Graflex "SRS Hero" and Vader "ROTJ Hero" builds

Sym-Cha said:

So . . . now if I'm well informed the dog decided for you which T-tracks to use? :lol Perhaps you just should have asked Roy for a replacement T-track ... his customer service is immaculate ... especially if you order his Kobold replica clip with D-ring along

Chaïm

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Yeah I know I probably should but i'm actually quite happy with how the Blast-techs came out so I'll take it for now. And also I probably should just order a Kobold from Roy but I'm an incredibly stubborn person lol.


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thd9791 said:

Roy and ToddsCostumes make equally fine but different track

after a LOT of time, like decades, cheap plastic can start to squish like that. the SRS saber's grips are most likely re-used original grips that fell off. when that prop dept. made look-allike parts they looked awful :lol

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Learn something new every day!


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http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=253797 for T-track profiles ... Blast-Tech can also be more banana-like in shape ... and I bet if you explain your predicament to Roy he might just throw in a free single T-track when ordering that Kobold clip and don't be stubborn his clips are the best replicas based on my real vintage Kobold clip

Chaïm

Graflex "SRS Hero" and Vader "ROTJ Hero" builds

Well I decided Chaim was right and I was just gonna talk to Roy and see what he could do for me when it came to that extra grip. I got off of work early today and stopped at home to move my grips to my work area so I can work on them.

It was at this point I realized my grips, bubble strip replacement for the 2.0, and the wires for the 2.0 were all missing.

I asked my roommate if he saw them and it was the. He told me he threw out the package when cleaning the common area, where I have been working on this stuff. Didn't think I'd have to have the "don't throw out your roommates stuff without asking" with him, but I guess I was wrong.

Side note, guess who's getting new grips!

Edit: Also I can't get a break on these bubblestrips. I'm almost hesitant to even breathe on the one in my exactra at this point.


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If that had happened to me I would have jumped into the bin your roommate threw the package in until I found them ... trust me I've been there, done it and found what I was searching for, then I had to hit the showers :lol

Also seems to me your roommate and the dog are not respecting your stuff and space as they should ... when it comes to my own long standing collection I don't really trust anyone to be alone in the room without me present . . . now I know why :wacko

Chaïm

Yea, I would demand he either cough up the $ he threw in the trash or go dig them out if your garbage hasn't been collected yet.

Also, Todds Costumes grips are cheaper, especially considering shipping. And they're nearly identical..

Re: Graflex "SRS Hero" and Vader "ROTJ Hero" builds

I bought the new stuff up-front. He's going to be paying me back though when he gets his paycheck this weekend. Also Thd, I am actually going to be using Todd's stuff when it comes to my E11 Blaster.

Sym-Cha said:

If that had happened to me I would have jumped into the bin your roommate threw the package in until I found them ... trust me I've been there, done it and found what I was searching for, then I had to hit the showers :lol

Also seems to me your roommate and the dog are not respecting your stuff and space as they should ... when it comes to my own long standing collection I don't really trust anyone to be alone in the room without me present . . . now I know why :wacko

Chaïm

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I've been having trust issues myself. Now I think I know why haha.

very cool! Glad things sort-of worked out

Graflex "SRS Hero" and Vader "ROTJ Hero" builds

Alright guys, I got quite an update!

Got my new WannaWanga stuff in, and the first thing I wanted to tackle were my grips. Using what limited tools I had, I set off. And, well....



They have all pretty much turned out like crap so far.... well....

I do, however, believe that at least a small part of this is because I don't have very good tools at my disposal at the moment. I have a little Mitre Box, but it is crap. I have a Dremel, but it also isn't very high end. So, I'm going to see if I can get a Todds set and see if I can either:

A) find someone who has tools to do this and throw them a couple bucks to do it or

B) see if I got a friend who has better tools.

As for Vader, I cut my bubble strip and got it in place


It isn't a perfect cut by any means, but the hand cut looks more authentic to the prop to me, so I don't mind that it is a little off. And if it does in the future, well it isn't that hard to fix!

