Luke Skywalker Lightsaber (ANH) - Star Wars
By The Propsmith
This one, for me, is what started it all. Some time about 15 years ago, I read that the iconic Luke Skywalker lightsaber was made from an old camera's flash gun, with a few things glued to it. This revelation blew my mind. I never, until that moment, considered that people could make their own replicas of props. I knew that there were places that sold such things, but it never occurred to me that one might be able to cobble something together at home.
As it happened, it took me about 15 years to get around to making this particular prop. I found a slightly beat-up Graflex 3-Cell Flash Gun on eBay for a reasonable price, picked up some components to turn it into a lightsaber and got to work. It really is the easiest thing in the world. And, honestly, it pretty much seems like a lightsaber before you even do anything to it. I think everyone should build one of these.
This is a work in progress, though. Eventually, I want to add some electronics for sound and maybe a blue light in the front. I won't add one of those cheesy blades though... I'm not going Star Wars LARPing or anything. I've also updated the D-Ring and activator strip with more accurate ones since the photo was taken. I'll probably re-do the grips soon, too. At that point, I guess I'll have to post a whole new set of photos.