

The same thing was happening with lightsabers, with some pioneering individuals going so far as to sell their own inspired-by designs or build replicas that were even more accurate than the licensed products.
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Connecting through sites like The Replica Prop Forum, people would break down precisely how movie props were built so they could recreate screen-accurate items for everything from Star Trek to Raiders of the Lost Ark. He quickly took on a more active role, eventually taking over the site entirely - that’s when he started going by "Master Yoda" - just as the community’s ambitions were beginning to grow.Īt the time, hardcore fans had already been taking matters into their own hands for years.

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That "dinky discussion forum" was FX Sabers, and as Murphy and son bonded over lightsabers, he joined a community that was initially focused on helping owners repair and upgrade the licensed collectables. "My son had found some pictures of the Master Replica things online, in this little dinky discussion forum where people were talking about stuff." At the time, the internet was still obsessed with the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and a company called Master Replicas had set a new standard for collectible sabers with primitive light-up blades and sound. "One of the things I could do was get online," he tells me. The forums on his website, FX Sabers, are part of a thriving custom lightsaber scene, where designers, engineers, "sabersmiths," and DIY tinkerers all collaborate in the name of building the ultimate Star Wars movie prop.įor Murphy it started in 2005, when he was hit with back-to-back medical injuries and found himself unable to work, couch-ridden for more than a year. For the past 10 years, Murphy’s made his living building LED-powered lightsabers, and the internal chassis that make them tick. "This is something that’s much more unique." More money." His eyes shift mischievously, and he laughs. "Even though I originally wanted to build cars, those are just big toys.

Except for the rack of lightsabers by the couch and the detailed blueprints and sample materials sitting on the counter, it feels like any suburban home in America. "I guess somewhere deep down I always wanted to be a toymaker," Murphy tells me across the island in his kitchen.
