Arryck Corso presents --- AETHON

[Arryck Corso]

Hey everyone.

Well it's been a long time coming but I'm excited and proud to share with you my first official MHS saber build log. Seeing as how this is my first build, I figured I wouldn't go with any thing overly extravagant. At least I don't think it is but I guess we'll see.

This saber was influenced by two sabers. First being the Mace Windu saber (which should be obvious). Second by Fenderbender's Invictus. Fenderbender's work is amazing and has been truly inspirational to me. It was his Algor Equitas saber that initially piqued my interest into the custom saber world. So when I came up with this idea, I wanted to pull in some of the aesthtic cues from the Mace saber as well as some of the different design elements I love about Fenderbender's work.

So without further ado I present to you....


AETHON


This is the design I came up with. It's gone through about 7 revisions and tweeks to get it just right. The latest little tweek was the small choke on the blade holder. Just came up with that idea about 3 days ago.
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4752/aethon20.png

Here's the saber it all it's aluminum glory. The blade holder will eventually get machined to match my rendering. The rest of it as you can see is well on its way from turning my idea into a reality. It's so amazing seeing this in person and not just a 2-D render. And Tim did a great job making my custom coupler. More on that in a minute though ;)
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3533/img1311h.jpg

Here are the main parts I'll be using.
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/3185/img1307xe.jpg

And here is the custom coupler I had Tim machine for me. I asked him to make look like Trim Ring 1 and I have to say he did a fantastic job on it. It matches up perfectly. Who knows, maybe Tim might consider a new line of male couplers to go with his trim rings??!!??
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7448/img1306ka.jpg


Here's another view of the custom coupler next to a standard trim ring. You can't even tell one from the other.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4980/img1317cc.jpg


And here's a shot of the wicked cool Razor blade plug I picked up from ARKM. Thanks for this ARKM!!:D
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7545/img1312sz.jpg

Finally I thought I'd share with you guys the template I made up for making my shrouds. This is what I'm planning to begin with this weekend and hopefully have knocked out by Sunday....aside from the polishing....
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/3263/img1314vu.jpg



Well I know its not much right now, but it's a start. Hope you guys have enjoyed and I'll be back with another update soon. Thanks for looking!

[Ty_Bomber]

Dude, this is awesome. You should have waited to submit this to the contest. This blows me away. Can't wait to see it done.

[IndustrialAction]

Definitely contest worthy if this thread hadn't been posted, haha.

Really cool saber man. Looking forward to seeing it completed!

[Rafalema]

Gorgeous design. :cool:

What part was the male coupler machined of?

[cannibal869]

Nice design! - I see some definite Mace and VadersVault influences there :)

[FenderBender]

WOW! Not only am I flattered, but I'm anxious to see this design finished! Being a big Mace fan, the combination of design themes is very attractive to me. Nice design! Keep up the good work!

[Ty_Bomber]

Just a thought... I really like the window right below your yellow accent blinky, but have you thought about extending it out and placing the blinky in the window like your brass switch? I think it would balance nicely.

[Arryck Corso]

WOW! Not only am I flattered, but I'm anxious to see this design finished! Being a big Mace fan, the combination of design themes is very attractive to me. Nice design! Keep up the good work!

Thanks Fenderbender I really appreciate that. It really means alot to me to know you like my design. I've been a huge fan of your work for awhile. Like I said you're stuff just blows me away. And to have someone who is so accomplished take notice of a first timer like me means a lot.


And thank you everyone else for the compliments. It's really motivated to make this the best saber I can.

To answer you're question Rafalema, Tim used the double ended male connector style 2 to make my coupler and he did an amazing job with it. I sent him as detailed a drawing as I could and what you see is the end result of that conversation. I hope Tim might consider a new line of double ended male couplers as standard parts.

And actually Ty_Bomber I had thought about machining that slot out so I could incorporate a crystal chamber there. But seeing as how I'm still a novice here I thought I might hold off on that until I can get a better handle on how to set up my electronics.

Again, thanks everyone for looking, and I'll keep you posted.

[ARKM]

Nice design.

[JediMedic]

A handsome hilt indeed. Looking forward to seeing it completed

[Batosai]

a really elegant design!
how long is the hilt?

[Arryck Corso]

It measures at just under 13.5" and feels great to hold. Should be fairly well balanced when complete.

