First MHS saber concept

[Xiarr Odai]

Howdy folks!
I stumbled upon TCSS by accident about a week ago and after seeing the MHS, I had to make one. I've been making hardware-store sabers since I was about ten years old, so I figure I've earned a step up :)

http://neo-thought.parallel-worlds.net/mhssaber.jpg

After much to-ing and fro-ing over chokes and main bodies, fluting and so on that's what I came up with. It will be a static hilt at first but I may upgrade it in future with electronics, and I'll invariably also buy additional parts to modify it when I see fit... if I had the money to buy every part in the store and spend a week trying different configurations, I undoubtedly would :rolleyes:

There will probably be parts painted black, but I'm not sure what yet. Right now I'm thinking the grooves in the handle and blade holder...

Will update when I get the parts later this month :D

Pete

[jedi Xam'i Letsab]

That's a nice design. very classic

[Rhyen Skytracker]

Nice design. I think having the grooves in the hilt and emitter powder coated black will look great.

[Xiarr Odai]

Cheers :D I probably won't get powder coating, as I like to mess around with paintjobs every now and then for a fresh look - my guitars are more paint and primer than wood :roll:

I've just been doing some different paintjobs on the GIMP to see what I like...

http://neo-thought.parallel-worlds.net/saberconcepts.jpg

I think I'm leaning towards the fourth from the left, but I don't know why I did any of the pommels black, I really don't like it...

Opinions welcome...

Pete

[Rhyen Skytracker]

I like the 3rd one from the right best and the 3rd one from the left second.

[Thaxos]

I like the one in the middle best

[Kal El Rah]

I like #1 and# 5 from the left.

[Vazan Maceu]

That´s a nice design to start with, very clean, and looks nice to spin and handle. Painting it will give that extra touch indeed, and I think that the third one from the right is a winner IMHO. I´d go and add a cyan LED too, and make it look a little less static ;)

[Xiarr Odai]

Hey again folks!

I did a little bit more twiddling with the paint schemes, nothing major, and then added an orange blade to the pictures...

http://neo-thought.parallel-worlds.net/bladecolors3.jpg

I got a little carried away so you lose a lot of emitter detail :rolleyes: But nothing much has changed there.

Rhyen - I can see where you're coming from, particularly from my point of view since I have to paint it :) It could be a bit awkward getting the line between painted and unpainted right on the fourth saber. Third from the right has the advantage that I can just paint and sand, with very little hassle...

What I don't want to do, though, is make it look like a black lightsaber with metallic accents, so I don't want to add too much black and I don't want it to be too "exposed". Ie, I think the widest points of the saber should be metallic, with just blackened grooves and choke. It's just what grooves and what parts of the choke that's throwing me! Maybe a bit of china-marker-madness when I get the parts in is in order...

Vazan - Cheers! I did want something simple - the character for which the Lightsaber is intended is a Sith Marauder, and I thought that for someone who is, basically, purely a combatent and very little else, practicality would be more important than aesthetics. I have reconsidered this somewhat after taking this screencap, though:
http://neo-thought.parallel-worlds.net/sith9.jpg
Where the mask is far more intricate than I first thought. I'm considering somehow incorporating similar designs into the saber, though I'm not sure how. I also considered whether psychological warfare would be a factor (ie, the biggest, scariest, meanest looking saber going) but decided it wouldn't be; let's face it, the Marauders are scary enough in that armour on their own, the cut of their saber ain't gonna make much difference! What it cuts, on the other hand . . .

I am thinking about a few LEDs in the hilt, just to make it looks a bit more active as you say; and with the lead Sith in the TOR trailer having red lights on his mask and chestpiece, I think it would tie in well enough. Maybe a blinking one and a static one; not entirely sure, though. I do want it to have a blade of some sort, though it would probably be a stunt one just 'cause I'm clumsy as can be :oops:

Pete

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Welcome aboard Xiarr...I really like the second from the right in your orange bladed pic a lot for a Sith saber but I know you said you don't want much black so I'd say the first one on the left looks most Sithy of the rest to me...the others all look more like Jedi sabers to my eyes. Just my $0.02, your mileage may vary and good luck with your build.

[Thaxos]

I really like the second from the right as well... Have you considered a more complicated paint scheme on the choke? That would break up the solid black section

[Barmic Rin]

1st orange bladed one is very sith. I wouldn't use any accepnt LED's as it would detract from the simplicity of it.

Besides the paint, i'd add a thumb screw to make it look like it has a blade intensity/length adjustor, but mainly i'd put one on to break up the symmetry abit....

[Vazan Maceu]

I am thinking about a few LEDs in the hilt, just to make it looks a bit more active as you say; and with the lead Sith in the TOR trailer having red lights on his mask and chestpiece, I think it would tie in well enough. Maybe a blinking one and a static one; not entirely sure, though. I do want it to have a blade of some sort, though it would probably be a stunt one just 'cause I'm clumsy as can be


Thinking about those accent leds I whipped up this:
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9484/xiarrodai.gif

As you can see, there are two 5mm leds installed in the little cutout on the right of the switch, a green one and a yellow. The switch is one of the shop´s guarded latching switches in red color. The black line could be carved or just painted black. Just a couple ideas I wanted to share with you.

[Crimsonjedi]

I really like the design. Might have something to do with the fact that my saber is the exact same thing except with a number 16 blade holder and a custom d-ring on the pommel. the guarded switch is definitely the way to go. I think you will really appreciate the feel of the hilt when you are holding it.

