4th Shin tool - Jet pack adjustment... almost found

So, based on Don Posts statue from years and years ago, we have all believed Fett's last shin tool (the only one which hasn't been found at this point), the "jet pack adjustment tool" looked something like this:



However, after a lot of hard work by Wes, we no longer believe this to be the case. Wes has found a vintage microphone that is VERY close to matching the tool we see barely peeking out of Fett's pocket... the only real difference being that the lip of the mic Wes found is slightly beveled where the original is flat. I just bought a couple of these off eBay to verify that they are very close but not quite correct and we thought we would throw it out here to you guys to see if you could help with the search!

The mic Wes found (and I will be more than content using until the correct model is identified) is a vintage Shure 530 omnidirectional microphone.



The mic has been gutted and the bottom removed. It is super light weight and matches up nicely to the photos (what little we can see) except for the aforementioned slight bevel. This tool is seen on the Preproduction #1, Preproduction #2, Preproduction #3, and ESB suit (during the Executor Bridge scenes, but is missing in the Carbon Chamber scenes).

Since we haven't been able to ID it positively but feel that Wes has gotten us really close, we thought we would throw it out to you guys and see what you can do with it!

Good luck, good hunting, and a big thanks to Wes for letting us make this info available!!!

You just might be on to something. That does look pretty close to the screen grab.

If you look at other photos of the shin tool pocket, you will see that the pocket is VERY full, which makes it almost impossible for the tool to look like the DP. I really think Wes is on the right track.

As a side note, in some photos, there appears to be something red, almost like the button on a Graflex in the center. I have set a glaflex button in my mic and it just doesn't quite look right, so I am not sure that is what it is... but the red piece only appears to show up in some photos.

Art, this is a great move forward. I think a microphone is a great contender, curious how you have got it down to this particular make and model, can you share anymore at this time?

Any pics of the shin tool sticking out of the pocket more?
It seems like quite a stretch to guess it's a microphone from the limited pics.
The pic posted looks like it could be a simple piece of aluminum tubing.

Here's a thought about the red button. What if the red button is on the bottom of the "tool"? In the prepro pics showing the red button the other shin tool next to this one is upside down (black squeegee part up). What if they are both upside down?
It would make sense.

Wow, that's pretty cool! I love discoveries like this! Great work Wes, I think you are close on this one!

was Shure listed in the parts suppliers list? (I'll look for the list in a few minutes I'm just thinking out loud for the moment.)
Does Mitchel make anything similar?
what about the code cylenders used by imperials, what was their found part?
Do we know what kind of mic Ben Burtt used at the time? Could be an homage to him somehow...

Originally Posted by Bobby Fett UK

Art, this is a great move forward. I think a microphone is a great contender, curious how you have got it down to this particular make and model, can you share anymore at this time?

It isn't a secret or anything I am trying to hold back but the truth is, I don't know. Wes did all the research on this and he tried to explain to me how he came to the microphone. I know that he derived it from the list of parts we got from Mark Harris that caused an avalanche of found parts including the pieces from Michell Engineering. Wes explained the thought/research process to me, but lost me early on. I know it had something to do with researching particular companies which were on that list. BTW, for anyone who does not know the list I am talking about, here is a link to it.


Fett Parts History List

I know Wes is pretty tied down, but maybe he can come in and clarify a bit.

Chris, I agree that it is indeed a stretch, but in my opinion, it is the closest thing we have seen to date. I could post up a bunch of pics of the shin tool, but sadly, in most photos, it is even further down in the pocket than in the one I posted.

Until we nail it for sure, there is always the possibility that it is something else (Obi-Wan lightsaber / motorcycle grip)... but I really think Wes is on to something here and feel that we are close. While you are right, it IS stretching, from the limited ref, I feel that the mic has a very similar shape to what is seen in the pocket.

Good call on it being upside down in some pics. If that is the case and the piece is relatively unmodified, then it isn't the mic... or at least it isn't this mic.

Hopefully this thread will renew people's interest and renew the search and hopefully we will be able to finally nail this piece although without additional reference, I don't feel that we will ever be able to say "this is definitiviely it".

Originally Posted by lonepigeon

Any pics of the shin tool sticking out of the pocket more?
It seems like quite a stretch to guess it's a microphone from the limited pics.
The pic posted looks like it could be a simple piece of aluminum tubing.

Here's a thought about the red button. What if the red button is on the bottom of the "tool"? In the prepro pics showing the red button the other shin tool next to this one is upside down (black squeegee part up). What if they are both upside down?
It would make sense.

[QUOTE=never_ending_fett;450422]Wow, that's pretty cool! I love discoveries like this! Great work Wes, I think you are close on this one!

Originally Posted by never_ending_fett

was Shure listed in the parts suppliers list? (I'll look for the list in a few minutes I'm just thinking out loud for the moment.)

Shure isn't listed. As I mentioned above, Wes derived this from one of the names or one of the companies on the list but it wasn't a direct connection.

Originally Posted by never_ending_fett

Does Mitchel make anything similar?

