Thanks, Mo! I'll have these on their way for you today
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Interest DaveP's V2 and V3 run - 2024
Good morning, all.
Just posting this week's update.
It's been another busy week!
First priority last week was to go through all of the clamp parts and to get them in for plating. I dropped them off on Wednesday morning and they are now in the process of being plated.
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I assembled both a V2 and V3 clamp just to get a few pictures of how the final clamps are looking with their respective levers installed:
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** Please bear in mind that the parts are not plated yet in these images. **
The blocks for the V2 clamps aren’t being plated. Instead, they have been darkened/aged using water/heat:
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The plating process is usually fairly quick, so I’ll keep you updated as soon as I receive any news.
Ring jigs are also "in production" still. I am expecting those to be finished soon and on their way, with them being one-offs.
Batch One commissions are safely stored away and awaiting their clamps and D-Rings. As soon as I receive these and can complete Batch One, I’ll send out final invoices and get them on their way to their new homes.
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I did manage to get a few pictured this week of a couple of the finished commissions. I borrowed the Vintage clamp from Mo’s Sandstorm V2 to get a few pics of a fully assembled Throne Room V2 as well as one of the Current Day V2s. I also installed a Vintage V2 Ring on to Mo's Sandstorm hilt, so here's some more pictures of that now that it's 100% finished. I installed both the Throne Room and Current Day examples with temporary D-Rings. **These are from the rejected samples I received**. I did my best to correct them, but they are still not acceptable (and incredibly difficult to work by hand with them being Stainless Steel!). I installed for the photos only but will be replacing them.
SANDSTORM V2:
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THRONE ROOM V2:
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CURRENT DAY V2:
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Batch Two is now well underway! Foam shipping inserts have been made and labelled. All Aluminium parts have been selected and I’m in the process of working my way through them and applying physical details such as fixing placements, V3 details, Pommel Damage, etc.
View attachment 1868720
I’m expecting to have all aluminium parts finished and ready for chemical darkening (or stencilling) by the end of this coming week, and have more aluminium blacking solution on it’s way.
The rest of October will then be spent on painting and final assembly.
I will obviously need to work around the completion of the clamps and allow for a quick road trip to go and collect those when the time comes.
I’m very excited to finally add those to the completed commissions (as well as DIY kits) and to start getting these out to their new homes!
I hope everyone is happy with how things are progressing.
Apologies once again for the delay in getting Batch One / DIY Kits out to people. The run as a whole is on track though and I expect to continue getting through one batch per month as planned.
In other news, I have made a template for the NASA V3 lever. I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to go about doing this. I was either going to create a vinyl mask stencil, and paint on the chrome (after darkening the lever), or cut the chrome out of adhesive foil and apply that way. I opted for the later in this test, and I’m pretty happy with the results. The foil is obviously more convincing that chrome paint, so I think I’m going to use this method going forward.
View attachment 1868726
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** This is a spare Roman's lever that I had. I swapped out the pin for a round headed rivet **
I’ll include one of these pre-cut templates in with the DIY V3 Kits before sending out, for those wishing to build the NASA version.
There are still some V3 slots available, and I have had a few requests to list some of them as DIY Kits.
So, DIY V3 kits are now back “in stock” on the store (HERE). Like the commissions, these are “pre-Orders” due to the clamps/D-Rings still being in production. DIY Kits will be prepared and sent out ASAP though alongside the current batch of commissions.
I have only listed a very limited number of these. The rest are reserved for Batch Six commissions (Feb 2025).
The V3 kits and commissions that are now listed on the store are the very last of these and won’t be available again for some time due to other projects that are planned for 2025/2026.
I’m going to drop off the radar once again now but will be back again with another update soon.
Thanks again to everyone taking part in the run and to all those who are following along.
Wishing you all a fantastic (and productive) week!
All the best and MTFBWY-A,
Dave
Thanks for the update Dave
Everything is looking good, and I'm really excited for those clamps and rings!
P.S. I've sent you kind of an urgent email, if you can get to it as soon as you can
Good Morning Everyone!
I’m just dropping another update on the progress of the run so far…
It was an exciting week last week as I picked up the first batch of clamps from the platers!
He’s done a great job as usual and I’m very happy with the results.
I’ve spent some time this week assembling the clamps and installing them on to the painted / weathered Batch One commissions.
DIY Kits and Batch One Weathering Commissions are now virtually complete.
There is just some final weathering to apply to the Clamps and then the installation of the D-Rings (as soon as I’m able to make those).
