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

Art Andrews

Community Founder
Community Staff
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:

attachment.php


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.

attachment.php


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!!!

DP-Jet-Pack-Adjustment.JPG


shure_530_mic.jpg


shure_530_mic_side.jpg


shure_530_mic_guts.jpg


shure_530_mic_upright.jpg


shure_530_mic_compare.jpg


shure_530_mic_compare_2.jpg
 
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...
 
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".

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.
 
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-

1242226912_6.jpg
 
here's a quick xcompare with a Pre-Pro pic I had andArt's pic crooped to show size & shape comparisons
shure530miccomparison.jpg


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 :lol:

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 :lol: 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 (y)

Props :cheers

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 :angry

FP
 
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