Not that we know, although if it were a simple aluminum tube as Chris indicated, Mitchel would be the people I would be tapping.

Originally Posted by never_ending_fett

what about the code cylenders used by imperials, what was their found part?

Those are dosimeters. I have several (thanks lonepigeon) and in my opinion they would be far too small to be the item we are looking for.

Originally Posted by never_ending_fett

Do we know what kind of mic Ben Burtt used at the time? Could be an homage to him somehow...

Not a clue on this one and I don't think you would see any homages here... but you might see people "borrowing" any object they could get their hands on to use for the Fett project.

Thanks for the feedback Art...just thinking out loud to brain storm...bounce some ideas off of you all with more knowledge and connections than myself.

Man, hard to see much in the costume pic, basically just the rim. Art, do we have any more pics? I did find this Neumann KM-88 real quick-

The back side of that almost looks like the top of the jetpack beacon...could there be a connection?

not quite there, but this seems interesting

What is that NEF?

here's a quick xcompare with a Pre-Pro pic I had andArt's pic crooped to show size & shape comparisons


as you can see in the black & White pic, the shape is close on the Shure
It needs to have a step in it like the shure.
it also appears that the base of the Shure needs to be removed to make it the correct length.

Audio equipment was often used for SW props so it's not out of the question.
If you want a Shure connection - 2-1B's "mouth" was a Shure 55 microphone, but that doesn't really mean anything. They didn't buy the stuff from Shure. It's like camera equipment - they used a lot of it but it wasn't any specific brands, just a bunch of junk from a camera dealer.

Honestly, I think the red button is the key here. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the 'bottom'. That's the only way it'll be nailed down for sure.

This thread does get me interested in researching it further.
What size is this thing? Approx diameter (outer/inner) and length?

Speaking of "the list" - was the Scalpel Holder ever identified?
I think both of these items listed under "pockets" have yet to be figured out:
1 Scapal holder - Purchased
1 plug block – George Block

The plug block is supposedly the piece at the back of the right gauntlet that the braided hose runs into. The front of that piece has two long plugs which literally plug into the back of the right gauntlet.

As far as the scapal holder... I don't think it has been IDed. I always wondered if that wasn't the top of the RF... but no one has said to date.

I am by no means set on the 4th tool being a Shure microphone, and of course, even if we find the right one, I think with the ref we have it will be hard to ever definitively prove, but I do think Wes was working in the right direction and believe that it is most likely a vintage microphone. Again, all of that could be proved wrong with one good reference photo, but so far, I have never seen one.

Actually I never knew that you (Art) really thought that DP ever represented this particular tool correctly. Quite opposite actually

This is interesting. Because I WAS one of those that believed that it must have been represented right based on the fact that they had access to some or all of the original pieces. Stands to reason though that they would have dumbed it down, they did everything else And only to find out after the statue was released that there wasn't a single part ever used to recreate that replica. And I use the term replica loosely of course. I think all of the pieces were hand sculpted as far as I remember.

As obscure as it is, I like it. I think that you guys are onto something here

Props

FP

While DP did have access to originals... I don't know that the 4th shin tool still exists in the archives. We don't really know how many they had... and we have never seen one on tour that i recall. You see it in the beginning of Empire but it is gone by the end. If there was only one...

I didn't know that. That's a shame. But, par for the course I suppose. They treated everything else as disposable back then

FP

Originally Posted by Mojo-Fett

What is that NEF?

AKG Mic, 451 is the model number I think

An alternate idea...
Since they had so many Michell sweep arm parts perhaps the top of the 'jet pack tool' is one of the taller sweep arm bases upside down.
If you look closely at the Fett pic below it looks like there might be a lip/edge in between the pocket edge and the top of the 'jet pack tool'.

The sweep arm base has a thin lip around the bottom edge and a thin recessed white felt ring. OD is approx. 1 inch.



I'm not positive on this one, but it looks like a contender.
Proportions seem to match up pretty well.

Chris, that is a fascinating alternate idea!!! I will have to check my sweep arm bases when I get home! If it is a sweep arm, it would still have to be jammed into something of like dimension in my opinion as most of the poclet is filled. But great job thinking in a different direction!

That looks like a good possiblity lonepigeon, but I would agree that the pocket looks full, like it's the same diameter all the way down...like it's stuck into a mic similar to the ones that have been looked at thus far...maybe...if there's one that is the same diameter as the sweep arm base...

Looking forward to Spidey's input....

Just went back to the supertrooper video with Ben Burt. Check this out. Looks like it knocks the Shure microphone out of the running (no etched lines) as well as the sweep arm base (too short). I still think Wes was on the right track with a microphone, but clearly we haven't found it yet...

The length and width does lend itself to being some sort of mic along the same type as the ones that have been posted so far. Again I'm wondering if there is a connection between this piece and the top of the jetpack beacon, or the whole thing for that matter.

That's a much clearer shot... your right that the sweep arm is now out the park. the hunt continues.

Be interested to see what Alex can throw into the pot?

