TrooperTrent Holiday Special Lightsaber Series

Hey guys, apparently Shapeways can't print my end cap because the text is too small. Their option was for me to make it bigger which would be inaccurate so I pulled the holiday special models off of the shop. If you were the person that ordered one, hopefully you were refunded. Reach out to me and we'll work something out.
 
Okay. I’ve taken some time away from the tongue problem to clear my head and look at it from a fresh perspective. Looking at the reference photos anew...

1. The most logical place to insert the tongue would be in the bulb holder’s preexisting slot, as in Halliwax’s V1 tutorial. However, inserting the fat end into the slow would result in a tongue which A) Doesn’t stick far enough out of the bulb holder (assuming the dimple end was trimmed), and B) Doesn’t match the reference photos (if the dimple end was untrimmed).

2. The tongue appears wider in the reference photos than the end with the dimple would be, even if the tongue was trimmed down. And, if the tongue WAS trimmed down, and the end with the dimple is the one which sticks out of the bulb holder, then it would have to stick out farther than is possible with a trimmed tongue. OR, the tongue was mounted into a new hole cut higher up into the bulb holder, NOT the existing slot.

3. The end of the tongue which extends out of the bulb holder appears tapered in a way that neither end of the stock tongue is. But the width of the tongue in the photos looks a lot closer to the dimple-less end of the stock tongue.


My conclusion? Halliwax’s V1 setup seems to fit with most of the photos, but possibly with the fat end of the tongue tapered to give it a more interesting look.

That one and only photo which SEEMS to show the dimple end of the tongue sticking out of the bulb holder isn’t particularly conclusive. I think it’s either a photographic artifact/optical illusion, or possibly indicates that the tongue fell out at some point during the photo session and was reinstalled backwards.


Thoughts?
 
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Also, the tip of my stock, untrimmed spare tongue peeks out through the hole in the flash tube just above “DO NOT USE WITH 110 V.”. It’s just dry-fit in there, for the moment, but stays pretty secure in the widened bulb slot and without glue. All they would have had to do was trim the tip so it didn’t peek out and then glue the tongue in.
 
Just my luck that I'm about to start on one and the activation boxes aren't available anymore! ;)
(I think I've managed to figure out the basic dimensions.. so I should be able to cobble something reasonably accurate together)
I haven't received my graflite yet so I don't have much to add to the discussion but I'm digging the conversation.
 
d_jedi1 said:
Just my luck that I'm about to start on one and the activation boxes aren't available anymore! ;)
(I think I've managed to figure out the basic dimensions.. so I should be able to cobble something reasonably accurate together)
I haven't received my graflite yet so I don't have much to add to the discussion but I'm digging the conversation.
Click to expand...
send me a message
 
Still leaning toward the notion that the fat end of the tongue is the one that sticks out of the bulb socket, and that it MIGHT have been tapered. The lighting and angles in the reference photos play tricks with one’s eyes.
 
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Gregatron said:
Still leaning toward the notion that the fat end of the tongue is the one that sticks out of the bulb socket, and that it MIGHT have been tapered. The lighting and angles in the references photos play tricks with one’s eyes.
Click to expand...

Completely agree.. the reference is so blurry it’s very difficult to lock in
 
I finally finished my weathered / V2 version of this hilt this weekend. After weathering the overall body and screws, I hit the shiny Mylar decals and the red light with a spray of “smoke” paint. I also removed all the remaining black paint detail and went with weathered aluminum black for a more of the look I was going for, which will also stand-up to more handling, I hope. The knurled activation thumb wheel is a tightening ring from an exacto knife that has been plugged, sanded, and smoothed with Milliput.

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This was a fun build. Thanks to Halliwax for the tips and tricks and to Trooper Trent for a great kit.
 
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Update on page 1

-Trent has retired the kits, but has done a few favors for new members wanting a control box and end cap. you can message him here on therpf to see if he has any extra or free time to pump one out for ya
 
Thanks. I could not be more pleased with this build, and knowing that other people think it’s cool is just icing on the cake. (Next I’ll put together a good-looking Graflex, I promise!)
 
Way off topic but I’d like to voice my contempt for the USPS and their apparent inability to deliver a small package...
(They seem to have lost mine and while I’ve opened a “lost package” case with them.. that doesn’t help me feel any better about their “service”)
 
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d_jedi1 said:
Way off topic but I’d like to voice my contempt for the USPS and their apparent inability to deliver a small package...
(They seem to have lost mine and while I’ve opened a “lost package” case with them.. that doesn’t help me feel any better about their “service”)
Click to expand...
I'm right there with ya buddy. But don't worry, I'll make sure you're taken care of. If it doesn't show up in the next few days I'll send you a replacement. I had to order more materials so it'll be a couple of days before I can make you a new one anyway.
 
NeoRutty said:
Hey man, did a scan through the thread to see where the idea came from that there is black under the grips... can't find anything....

Where did you pick that up from?
Click to expand...
Check around page 7. If you look at all of the available reference photos, the gaps between the grips are definitely black. THere are some where it almost looks gray because of glare or where the picture has been washed out due to brightness/contrast adjustment in order to pick out details. The idea that maybe it's gaffer's tape just comes from the thought process that the rest of this thing was cobbled together so carelessly, that they might not have had grips available at first so someone just wrapped it in gaffers tape (the black in this area seems textured and a lighter shade than the known black painted parts) and then later found some grips and slapped them on. It's all conjecture, but it sure looks the part when assembled that way.
 
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