The bending Jigs for these are still showing as “In Production / Producing Parts” but I do expect those to be completed and on their way to me VERY soon due to them being a small, one-off order.
Due to the very near completion of Batch One, I sent out invoices for weathering commissions and shipping earlier this week.
This was purely for my own peace of mind and to get this particular admin task ticked off my “to-do” list.
Having these sent out and showing up within my accounting software is great, and really helps with organising things and planning.
For that reason, I spent some time this morning sending out invoices for DIY Kits (Shipping) as well as the outstanding commission charges / shipping for Batch Two.
It’s a huge relief to have those made up and sent out, as it frees me up to focus on the practical work.
As I said when sending these out, you are under no obligation to settle these until your kit or commission is 100% complete and ready to send out.
You are of course welcome to do so if it’s preferable to you. I’ll mark those who choose to pay early as “fully paid”, and can obviously get those shipped out to you as soon as they’re finished.
Thank you so much to those who have paid already!
Batch two is progressing well, but not quite at the same stage as Batch one just yet.
Parts have been prepped, drilled, tapped and chemically darkened where needed.
V2s have been stencilled and are ready for painting. I did hope to get some painting done yesterday, but it was extremely foggy and humidity was at 98%. I didn’t want to risk painting in those conditions so I gave it a miss until next week if that’s ok.
Applying the stencils is such a laborious job, that it would be a huge set back to have to strip everything down and start again. It’s far better to wait for a dryer day, and I will have Batch Two painted as soon as conditions are suitable. I might actually be able to get a few painted today.
V3 Necks and emitters are painted and weathering is underway.
Prior to painting, the emitters were chemically darkened. They then had the casting flash added. This is done with “Quick Steel” (epoxy putty). That area is then colour matched as a base before applying the gold paint.
The gold paint is darkened using Tamiya Weathering Powder (Set B). I have been asked to elaborate on this process. It is the same method I use for my Hero / ISYHCANL / Yuma commissions.
In order to help the powder adhere to the surface, and for it to build up, I breath on to the surface between applications.
I build up a heavy layer of the powder before wiping back off using a cotton makeup pad.
The resulting variation in the colour has a naturally aged appearance, as apposed to the flat, clean look of the base colour.
The next step is to chip the paint by hand to match the references.
The grip/ringed sections on the V3s will be painted black (along with the V2s) as soon as the conditions are dry enough (next week or possibly today).
It’s my hope that by the end of next week I’ll have Batch Two to a similar point that Batch One is at now, and will be thinking about laying the groundwork for Batch Three.
I’m obviously desperate to get my hands on the bending jigs for the D-Rings so that I can start to ship orders out to people. The wait is VERY nearly over!
Thank you all so much for your patience while we wait for these! It really is very much appreciated.
I’m now going to sign off once more. I’m aware that over the course of this past week, I’ve allowed my inbox to fall behind a little! My apologies if there’s a message I haven’t responded to yet. Now that the thread is up to date, I’ll make an attempt at getting up to date with my messages too! Apologies again to anyone waiting for a reply.
Just one last heads up that there are still V3s available for Batch Six (February 2025). These are the last remaining V3 parts now, which are listed for pre-order on the store.
Once these are gone I’ll be embarking on something a little bit different for the remainder of 2025.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’re all happy with how things are progressing.
As always, please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Wishing you all a great weekend!
All the best and MTFBWY!
Dave
I’m just dropping another update on the progress of the run so far…
It was an exciting week last week as I picked up the first batch of clamps from the platers!
He’s done a great job as usual and I’m very happy with the results.
I’ve spent some time this week assembling the clamps and installing them on to the painted / weathered Batch One commissions.
DIY Kits and Batch One Weathering Commissions are now virtually complete.
There is just some final weathering to apply to the Clamps and then the installation of the D-Rings (as soon as I’m able to make those).
The bending Jigs for these are still showing as “In Production / Producing Parts” but I do expect those to be completed and on their way to me VERY soon due to them being a small, one-off order.
Due to the very near completion of Batch One, I sent out invoices for weathering commissions and shipping earlier this week.
This was purely for my own peace of mind and to get this particular admin task ticked off my “to-do” list.
Having these sent out and showing up within my accounting software is great, and really helps with organising things and planning.
For that reason, I spent some time this morning sending out invoices for DIY Kits (Shipping) as well as the outstanding commission charges / shipping for Batch Two.
It’s a huge relief to have those made up and sent out, as it frees me up to focus on the practical work.
As I said when sending these out, you are under no obligation to settle these until your kit or commission is 100% complete and ready to send out.
