TOPIC: Master Replicas Darth Vader repair advice please

I've owned a MR Darth Vader since 2015 which has been in the attic for several years.. Upon remembering I still had it and recently wanting a Prodigal Son, I finally got it down about a month ago.

I know you lot love pictures so here is the second time I unboxed it.







As you can see its well faded. But after inserting batteries, and excitingly seeing it fire up again, I gave it a quick swing around.. and off flew the blade tip with the inner blade part that had gone brittle shattering all over




I've since removed the blade and somehow I dont mind it as just the hilt as that is how I display my Prodigal Son. But I'd like to fix it if anyone can point me in the right direction please

Can I just get a new part? I've had a quick search and seen what is called a blade diffuser which I 'think' is what I need LED blade diffuser for 1" thin walled blades

I've also seen the option of converting it, but it looks too technical for me. But if there's anyone (especially in the UK) who could do such a conversion I'd probably consider that depending on costs.

Any help and advice will be appreciated.

You can always do the conversion to it using the conversion kit, and the right led, lens, and resistor. Its actually not that hard, only the age of the hilt and possible breakage would be what I would worry about.

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Vader-C101.aspx

Well I've had the hilt apart to remove the blade and it doesn't feel old, or like something might break. I also think the clash sensor has stopped working but dont you change the soundboard as well?

I converted my MR Vader without changing the sound card, the TCSS forum probably still has the instruction there(maybe) or google MR Vader conversion it'll pop up. As far as the clash sensor, it can also be replaced, however I know on the early MR the clash sensor was part of the string blade down at the base of it, so chances are it stopped working because you removed the blade. But if your comfortable with soldering on electronics(and have the right esd iron) you can just add the clash sensor back to the hilt below the blade.
MR conversions are where I started doing Saber installs.

Like Vech said, a conversion is your best option at this point.

Alternately you could look into selling the hilt, even broken you would still find some takers out there who would want to convert it themselves. And invest the money is say, an MPP2 2.0 + install

The conversions of a MR/Hasbro saber aren't too bad. The soldering is pretty easy.

No, this was before I removed the blade and just before I broke it. Maybe it was just as its not been used for so long, or not quite how I remembered it, I dont know.

The last time I saw or touched a soldering iron was at school, 25 years ago

I'm going through some of those instructions now and they all seem to just focus on taking it apart, which is the easy part, then just show an after picture. Big help lol

Not sure what to do really. I feel like just waiting for the double reveal and having a completely new and modern version and sell this as spares or repairs.

I just wish SF did a normal version (and a Graflex!) same as my Prodigal Son as these are the only lightsabers I really want.

White Jedi wrote:
Normal? You mean without the double reveal?

Oh, and Graflex is coming, but it will likely be a double reveal too.

White Jedi wrote:
You can build one using ASP parts. Either a PNP kit or the assembly service will get you electronics, unless you’re a DIY type.

Brax wrote:
Yeah I mean without the double reveal, as cool as that is it doesn't really interest me and I'd just prefer to have a normal style saber. I nearly went for the crystal PS, but decided the normal champion tier was adequate for me (and to keep costs down).

scifidude79 wrote:
Interesting, Just going through all the ASP parts now and never realised there is a Graflex there So why dont they offer it as a full saber like my PS?

I'd like to think I'm a DIY type but I dont know anything about electronics, or has ever used a soldering iron. I take it the PNP setups arent as good as the DIY electronics? I can see the LED looks more basic?

Going to toss my $0.02 in on the Graflex discussion.

I am NOT a fan of the "graflex" parts the SF has put together. And US is even worse. The upcoming new Graflex remains to be seen yet, so we will see if they have improved.

If you want a flex, Korbanth 2.x is you most economical hilt for a VERY close to screen accurate hilt. And technically, as of TLJ, the Flex 2.x is screen accurate (they were used in the movie). Roman Props and TGS make true flash gun replicas which are your next step up. They are based off vintage flashguns. And then of course there is a vintage flashgun.

The Flex 2.x is designed from the ground up to be a functional saber that you can do some light to medium smacking around with.

PNP is fine, I’m sure. It uses the same LEDs. In fact, it’s the same basic setup the Veteran/Champion/Hero sabers, only wired with quick connects so that you can quickly install it. DIY is just for people who like to wire it themselves.

Did I get this right, only the INNER part of the blade broke?

If that's the case, you could just insert some baking paper (the stuff you put your Pizza on in the oven). Can be bought in rolls up to 30feet long.
Just cut it the right length and roll it up so it fits inside the blade.

