The 2012 TCSS Saberbuilding Contest

[Lord Maul]

Well folks, it's that time of the year again! We are having a saber building contest here on the forums. There are two categories: MHS and Custom


MHS Saber - This saber has to be MHS based. Shrouds and custom PC are allowed, but the basic hilt has to be made from MHS. No complete custom parts like Acerocket's Obi TPM pommels are allowed. Modifying store parts (or having them modded for you by Tim) is allowed though.

Custom Saber - Anything goes here. No MHS parts are necessary, but they do make life easier when making a saber.


No previously made sabers are allowed in the contest. You have to build it specifically for it. For example, I couldn't submit Spectra, as it has been done for a few years now.

Only ONE SABER per person is allowed! Build the best saber you can and submit it. All members are allowed to enter, including Council members and professional sabersmiths.

Your saber must be functioning for this contest. No renders are allowed, and no empty hilts that have no electronics are acceptable either.



When you have your saber done, send a maximum of FIVE 'finished' shots and a wiring shot or two (optional, but recommended) to ME. No videos for the contest, to keep members anonymous. My email is available in my profile.

Title your emails in this format:
TCSS MHS/CUSTOM BUILD CONTEST - YOUR USERNAME

Example:
Superawesomejedi built a saber for the MHS part of the contest. The email title would look like this: TCSS MHS BUILD CONTEST - SUPERAWESOMEJEDI

Inside the email, please put your username, real name, saber name, saber specs, and the pictures you want posted.

Example:
Username: Superawesomejedi
Real name: Jimmy Page
Saber name: Spectra
Specs:
CFV4.1
LED Engin RGGB
Premium speaker
Momentary switch

<picture1>
<picture2>
<picture3>
<picture4>
<picture5>
<Wiring picture1>
<Wiring picture2 >

After I have received your submission I will PM you letting you know that it is good to go.

I will save and re-host all the pictures myself so that your name stays confidential. The polls will be anonymous, so that people don't vote for their favorite member. Please keep your sabers to yourselves as well, don't show them off until the contest is over. If you could submit your sabers sooner rather than later I'd appreciate it, cataloging 20 entries on the last night is a pain :razz:

You have until June 1st to build a saber for the contest. Voting will be held shortly after.



Prizes - To be determined.

That's about it. Have fun with the contest! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with. And remember, send your saber pics to me, do not post them.

Feel free to PM me for specific questions about your entry. General questions about the contest can go in this thread so that I don't get dozens of the same question.

[IndustrialAction]

Awesome, I've been looking forward to this!!

[Aradian Valentine]

Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
so happy!
now I just hope the remodeling in my house finishes in time for me to set my Saber Lab back up and build.
Thanks to LDM and Tim and everyone for this wonderful wonderful event.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Crud. I won't be able to wait on the saber I was planning for this, but good luck to everyone. I always enjoy seeing what you guys come up with.

[Takanis]

Can't believe the time has gone by so fast! I might be able to enter again this year......we'll see.

[const]

When is the deadline, I've been thinking about entering this year but I need to know how much time I have to work with.

[Boj-Vaati Mau]

<snip> You have until June 1st to build a saber for the contest. Voting will be held shortly after. <snip>

(Walter Cronkite voice) And that's the way it is.

[const]

Ha, it was right there, I really gotta stop trying to use this website on my iPhone, way too small.

[cardcollector]

I've got the design and the funds, now to just find the time.... :razz:

[TuxedoCartman]

So, I noticed that the Petit Crouton was taken down out of the inventory page, and there was a whole other thread speculating whether this meant the arrival of PC 2.0 or not. And I knooooow we're not supposed to be annoying pests, chirping on and on about "When is this getting back in stock? What is that going to be back in stock?" Buuuuuut...

In light of the relatively soon deadline for the contest, any idea when we might be seeing more Petit Croutons for sale? :(

(Rhetorical question, but one I would not turn down a real answer for either. Just needed to vent some worries about this, because if stocks aren't replenished soon, I may be submitting one awfully pretty stunt saber.)

[Crystal Chambers]

Since the contest is a little later this year I'm commited to another build. I might be able to budget it and I'll be pushing to meet both deadlines but I haven't given up yet. We'll see.;)

Hey! What up with the add links in the bold underscored words in the first post? Do we have a sponsor this year? lol Never mind. They gone now. Weird....

