So a funny thing happened to me this summer. I took my son to the "Star Wars" exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I hope everyone had a chance to see it sometime over the past few years as it traveled the country. I believe it's headed for Australia next, H@rry89! Anyway, I bought the "Making of Star Wars" book in the gift shop, which is a MUST for any fan. If you know the book, you know the cover has the shot of GL and Mark Hamill on the cover. I have never felt a dramatic attraction to the Graflex saber, but reading this book and seeing that saber hanging on Hamill's belt for months had some sort of effect on me. I was all in!
So earlier this month I started trolling ebay for a Graflex, vintage or replica, I didn't care. I found a replica, and bid early on the last day fully expecting to get sniped at the last minute. Well, I didn't. So here it is on my desk, and is it ever something to hold! While I wait for my Do-Clo custom, I've decided to make this my first foray into assembling my own saber. I've read it's not easy, but I'm excited to try something new. That said, I'd like to ask for a couple of opinions…
1. I was leaning towards doing it ANH (since the hilt came with the button strip), but am reconsidering ESB. How difficult is it to add the screws on the ESB grips? I'm intimidated by drilling that many holes. Do you put the grips on first and then just drill through them? I also like the D-clip on the ESB version better. It just looks sturdier. I also like the stamped foil tape better. I guess I could do a hybrid if the grips are just too much for me.
2. What's the best blade for this, and is there a different answer for the two different styles?
3. Any other pitfalls I should be aware of?
I'm going to order the GraflexShop conversion kit, and get my grips and (and maybe ESB circuit board) from Blast-Tech, and the D-clip from TFX Studios. Oh, yeah, and I've got a US 2.0 on the way. With any luck, I might have a fully-functioning Graflex by Halloween! Thanks all, I know I can count on some great advice here, and I'll post more pics as the supplies come in. Photos don't seem to want to load tonight, so I'll try again tomorrow (it's not like you don't know what it looks like!).
Anceem
EDIT - Photos added.