[Boj-Vaati Mau]

Looking good so far, Arryck, and it's quite a nice design too.

[Arryck Corso]

Got a small update. Managed to get my main shroud work about 80% done. Still got a lot of filing, sanding, and polishing to do. But it's coming along quite nicely.


Here's a couple of pics before.
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6786/img1322ra.jpg


http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/2426/img1321v.jpg

And here are the afters. It's not quite done yet but I'm getting there.
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7929/img1325yh.jpg

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5009/img1326fo.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/5681/img1327y.jpg

Once I get all the edges cleaned up and as symetrical as possible, I'll take this to my buffer and bring it to mirror finish. Should really pop nicely when paired with the flat black of the base parts. More to come soon. Thanks for looking!

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Looking good so far. Nice work on that shroud. I'll be watching this one with interest.

[Estine Shabone]

I'm really looking forward to see the finished saber ;D
Looks great so far ;)

[Arryck Corso]

Well I've got another small update to share with everyone.

Here is the blade holder with my mods. Found a local little shop that machined this for me. It came out really well. Exactly what I had in mind.
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8280/img1335f.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5923/img1333t.jpg


Here it is on the saber. The shroud is still rough but I'm getting closer.
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/6489/img1332si.jpg

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7223/img1330va.jpg


Finally here's AETHON....so far! It's really coming along beautifully. Enjoy!!! :p
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2532/img1329v.jpg

[Ty_Bomber]

Wow, great job on the shroud. Is that done with a dremel? Really great job on the emitter too, though it looks a little fragile that close to the inner diameter. Great look all around. I can't wait to see it finished.

[Knighthammer]

Very nice - thumbs up on the shroud work. A talent that still elludes me.

[Arryck Corso]

Wow, great job on the shroud. Is that done with a dremel? Really great job on the emitter too, though it looks a little fragile that close to the inner diameter. Great look all around. I can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks. This shroud has been a real challenge. I've been sanding and filing it for about 4 hours today slowly cleaning all the edges up. I'm trying to get make it look like it was machined rather than done by hand. It's definitely getting there. And yes....I cut this all with dremel! A lot of patience and a solid plan before hand go a long way.

Actually there's still close to .095" of material left on the emitter at the low point of my groove. Trust me this was very carefully calculated to make sure I still had enought left to maintaing the integrity of the part. It's still very strong and solid.

More to come soon!!!

[Ty_Bomber]

Haha. Like they say, measure twice, cut once. Really solid work so far. Can't wait to see more.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

I'm liking the shroud work on this so fr, keep it up, and you'll get that look you're going for.

[Arryck Corso]

I've finally finished my mock up. Well....about 99% finished. I still need to drill and tap the hole for my auxillary switch but I don't have the right drill bit and tap at the moment so I'll get to that later this week. But for now I thought I'd share what I've got done up to this point.


http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9739/img1365k.jpg


Here's a good shot of my modified BH #19
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1387/img1374qu.jpg


http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/1943/img1370r.jpg


http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/6498/img1373kt.jpg


http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6118/picture003qg.jpg


http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/2391/picture004oj.jpg


http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7999/picture005af.jpg


http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4448/picture012h.jpg


http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5662/picture013so.jpg


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/760/picture016ip.jpg



Well that's about all for now. This is really coming along beautifully. Some of you may have noticed I don't yet have the 4 holes drilled for the LED's I had in my render. At this point I'm not sure if I'm going to include them or not. That's something I'll probably decide on later this week. But at this point I'm just not sure. It's mainly due to the fact that I have yet to come up with a good idea for mounting them properly.

Up next is prepping for powdercoat and polishing. I'll be back :D

[Ty_Bomber]

looks really great so far. Have you considered placing your aux switch in the window below your activation switch? I noticed the folks at the vault like to "hide" them among the black PC, and you could then use a recharge port to help secure your upper shroud to the hilt without the need for screws... which i think would keep it clean looking.

[Arryck Corso]

I had thought about that. Seeing as how I'm using a black aux switch. I decided however to mount it on the bottom so that it can be activated with my index finger. The best part is, if I measured it correctly, the switch itself only sticks out about a 1mm or so and it's just enought to depress it and maintain the function.

