooper_trent said:

or if you can't find a second red button, just leave the glass eye and go with a TFA version.

Click to expand...

CarbonicFlame said:

While removing ever tab is one of the reasons why I'd rather do a TFA version over ESB, my main reason is that I want to keep the integrity of the peice.

Click to expand...

I don't know why this isn't brought up much, but there were at least 4 or 5 versions of the lightsaber as used in ESB.
-One had two red buttons and no tab. (promo, Hoth, Bespin)
-Another had two red buttons AND a tab (this was a bladed version).
-One had one button, no tab, no eye. (Dagobah - maybe the same as the first minus a button?)
-Yet another had a button/eye/tab. (hand saber)
-And then there was the Vader ROTJ before the end was painted black! (bladed stunt)

That 2 red buttons no tab hero did get more screen time, and was used in many promotional photos, but it's perfectly valid to have one of the others and still call it "ESB"...

Really, the TFA is an amalgam of the various ESB versions... You could convert a graflex with ESB style parts into the TFA configuration and still call it an ESB for now. Then if you ever find a second button, just pop it on and you're in an even better place