You are of course welcome to do so if it’s preferable to you. I’ll mark those who choose to pay early as “fully paid”, and can obviously get those shipped out to you as soon as they’re finished.
Thank you so much to those who have paid already!
Batch two is progressing well, but not quite at the same stage as Batch one just yet.
Parts have been prepped, drilled, tapped and chemically darkened where needed.
V2s have been stencilled and are ready for painting. I did hope to get some painting done yesterday, but it was extremely foggy and humidity was at 98%. I didn’t want to risk painting in those conditions so I gave it a miss until next week if that’s ok.
Applying the stencils is such a laborious job, that it would be a huge set back to have to strip everything down and start again. It’s far better to wait for a dryer day, and I will have Batch Two painted as soon as conditions are suitable. I might actually be able to get a few painted today.
V3 Necks and emitters are painted and weathering is underway.
Prior to painting, the emitters were chemically darkened. They then had the casting flash added. This is done with “Quick Steel” (epoxy putty). That area is then colour matched as a base before applying the gold paint.
The gold paint is darkened using Tamiya Weathering Powder (Set B). I have been asked to elaborate on this process. It is the same method I use for my Hero / ISYHCANL / Yuma commissions.
In order to help the powder adhere to the surface, and for it to build up, I breath on to the surface between applications.
I build up a heavy layer of the powder before wiping back off using a cotton makeup pad.
The resulting variation in the colour has a naturally aged appearance, as apposed to the flat, clean look of the base colour.
The next step is to chip the paint by hand to match the references.
The grip/ringed sections on the V3s will be painted black (along with the V2s) as soon as the conditions are dry enough (next week or possibly today).
It’s my hope that by the end of next week I’ll have Batch Two to a similar point that Batch One is at now, and will be thinking about laying the groundwork for Batch Three.
I’m obviously desperate to get my hands on the bending jigs for the D-Rings so that I can start to ship orders out to people. The wait is VERY nearly over!
Thank you all so much for your patience while we wait for these! It really is very much appreciated.
I’m now going to sign off once more. I’m aware that over the course of this past week, I’ve allowed my inbox to fall behind a little! My apologies if there’s a message I haven’t responded to yet. Now that the thread is up to date, I’ll make an attempt at getting up to date with my messages too! Apologies again to anyone waiting for a reply.
Just one last heads up that there are still V3s available for Batch Six (February 2025). These are the last remaining V3 parts now, which are listed for pre-order on the store.
Once these are gone I’ll be embarking on something a little bit different for the remainder of 2025.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’re all happy with how things are progressing.
As always, please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Wishing you all a great weekend!
All the best and MTFBWY!
Dave
Me looking at those Ring Jigs...
Looking great have payed my final payment cannot wait to get my hands on this master piece thanks again for always going that extra mile.
Good Morning Everyone,
(Afternoon now!)
Just a very brief update this week if that’s ok.
Just following up on last week’s progress…
I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!
I DID manage to get Batch Two fully painted this past week! We had just one day which was perfect, so I powered through and got them all painted up. I’m glad that I did, because every day since then has been overcast with showers:
I am now in the process of stripping the stencils from Batch Two. I don’t foresee this taking longer than a couple of days this next week, which will bring Batch Two pretty much in line with Batch One (Clamps are assembled and ready to install).
This next week, I’ll be going through all of Batch One and Batch Two to ensure that everything is 100% finished (and perfect) in the run-up to the D-Ring Jigs finally arriving (NEWS BELLOW!).
D-Ring Jigs are FINISHED! They are now showing as “SHIPPING”! To be precise, the exact status is “In transit to our warehouse”. When they arrive here in the UK, they will undergo final quality checks before being forwarded to me. I’m expecting them to arrive this week hopefully and have the materials ready and waiting to get the D-Rings made up and installed as soon as humanly possible!
It's my hope that before the end of this coming week, I’ll be in the process of shipping all DIY / Batch One /Batch Two orders.
Preparations are already underway for Batch Three. Over the course of this weekend, I’ll be preparing and labelling the foam shipping inserts for Batch Three. These will then be filled with their corresponding parts, ready for detailing.
So, not much to say regarding progress, but important news none the less.
On a slightly different note, it’s been brought to my attention that there has been some discussion (and even drama) relating to my decision to use the bubble strip for the Sandstorm V2 Commissions (and the Vectorbord for the Production V3).
I’d just like to reiterate that these creative decisions were based on my own personal interpretation of the reference materials. I don’t presume to claim that these are 100% correct with any degree of certainty. The references for the Sandstorm V2 in particular, are very unclear.