The main shroud is bolted from the bottom. I've got 2 - 8-32 screws holding it on. I'm going with black screws for the contrast against the polished aluminum of the shroud.

[Noyl Wendor]

Very cool, and very original (MO) I really like the shroud. Nice work :)

[dustunite]

this thing is coming along great, keep it up cant wait to see it finished.

[FenderBender]

For the accent LEDs, an 1/8" hole will hold a 3mm accent LED quite nice, just dab teensy tiny drop of Gorilla glue on the top while holding it from the inside. I solder them into a chain while letting them sit in a jig that is spaced the same as what I drill in the hilt (you can just put them in the top side of the hilt and solder them together). Let it cure for about a minute, done. Its tough, trust me. I have had to use a punch to get them back out.

[Arryck Corso]

Thanks everybody.

Thanks for the advice on the LED's Fenderbender. I had a hunch that was how you did it. I will definitely give that a try. Of course I'll probably take a bit of scrap tube and do a test piece first. That way I can get a good feel for how I want them spaced. And maybe I can use my test piece as a jig like you suggested. It'll be a bit of work but I really do want to include the LED's.

More to come!!!!

[Arryck Corso]

I call this post - SHINY....part 1!!!

I've begun the tedious and time consuming process of polishing all the aluminum. It's been slow going so far. I started with a 320 grit and then worked my way up to 600, 1000, and finally 1500 before taking it to my buffer.

I also have ordered a aluminum polish/sealer that should be here tomorrow. The polish claims to be 100% non-abrasive and is the perfect final step to bringing out a mirror like finish with no visible swirls or scratches. As far as the sealer goes, it's a chemically based sealer that is applied like a wax. The manufacturer claims that it bonds with the metal and will help maintain the shine for up to one year and prevents oxidation.

Here's what I've got done up to this point. I'm currently working on the blade holder so I don't have pics of that yet.

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/4171/img1378wp.jpg

http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/6357/img1377r.jpg

Got a few finger prints on it still......
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/4104/img1379uw.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4465/img1380ch.jpg

Here's my custom coupler. This thing was a beast to get done just right. But I know the extra time will be well worth it once I get the translucent gold pc on it.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9325/img1381td.jpg

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/8338/img1383fc.jpg

Also managed to get the pommel done as well....it came out real well.
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/2287/img1384kv.jpg

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2585/img1385s.jpg


So that's where I'm at thus far. Still got a lot more polishing to do.





For those of you that have been following this build I've got another (little) announcment. Earlier last week my brother came over and was checking out my work and the parts I picked up from Tim. Needless to say he was very impressed with the quality of Tim's work. Anyways, he starting assembling the pieces together to get feel of what the whole saber looks like. Well he inadvertently put my 3" df on backwards with the rear shroud facing the opposite direction that I had originally intended. I liked it so much I drew it up in MS paint and have since decided to go with this new design. So for your viewing pleasure....here it is!!!

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5286/aethon40.png

Not much has really changed. I really loved the look of the rear shroud flowing in the same direction as the main shroud. But seeing as how I had my 3" df all ready drilled and tapped I had to order a new one otherwise my covertec clip wouldn't be in the correct location. I also decided against the extra trim ring near the pommel (at this point at least). I really feel like the saber has a more balanced aesthetic this way. The other little tweek was I disassembled the chrome LED housing and have decided to powdercoat that translucent gold as well.

Well that's all for now. Should have more soon later this weekend. Thanks for looking!!

[Ty_Bomber]

*Whistle*

Man alive, that is one nice piece.

[captain_mills]

Wow, the polishing turned out great!

[Takanis]

Mad respect, man! Nice work!

[Arryck Corso]

Well get out yer shades boys and girls....cuz here it is.....SHINY part 2!!!

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5696/img1394t.jpg

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8608/img1386q.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5363/img1387tn.jpg

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/8326/img1388hc.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8721/img1389rz.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3882/img1390an.jpg

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9666/img1391fj.jpg

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6784/img1392u.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2116/img1393k.jpg



Up next is powdercoat!!! Be back soon :D

[Ty_Bomber]

That polishing job could put a Naboo Royal cruiser to shame man. Nice job. Just curious though... I thought you didn't want to polish pieces before you pc them, cuz it made it difficult to coat even or something. Can someone call me out if I'm wrong?

