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Author Topic: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)  (Read 7269 times)

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Offline Jasher Kain

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The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« on: June 06, 2010, 10:16:48 AM »
I introduce...
The Spirit

THE STORY
The first lightsaber I ever owned was a 1996 Hasbro Power of the Force (POTF) Luke Skywalker Return of the Jedi (ROTJ)...you know, the plastic toy one with the telescoping blade. After seeing a picture of Obi-Wan's lightsaber online, I decided to modify my saber to look like that:

A simple paint job, and I was good to go.

Last year, after trading away my Parks Dark Avenger, I was eager to buy a new Obi-Wan ROTS saber. Here, in the TF, I found that xwingband had one up for sale and so I bought it. I had it sent to LDM for a conversion, but he said it was in such poor condition that I decided to wait. What was really awful was the gold paint on the neck:

I didn't have time to work on it (many of you have witnessed the other projects keeping me busy) and so I let it sit in a box... ...until yesterday. Intending to sell it, I threw the whole neck piece into a bottle of turpentine and let it sit. After 2 hours of letting it sit, scrubbing it with a toothbrush, and cleaning it with Q-tips (that wind vane was a real PITA), I put the saber back together. And fell in love with it.

While it doesn't have an emitter that can hold a 1" blade, and while the vintage Armitage Shanks handwheel is in terrible condition, I've decided to keep it as a long-term WIP (much like my other projects ::)). I figured I'd at least take the time to introduce this rare saber, though.

"The Force will be with you...always."

THE NAME
The name came as inspiration from my girlfriend. Looking at the completed saber, she said it looked like a spirit. Why? Because the booster (aka. "gear section"), grenade (aka. "v-grooved section"), and wind vane all look like bone pieces. The shiny qualities of the silver clamp, emitter, and pommel give off an aura that seem to wrap around the bones. And the bubble strip is the soul...the eyes and heart of the spirit. The more I look at the saber, the more I have to agree.

I also liked the name because I thought it was fitting for Obi-Wan's character for the "first" three films. We older folk saw Episode IV first as "Star Wars," followed by The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Obi-Wan, after his confrontation with Vader on the Death Star, was indeed a spirit for the rest of the films. It was his spirit that continued to teach Luke, helped guide him down the Death Star trench, direct him off of Hoth and on to Dagobah, and reveal further knowledge of his heritage. The religious undertones of the name and the symbolism of Obi-Wan's character in this role should be obvious enough.

THE HILT
This is how it looks at present. You can plan on seeing an evolved version in another year or two. ::)
At 0 degrees:

At 90 degrees:

At 180 degrees:

At 270 degrees:

Angled shots:

~ Grips ~
It's got a vintage Graflex clamp that's starting to naturally weather (left). The screws Parks used are a little strange, but that's okay because they'll eventually be replaced with transistors (right).

I put silver reflective tape on the back of the bubble strip. That ugly switch was there to begin with. I may end up keeping a switch there, but it'll definitely be more low profile. Or maybe I'll go with a recharge port. Who knows...

The grenade section is really nice. Compared to the recent Korbanth run, the "cubes" are thinner (height-wise) and makes for a more comfortable grip.

~ Emitter ~
Always one of the most beautiful parts of the saber, this one is no exception. The neck piece has beautifully accurate contours.

And the black wind vane just looks cool. (I did a superb job cleaning it, thank you very much.) :-*

The black on the emitter, with the holes, is consistent with the whole skeleton/spirit feel of the saber.

~ Pommel ~
As mentioned before, the AS handwheel isn't in the greatest shape. You can see a dent on it and the weathered D-ring.

The poorly drilled sound holes are a real bummer. A valuable piece of history...destroyed. :'(

~ Blade ~
When it gets one...
...and I'm still deciding on the color.

CRITIQUES
1. bad switch
~ I'll figure something out
2. can't fit a 1" blade
~ I already have a plan.
3. ruined pommel
~ already bought a new one 8)

GRADE
The fact that this saber is staying in my collection says enough. I usually don't like having two similar sabers in my collection, but it's different enough from its ROTS counterpart to earn a rightful place next to an ANH Vader (another exception to the rule ;D). I'm not sure whether or not this pre-dates MR's LE version (I'm pretty sure it does), but Parks did a fantastic job.
~ Accurate holes in the emitter.
~ Accurate grooves in the neck.
~ Grenade close to accurate size.
~ Vintage Graflex clamp.
~ Booster near-accurate.
~ Vintage AS handwheel.
Ignoring those ugly screws where the transistors should be, I still give an A+ for this beauty.
...we'll just have to see how I give it another +. ;)
« Last Edit: June 06, 2010, 10:47:16 AM by Jasher Kain »

Offline Caine

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2010, 10:36:57 AM »
YEAH!!  ;D

Obi AFB are wins for sure.

1. They are uncommon, therefore you have something somewhat different.
2. Few people know about them, therefore when asked "why no gold neck?" you made educate  ;D
3. It's just more Obi-Wan goodness.