Now to the big one: sizing a real bubble strip for the start of my Real Parts Obi- Wan. Like I said I don't have the best tools so this was incredibly nerve-racking.am I didn't even want to openup the Exactra because of my past troubles with REPLICA bubble strips. Needless to say, I was nervous. And, well......



It was a complete success!!! I am so happy with how this bubble strip turned out! It is the perfect length to fit in there, the bubbles were made a bit cloudy from sanding (an effect I actually enjoy) and it fit in my clamp for this perfectly!

I'm thinking of selling this clamp and getting another for my Obi, one a little more... beat up. But for now I'm just gonna go and have a celebratory drink for this little victory.


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Ouch.... my first bit of advice is to invest in a Exacto saw or saw set... they're pretty cheap and will run you about $20 depending on if you opt for multiple blades, miter box set, etc.

Second, invest in some thin painter's tape so that you can mask off where you want to cut and the bottom of the track...

What I did with my ESB track was mark out where the notches were going to be, and then I used the saw to cut both sides of the notch down to the bottom of the track. Then I used a sanding bit on my dremmel to cut between the cut lines....

The cut lines gave me a guide, and the track that I used the dremmel on more or less just melted. And because I masked off the bottom of the track, even if I slipped a little, I sanded the tape and not the track...

(Picture taken from ebay)

No need to get some new grips ... yours is the propmaker's way of making stuff believable ... it's STAR WARS it doesn't need to be 'brand new' looking remember . . . so go get yourself some NOVUS 1,2,3 ... best investment I ever made when dealing with plastics and scratches etcetera

Chaïm

Hey guys, I know this has been dead for some time but I got some updates for the Graflex, finally! It's been a while but a couple of big things have happened. So here is a quick run-down before I get to the pictures:

I sold my old bottom that had the Blast-Tech grips on them and swapped it out with a Folmer Graflex w/ patent bottom, which now matches my Folmer Graflex top piece. I almost had a Folmer w/o patent bottom a couple of times but I decided eventually to cut the loss and go with this one. Besides, a vintage bottom is a vintage bottom.

I also got some grips cut by a friend of mine using a milling machine and a lathe and they came out beautifully. Still got small scratches on them like what Chaïm was saying, but they look a lot cleaner than anything I was doing.

I managed to get six Exactra 20 screws and put them onto the grips to hold the grips down. And before anyone asks, No. I did not paint the screws. Somehow, something around my area oxidized the screws in about a week and a half to the black color they are now. But I like it. Here is a picture from when they were Silver:



I also bit the bullet and decided that I was just going to use a replica Kobold piece. So I ordered one on Wanna Wanga so I can start getting this thing finished. I did, however, pick up a vintage D-Ring that was new/old stock and weathered it with flames and sandpaper to make it look a bit older. I wanted to swap that guy out on my WannaWanga Kobold Clip.

However, three days later, I found (and won) a Kobold Flash in an eBay Auction! It finally happened! After six months of searching I finally found my vintage Kobold! And it just came in today! And no, I was not driving when this photo was taken.



While I Originally thought about keeping the Kobold 100% original, this clip was pretty beat up while the rest of the Kobold was damn near immaculate, so I decided in the end to swap them out. Now the beat up vintage Kobold clip matches the saber, and the nicer looking Replica WW clip blends in well with the Kobold itself. And, I've got a great Droid Caller prop!

Here is the final Product:



So the parts on this lightsaber currently stand at:

Vintage Folmer Graflex w/ Patent 3-Cell with 2x Vintage Red Buttons
Vintage HP-44 I/O Bus Card
Vintage Textured Tape
WannaWanga Plastic Grips
Vintage Exactra 20 Screws
Vintage Kobold Clip
WannaWanga 4mm Rivets
Vintage D-Ring (New/Old stock, weathered by me.

I still have quite a bit to do. I got a Martin Beyer Chassis to paint, I got the electronics to Install, and I got a Neopixel Blade to make (Once I see the Crystal Focus 9 comes out, at least.) And I still need to make my blade plug using the vintage contact Point. But it's here. and it finally looks like a real lightsaber!

