Goodman's Luke ROTJ Conversion (MR sound w/ Seoul P4)

[Goodman]

Since I used a few parts I bought from TCSS, I thought this would have value here on the forums:


Everyone knows how ugly the fat MR FX neck is on the Luke ROTJ, so a while back I commissioned a slimmer, more accurate neck be machined by someone who shall not be named. The problem is, the neck wasn't threaded to reattach to the rest of the saber, and now it was too narrow to accept (without modification) a light source, so the saber just sat.

Here is a quick build up:

To me, the most important thing in building a saber is the planning phase. So, I laid out what I had to work with. With a little creativity I was able to integrate the new neck without having to remove the soundboard. Initially, Kit Fisto said to remove the board if it was a hassle, but I really wanted to keep it in there for him as a surprise:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_6df3cfd7.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/6df3cfd7.jpg)

As you can see, I needed to cut down the stock sled to accept the neck insert. Also, I needed to bore out in ID of the neck so the protruding soundboard would fit into it firmly with the insulation (not shown) for proper gesture recognition, and chop down the heatsink. I also needed to drill and tap the neck insert so it would be secure. The set screw there provides back pressure against the stock battery pack’s springs. The set screw at the front of the neck holds a steel collet, which is positioned to hold the lens, and lens holder tightly together, much like the MHS blade holders are designed to do.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_b1fcd28b.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/b1fcd28b.jpg)

After all that, I checked the fit and alignment again:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_dbe8788f.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/dbe8788f.jpg)

Notice how the impact sensors are suspended upwards, so they are firmly in place but don’t touch the board or the neck insert/wall.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_59c05f53.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/59c05f53.jpg)

Then assembled it together:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_ac8a8f84.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/ac8a8f84.jpg)

Then voila, it’s finished! I used a Seoul P4 Green which, after seeing one Darth Tyranus sent me, is my new favorite green. Great brightness, close to a Lux V, but with MRboard compatible power requirements.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_d122f67f.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/d122f67f.jpg)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_175a5d7a.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/175a5d7a.jpg)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_ca9b6c9b.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/ca9b6c9b.jpg)


And here it is next to the other sabers on my current workbench:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/th_a439f874.jpg (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f285/AKD001/Luke%20ROTJ%20--Abbot/a439f874.jpg)

Any thoughts, questions, critiques, let me know!

[ConnorMichael]

That's one of the best functional Luke V1s out there. I love the way that you used custom parts with the MR body.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Love it my man! A+ effort.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Nice work!

Glad you didn't give up on this saber. :)

[psab keel]

Beautiful work!

Just out of curiousity, what size blade does this saber hold? I would venture a guess and say 3/4 inch?

[Goodman]

Hi Pssab Keel,

No, I bored it out to fit a 1" blade snugly. 3/4" don't do it for me anymore, even back in the EL days they left me 'wanting'. lol


Also, an update for anyone else who cares: I'll be expanding this thread to include a second round of upgrades for this saber, starting with a sliding circuit board to reveal the wiring inside (like one of the unused movie props), and possibly a crystal core chamber beneath the ribbed section.

Stay tuned... :)

[Dark Navel]

Are you going to powder coat the neck with a copper color or leave it the way it is?? Nice work by the way.