[DarthAlice]

I just got an order of TCSS parts in today & 2 weeks ago, I started drawing prints a week ago, & havent secured electronics or sound-board yet, could i use this current project for the contest?

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I don't see why not, unless you have shown off any pictures. We all want the voting to be anonymous to keep things fair, so if people have seen the saber, they will know who made it.

[DarthAlice]

Ok great, I havent shown off any pix here, thanks for answering my question

[Xanatos1986]

a lot of members here are members on FX if you have shown pics there could be a prob :(

[DarthAlice]

I'm a member over there also & havent posted any pics of this project, I was doing Katana oval hilt style sabers & have one just about finished with a PC1.6 ,& I have shown pix of that on other forums so I know I wont enter that saber (though it's gorgeous & would be a great candidate in the custom part of the contest).
Thanks!

[Kaide]

What email do i send my submission too? I cant seem to find one on Lord Maul's profile...

[ARKM]

You use the "send email" link in his profile. You don't get to see his email unless he replies to the one you send from here... which goes to whatever email account you have registered with this forum.

[LES]

COOL. Just the push I needed to get my saberproject going!

[jedimastergarcia87]

When does this one end? I got a cool idea to enter for. :)

[Silver Serpent]

From the very first post:

"You have until June 1st to build a saber for the contest. Voting will be held shortly after."

[TuxedoCartman]

What's that you say? We have till July 1st? No? <sigh>...

My entry was coming along so well, and now something's come up and I'm having to move in the middle of it. So just in case the sponsors of this year's contest were waffling back and forth on whether or not two months was enough time, hey... one vote right here for longer! :(

[Xanatos1986]

Sith happens cartman heheheh

[Aradian Valentine]

Getting Pumped up for this!!!!
I just got my house back and have set up my work station again just in the nick of time to finish off a saber I started last year!
You are all going to love it!
cheers!
Cant wait to see what turns up this year.

[amwolf]

The custom switch box I was building for my entry suffered today from Sudden Explosive Deceleration Syndrome. I dropped it onto the concrete shop floor and the JB Welded aluminum plates that formed the box decided to no longer be bonded together or located within a yard of each other. Given the remaining time; and that I hadn't even begun fabrication on the crystal chamber; and my work schedule... I'm out. Dangit.Will post it when it's done.

Enh, I probably would have voted for someone else's entry anyway...

[madmaxx]

Im all good with my entry..done the final touches on the outer hilt now its just a matter of jamming in all the electrical ...anyone got a TARDIS i can borrow?

[The_Night]

Just sent in pics of my saber. :D

shoot me a reply when you get em

[Xanatos1986]

well i sent in my pics, and info on the 20th? no reply home you got it :(

[caz345]

Man, im bummed I really wanted to enter this but work has been so slow lately, just not enough cash flow to build what I would like to build, next year I guess.

[mrknify]

sounds great, but i don't think my electronics will be done in time, having isues with my mod.

[Arkhan]

I have sent an email to Lord Maul with the info and photo links for my 2012 entry, May 29, 2012

[Keil Edge]

Can't wait to see this year's entries. I think this is going to be a good competition.

[Lord Maul]

Okay, I have gone through and cataloged every entry. If you didn't get a PM from me in the last couple of hours and you have entered, please PM me ASAP!

[174fps]

How does one send attachements inside a message here? I only see URL links in the PM or "send email" section, and the Insert file option does not allow me to select from computer, again only URL. The insert file option in the thread here thouugh does allow you to select an image from your computer...not helpful for this however...

??



Tx!
174fps

[Crystal Chambers]

Okay, I have gone through and cataloged every entry. If you didn't get a PM from me in the last couple of hours and you have entered, please PM me ASAP!

um....isn't the deadline June 1st? Or do we have till the end of May 31st pacific time?

[IndustrialAction]

How does one send attachements inside a message here? I only see URL links in the PM or "send email" section, and the Insert file option does not allow me to select from computer, again only URL. The insert file option in the thread here thouugh does allow you to select an image from your computer...not helpful for this however...

??



