Hey guys,

So I have a question about my DT Luke saber.
It has a crack about 3/5 of the way through the inner tip about 8-10mm in from the outside end.
This prevents me from removing the inner saber and also prevents me from inserting into Luke's arm because I am fairly certain it will break.

So, it is kinda stuck as an external display piece becuase of this. I am on the lookout for a good replacement inner, but until then I have a question I would like your opinions on. It is one I ask myself all the time and don't know what to do.

Should I risk inserting it into Luke and risk the tip completely breaking off?

Would the broken tip be any less valuable compared to it already being almost off anyway?
I think the answer is yes, cracked is better than broken.
But for display-ability, it would look better to me.
I know it is probably a matter of time before I accidentally break it anyway, so should I just say F-IT, and try my luck and if it breaks, it breaks, or no, just leave it.

Your thoughts are appreciated.



I have no idea where this discussion will lead and what I will do, but I would like to know what you would do if it was you.

cheers!



*edit* added image... I guess that would be a bit helpful

i definitely agree that cracked/split is better than broken

i'd display it seperately, and even contemplate getting a repro for the figure, and for demonstration purposes (hey dude, why is this wonky saber not in his arm like the rest? ahah, i'm glad you asked, see here my friend... etc)

Display it seperately- it makes it stand out as something special (which it is).

Display it separately
A friend Of mine destroyed his DT ben saber when he tried to put it back in The arm

Plenty of horror stories about crushing DT Sabers so leave it out.

yeah-sus wrote:

Display it separately
A friend Of mine destroyed his DT ben saber when he tried to put it back in The arm

walkie wrote:

yeah-sus wrote:

Display it separately
A friend Of mine destroyed his DT ben saber when he tried to put it back in The arm

He had it out for a photoshot and when he put it back in the arm the outer piece cracked in two pieces

really sad story

I'd be absolutely gutted

Wow.. the breaking/shattering stories are sad.

I can see why. When trying to pair my loose Lukes with the best possible/accurate regular saber, I quickly noticed how each figure had a slighty different arm opening size. Some had excess flashing or possibly larger seems inside the arm or the hand portion.
In at least 2 I recall, the plastic was actually blocking part of the inner chamber by the hand, which would either completely prevent a saber from being inserted or could gouge/damage a saber easily.
I found a round toothpick with a slight smaller diameter and used that to clear the path and to make sure a saber could safely be inserted before attempting even with a broken tip, throw-away saber.

So yeah, I can see it killing a brittle DT for sure.

I had hoped to be able to obtain an inner saber from another lettered saber (preferably another double lettered saber) and replace the inner with the crack for the outer 'JJ' I have. I know in doing so the piece would have less than a 5% chance of being removed without breaking it.

Anyway... for now, will leave it alone and have a plan to design a way to display it which might look really cool.


Thanks for the thoughts and input guys.
I guess I knew all along, but it was nice to get my feelings confirmed.

cheers!

Sorry, I didn't want to edit the last post......

So, here is my display for it. I used the ideas I have seen a couple times from other DT displays, but I was too afraid to use the wire method to prop it up. I wanted it to be slightly more secured.

Man, my hands were shaking!!!
A little double stick tape on the card to hold the saber plus a regular piece of tape over the top to secure it.
Then the stands help show it off. Can any one guess where the holders came from? ...they are vintage SW related...

I will be building a display case and this will go top row center for sure.

that will be a great display
thinking of break my dt luke loose from his acrylic jail

Hey PT, that is an outstanding display for your DT saber.

Great decision and a great way to display it

My dad had one that was a little cracked also, then it just started to get longer and with in a year it was broke in half and the figure was in a CASE!

I think your display idea is the best possible solution. The most minimally invasive solution I could
think of would be to put a drop of clear glue on the end to keep things from breaking. You could then
retract the inner saber and gently insert it in the figure. (the retracted tip doesn't really contact
anything at that angle.
The broken DT stories are spot on, and dead serious. I've seen two Bens broken right in front of me,
and I won't even remove them at this point. (my long running theory is that the sabers are reacting
to the colored plastics, with varied results - Bens are just brittle at this point, Vader is more rigid, while
most Lukes seem to more or less pliable even today) I think the # of surviving examples is a solid
point to back up this theory

Bill

sithtoys wrote:

put a drop of clear glue on the end to keep things from breaking

But wouldn't that detract from the value of it?
I thought repairing things would be a big no-no.

I have considered putting a small tiny drop of crazy glue onto a toothpick and then apply it but didn't because I thought that would really be a bad idea.

I honestly would feel so much better if it was because there is no way that will last forever. I can see gravity and basic vibrations having their way with it sooner or later.

I think just using a clear, non reactive glue would be fine. (similar to Scotch brand clear)

It's not damaging anything, and it's protecting the integrity of the inner saber. If someone
presented this to me for an evaluation, I would have to ding it for the damaged tip, but a
small dab of this type of glue wouldn't hurt it. It's far better than having the tip come off
completely.
Even so, I think the display option you came up with is great !!

Bill

Bill, thanks for the tip, recommended glue type and info!!!!

I wouldn't have tried anything before confirming with you so that is awesome of you to point me in the right direction!!!

I still am scared to touch it and accept the risk, but I think if I am slow and cautious I can get it done so it is safer and will last. I just need to keep my hands steady.

Thanks again man!

Oh and thank you all for the kind words on the display so far!
I have a slightly different version that will be the final one that I will place the DT on after I try the glue (ordered already) which the bottom section where the saber gets placed is 1/2 inch taller to help separate it from the stands and I corrected the title part to use 'Light Saber' instead of 'Lightsaber'.

FWIW: the stands are from the Escape from the Death Star board game.

psybertech wrote:

FWIW: the stands are from the Escape from the Death Star board game.

awesome

nice job on the display card too! looks like you did the right thing

One final thanks to Bill for the glue suggestion. I picked up the Scotch glue you posted and put a very tiny amount on it and it worked better than I hoped for!!
I stupidly put it on the window sill to speed up drying and I really thought I had it anchored so the breeze wouldn't affect it. I was wrong. It blew off the window sill and onto the floor

BUT - it is fine. it was still on the card and the tip is fan-freaking-tastic.
So much so that I was able to remove and reinsert and remove again!!!!! Carefully and slowly of course.

And here is the final display design now that I have the inner removed....

Again, thanks everyone for the thoughts and feedback!

Well done Jay, I'm glad you've managed to secure the tip, and the display looks great!