My decision to use the bubble strip was based on what I considered to be wider spacing in the vaguely discernible features than the spacing that is seen on the current day clamp card.
I also noticed what appear to be rounded, raised features in the Ewok village reference:
I figured that it was not completely outside the realms of possibility that the clamp (which is 100% the clamp used on the motorised Obi stunt) **could** have retained it’s original bubble strip from the first movie.
**Please bare in mind that there is a lot of noise / interference in both of these images.**
Based on what I could see in the references, and the fact that I really liked the link to the prop in it’s original form, I made the decision to include this as an option.
This IS only an option though, and the decision was never intended to undermine other people’s interpretations.
My V2 commissions will be sent out with both options, so it’s really down to personal preference as to which option is used. Swapping them takes a matter of seconds.
The same applies to the V3. I personally really like the look of the Vectorbord in the post production V3. This was based on my interpretation of the prop as it appears in these shots:
It looked to me as though the traces seen here were bridging the full width of the gap in the clamp.
It has been suggested to me that the prop seen here is not in fact the actual V3 though, but rather one of many resin casts. So the finer details (which were painted by hand) should be disregarded.
The board which was used at the time of casting the V3 was certainly the Otis card. The traces can be seen in the remaining castings.
I’m in the dark as to when the actual V3 moulds were made though?? Any concrete information on this would be welcome, as it could shine a light on what was actually installed at the time of filming ROTJ.
If the moulds were made back in 1977, and the Otis card found it’s way in to the ESB Graflex, it could explain why the V3 is seen here (on the set of ROTJ) with it’s current-day Brass clamp card installed:
There are no clear shots of the throne room V3 that I’m aware of that clearly show the exact card used during rehearsals/filming.
So, as with the V2, I’m not in any position to say for certain which card would be most accurate for a “Production” V3.
I’d be inclined to lean towards the Otis card **IF** the moulds were made specifically for ROTJ, but if they were made prior to ESB, I’d lean more towards the brass card that is present today (and was certainly present at the time of filming).
It’s an interesting and fun thing to speculate on though. I do still like the look of the Vectorbord, and will continue to offer it as an option. The Brass strip (with black tape) will be included as an option too. I’m happy to install either as part of your Production V3 commissions. It is very easy to swap these out as you see fit though.
If you do decide that you’d rather have an Otis card in your V3, replicas of these are widely available and very easy to swap. I’d recommend Slothfurnace, who offers a variety of options, and whose cards are always of the highest quality.
As I’ve said previously, I do not claim to have any certainty on these particular details. My interpretations are just that, and not in any way intended to undermine anyone else’s.
I go out of my way to avoid internet drama, and would just ask that people discus these things with mutual respect. This is a hobby after all and is supposed to be fun.
Now, on another completely different note, I’d just like to address any speculation relating to my next project… Several people have now asked if I’ll be offering a prequel Obi hilt, based on the GIF that I posted…
I’m not quite ready to announce what’s coming up after this run, but I would just like to avoid any potential disappointment by saying, it is NOT Obi Wan related. Nor is it Prequel related. It’s not even SW related! It will be a brief departure from “Props of SW”, to work on a personal grail piece that I’ve been obsessing over for many years.
Full details will be made available soon, but in the meantime I’d just like to reassure my fellow SW fanatics, that this is very much a TEMPORARY break, and I’ll be revisiting that beloved galaxy far, far away VERY soon. I will be revisiting all of my previous projects in due course (as well as some new ones).
SW is my first love after all! There are other franchises that are particularly dear to my heart however, and I have my sights set on one prop in particular that I would like to give the full DaveP Replica Treatment.
As with all of the projects I’ve undertaken so far, the challenge of going through the process is my main motivation. The fun of researching these objects, and then recreating them in 3D, to then have them realised in physical form, is what drives me!
The prospect of seeing, and actually handling these iconic treasures is always the goal. Albeit an exact replica. I cannot thank you all enough for your support, and for allowing me to make these things a reality.
This next project is one that I would not have had the confidence to tackle until recently. But now that I have several successful runs under my belt, I’m excited to take on the challenge!
This current run is my FIRST priority, and will take us in to 2025! I’m hoping that by the time the run is nearing completion, I’ll have the models and renders ready to make an official announcement. In the meantime, I’ll be working flat out on commissions, whilst chipping away at the R&D for my next run in my spare time (evenings only).
I’m going to sign off once again now, but look forward to posting another important update next week. Hopefully to inform you all that the process of shipping out orders has begun!
Wishing you all a great weekend and as always, MTFBWY!
Dave
(Afternoon now!)