[Arryck Corso]

Well it was my understanding, and I may be misinformed having never polished something prior to pc'ing, but as I'm using translucent gold pc on a couple of parts, the translucent gold pc will appear to shine more if the aluminum underneath has been polished.

For all intents and purposes (if I chose to) I could pc every part in clear pc and it shouldn't make a difference due to the fact that the pc bonds with the aluminum. The main step prior to pc'ing anything is to make sure the metal is good and clean and free of any contaminents. I've heard wiping your parts down with acetone works well for this. As far as the flat black is concerned, my powdercoater will sandblast it prior to pc'ing if they feel it will help get the desired look.

I know it's widely done on cars. You polish out the aluminum and then throw a clear pc on it to seal it, that way you won't have to keep polishing it ever couple of months to remove the oxidation.

[FenderBender]

Powder coating works by electrostatic bonding. The surface shine has no ill effect on the finished product. It is REQUIRED for the trans gold to mirror polish the piece. If not, you get a dull looking finish that to me, isn't attractive. I have found that even colors like flat black flow better over a polished hilt.

I like the new shroud placement. When I saw your original concept, I bit my tongue to keep from suggesting it as it was your vision, not mine. For me, I would have flipped both shrouds and had the flat ends terminating at the coupler. It would have flowed better IMO. But, top notch work, and a ***y design to be sure.

[Xanatos1986]

also beware on the trans gold its a trans color(candy)its ment to have a base coat under it... i know first hand :( you might not get the finished product you want... thats why most powdercoaters sand blast the parts before coating... so that being said I would ask your powdercoater his opinion on that he might rec a base coat of extream crome, and then the trans gold... PM me for more info but great saber man.

[Arryck Corso]

I like the new shroud placement. When I saw your original concept, I bit my tongue to keep from suggesting it as it was your vision, not mine. For me, I would have flipped both shrouds and had the flat ends terminating at the coupler. It would have flowed better IMO. But, top notch work, and a ***y design to be sure.

It's funny that you should mention that about shroud direction. My very first design for this saber had it going that way. But I felt like it was looking to much like Invictus and didn't want my first saber to be a blatant rip off of someone else's idea.

I'm really happy with the new look of it now. It just feels right.

Anyways, speaking of powdercoat, I was wondering Fenderbender if you've ever thrown some clear pc on a polished part??? I know from experience that no matter how good something is polished, or chromed or that matter, that even small scratches and swirls will eventually show up. If you have clear pc'd a polished piece, did it help hide those miniscule little scratches? As I don't just want a show piece, I'm probably gonna clear pc the polished pieces as I do plan on being able to use this saber.

BTW, thanks for the tip about the jig for lining up the LED holes. WORKED GREAT!!!

[FenderBender]

Yeah, like I said, its your design, and its great. It was just that little 'tug' in my mind on the way 'I' would have done it LOL! Can't wait to see it lit up!

On clearing metal parts. I've heard both sides to this, and debated it ad nauseum with friends and peers. My opinion, its MUCH easier to re-polish metal than fix scratched or hazy PC;) The first time you have to strip and clean and re-coat a piece, you'll know what I mean.

On powdercoating with trans colors: You ONLY have to have a base coat if what you are coating isn't shiny metal. I have PC'd hundreds of parts with trans colors, doing the trans gold (Eastwood's is the best) over high polished metal is the way to go. Any other base coat will yield a dull result. However, the trans/candy/anodized colors like red, sometimes are better over a machined finish to give that anodized look.

[Xanatos1986]

eastwoods huh? ill try that brand next thanks

[Arryck Corso]

The devil's in the details......

I was doing some research on this particular subject this morning and based off what I've read so far throwing a trans color on top of a chrome part is the best way to go, polishing is a close second. But I don't have the money or the patience to send these parts off to get chromed.

Thanks for the heads up on this guys. I really appreciate it. I plan on getting these parts out to powder sometime this week. So hopefully I'll be back in the next few weeks with an update. Then all that's left is to wire this bad boy up.

[cannibal869]

love the polish job... and yes - to Fender listen you should ;)

[Arryck Corso]

So while my parts off getting powder coated I thought I'd give some attention to my chassis. I wanted to try something similar to what I've seen Madcow do with his PVC chassis. And here's what I've come up with. So far...... This is my first attempt.