Originally Posted by Mojo-Fett

That's a much clearer shot... your right that the sweep arm is now out the park. the hunt continues.
Be interested to see what Alex can throw into the pot?

Working on it.

Originally Posted by ART ANDREWS

Just went back to the supertrooper video with Ben Burt. Check this out. Looks like it knocks the Shure microphone out of the running (no etched lines) as well as the sweep arm base (too short). I still think Wes was on the right track with a microphone, but clearly we haven't found it yet...

Perfect shot Art..

The list refers to a Torch that was purchased, have that been linked to another area of the suit already? Could be a lead?

Some of us believe the "torch" is the little flashlight type light in the end of the right gauntlet.

Had a quick look and turned this up. Not anywhere near as close as the mic, but similar dimensions etc.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-PENCIL...d=p3286.c0.m14

Those pictures of the ST make it look like it fills the entire pocket from top to bottom. Some of the pictures of the prepro suits and the cardboard standee I have make it look a little shorter than the ST pics. Just an observation.

I was wondering if it was a flashlight/torch with a push button on the endcap? That could explain the red we see in some pics.

I did a quick runthrough of the penlights and some others at flashlightmuseam.com and I am leaning more towards a mic similar to what has been posted rather than a flashlight/torch.

could the red end be more of an orange color? I haven't seen the pics that you are refering to so I could be way off base on that, but I found this on E-bay. It's an AKG C-61/CK-28 Tube Mic. The seller has TONS of vinatage mics in his store.

Just started looking at the HD screencaps from ESB; do we know what the things in the straps around the bottom of Bossk's space suite are. There's one missing from his right (screen left) "ankle"

and in some of the shots the bottoms look slotted similar to some of the mics that have been posted...

Just found the prepro pic with the red...definately not the one I posted...

if it's a shure microphone, i'd go with this one, a shure slim-x 777

looks like a good possibility, but looking at the pic of the supertrooper with the piece sticking out farther it looks like its all one dimension at least as far down as what is sticking out of the pocket. Nothing that has been posted thus far has been that way. Of course that could be a trick of the lighting/low res of the video. But judging by the prepro pic volkerc posted that the pocket is "full" only about halfway down the pocket so that shure mic is a good possibility.

volkerc; I agree that what you suggest is a good candidate. The lip under the top part would explain how the tool is able to stay stuck up in the pocket. If there was no lip and the part was shorter than the pocket, wouldnt it just slide down? But I havent researched this part at all so I dont know the rough size and shape very well. But it looks good to me...

I have one coming my way, so I guess we will see if it is the correct one or not. I will post up some pictures when it arrives.

Originally Posted by FettFanatic

I have one coming my way, so I guess we will see if it is the correct one or not. I will post up some pictures when it arrives.

cool. i have one coming as well, but i'm sure you'll get yours faster than me.

Well I can post up pictures if needed, but I can say that the shure slim in post #38 is not the piece we are looking for. I got one I purchased yesterday, and the lip around the top is way too thin. It is only like 1mm thick. I guess the hunt goes on.

Anyone find this yet??

Originally Posted by volkerc

while we are waiting for pics from FettFanatic, here is a link to an online video, posted by a musician, might give you folks some idea about the size...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61AP9uU8r5w

Thanks V, good size reference.. an even better option than what was previously mentioned.

Great find...I think I read somewhere that the original found part had the top half unscrewed from it, so this is a good start towards that. While I was searching the web I hadn't even considered the shotgun mics at all due to their length, but you are definately on to something!

a quick but interesting comparison of my 416 mini shotgun with a pp2 image. The lighting and angle are off but I think it makes a case nonetheless.

The length definately looks good assuming the original filled the whole pocket. It almost looks like the pocket goes in, like it's not "full" about half or 3/4 of the way down. It could just be that picture, or the lighting or any number of variables. I still think you are on to something with the shotgun mic though.

i don't think the "tool"/mic has the same diameter from top to bottom.

That Sennheiser lead sounds REALLY promising... particular since there's a pic of Ben Burtt using one during filming.

OK
Here's my guess
Altec-Lansing 681A omnidirectional microphone


Dimensions are really good at 1 1/8 in. diameter at the top & 7 3/8 in. long.

Notice it's flat across the top too.
just remove the screen & unscreww the cord portion.

Originally Posted by stormtrooperguy

That Sennheiser lead sounds REALLY promising... particular since there's a pic of Ben Burtt using one during filming.

I've been wondering if there was a connection since the start of this thread.

Originally Posted by slave1pilot

OK
Here's my guess
Altec-Lansing 681A omnidirectional microphone


Dimensions are really good at 1 1/8 in. diameter at the top & 7 3/8 in. long.

Notice it's flat across the top too.
just remove the screen & unscreww the cord portion.

not bad.

Originally Posted by slave1pilot

OK
Here's my guess
Altec-Lansing 681A omnidirectional microphone


Dimensions are really good at 1 1/8 in. diameter at the top & 7 3/8 in. long.

Notice it's flat across the top too.
just remove the screen & unscreww the cord portion.

since it's tapered, that could account for the "less fullness" at the bottom of the pocket...