Dameron Saber – Blender Version 1

Hello Everybody, hopefully you all got some bargains in the Black Friday Sales (but didn’t spend all your money 😀 ) I didn’t buy anything as I’m saving for a new computer but I do know most new items come with a lot of packaging. This packaging needs recycling to save the Galaxy, so I wondered what I could recycle to do my part. I recycled part of a droid for my SCOMP Saber but felt I could do more when all of a sudden I saw something in the Empire Strikes Back film that inspired me. I saw something I could recycle into a hilt! That something was a part from an X-Wing Fighter and I know just who to give it to…The Best Pilot in the Resistance! This is Dameron Saber….

 

Dameron Saber WIP 1

Dameron Saber WIP 2

Dameron Saber WIP 3

Dameron Saber WIP 4

This hilt looks quite normal but it is a recycled part…and it has a nice little special feature! That feature is a Crystal Chamber! As you can see from the final two images above there is a crystal chamber mechanism (highlighted in orange) and the real neat thing is that the part I chose to base this hilt on has a window that allowed me to include the crystal. The hilt went through a few modelling versions as I added the various parts and here are a few more pictures, and as you take a look see if you can guess which part of the X-Wing I have recycled!…

 

Basic hilt shape (note the window!)

A few more details added

Another angle and anadded Rebel Logo Switch.

As you can see the hilt is painted in a black and orange/yellow scheme in tribute to Poe Dameron and his famous X-Wing from The Force Awakens. There is also an activation switch modelled on the Rebel/Resistance logo. Any guesses which X-Wing part this is? No? Well to be fair you would need to be very observant as this is actually a part of the X-Wing Cockpit control panel! I saw it when Luke Skywalker crash landed on Dagobah. As he climbed out of his ship Artoo Detoo falls into the swamp. And if you look closely into the cockpit you will see a cylindrical object like a telescope mounted on the dashboard! Here is a picture from behind the scenes…

Look in the upper right hand area of the picture and you will see a black tube…familiar? Yep, that’s the component I based this hilt on. I thought it was perfect as a hilt and it had a window just right to add a crystal chamber in! So how about a few Glamour shots, OK here they are…

 

Dameron Saber Emitter

Dameron Saber Switch and Crystal Chamber

Dameron Saber Vertical Up

Dameron Saber Vertical Down

Dameron Saber Pommel

Dameron Saber Ignited!

There you are Dameron Saber, a tribute to the famous X-Wing Fighter and a tribute to Poe Dameron, one of it’s most famous pilots (Luke already had two lightsabers 😀 ). I hope you enjoyed this hilt and my attempts at recycling. In future posts I have some new designs based on a Star Wars themed PC game, along with a hilt for some 1970’s detectives and a Bio-Technology Corporation! So please call back and check those out. In the meantime thank you for your visit and support today. I appreciate you all, whether this is your first visit or if you’re a regular caller. Till next time….

“Dameron Saber – Blender Veersion1” is a For Tyeth Edition design and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-18. “Poe Dameron”, “X-Wing” and “The Force Awakens” are Trademarks/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm.

Aquaman Bend Lightsaber – FT Blender Version 2

Hello Everybody, wow what a week I have had! I have recently had a bumper day of views with one visitor contributing 169 views! So if you are Canadian and had a good look around my site, thank you very much! Back to today’s post and I return to the underwater world of Aquaman. I have been hinting at this hilt for a few weeks now and as I posted Bumblebot last week I felt it time to show you my hilt inspired by Aquaman. This hilt might look slightly damaged (bent) but trust me it isn’t this is Aquaman Bend….

Aquaman Bend studio 1

Aquaman Bend studio 2

Aquaman Bend studio 3

Aquaman Bend studio 4

This watery weapon was created at the same time as my Black Panther themed hilt and I thought that both films had a king of their domain so wondered how to make the Panther’s Claw V2 Saber work for Aquaman. The answer lies in a new modifier tool which BENDS the object that it is applied to. It is this tool which enabled me to give the hilt it’s signature curved shape. Curved sabers became popular in the Star Wars fandom after Count Dooku wielded a chromed, curved hilt. And the reason I chose to bend this hilt lies with the fantastic images of whales and dolphins that leap out of the water and the arc of their bodies as they exit and then re-enter the water in their dances. The hilt sort of looks like a dolphin so fit with the theme.