Tx!
174fps

Get a Photobucket account, upload the pics and send him the links to the pics

[Lord Maul]

Get a Photobucket account, upload the pics and send him the links to the pics

This. I hate having to download attachments, it's much easier to have urls to you pictures

[Xanatos1986]

deadline, i cant wait to see the comp :)

[dustunite]

same here, very exited!

[nartules]

Let it begin...let it beeginnn! :)

[Lord Maul]

Sorry for the delay, I should have the polls up in under an hour

[FenderBender]

Some VERY impressive work this year, even if there wasn't that many entries. Great job everyone!

[brett]

Some amazing stuff, workmanship to be proud of. It would be interesting to see a category for first timers, because I look at some of this stuff and just think...'wow' . But this comp is a wonderful event regardless.Always look forward to it.

[cannibal869]

Excellent job to all those who participated this year!!!

[ARKM]

Very nice sabers in both categories. Congrats to all who entered.

[Crystal Chambers]

A lot of nice builds this year!

I like trying guess who did which one. A few are very obvious to me....but I could still be wrong. I know I've always tried to throw people off by doing something no one would expect from me. I'm curious to see who wins...but more anxious to see all the build threads/posts after.

The votes always confuse me. It's never predictable. Makes me wonder how closely people look at them or just make a quick decision.

[Silver Serpent]

It took me a few minutes to come to a decision on the MHS sabers. I found myself looking at all the little details and giving out points for the level of difficulty and creativity for each saber.

[cardcollector]

I spent about 20 min making my decision. Lots of variables to consider, and all very strong sabers. Well done to those who entered! Most impressive builds. :)

[Jordandau]

I usually look at them all real quick first, then go back and study the details before I vote.

[nartules]

I use a Hat trick (No I don't put a bunch of numbers in a hat and draw one).

I pick 3 sabers that fancy my eye right off the bat, then go over the minute details and pick the one I feel the strongest about. So the decision process took about 20-30 minutes for me.

[IndustrialAction]

It is definitely exciting! Kinda weird that there are currently 65 votes in the custom category and 130 in the MHS category.

[Boj-Vaati Mau]

I, for one, am still contemplating what I want to vote on in the Custom category. i'm guessin there are others of the same mind...

[Arkhan]

Placed my votes. Some really nice work in the MHS section. Too bad there weren't more entries in the custom sabers. I like to see the "unlimited" division entries.

[Vlad Doon]

How difficult it was to chose in the MHS... Some incredible works

[Crystal Chambers]

The thing I find weirdest about voting results is how one saber will get a burst of votes and then another takes it's spot then it seems votes only go to 2 sabers for a while...weird.

[Silver Serpent]

I think that may be partly because you can choose to see how everyone else voted before you place your own vote. If it was kept secret before you made your choice, it could make a difference.

I never peek at the results before I choose. I'd rather not be influenced that way.

[amwolf]

I voted based only on the work, not on how others voted. Some very interesting sabers this year... I'm looking forward to seeing names attached to the work, to see if my guesses are correct...

[Aradian Valentine]

Saber building is like a fetish, you like what you like and the rest doesn't catch your eye.

[Crystal Chambers]

Most of the builds are so evenly matched...it really does look like seeing the results is effecting votes. When I first saw the builds I thought it would be neck and neck till the end. Still a ways to go so who knows really.

[Aradian Valentine]

Most of the builds are so evenly matched...it really does look like seeing the results is effecting votes. When I first saw the builds I thought it would be neck and neck till the end. Still a ways to go so who knows really.

totally agree

[Invisas1979]

In the MHS I went against the grain it seems, plus I voted without having first looked at the polls. And I would have done the same again as I'm not over keen on the poll leader. Strange.

As for the custom; well, I think most of us are of the same mind.

Good job all.

[TuxedoCartman]

When trying to decide on which saber to vote for in either category, there was one simple test I was reflexively playing out in my head: imagining the early scene of Episode 1, when the cruiser is destroyed, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leap up from their seats, sabers ablaze. I found myself replaying that scene in my head, but with each of the sabers substituted into the scene. The saber that looked like it fit the best in that scene, without seeming weird or out of place, was the one that got my vote.