Well I don't have my Petit Crouton yet (hopefully I'll be able to pick one up sooner rather than later) so I had to improvise. I to the measurements from the manual and transferred them to some cardboard. I also added some of the electronics to simulate the proper thickness. It's pretty cheesy....but it works.
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6941/img1401x.jpg


Here's the PVC tube I started with. It measures at just over 4". I wanted to keep this as compact as possible.
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2802/img1403kg.jpg


Here's the pattern I came up with. Like I said I was trying to emulate a Madcow PVC chassis.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4853/img1406pg.jpg


And here it is cut out and cleaned up!!! It took a little while to get all the edges rounded and smoothed out. But I'm happy with how it turned out.
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1397/img1408r.jpg


http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9631/img1409e.jpg


Finally here's how I envision fitting this all toghther. To properly secure this inside the hilt I plan to use the 5mm LED holding on the small shroud as a way of locking this all down. Once I get my parts back from powdercoat I'll be able to properly locate the hole on the chassis.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/6352/img1410fc.jpg

http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/8697/img1411ov.jpg


So that's what I came up with for my first try. I'm pretty satisfied overall with it. I think it should work out nicely. Won't know for sure until I actually start my wiring. And just in case this doesn't work I've picked up everything I may need for building a chassis from the store. So at the very least I've got options.

Powder should be back by the end of next week. Getting really excited to see it. More to come!!!! :D

[Ty_Bomber]

As beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. That is one great PVC chassis, especially for a first try. Was it done with a Dremel and just sanded down? Cause if so, that's damned impressive.

[Arryck Corso]

Yep. Just a dremel, a couple of files, and some 320 grit sandpaper. And VOILA!!!

[Ty_Bomber]

You sir, are a wizard.

[Nichos Seastrider]

I'm seriously looking forward to seeing the pictures of the real deal, not the render. AND seeing it lit up.

Gorgeous work.

[FenderBender]

Nice chassis! This will be revealable from the rear grip yes? Nice to see a PVC chassis that doesn't look like it was chewed into shape by a beaver:D I would consider mounting the PC upside down with the inductor still hanging off the side of the batt pack (because of the heat). This will make it easier to get at the SD card.....trust me:D

[Arryck Corso]

Yes I do plan on being able to remove the back section of the hilt to get at the SD card. While I was looking around on Saberfont.com I found so many really cool fonts that I couldn't make up my mind which one I like the best. So I've got a list of 4 that I'm gonna be purchasing when the time comes. The idea behind the chassis was to be able to switch out SD cards with a relative amount of ease and changes sound fonts as I feel like.

That's good to know about the heat issue. I hadn't even considered that. I was gonna put the SD slot up just to make it easy to get at! But I'll definitely keep that in mind when I start final assembly.

Thanks for all the support guys. Really means alot. Should have parts back from powder this week (fingers crossed) so stay tuned for more!

[Lord Dottore Matto]

This is a great project. I love it and agree with Fender on the beaver chewed PVC thing, :lol:

[Arryck Corso]

I FINALLY got my powdercoat back. They were a little behind schedule....or say they say. Anyways I know alot of you are anxious to see the finish saber and it is coming.....so in the meantime I thought I'd give everyone a little teaser of what's to come.


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5690/img1443tl.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7346/img1444c.jpg

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/9279/img1448sz.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/1381/img1449sk.jpg


Don't wanna give away to much at this stage. But I'm very happy with the results so far.

I plan to get some of the preliminary wiring outta the way this weekend. My Petit Crouton is on its way and I should have that on Monday. The only other thing I really have to do is refit up all the parts to ensure that everything is going to line up like it did in during my mock up. I've all ready had a couple of minor issues with the blade holder not lining up that I've since resolved. But all in all everything is coming along smoothly.

Well, I'm not sure when I'll be back with the final post on this. I do plan to make a short video per the requests of a few of you. Things are really picking up at work right now so I'll have to find time when I can. But the end is in sight.

The final reveal is coming!!!!

[Ty_Bomber]

Anxiously awaiting the full reveal! The powder coating looks amazing!

[Boj-Vaati Mau]

VERY nice! The tail piece looks very old school Cylon Centurion.