I love my MHS Obi AFB. Although yours is extremely accurate on many levels...and I look forward to seeing it evolve.

I really like the black on the emitter....I think the Icons LE had that as well. I wanted to paint mine like that, but it's hard to find a perfect sized circle template.

My advice is for that awful switch....you may want to consider putting a momentary switch under the bubble strip no matter what you do. How could Park's put that ugly thing there?  >:(

Anyways dude, thanks for sharing! I always enjoy your reviews, bro.

Offline Jasher Kain

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2010, 10:49:10 AM »
I really like the black on the emitter....I think the Icons LE had that as well. I wanted to paint mine like that, but it's hard to find a perfect sized circle template.
My advice is for that awful switch....you may want to consider putting a momentary switch under the bubble strip no matter what you do. How could Park's put that ugly thing there?  >:(
Anyways dude, thanks for sharing! I always enjoy your reviews, bro.
Thanks, bro. It takes me--on average--3 to 4 hours to prepare each review (taking pictures, uploading, writing, editing, etc.), so I appreciate it when you read them and am elated when you enjoy them. ;D

The MR LE's also had black on the emitter:

I just think that extra detail makes it all the cooler. 8)

As for the switch, yeah. How could they? :-\ Who knows. I think I will go with a momentary under the clamp and throw a recharge port where the ugly switch is... ...paint it black, of course. ;)

Offline Caine

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2010, 11:48:32 AM »
Ah, you are right about the MR....for some reason I thought it didn't have that feature. My bad.

OK...now how am I going to paint that black around that part of my emitter now? I think that would look hecka tight.

Offline Darth Matth

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2010, 01:15:31 PM »
That saber looks cool.
It has some dark side to it.
I like it.



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Offline Caine

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2010, 01:41:09 PM »
That saber looks cool.
It has some dark side to it.
I like it.

Maybe if it had a red LED....but it's all Jedi!  8)

Offline Darth Matth

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2010, 01:05:24 AM »
Maybe an angry Kenobi than.
When he get angry, his lightsaber gets black spots. :D



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Offline Jasher Kain

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2010, 02:56:48 AM »
OK...now how am I going to paint that black around that part of my emitter now? I think that would look hecka tight.
You're right. It'd look awesome. Why not paint it by hand?

@ Darth Matth:
When I first saw this saber, I felt it aptly embodied what I envisioned a Jedi's lightsaber being: simple and spiritual.
For some reason, black though it may be, I've never gotten any "Dark Jedi" vibes from it. :-\

Offline Darth Matth

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2010, 03:40:20 AM »
Forget it, I'm a bit annoying, sorry, wont happen again..;)
I saw a dark Obi saber here somewhere ones, and after seeing this hilt, I thought; Oh well this fits nicely with that Red blade.
But hey,...
Look at Qui Gon Jinn's hilt, alot of black ~ still a green blade and all Jedi.
(Just taking your side against that annoying evil Darth Matth, whoi like to see everybody join the dark side) ;D ;D ;D




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Offline Jasher Kain

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2010, 07:17:44 AM »
Forget it, I'm a bit annoying, sorry, wont happen again..;)
I saw a dark Obi saber here somewhere ones, and after seeing this hilt, I thought; Oh well this fits nicely with that Red blade.
But hey,...
Look at Qui Gon Jinn's hilt, alot of black ~ still a green blade and all Jedi.
(Just taking your side against that annoying evil Darth Matth, whoi like to see everybody join the dark side) ;D ;D ;D
:D
We're just playing. It's all good. ;D

But good point about Qui-Gon's. His does have a very similar feel to it. Black, bone-like, and a sleek silver shroud to wrap it.

Offline Gabywan

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2010, 03:36:40 PM »
Hello my friend,
Another very nice piece for your collection.
I really think that you always do a good work and this is not the exception.  :D
Congrat my friend, this saber is very great and his name is perfect!! ;)
Gaby ;D

Offline Jasher Kain

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2010, 07:48:22 PM »
Hello my friend,
Another very nice piece for your collection.
I really think that you always do a good work and this is not the exception.  :D
Congrat my friend, this saber is very great and his name is perfect!! ;)
Gaby ;D
Thanks, Gaby. ;D I like the name, too...but I can't take the credit for this one. :-[

Offline Gabywan

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2010, 09:40:17 PM »
you already have many credits ... you can give one ;)

Offline Jasher Kain

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2010, 09:47:37 PM »
you already have many credits ... you can give one ;)
lol :D Quite true, my friend. Quite true. :D

Offline HAN SOLO

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Re: The Spirit (Vintage Parks Obi-Wan AFB)
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2010, 10:38:08 PM »
I love the review! I here you on the length of time for in depth reviews. Their are very time consuming. I had to double check the switch location. I wonder if Parks put it at there because sliding bubble strips weren't common back then.


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