Makes for beautifully even diffusion. (Using the paper alone for lightpainting)

Jas-Ot wrote:
The Korbanth, isn't that just the hilt only with no electronics? I'm sure I come across it the other night, but I'll have another look into it when I've the time.

Sharangir wrote:
I wouldnt know about baking paper, i only buy takeaway pizzas

But its actually not a bad idea. Only problem being the MR blade is clear so it would be visible.

White Jedi wrote:
Yes, they are offered as empty hilts when you purchase and are meant to be installed as a custom saber. 89 Sabers also makes a graflex although I have not had my hands on one so I can't speak to it's quality. However it is cheaper (around $160 I believe) and has more "accurate" features. Romans and TGS empty flash guns run about $200 just for the flashgun, you'd spend around $50-$100 more for the parts to convert to an install ready hilt, and again would need to commission an install.

Once you move up to something like a graflex, you are moving into another level of this hobby. Companies like SF make reasonably "similar" replicas of movie hilts and their own custom designs that can be more easily mass produced and installed. Once you start talking about getting to the nearly screen accurate replicas, that's the realm of custom installers and small batch manufacturers. You can thankfully get a really nice graflex replica for not a total arm and a leg simply because it is such a popular and iconic saber and larger batches can be produced.

Here's some basic costs (includes cost of hilt and parts)
1) basic graflex install - $500-600
2) high end graflex install $750-$1500
3) out of your mind install $1500+ (some of these go well over $5000)

For blade film, you could use frosted mylar.

I'm gonna throw in my vote for the conversion as well. It really is simple. I did my ROTS Anakin, and I had no skills whatsoever. I don't know if yours originally had a removable blade or not, but adding the metal conversion kit really makes the hilt seem stronger and more durable for dueling. As far as the instructions being incomplete, I had to go between a few of the different conversion threads to get mine done. Try to find one (whether it's a vader conversion or another hilt) that has a picture of the same soundboard as yours for the soldering. Then pretty much follow the disassembly instructions in reverse to put it all back together. And don't be afraid to ask the folks on here for help. I think Kouri, Jas, and a few others pretty much held my hand through the hole process of converting mine!

Not sure if I'm allowed to post links to Amazon, but this is what I meant:
https://www.amazon.com/White-Parchment-Baking-Paper-Roll/dp/B000I1X4UY

I'm sure the blade wasn't completely clear at the beginning. If so, the light diffusion would be horrible.
Using this white baking paper will not result in any visible difference compare to, say, a V4 infinity blade.
Having it rolled up will increase the diffusion by a big margin and the light spread will look as it did at the beginning.

Rennek wrote:
Thanks, its always good to hear the likes of yourself tackling it, and I really want to as i want it working again and with a removable blade, which the MRs wasn't removable, i believe they are the newer FX ones.

Sharangir wrote:
Yeah it is clear as it has an LED light strip inside surround by a foam tube, then the plastic diffuser (which isnt see through but is thin enough to let the light shine through) which surrounds the foam, then the blade. And if the blade wasn't clear then youd hardly see any light.

But that paper looks a possibility I'll keep it in mind.

The clash sensor's attached to the blade-side of the plug, so removing the blade is why your hilt's not getting any more clash effects. As part of the conversion/repair, you'll either need to salvage the sensor from the existing electronics, or replace it with a new SW-18020P

The metal kit is definitely nice, but if you're not dueling, I wouldn't call it necessary - especially since you lose the sticker details on the ANH Vader model. Before the kits, folks just used to shove a single-LED module inside the plastic emitter and re-use the existing blade or sand down a standard 1". Heck, I remember a really low-budget cosplay build I did a while back that used a piece of PVC pipe with a few wraps of vinyl for a snug fit in the MR body.

Sadly the Photobucket change has destroyed a bunch of the TCSS conversion tutorials.

Here's the disassembly tutorial:
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?7656-07-08-MR-and-HFX-Vader-ANH-Disassembly-only-kits-available

And Page7 on this old PDF at least shows you how to wire in an in-hilt LED module:
http://www.ultrasabers.com/v/dsctemp/vader2anakinconversion.pdf

If you're using the TCSS conversion kit, you'll either need to cut off part of the plastic emitter to fit the metal replacement, or you'll just toss the complete front-half and make a spacer from 1" nominal PVC pipe. If you're planning on re-using the plastic emitter, you'll need a short screw to hold the LED module in place.