Darth Vader's Light Sabres

My semi-accurate interpretation of the dark lord's personal weapon. The film prop was constructed on an MPP (Micro Precision Products) photographic flashgun, and variations on that prop were used in both the original "Star Wars" (A New Hope) and "The Empire Strikes Back". My version was constructed around a lowly 1 1/2" threaded chrome plated brass plumbing pipe.

A hand made MPP clamp

Slowly but surely I'm getting better at making these things. This one is made from aluminum painted black and features real metal side bars (cut from a piece of scrap steel that I found laying around that was actually the right size and profile). The lever is something scavenged from the pressure relief valve of an old water heater. The edge connector activation card as it turns out, was not featured on the ESB sabre as originally believed.

Here's a view from the end showing the new endcap made from a cap of a gallon milk jug and a black plastic disk of unknown origin. Also visible is the correct "calculator bubble" type activation strip.