Just a very brief update this week if that’s ok.
Just following up on last week’s progress…
I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!
I DID manage to get Batch Two fully painted this past week! We had just one day which was perfect, so I powered through and got them all painted up. I’m glad that I did, because every day since then has been overcast with showers:
I am now in the process of stripping the stencils from Batch Two. I don’t foresee this taking longer than a couple of days this next week, which will bring Batch Two pretty much in line with Batch One (Clamps are assembled and ready to install).
This next week, I’ll be going through all of Batch One and Batch Two to ensure that everything is 100% finished (and perfect) in the run-up to the D-Ring Jigs finally arriving (NEWS BELLOW!).
D-Ring Jigs are FINISHED! They are now showing as “SHIPPING”! To be precise, the exact status is “In transit to our warehouse”. When they arrive here in the UK, they will undergo final quality checks before being forwarded to me. I’m expecting them to arrive this week hopefully and have the materials ready and waiting to get the D-Rings made up and installed as soon as humanly possible!
It's my hope that before the end of this coming week, I’ll be in the process of shipping all DIY / Batch One /Batch Two orders.
Preparations are already underway for Batch Three. Over the course of this weekend, I’ll be preparing and labelling the foam shipping inserts for Batch Three. These will then be filled with their corresponding parts, ready for detailing.
So, not much to say regarding progress, but important news none the less.
On a slightly different note, it’s been brought to my attention that there has been some discussion (and even drama) relating to my decision to use the bubble strip for the Sandstorm V2 Commissions (and the Vectorbord for the Production V3).
I’d just like to reiterate that these creative decisions were based on my own personal interpretation of the reference materials. I don’t presume to claim that these are 100% correct with any degree of certainty. The references for the Sandstorm V2 in particular, are very unclear.
My decision to use the bubble strip was based on what I considered to be wider spacing in the vaguely discernible features than the spacing that is seen on the current day clamp card.
I also noticed what appear to be rounded, raised features in the Ewok village reference:
I figured that it was not completely outside the realms of possibility that the clamp (which is 100% the clamp used on the motorised Obi stunt) **could** have retained it’s original bubble strip from the first movie.
**Please bare in mind that there is a lot of noise / interference in both of these images.**
Based on what I could see in the references, and the fact that I really liked the link to the prop in it’s original form, I made the decision to include this as an option.
This IS only an option though, and the decision was never intended to undermine other people’s interpretations.
My V2 commissions will be sent out with both options, so it’s really down to personal preference as to which option is used. Swapping them takes a matter of seconds.
The same applies to the V3. I personally really like the look of the Vectorbord in the post production V3. This was based on my interpretation of the prop as it appears in these shots:
It looked to me as though the traces seen here were bridging the full width of the gap in the clamp.
It has been suggested to me that the prop seen here is not in fact the actual V3 though, but rather one of many resin casts. So the finer details (which were painted by hand) should be disregarded.
The board which was used at the time of casting the V3 was certainly the Otis card. The traces can be seen in the remaining castings.
I’m in the dark as to when the actual V3 moulds were made though?? Any concrete information on this would be welcome, as it could shine a light on what was actually installed at the time of filming ROTJ.
If the moulds were made back in 1977, and the Otis card found it’s way in to the ESB Graflex, it could explain why the V3 is seen here (on the set of ROTJ) with it’s current-day Brass clamp card installed:
There are no clear shots of the throne room V3 that I’m aware of that clearly show the exact card used during rehearsals/filming.
So, as with the V2, I’m not in any position to say for certain which card would be most accurate for a “Production” V3.
I’d be inclined to lean towards the Otis card **IF** the moulds were made specifically for ROTJ, but if they were made prior to ESB, I’d lean more towards the brass card that is present today (and was certainly present at the time of filming).
It’s an interesting and fun thing to speculate on though. I do still like the look of the Vectorbord, and will continue to offer it as an option. The Brass strip (with black tape) will be included as an option too. I’m happy to install either as part of your Production V3 commissions. It is very easy to swap these out as you see fit though.
If you do decide that you’d rather have an Otis card in your V3, replicas of these are widely available and very easy to swap. I’d recommend Slothfurnace, who offers a variety of options, and whose cards are always of the highest quality.
As I’ve said previously, I do not claim to have any certainty on these particular details. My interpretations are just that, and not in any way intended to undermine anyone else’s.
I go out of my way to avoid internet drama, and would just ask that people discus these things with mutual respect. This is a hobby after all and is supposed to be fun.
