I'm a new member and haven't built anything yet. I've been looking around the forum and the shop for a few days before posting anything. Saw some good advice in different sections and hope this is the correct place to post this.

I know I am looking to build a MHS saber with a yellow blade. The goal is to have the final version be a completed saber with a single color LED for the blade with sound, some accent LEDs, and maybe an accent LED for a crystal chamber. However, I am going to be taking my time and building in stages (I promised my wife I'd only buy a few pieces at a time).

I have gone though the MHS Builder and figured out which pieces I want for the hilt, but don't have experience with drilling or tapping metal. I know I should order the main body, choke, and blade holder all at once so that I can get the holes for the blade retention screw aligned properly with the button on the hilt if I want them positioned a certain way. But I have to ask if are these holes fairly easy to drill (and tap where needed)? I know I would need the right tools to do this type of work. Would a dremel work well for these purposes? Could it also be used to cut slots into the choke to allow viewing of an accent LED illuminated crystal chamber?

I've looked at the electronics portions and think I've figured out what I want as far as the internal components. I don't have a lot of experience with electronics and soldering. At the advice of my brother-in-law who is an electrical engineer, I was going to start with a standard battery back and resistors (I did the calculations for the proper resistors). I intend to start with resistors and standard batteries, but plan to change over to a sound module and rechargeable battery once I have a better understanding (I understand I will need different resistors when changing to a higher voltage battery).

My main question is where I should start, hilt exterior or internal electronics? Should I start with the hilt and have it ready to for when I buy the electronics? Should I buy the electronics first and get some experience with those? I feel like I should wait to order the pieces to the hilt since I don't know what holes I'm going to need in the hilt right away (accent LEDs, solo switches vs switch plates, recharge port, and RICE port) or if I will want to include a crystal chamber. But if I can do those on my own it might be a better place to start.