Technical difficulty, chassis design and orderliness, etc... all matter, of course. But the single most important element of a lightsaber design to me is, "How much does it seem a natural part of the Star Wars films and/or universe?" There were two in the MHS category that fit that criteria for me, and the one was sufficiently better constructed that it made my vote easy. However, the Custom category made this very, very hard to decide on; as there was one saber that was clearly the most elegantly constructed, yet another that fit the movie look better (do I really need to tip-toe around which ones I'm talking about here? LOL...)

Regardless, congratulations to all the entrants on beautiful work under such time constraints! There's not a one I would discard, were they in my collection.

[Ty_Bomber]

When trying to decide on which saber to vote for in either category, there was one simple test I was reflexively playing out in my head: imagining the early scene of Episode 1, when the cruiser is destroyed, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leap up from their seats, sabers ablaze. I found myself replaying that scene in my head, but with each of the sabers substituted into the scene. The saber that looked like it fit the best in that scene, without seeming weird or out of place, was the one that got my vote.

Technical difficulty, chassis design and orderliness, etc... all matter, of course. But the single most important element of a lightsaber design to me is, "How much does it seem a natural part of the Star Wars films and/or universe?" There were two in the MHS category that fit that criteria for me, and the one was sufficiently better constructed that it made my vote easy. However, the Custom category made this very, very hard to decide on; as there was one saber that was clearly the most elegantly constructed, yet another that fit the movie look better (do I really need to tip-toe around which ones I'm talking about here? LOL...)

Regardless, congratulations to all the entrants on beautiful work under such time constraints! There's not a one I would discard, were they in my collection.

I like that criteria.

[Darth Nater]

I looked at the results first, and it was interesting to see, but it didn't change how I was going to vote. In the MHS, I really liked the hose to the emitter concept, though the multiple O-ring look for one reason or another swayed me to a different one. The 3 customs were all awesome, though I ended up voting for the current leader because it just seemed like it was the one that deserved to win. Kind of like the contest with that Blood Wyrm saber. I mean, if someone were to build that and NOT WIN, it would be an insult.

[Crystal Chambers]

In response to episode 1 first saber scene...

While I can appreciate imagining a hilt in a movie scene...I couldn't narrow it down to one scene. There's some variety in the series and personally my appreciation goes well beyond one era. Neither Obi Won's ROTJ or Vader's hilts for example would fit as well in that scene for instance. Plus I grew up on episodes 4-6, which is the foundation of the SW aesthetic IMO.

[TuxedoCartman]

In response to episode 1 first saber scene...

While I can appreciate imagining a hilt in a movie scene...I couldn't narrow it down to one scene. There's some variety in the series and personally my appreciation goes well beyond one era. Neither Obi Won's ROTJ or Vader's hilts for example would fit as well in that scene for instance. Plus I grew up on episodes 4-6, which is the foundation of the SW aesthetic IMO.

I'm like you: I grew up with the original trilogy (remember seeing Empire in the theater, first run), so I have no idea why I go to the scene that I do when evaluating Star Wars-ishness of sabers. I guess because the prequel trilogy canonized what sabers looked like for most Jedi during a time when they were still being built, and not scavenged off dead or dying fathers to sit in a footlocker for 17 years. Also, that particular scene set the tone for the whole series as to what a Jedi was; what they were capable of, what their lightsabers looked like, etc... I certainly still appreciate the original trilogy sabers, that's for sure!

...except for Darth Vader's ROTJ saber. Sorry guys, I hated that thing! :(

[Crystal Chambers]

Makes sense. I wish I knew more about other time periods. There's just so many design possibilities. The OT hilts stand out to me in how the props where designed from appropriated items apposed to designed and machined. I can appreciate the whole spectrum really as long as the look is cohesive and makes a believable weapon.

[Naigon]

Is there a way to see previous years entries and results? Searching for contest seemed to only give me 2011 entry details and 2010 contest voting, but not the owner of each hilt. It would be nice to see every years results with owners to see how the contest has progressed from year to year.