Now, on another completely different note, I’d just like to address any speculation relating to my next project… Several people have now asked if I’ll be offering a prequel Obi hilt, based on the GIF that I posted…
I’m not quite ready to announce what’s coming up after this run, but I would just like to avoid any potential disappointment by saying, it is NOT Obi Wan related. Nor is it Prequel related. It’s not even SW related!
It will be a brief departure from “Props of SW”, to work on a personal grail piece that I’ve been obsessing over for many years.Full details will be made available soon, but in the meantime I’d just like to reassure my fellow SW fanatics, that this is very much a TEMPORARY break, and I’ll be revisiting that beloved galaxy far, far away VERY soon. I will be revisiting all of my previous projects in due course (as well as some new ones).
SW is my first love after all! There are other franchises that are particularly dear to my heart however, and I have my sights set on one prop in particular that I would like to give the full DaveP Replica Treatment.
As with all of the projects I’ve undertaken so far, the challenge of going through the process is my main motivation. The fun of researching these objects, and then recreating them in 3D, to then have them realised in physical form, is what drives me!
The prospect of seeing, and actually handling these iconic treasures is always the goal. Albeit an exact replica. I cannot thank you all enough for your support, and for allowing me to make these things a reality.
This next project is one that I would not have had the confidence to tackle until recently. But now that I have several successful runs under my belt, I’m excited to take on the challenge!
This current run is my FIRST priority, and will take us in to 2025! I’m hoping that by the time the run is nearing completion, I’ll have the models and renders ready to make an official announcement. In the meantime, I’ll be working flat out on commissions, whilst chipping away at the R&D for my next run in my spare time (evenings only).
I’m going to sign off once again now, but look forward to posting another important update next week. Hopefully to inform you all that the process of shipping out orders has begun!
Wishing you all a great weekend and as always, MTFBWY!
Dave
lol thank you for clarifying
Also ITS NOT AN OTIS CARD people obviously keep reading this places and it’s sticking.
For everyone: There is no elevator board in the original Star Wars films. at the time I discovered them they were the closest we could find and today we’ve found boards that are even closer, still no match. It’s not a confirmed part, please stop paying and selling them as if they are screen matched.
End of rant. These sabers look amazing Dave
Also ITS NOT AN OTIS CARD people obviously keep reading this places and it’s sticking.
For everyone: There is no elevator board in the original Star Wars films. at the time I discovered them they were the closest we could find and today we’ve found boards that are even closer, still no match. It’s not a confirmed part, please stop paying and selling them as if they are screen matched.
End of rant. These sabers look amazing Dave
I received my part too...very cool...thank you
No card present on the gangway rehearsal:Good Morning Everyone,
(Afternoon now!)
Just a very brief update this week if that’s ok.
Just following up on last week’s progress…
I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!
I DID manage to get Batch Two fully painted this past week! We had just one day which was perfect, so I powered through and got them all painted up. I’m glad that I did, because every day since then has been overcast with showers:
View attachment 1876725
I am now in the process of stripping the stencils from Batch Two. I don’t foresee this taking longer than a couple of days this next week, which will bring Batch Two pretty much in line with Batch One (Clamps are assembled and ready to install).
This next week, I’ll be going through all of Batch One and Batch Two to ensure that everything is 100% finished (and perfect) in the run-up to the D-Ring Jigs finally arriving (NEWS BELLOW!).
D-Ring Jigs are FINISHED! They are now showing as “SHIPPING”! To be precise, the exact status is “In transit to our warehouse”. When they arrive here in the UK, they will undergo final quality checks before being forwarded to me. I’m expecting them to arrive this week hopefully and have the materials ready and waiting to get the D-Rings made up and installed as soon as humanly possible!
It's my hope that before the end of this coming week, I’ll be in the process of shipping all DIY / Batch One /Batch Two orders.
Preparations are already underway for Batch Three. Over the course of this weekend, I’ll be preparing and labelling the foam shipping inserts for Batch Three. These will then be filled with their corresponding parts, ready for detailing.
So, not much to say regarding progress, but important news none the less.
On a slightly different note, it’s been brought to my attention that there has been some discussion (and even drama) relating to my decision to use the bubble strip for the Sandstorm V2 Commissions (and the Vectorbord for the Production V3).
I’d just like to reiterate that these creative decisions were based on my own personal interpretation of the reference materials. I don’t presume to claim that these are 100% correct with any degree of certainty. The references for the Sandstorm V2 in particular, are very unclear.
My decision to use the bubble strip was based on what I considered to be wider spacing in the vaguely discernible features than the spacing that is seen on the current day clamp card.