[Vlad Doon]

I really like this project... I'm currently on a hilt with similar shrouds and gold touch, and your "polish step" is amazing. I can't wait for the definitive photos

[Arryck Corso]

And finally here it is.....

AETHON

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4605/img1458qs.jpg

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4953/img1461si.jpg


http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/4729/img1462or.jpg

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/1893/img1463o.jpg

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/127/img1464o.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5972/img1465qs.jpg

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9255/img1467o.jpg

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2489/img1468tx.jpg

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6064/img1469ff.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1992/img1471b.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1534/img1472p.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8103/img1473xm.jpg

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5826/img1474kt.jpg

[Batosai]

wow, your saber turned out really really great!
may I ask what LED setup you've chosen? it looks like a combination of a white and blue diode.

[Arryck Corso]

Here are a few more pics! Tried to get a few "dynamic" shots of my saber.


http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/1744/img1483qb.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/8565/img1475r.jpg

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6156/img1476v.jpg

http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/3688/img1478ie.jpg

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8199/img14661fs.jpg

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/7898/img1479l.jpg

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7710/img14811.jpg

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8642/img1482ld.jpg



Well thanks everyone for following along with me on my first custom saber build. Not to shabby if I say so myself. I want to thank everyone out there in saberland for all your help, ideas, encouragement and support.

I hope you have all enjoyed following this build as much as I have sharing with you. Oh and just in case anybody's wondering....I'm all ready in initial design phase of saber #2 (struggling with the color contrast....). So if you liked AETHON, you're not gonna wanna miss what I have planned next. MTFBWY!

[Arryck Corso]

wow, your saber turned out really really great!
may I ask what LED setup you've chosen? it looks like a combination of a white and blue diode.

Thank you!

Actually I just used a Luxeon Rebel Star Blue from the store. I did go for the quad-wrap Corbin battle blade and I'm overdriving the Rebel at 1100mA.

[FenderBender]

Bravo! A saber to be proud of for sure man! Nice work indeed. Question: Are you still planning on having the rear chassis easily accessible? I ask, because I noticed you put an accent LED in the rear grip and that would mean that you'd have to take out the bezel and push in the LED everytime...

[Arryck Corso]

. Question: Are you still planning on having the rear chassis easily accessible?

Unfortunately at this point no. I slight design flaw I neglected to see. At this point it'll probably never come apart again. There are a few more little tweeks I would have liked to have made to the swing parameters but other than that I'm very pleased overall. I do plan to correct this oversight on my next one and make sure the SD card is more easily accessible.

[dustunite]

Very nice build, it looked cool when it was only polished and now....Awesome!

[Ty_Bomber]

It is absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the best first builds I think I have ever seen. Glad to see it all together.

[Jay]

Awsome build for sure. I'll be honest though, I was kinda hoping to see a purple blade. Either way awesome hilt.

[Arryck Corso]

Awsome build for sure. I'll be honest though, I was kinda hoping to see a purple blade. Either way awesome hilt.

I was waiting for someone to say that....LOL! Yeah purple would look awesome on this saber...no doubt....I'm just partial to blue :D

[FenderBender]

I could see almost any blade color on this hilt. It is really versatile and faction neutral in design. Personally, red or orange would look great too:D

[Jay-gon Jinn]

A very nice first effort, Bravo! too bad about not being able to reveal the rear chassis, you did such a fine job on that pvc that it's almost a shame to cover it up! ;)

[fatcap]

SO SHINY! Very Amazing what you did. Cant wait to do my 1st build. This is inspiring for me. :)

[brett]

I have so enjoyed watching this build, it seemed to go so quickly. An admirable thing, for someone to have a solid design in mind and stick to it. Unfortunately I find when you procrastinate the build tends to change and as new tech or items appear in TCSS the look may end up being SO different from origin. (My experience only) But yours is very inspirational, love how the shroud design reminds me of Coruscant buildings, and the subtle blade holder changes. A refined, subdued and very stylish saber. And you are right, I cannot wait to see your next creation.

[Arryck Corso]

Thanks everyone.

[BigT_SOTF]

Awesome work, Arryck. It must have been a long, tedious task of polishing up the aluminum. I've not gotten to polishing aluminum to a mirror finish, but you've certainly shown it can be done. Wow! I can't wait to see your future work.