TFA Graflex Research (That's a Graflex, right? Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)

[NeoRutty]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I did all my holes undersized with a hand drill and finished them one by one with a file so the allen bolts fit as perfectly as I could make them. It was...painstaking. Never again. I'll buy a damn drill press/step bit first!

The problem with mass producing them I guess is that I'm one of those folks who likes his DV ROTJ idealized. The uneven bolts make me bonkers. I've done both (I've had several, including the MR) and the off kilter bolts make me nuts. I know most around here want uber screen accurate though, and I get that.

I did a test run on a sink tube, before trying to drill and countersink holes on my graflex... on the second drilled hole I tried the countersink, I TORE IT UP. Bad. The drill jumped from the sink tube, and metal shards went everywhere... I left a hole the size of a quarter.

I looked at the Graflex off to the side, threw my hands up "Nope! I'm out..." and have decided to use a proper drill press from then on.

 

[cayman shen]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I did a test run on a sink tube, before trying to drill holes (and countersink them) on my graflex... on the second drilled hole I tried the countersink, I TORE IT UP. Bad. The drill jumped, and metal shards went everywhere... I left a hole the size of a quarter.

I looked at the Graflex, threw my hands up "Nope! I'm out..." and have decided to use a proper drill press from then on.

My stomach lurched just READING that! :lol

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Why do you need to countersink the holes? The heads of the screws will appear about on the grips. I don't understand what you're referring to here.

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Why do you need to countersink the holes? The heads of the screws will appear about on the grips. I don't understand what you're referring to here.

The ROTJ MOM Vader saber has the bolts on the upper half countersunk so they're flush with the tube....

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I did a test run on a sink tube, before trying to drill holes (and countersink them) on my graflex... on the second drilled hole I tried the countersink, I TORE IT UP. Bad. The drill jumped, and metal shards went everywhere... I left a hole the size of a quarter.

I looked at the Graflex, threw my hands up "Nope! I'm out..." and have decided to use a proper drill press from then on.

Invest in a good drill press too. I ignored my dad's advice of buying the best tool you can and bought a cheap Harbor Freight drill press. The first thing I tried to drill was a Graflex for a ROTJ Vader... The drill went off center and drilled a line across to a hole where I didn't want one. :lol, :facepalm, and :cry.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Ugh.

You guys all have like 15, can you sell me one?!

I only have 4 real ones. And 3 real tops with Larbel bottoms. And a Biskit replica. And a Parks. And that Larbel. And an MR ANH I got for $125 in the JY because it was just the saber.

So really like 11.

 

[Tom1971]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I will have to change my order to two Graflexes unless they can offer a ROTJ Version with pre drilled holes.

Heard enough nightmare drill stories.

Did you here that whoever may be doing whatever?????

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Oh. My bad. I thought you were talking about the Luke ESB saber

 

[RexKramer]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I only have 4 real ones. And 3 real tops with Larbel bottoms. And a Biskit replica. And a Parks. And that Larbel. And an MR ANH I got for $125 in the JY because it was just the saber.

So really like 11.

The hate flows through me.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

The hate flows through me.

Us old timers only have so many because we've been here so long.

And we had to go through the Graflex prices going from $25 to $300 to $1000 down to $600 down again to $300 down again to $150 and now we're back to $800.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Like so RexKramer :



:lol

Chaim

P.S. Sith-lightening added by me ... James Arnold Taylor liked this on his facebook

 

[RexKramer]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I know how it is, no need to explain lol.

There will be a another..

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Yeah the word is WAY out on Graflex's... seems there are so many articles lately explaining where Luke's saber came from...

2+ years ago I stumbled on this guy's blog, which started the whole thing for me...

http://stevemargolis.com/blog/2014/06/24/luke-skywalker-lightsaber-star-wars-episode-iv/

Don't know if he's one of you, or a member here at all, but I read that and the hunt was on.... luckily this was before Episode 7 was underway andI was able to find decently priced ones.

Sucks for people first hearing about it now... Man... I thought *I* was late to the game...

 

[cayman shen]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

To those of you who are hating people with lots of Graflexes, take some consolation that many of us had numerous real and repros and sold them over the years to finance other projects, or out of decor boredom, or SW fatigue, or whatever. Some of us may even have had a MIB MR DV ROTJ that we bought for a mere $200 shipped and sold for not much more...check the prices on THOSE sometime! Sigh.

Currently Graflex free and kinda hating myself. Oh well. Maybe TFA will suck and the prices will drop again! (I kid!)

 

[RexKramer]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I've known about the Graflex for a while, since I was young.

It was always my least favorite saber so I didn't think anything of it lol.

But yea, now I have to have one.

 

[Panaflex]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I let one out of my hands earlier this year for $175 to fund another project.
It's like the stock market, you can never time it.
I had no idea they ever went up to $1000. That's madness.

 

[Romans Empire]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Bending those ears down is SCARY. But hey Roman, I bet if you wanted to offer things like pre-drilled ESB bottoms and pre-drilled DV ROTJ units/ROTJ parts, there might be a market...

Are there different variations of DV ROTJ holes? Or is there a DEFINITE hole placement?

 

[Tom1971]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I let one out of my hands earlier this year for $175 to fund another project.
It's like the stock market, you can never time it.
I had no idea they ever went up to $1000. That's madness.

Saw a perfect one go for $600 but a lot of nice ones go for $400 over the least week or two so they are not that high. They were $300 before. They will likely come back down as people calm down.

 

[mugatu]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

Saw a perfect one go for $600 but a lot of nice ones go for $400 over the least week or two so they are not that high. They were $300 before. They will likely come back down as people calm down.

Buyers are learning. Passing on expensive auctions that are missing pieces...this is very good.

I found a message board where someone was claiming to be the savior of that $600 Graflex; saving it from "those Star Wars Graflex hackers". LOL The person also said upon close inspection (once they received the unit) that the unit was not pristine either (as specified in the auction). I don't recall such claims being made in the auction, but the posting person on the message board had the auction ID number listed as well.

 

[Wolfsburg]

Re: That's a Graflex, right (Force Awakens teaser trailer #2)?

I had heard very early rumors a long time ago regarding this saber and had pretty much dismissed them because frankly, it all sounded pretty silly (or cheesy, as someone said earlier). Now that the saber has shown up in the trailer, to my surprise, it's suddenly looking like those early rumors that I had dismissed could be true after all. I like almost everything I've seen regarding TFA but I have very mixed feelings about the presence of this saber in the movie. It's nice to see again but I'm very curious to see how they plausibly explain how this saber is still around. Time will tell I suppose.

With that said, I am absolutely thrilled to hear that "Foodles" bothered to track down real Graflexes (and even a MPP!), and from someone here no less. I love that attention to detail and their willingness to reach out to the fanbase.

The inclusion of a MPP is very interesting and I wonder if that could indicate a Vader "flashback" or perhaps even a Force "vision" like Luke had in the cave. SW has never really done flashbacks and has only occasionally done visions, but I'm hoping it is something along those lines rather than Vader's saber also miraculously surviving as well.

Luke's ANH/ESB saber has always been my favorite and I've always meant to pick up a nice Graflex gun. However, I always brushed it aside as something I'd do "at some point". Of course, now I'm kicking myself given their renewed popularity and rising prices. Just my kind of luck! Lol!