I also noticed what appear to be rounded, raised features in the Ewok village reference:
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I figured that it was not completely outside the realms of possibility that the clamp (which is 100% the clamp used on the motorised Obi stunt) **could** have retained it’s original bubble strip from the first movie.
**Please bare in mind that there is a lot of noise / interference in both of these images.**
Based on what I could see in the references, and the fact that I really liked the link to the prop in it’s original form, I made the decision to include this as an option.
This IS only an option though, and the decision was never intended to undermine other people’s interpretations.
My V2 commissions will be sent out with both options, so it’s really down to personal preference as to which option is used. Swapping them takes a matter of seconds.
The same applies to the V3. I personally really like the look of the Vectorbord in the post production V3. This was based on my interpretation of the prop as it appears in these shots:
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It looked to me as though the traces seen here were bridging the full width of the gap in the clamp.
It has been suggested to me that the prop seen here is not in fact the actual V3 though, but rather one of many resin casts. So the finer details (which were painted by hand) should be disregarded.
The board which was used at the time of casting the V3 was certainly the Otis card. The traces can be seen in the remaining castings.
I’m in the dark as to when the actual V3 moulds were made though?? Any concrete information on this would be welcome, as it could shine a light on what was actually installed at the time of filming ROTJ.
If the moulds were made back in 1977, and the Otis card found it’s way in to the ESB Graflex, it could explain why the V3 is seen here (on the set of ROTJ) with it’s current-day Brass clamp card installed:
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There are no clear shots of the throne room V3 that I’m aware of that clearly show the exact card used during rehearsals/filming.
So, as with the V2, I’m not in any position to say for certain which card would be most accurate for a “Production” V3.
I’d be inclined to lean towards the Otis card **IF** the moulds were made specifically for ROTJ, but if they were made prior to ESB, I’d lean more towards the brass card that is present today (and was certainly present at the time of filming).
It’s an interesting and fun thing to speculate on though. I do still like the look of the Vectorbord, and will continue to offer it as an option. The Brass strip (with black tape) will be included as an option too. I’m happy to install either as part of your Production V3 commissions. It is very easy to swap these out as you see fit though.
If you do decide that you’d rather have an Otis card in your V3, replicas of these are widely available and very easy to swap. I’d recommend Slothfurnace, who offers a variety of options, and whose cards are always of the highest quality.
As I’ve said previously, I do not claim to have any certainty on these particular details. My interpretations are just that, and not in any way intended to undermine anyone else’s.
I go out of my way to avoid internet drama, and would just ask that people discus these things with mutual respect. This is a hobby after all and is supposed to be fun.
Now, on another completely different note, I’d just like to address any speculation relating to my next project… Several people have now asked if I’ll be offering a prequel Obi hilt, based on the GIF that I posted…
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I’m not quite ready to announce what’s coming up after this run, but I would just like to avoid any potential disappointment by saying, it is NOT Obi Wan related. Nor is it Prequel related. It’s not even SW related!
Full details will be made available soon, but in the meantime I’d just like to reassure my fellow SW fanatics, that this is very much a TEMPORARY break, and I’ll be revisiting that beloved galaxy far, far away VERY soon. I will be revisiting all of my previous projects in due course (as well as some new ones).
SW is my first love after all! There are other franchises that are particularly dear to my heart however, and I have my sights set on one prop in particular that I would like to give the full DaveP Replica Treatment.
As with all of the projects I’ve undertaken so far, the challenge of going through the process is my main motivation. The fun of researching these objects, and then recreating them in 3D, to then have them realised in physical form, is what drives me!
The prospect of seeing, and actually handling these iconic treasures is always the goal. Albeit an exact replica. I cannot thank you all enough for your support, and for allowing me to make these things a reality.
This next project is one that I would not have had the confidence to tackle until recently. But now that I have several successful runs under my belt, I’m excited to take on the challenge!
This current run is my FIRST priority, and will take us in to 2025! I’m hoping that by the time the run is nearing completion, I’ll have the models and renders ready to make an official announcement. In the meantime, I’ll be working flat out on commissions, whilst chipping away at the R&D for my next run in my spare time (evenings only).
I’m going to sign off once again now, but look forward to posting another important update next week. Hopefully to inform you all that the process of shipping out orders has begun!
Wishing you all a great weekend and as always, MTFBWY!
Dave
Throne room- cast with the ‘Otis style’ card. It has been painted gold over the surface.
You can see a distinct chip on the left clamp rail which matches the auction, as well as the gold paint remnants.