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

I'm like you: I grew up with the original trilogy (remember seeing Empire in the theater, first run), so I have no idea why I go to the scene that I do when evaluating Star Wars-ishness of sabers. I guess because the prequel trilogy canonized what sabers looked like for most Jedi during a time when they were still being built, and not scavenged off dead or dying fathers to sit in a footlocker for 17 years. Also, that particular scene set the tone for the whole series as to what a Jedi was; what they were capable of, what their lightsabers looked like, etc... :(

An interesting take on the "Star Wars-ishness of sabers" but really more about the JEDI-ishness of sabers isn't it? The PT shows the Jedi at their 'height' [before a great fall] when they are mostly uncontested in the Galaxy because of the Rule of Two making the Sith only an incognito 'phantom' menace for the 1000 years after the 7th Battle Of Ruusan. This even leads to most of them learning the 'diplomats saber form' Form VI Niman [which gets too many killed at Geonosis] and some masters even using red lightsabers [Adi Gallia in TPM] because they don't believe they will ever face serious opposition much less have to lightsaber duel Sith ever again. Its kinda like modern soldiers practicing bayonet charges - a 'tradition' from a long past history no one expects to ever have any real reason to use in a modern war ever again. So most Jedi arent really duelists, don't study it seriously [so Dooku studying Form II Makashi was probably seen as a curiosity and laughed at] and don't design sabers around it since at the outset of TPM they consider the odds of them ever facing another lightsaber for real is remote as we would consider odds of a modern soldier facing a bayonet charge.

This also explains a lot of the un-ergonomic-ness of TPM clan sabers; they don't need to be optimized for saber vs saber duelling so can have knobs in odd places because they aren't likely to ever encounter obstacles they can't cut through like another [Sith] saber where those protruding greeblies would hurt the users own hands encountering heavy resistance blocking attacking Sith saber strikes.

Sith saber designs on the other hand would tend to be different - Jedi in TPM may not expect to ever need to saber duel Sith again but the Rule of Two Sith know that they may need to face Jedi sabers and train and design their sabers accordingly; Maul with aggressive Form VII Juyo and saberstaff since most Jedi won't know how to deal with a staff, Tyranus with Form II Makashi and curved saber optimized for saber vs saber dueling, Sidious with Lus-Ma, Trakata etc and a hidden sleeve-saber for unexpected quick-kill lunges...all very different strategies and very different sabers from what any PT Jedi would ordinarily use.

What we DON'T ever see in the particular time period of the movies are saber designs from a period when there are both large numbers of Jedi and large numbers of Sith who expect they will have to fight saber users on the other side as a regular occurence, and most saber users both train and design their sabers for that saber vs saber purpose.

And yet the 1000 years of post-Ruusan where the Sith [and their sabers] are largely absent from Jedi concerns is only a tiny fraction of the "thousand generations" Obi-Wan speaks of in ANH...the saber design paradigm in the PT thus represents a historical abberation rather than the rule for lightsaber design. The OT when there are very very few sabers or saber users either Jedi or Sith is an even greater historical aberration.

So I don't think it would be quite fair to consider the movie era as indicative of what a lightsaber 'should' look like.

Some of the sabers in this contest [esp Sith ones] might not fit well with a PT movie scene Jedi saber design criterion but that doesnt mean they are necessarily lacking in Star Wars-ishness imo.

I'm trying to look at each design and its execution on its own merits - and on that criteria there are many meritorious sabers this year and their makers are worthy of congratulations regardless of whomever wins imo.

[Crystal Chambers]

Well put! I really need to learn more beyond the movies.

[Darth Nater]

In my opinion, OT styled sabers are going to have a connection for those who grew up at the time of the films. Of course, you really only have 4 designs with the Obi IV and Luke VI being somewhat similar anyway. But still, the saber scenes were extremely limited in IV, less so in V, and shown a bit more in VI which brought kind of a mystique surrounding the weapon. You didn't get an overdose of lightsabers and it made you want to see them more. Especially if you were a kid at the time waiting 3 years between films, not even really knowing that another sequel would be made (no internet, no message boards, so much less media attention to things during that time), and also at ages where a year drags out forever. And then going for such a long period before the prequels were announced, I'd think the generation would endear themselves to the OT for the most part. I know I do. Experiences like this as a kid never leave you. For myself, that anticipation that led up to TPM was ridiculous, even in my mid-20's at the time. But I was all about the new saber designs of the prequels still. I thought the OBI TPM was bad as hell. I was 5 years old when I got lucky enough to see Empire in the theater 3 times, and I swear I nearly crapped my pants when Qui-Gon started cutting the blast door, then jammed it in there and started melting it away. After nearly 20 years of wondering, I found out yes, that really would work after all.

