There is some controversy with the particular piece. To begin with, there are two versions of Luke's episode 6 weapon: the hero version and the version two. The controversy likely stems from the fact that all other representations of this saber- toys, action figures, fan-made stuff, etc. - are modeled after the hero version of this piece. Additionally, there is some disagreement among fans with respect to which scenes the version two (V2 for short) appears in the movie. Nearly everyone can agree that it appears when Luke turns himself over to Vader on the Endor moon as well as in the Emperor's throne room scenes. But the discerning eye will see, however, that the V2 was used in nearly every scene that he carried the prop. The hero version appears in two scenes, but only one of those made the final cut. Luke's V2 lightsaber was fabricated from an old Obi-wan stunt saber used in episode 4; this explains the chipped painting, discoloring, and a clip on the side of the control panel. The center band is a graflex attachment piece, which was also used on Alec Guinness's hero prop. No one knows why the hero prop was replaced with the V2, but if I had a guess, the change may have been due to the placement of the d-ring on the V2 vs the placement of the triangle ring on the hero. On the hero prop, the triangle ring is perfectly in line with, and on the same side as the control box; this would have caused the box to press against the users leg as it hung from their belt. On the V2, the d-ring is offset in relation to the control box, eliminating the aforementioned issue. Signed by Mark Hamill. Signature Edition 227/500.
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