Oh Wow. I had no idea you found those, Tom. Congratulations on that. I just assumed they were 100% correct due to way that they're sold. So still no exact match?? That's interesting. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for going the extra mile to put me right on that, Bryan
I had already come round to that particular shot being one of the resin casts, but if there was any doubt, that triangular chip in the clamp confirms it 100%.
Thanks again for going out of your way to set the record straight.
I was sure I could see strips running perpendicular to the gap in the clamp:
On closer inspection though, those features certainly don't match the spacing on the current card. The feature at the centre point in the gap could well be the lever bar too. It's pretty hard to make out for certain, but yeah, I can see how the card could be missing entirely.
So, I've been agonising over this (on top of everything else), and I really don't feel right about having people pay for their own replacement cards... The profit on these is not what you might think. The vast majority of the Kit price just about covers manufacturing. The commission then just about covers materials and keeping the lights on over the course of the run. Things are tighter than you might think.
This is an oversight on my part though, so I've decided to take the hit.
I've just placed a large order of "Otis Style" cards from SkyWampa over here in the UK (so should hopefully arrive pretty soon if not immediately). I'll be including these in V3 Kits and commissions. I've paid for these out of my own pocket. To be honest the hit to my pocket is worth lifting the weight of this off my shoulders.
I've ordered enough to cover Batch One, Two and all DIY kits for now.
I'll get some pictures out of some finished V3's with these installed as soon as they arrive.
I have just had to increase the price of the few remaining V3 kits unfortunately. This is just to cover the cost of the additional cards which will be supplied (along with the brass "NASA" card).
I will cover the cost on any existing orders.
I'm expecting the Ring Jigs any day now, so will hopefully be getting DIY kits and finished B1/B2 commissions out to people as soon as these final pieces fall in to place!
Thanks so much for your patience everyone...
I'll be posting another update at the weekend. For now though, I'll be signing off to continue with commissions.
All the best,
Dave
You're too good, Dave.... Very much appreciated
Hey, Dave, I reached out to you with a DM but I didn't hear back, but is it possible for me to just get a stencil or two to upgrade my own personal V2?
If anyone signed up for a V2 kit and is looking to back out, shoot me a DM!
Sean
Sean
**UPDATE**
Hello there!
Just a quick update before we enter another week... They are just flying by!
You may have seen on FB / Instagram that the bending jigs have finally arrived, and are working!
They arrived a few days ago, but required some additional work to get everything fitting together. I didn't allow for sufficient clearance between the parts so they required some filing/sanding to get everything working.
After many (MANY) hours of work, I'm happy to say that they are now functioning as intended and producing beautiful, accurate D-Rings:
I will be selling these separately for those who need them. Please bear with me though, whilst I turn my full attention to catching up with the run!
I will be working flat out today to get rings made up for DIY kits and to get those booked in for collection tomorrow.
I then have Batch One and Two commissions to get fully assembled, packaged up, and sent out. I'll work my way through these as fast as I can, but these will be heading out of the door as soon as possible too.
I don't want to put a time on it, as packaging (and shipping) has caught me off guard before now with how long it can take. I'll do my best to get through everything as soon as I can though.
Still a little work to do on de-stencilling batch two and applying finishing touches. But things are now coming together and hoping to get caught up with everything soon now that we are no longer waiting on anything.
Thanks again for your patience everyone! I'm so very excited to begin sending these out to you all!
All the best and MTFBWY!
Dave
Hello there!
Just a quick update before we enter another week... They are just flying by!
You may have seen on FB / Instagram that the bending jigs have finally arrived, and are working!
They arrived a few days ago, but required some additional work to get everything fitting together. I didn't allow for sufficient clearance between the parts so they required some filing/sanding to get everything working.
After many (MANY) hours of work, I'm happy to say that they are now functioning as intended and producing beautiful, accurate D-Rings:
I will be selling these separately for those who need them. Please bear with me though, whilst I turn my full attention to catching up with the run!
I will be working flat out today to get rings made up for DIY kits and to get those booked in for collection tomorrow.
I then have Batch One and Two commissions to get fully assembled, packaged up, and sent out. I'll work my way through these as fast as I can, but these will be heading out of the door as soon as possible too.
I don't want to put a time on it, as packaging (and shipping) has caught me off guard before now with how long it can take. I'll do my best to get through everything as soon as I can though.
Still a little work to do on de-stencilling batch two and applying finishing touches. But things are now coming together and hoping to get caught up with everything soon now that we are no longer waiting on anything.
Thanks again for your patience everyone! I'm so very excited to begin sending these out to you all!
All the best and MTFBWY!
Dave
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