[Crystal Chambers]

In the event of a tie does that mean they split first place? Wow. lol

[nartules]

Is there a tie breaker?

It looks like just when things are over, they are just starting to get going...woot!

[Kevin Starwaster]

When trying to decide on which saber to vote for in either category, there was one simple test I was reflexively playing out in my head: imagining the early scene of Episode 1, when the cruiser is destroyed, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon leap up from their seats, sabers ablaze. I found myself replaying that scene in my head, but with each of the sabers substituted into the scene. The saber that looked like it fit the best in that scene, without seeming weird or out of place, was the one that got my vote.

Technical difficulty, chassis design and orderliness, etc... all matter, of course. But the single most important element of a lightsaber design to me is, "How much does it seem a natural part of the Star Wars films and/or universe?" There were two in the MHS category that fit that criteria for me, and the one was sufficiently better constructed that it made my vote easy. However, the Custom category made this very, very hard to decide on; as there was one saber that was clearly the most elegantly constructed, yet another that fit the movie look better (do I really need to tip-toe around which ones I'm talking about here? LOL...)

Regardless, congratulations to all the entrants on beautiful work under such time constraints! There's not a one I would discard, were they in my collection.

I kinda went into judging with that sort of thing in mind; what felt to me to be a lightsaberish design, but for the custom, I voted for the one that I actually liked the least because of the quality of work.

[Crystal Chambers]

I've voted a few times for sabers that I didn't like or see fitting in SW because of the amount of work and innovation.

[Xanatos1986]

Hey guys, I've been monitoring the voting on this saber contest, and as it stands it will be a tie. In this type of event, I would like to hand the victory to the guy who made Scintilla. I think he made a fantastic product, and I would love to see him make more wonderful sabers.

To me, it never was about winning. I just wanted to further myself in this hobby and create a work that I could be proud of. The prize is a motivation, but it's the experience that I gained that felt like the true victory. I'd like to thank Tim from TCSS and the saber making communityfor hosting a wonderful contest, and the LED lightsaber community for making me into the smith that I am today. I will surely return on another occasion, and thank you for giving me the chance to take part in such an event

thanks guys

[TuxedoCartman]

Hey guys, I've been monitoring the voting on this saber contest, and as it stands it will be a tie. In this type of event, I would like to hand the victory to the guy who made Scintilla. I think he made a fantastic product, and I would love to see him make more wonderful sabers.

To me, it never was about winning. I just wanted to further myself in this hobby and create a work that I could be proud of. The prize is a motivation, but it's the experience that I gained that felt like the true victory. I'd like to thank Tim from TCSS and the saber making communityfor hosting a wonderful contest, and the LED lightsaber community for making me into the smith that I am today. I will surely return on another occasion, and thank you for giving me the chance to take part in such an event

thanks guys

So... are you outing yourself as the sabersmith who made Feroce ma Elegante? That's incredibly gracious of you! <applause> :)

[ARKM]

Xan, good form sir. Very gracious of you indeed.

[madmaxx]

I think you both deserve to get the honours for first place.Both were great sabers with pros to each design....and it means i get to hold some dignity with a third place if you two tie for first.:D

[Xanatos1986]

all sabers were wonderful, besides mine I liked the curved hilt.

[Aradian Valentine]

Everyone did great!
I look forward to this contest all year long.
thanks to everyone that contributes and hosts and views!

[Sunrider]

A close race again, good work people. And again an epic saber with a MR board takes it. :o :) Blasphemy I tell you. Please rectify the situation or it's the spice mines for you. :p

[IndustrialAction]

So is this official? I've been waiting to see a post from Lord Maul

[Arkhan]

A close race again, good work people. And again an epic saber with a MR board takes it. :o :) Blasphemy I tell you. Please rectify the situation or it's the spice mines for you. :p

While I would have liked to have seen Scintilla with a higher-end audio board, it was the more ambitious design, IMO.

I hear that the Igniter 2.0 + Tru-color had a very strong showing in the custom category.....