After confusing myself about what I was seeing, and consulting the super-detailed research done by @scottjua here: https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=144206
...I decided to compare some apples to apples and ask what you all see.
There's three key details to determining which model of Graflex you're looking at-- the bottom stamp, the type of socket pins, and the style of glass eyes/buttons. While each movie likely uses multiple Graflexes, and the buttons and eyes are swappable, I want to try and pin down as best as possible what is being used where.
First-- Scott's helpful research:
For ANH we only have three details that can be made out-- an early Folmer strip-knurled button on the stunt saber, the eye on the Luke/Leia blackshirt promo pic, and the full-knurled button from the toe pic.
Roger Christian claims "six or so" belt-hangers made, but outside of the button on the stunt, everything seems to be the same so that's hard to confirm. It's not out of line to assume in the "box of parts" Christian found that the strip-knurled button may have been in the mix as they mostly appeared on early Folmers. It seems that the full-knurled buttons came early enough that they appear on most every model save for the telegraph model.
Verdict: ANH uses an early Folmer for the belthanger.
ESB doesn't tip its hand much in terms of super close up details, save for this one we all know and love:
Given what we can make out "NEW YORK" in the engraving, this makes this model an early Folmer as it was the only model to spell out New York. All of the buttons used on all the variants are full-knurled.
Because ESB used multiple belt-hangers and stunts, and we don't know if the Graflexes all came from the same lot or were sourced from various places, it's impossible to know if every single one was the same model. But for sanity's sake, looking at this one example from a short-bladed stunt...
Verdict: ESB uses at least one early Folmer.
For TFA two of the key details are altered-- the eye is ground down to brass, and the endcap is covered. Additionally, there are no super-clear definitive shots of the pins. The Disney Launch Bay versions are made by the TFA prop team, and are Graflex inc versions, leading us to assume the TFA onscreen Graflexes are as well.
But in comparing these two shots with Scott's images....
...I feel like they could be Graflex Inc. or late Folmers.
Verdict: Unknown! Help!
Similarly, in TLJ, the glass eye has been modified and the endcap is obscured. There's a ton of profile shots, but not many that show the eye at an angle to judge the bezel. But I think the pins show enough detail to be called as Graflex Inc.
While the "white-glove" Graflex can't be guaranteed as being used onscreen, it certainly looks identical in every other way.
One outlier-- this TLJ display version:
View attachment 808009
From some angles that looks like a Graflex Inc eye, while from others, an early Folmer. The pins are Graflex Inc., and again there's no way to confirm this one was used onscreen, but why can't me eye make up its mind?
Verdict: TLJ most likely uses Graflex Inc versions.
If anyone disagrees or has more confirmations, PLEASE speak up! Especially about TFA.
...I decided to compare some apples to apples and ask what you all see.
There's three key details to determining which model of Graflex you're looking at-- the bottom stamp, the type of socket pins, and the style of glass eyes/buttons. While each movie likely uses multiple Graflexes, and the buttons and eyes are swappable, I want to try and pin down as best as possible what is being used where.
First-- Scott's helpful research:
For ANH we only have three details that can be made out-- an early Folmer strip-knurled button on the stunt saber, the eye on the Luke/Leia blackshirt promo pic, and the full-knurled button from the toe pic.
Roger Christian claims "six or so" belt-hangers made, but outside of the button on the stunt, everything seems to be the same so that's hard to confirm. It's not out of line to assume in the "box of parts" Christian found that the strip-knurled button may have been in the mix as they mostly appeared on early Folmers. It seems that the full-knurled buttons came early enough that they appear on most every model save for the telegraph model.
Verdict: ANH uses an early Folmer for the belthanger.
ESB doesn't tip its hand much in terms of super close up details, save for this one we all know and love:
Given what we can make out "NEW YORK" in the engraving, this makes this model an early Folmer as it was the only model to spell out New York. All of the buttons used on all the variants are full-knurled.
Because ESB used multiple belt-hangers and stunts, and we don't know if the Graflexes all came from the same lot or were sourced from various places, it's impossible to know if every single one was the same model. But for sanity's sake, looking at this one example from a short-bladed stunt...
Verdict: ESB uses at least one early Folmer.
For TFA two of the key details are altered-- the eye is ground down to brass, and the endcap is covered. Additionally, there are no super-clear definitive shots of the pins. The Disney Launch Bay versions are made by the TFA prop team, and are Graflex inc versions, leading us to assume the TFA onscreen Graflexes are as well.
But in comparing these two shots with Scott's images....
...I feel like they could be Graflex Inc. or late Folmers.
Verdict: Unknown! Help!
Similarly, in TLJ, the glass eye has been modified and the endcap is obscured. There's a ton of profile shots, but not many that show the eye at an angle to judge the bezel. But I think the pins show enough detail to be called as Graflex Inc.
While the "white-glove" Graflex can't be guaranteed as being used onscreen, it certainly looks identical in every other way.
One outlier-- this TLJ display version:
View attachment 808009
From some angles that looks like a Graflex Inc eye, while from others, an early Folmer. The pins are Graflex Inc., and again there's no way to confirm this one was used onscreen, but why can't me eye make up its mind?
Verdict: TLJ most likely uses Graflex Inc versions.
If anyone disagrees or has more confirmations, PLEASE speak up! Especially about TFA.
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