Another quick update for you all! As I'm sure many have noticed there was a pretty sizeable amount of vintage grips found by Kalkamel, and I managed to pick quite a bit of it up! 2 sets of ESB grips and a set of ANH grips as well. One set was once again cut and channeled by my my friend over in the FB groups (I don't know his name on here but I know he has one so if you see this man, shout out to you!) and I then sanded and painted them, then stuck them on the saber. that now means that besides the rivets holding on the Kobold, it is a 100% vintage parts saber! I also finally have my blade plug made. A visit home after a three month work trip also ended up with my lightsaber finding its way into my dads knife making shop.



As well as the vintage grips, I also picked up a second Vintage Card (this time an Otis Elevator Card), a vintage D-Ring, another Vintage 3-Cell as well as a vintage 2-Cell (that really needs a lot of TLC), a vintage Folmer glass eye, and parts for my Blade Runner Blaster.... More on that in another thread when it comes in, however. Still no real updates on the MPP, I am actually considering selling it because besides this first Graflex, I'm not too keen on doing many lighted builds. But we'll see when the time comes. I'm also anxiously awaiting my Balance Pipe to return to me from Romans. Wish I had it by now, but I know the quality I will recieve back will be well worth the wait .

Anyway, here's a picture of all my Graflex-related gear. Enjoy!

Nice saber Hopkinsc1 ... just a couple of remarks ... after adding those vintage parts ... if you want to portray the Skywalker Ranch Saber than the silver fingers on your activation board should point towards the G R A F L E X clamp-lever, that lever would be screwed to the clamp, also would all the tops of your T-tracks with tiny screws on the right side . . . and the Kobold clip should be screwed inside-out not riveted ... the original screws from your vintage Kobold would suffice ... here's some pictures of the SRS saber :







Or . . . you could simply call this Luke's lightsaber based on TESB seen on screen, SOS not SRS :



. . . in which case purists like me would gladly see that textured chrome tape either be replaced by a smooth metalized tape about 1/2" wide, or removed altogether

Chaïm

Has somebody the accurate Screws for the Vader ROTJ hero saber..that who are in the T-Tracks?

I don't know which screws were used but I can add a picture or so to clarify what you seek, Kroenen77

Chaïm

Thanks for the great pics.

Nice pics Chaim! Has me wanting to build another with the vintage parts in my drawer....

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Sym-Cha said:

Nice saber Hopkinsc1 ... just a couple of remarks ... after adding those vintage parts ... if you want to portray the Skywalker Ranch Saber than the silver fingers on your activation board should point towards the G R A F L E X clamp-lever, that lever would be screwed to the clamp, also would all the tops of your T-tracks with tiny screws on the right side . . . and the Kobold clip should be screwed inside-out not riveted ... the original screws from your vintage Kobold would suffice ... here's some pictures of the SRS saber :

[url]http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/Rare-LFL-Lucasfilm-Archives-Movie-Prop-Lost-Photos-Star-Wars-Indiana-Jones-Historic-Visit-Original-Prop-Blog-074-2_zpsli5pquit.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/LukeESB-01_zps48eba847.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/ESBbott_zpsa31a4cda.jpg~original[/URL]

Or . . . you could simply call this Luke's lightsaber based on TESB seen on screen, SOS not SRS :

[url]http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/334191_10150990624583682_642030107_o_zps23pdxufu.jpg~original[/URL]

. . . in which case purists like me would gladly see that textured chrome tape either be replaced by a smooth metalized tape about 1/2" wide, or removed altogether

Chaïm

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Chaim! This is more of a Hero type but with slight SRS saber influences, thus it looking more like a hero but having the textured tape. I see what you’re saying though... I’m tempted to put in the smaller screws into the top of the grips to give it more of a hybrid look but I’m not entirely sure about doing that, yet!


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for both I recommend those old electronics screws that are basically wood screws.

these are domed, but I would choose pan head or cheese head


also no shoulder, you need threading all the way to the head