[Xiarr Odai]

Onli-Won Kanomi - Cheers mate! I can see where you're coming from about the others looking like Jedi sabers. I don't think they necessarily wouldn't do for Sith sabers, I'm just not sure what they're missing - the main differences in Jedi and Sith sabers isn't really colouring, it's something else that I just can't for the life of me put my finger on. The Jedi and Sith sabers of the movies just "look different" and even the Obi-Wan of ANH with all the black doesn't look like a Sith saber... so I'm just not sure what it is. I think that the LEDs would help somewhat, just because the Sith tend to appear more technological and the Jedi more organic - with the Sith traditionally wearing armour and synthesising red Crystals whereas the Jedi tend to wear earth tones and tend to use natural crystals of more natural colours, if yknow what I mean..

Thaxos - did you have anything in mind? I'm not sure whether you mean a pattern, or just breaking it up like the third from the left (in the pic with the blades).

Barmic - I agree, the LEDs would take away a bit of the simplicity I was going for, they're really more of a means to an end (trying to make it look a bit sithier) than they are just for decoration. I think that if the paint scheme was one of the simpler ones, it still wouldn't look too complex; I may leave them out completely though, I think Vazan nailed what I needed with the cutout.. the LEDs do look pretty cool there though! I agree about the thumbwheel as well, I am probably going to put one in - I might put in a few other round-head allen bolts to look like they serve a purpose as well :mrgreen:

Vazan - as above, I think you nailed it with that cutout! Haven't done anything quite like it though, so it will be a first - perhaps doing the outline with a dremel cutting wheel ad then one of the bullet-shaped grinding bits would do... and a thick oil based paint to cover up any shoddy grinding! Thanks very much :mrgreen:

Crimsonjedi - cheers mate, nice to hear from someone with a similar hilt :mrgreen: Comfort was an issue I was concerned about, since all the twirls and such I learned with a straight 1 1/4" hilt... I wasn't sure whether the choke would be a hindrance.

Cheers folks!
Pete

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Xiarr I think you are right it isn't just about colour alot of [though not all; see Sidious] the Sith sabers do have a more 'cold mechanical' angular look and the Jedi sabers [though again not all] can seem to have more round flowing lines but also remember the movies all take place within a half century of one another whereas KOTOR/TOR is more than 3000 years earlier so that is also a factor that makes it ok if those MUCH earlier sabers have a different general 'look' that doesn't have to follow the 'fashions' of the movie eras.

Vazan that design really looks terrific! Though for a Sith saber I think I'd make just one of the accent LEDs red...another thought I had was that for a Sith saber maybe engraving a Sith Glyph or two might somewhere might add to it and also for a Sith saber especially I'd get a blade with a bullet-tip...just to make it seem more 'pointy-aggressive' eh?

[Thaxos]

Vazan, props to you. That is an awesome design!

[Vazan Maceu]

Vazan that design really looks terrific! Though for a Sith saber I think I'd make just one of the accent LEDs red...


Vazan, props to you. That is an awesome design!

Thanks for the compliments! :D That cutout is an idea I had for my own MHS, but when I saw Xiarr´s concept I thought it would look nice on it, so there it is...

[Xiarr Odai]

Onli-Won Kanomi - that's a very good point I hadn't considered :) Fashion evidently does play a role in Star Wars lightsabers, even if the motivation behind it is to emulate the saber of another Jedi to show respect (as with the Luke-Obi similarities). A lot of the more unimportant prequel sabers definitely share parts - probably for simplicity as far as the propmakers are concerned, but canonically, it's fashion as you say.

Glyphs would also be nice - maybe something based on the pics of Sith Holocrons... I was thinking of a ribbon of sorts hanging from the pommel, as you see on some eastern swords and perhaps glyphs would be a nice touch there.

Vazan - I hope you don't mind me borrowing it then - I'll scrap it and just do something similar if you'd prefer, I don't like stepping on toes :mrgreen:

Pete

[Vazan Maceu]

Go on and use it Pete, I already have another idea to play with ;-)

[Xiarr Odai]

Vazan - Cheers mate :D You're my latest hero - after finalising the paint scheme, that cutout was exactly what it needed!

So here's pics of what should be the final paint scheme (til I get bored of it ;) ) and the groove with LEDs - I mapped the grooved section on the GIMP but it really didn't make as much of a difference as I expected so I might as well have just stuck with the 2d! In red this time, for uber sithiness...

http://neo-thought.parallel-worlds.net/red.jpg

Really quite chuffed with how this is turning out :D Can't wait to get the parts... soon!

Pete

[Thaxos]

Ooh! That looks amazing just from the GIMP, I cannot wait to see how this turns out. It shall be an awesome build! Looking forward to it! :D

[Vazan Maceu]

Really quite chuffed with how this is turning out :-D Can't wait to get the parts... soon!

That´s going to be a terrific lightsaber... Really have Sith looks with those two red leds ;-)

[Xiarr Odai]

Thank you :D I'm lookin forward to it as well! I've also designed a few concepts for a matching short saber, as an offhand weapon or backup. I'm not entirely sure whether I'm going to do it or not, as I'm pretty useless with my left hand so posing would be out of the question :rolleyes: I think it looks kinda cool though, it's just about made completely outta chokes :D

Pete

[Rhyen Skytracker]

That is going to look awesome.

[Jedi coral]

i am liking how this is turning out. i look forward to the finished pics.

[Invisas1979]

I like this mainly because I love the idea of sith sabers more than jedi. Personally I would have the area with the accent leds black, then maybe some aurebesh writing (engraved so you can see beneath the black) saying a bit of the sith code "peace is a lie" or "through passion I gain strenght".... I was going to do this for my concept

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?p=136567#post136567

but as I have a fairly sith looking item I'm not sure if it'l be overkill.....

Finally if you had a unique looking single blade/tallon (dooku style) coming of the emmiter.......