I had an awful struggle to get the design to work, as I had to work out how to bend both the inner core and the outer perforated sleeve and get them to match. I worked out I had to bend the inner core by a set amount of degrees then repeat the process on the sleeve after which I had to stretch the sleeve so it was in proportion. Then it was just a matter of rotating the emitter and pommel parts to align. Once I was happy I took a few Glamour Shots (later I reshot the images to add the Glow Effect) so here are a few Glam Shots…

Aquaman Bend Glam Shot 1

Aquaman Bend Glam Shot 2

Aquaman Bend Glam Shot 3

Aquaman Bend Glam Shot 4

Another neat thing about Blender is that you can add a glossy surface to create a “floor” to display models on and it makes the hilt look as if it is hovering over water. Maybe I’ll learn how to add ripples in future 😀 . And speaking of future I hope you all return to see upcoming posts which will feature designs inspired by a glamorous 1970/80’s detective show(?) and an evil Bio-Technical Corporation plus I have a saber for “The Best Pilot in the Resistance”. In the meantime I need to say a big thank you to everybody who supports and follows my site (including Annlyel and Gigi, I noticed you had subscribed!). Your support is much appreciated and keeps me designing more new hilts. Till next time….

“Aquaman” is a character created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger and appears in DC Comics. Aquaman is Trademark/© Copyright of D.C Comics Entertainment. “Aquaman Bend Lightsaber” is an original “For Tyeth Edition” design and is © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2018.

Bumblebot – A saber for Bumblebee (FT’s Blender Version)

Hello Everybody, today I have a bit of a buzz going on. I just received a couple of nice presents, a new copy of a Star Wars computer game known as “Knights of the Old Republic” and some fantastic movie posters! Well today’s hilt is inspired by a blockbuster Hollywood movie due out shortly and it is Star Wars inspired as all lightsabers are, But this hilt is for the heroic robot disguised as a car….Bumblebee!

I built this saber as soon as I heard there was a new Bumblebee movie due out and because recent Transformers films showed Bumblebee as a Chevrolet instead of the classic Volkswagen Beetle I based it on the new Chevy version. Then just my luck I find out that this new film depicts Bumblebee as a Beetle! Well I have a saber to show you all and I hope you like it, here is Bumblebot Version 2!

Chevy Pommel…

Covertech Knob

Fuel Filler Cap recharge port cover

Autobot and Decepticon Switches

Emitter detailing.

The full saber.

I tried my best to model this on a Chevrolet so much I even added a Chevy flag logo on the speaker grille. The pommel also features faux lens covers to imitate the rear brake lights and the black details represent the rear impact bars. There is also a colour co-ordinated Covertech Knob to attach the saber to your belt clip. Custom sabers usually obtain their power from replaceable batteries or  they have a permanently fixed rechargeable battery. The type that have rechargeable batteries need a socket to plug the wall charger into to charge up the hilt. This socket looks out of place on a saber so to disguise the socket I made a cover for it that looks like a fuel filler cap! A really nice feature are the on/off switches which I modelled to resemble the logos of the two warring factions in the Transformers universe. They are of course the good guy Autobots (this is the activation button) and the bad robot Decepticons (this is the deactivation button). The switch box represents the power bulge found on the bonnet/hood of  muscle cars. The emitter I made to look like the front end of the car and included headlights. And to finish the hilt off I gave it an overall yellow and black colour scheme to match the heroic little robot with the big heart.

The new Bumblebee movie is due out in December 2018 (26th in the UK) and I just happened to go and watch another film yesterday called “Bohemian Rhapsody” about the famous rock group Queen and it’s lead singer Freddie Mercury….but guess who I bumped into as I left? You’ll never guess….

Yep it was the Autobot himself (sort of!) And talking of leaving, I’m afraid it is that time again where I have to bring this post to a close. I hope you enjoyed this saber design, maybe one day the film studio will decide to stick to one version of Bumblebee! Thanks to everyone of you for looking in and supporting my site. Your visits are very much appreciated and one final bit of news…you have all helped me reach 9000 views which is fantastic. Please call back to see future posts as I still have many more hilts to show you including another “Watery Warrior” themed saber linked to another new movie due out in December! Thanks and Till next time…

“Bumblebot Saber Blender Version 2) is a For Tyeth Edition design and is Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite. Bumblebee, Autobot/Decepticon, Transformers and any name or related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Hasbro Toys.

Bumblebee is produced by Hasbro Studios, Di Bonaventura Pictures and is distributed by Paramount Pictures.

 

For Tyeth’s First Sci-Fi Fest!

Hello Everybody, I have a bit of a bonus post for you all today! After my recent success learning Blender 3D I felt I deserved to treat myself to a day out. Well as it happens there was a Science Fiction Festival over the weekend so I went and had a look! It was another fantastic experience and I had my first moment of media recognition! More on that later… Upon arriving I discovered there was a big lean towards Dr Who and the Time Lord’s franchise as I was greeted by these guys…

Kaled or Dalek you decide!

But this is Dalek Dolly!

Ooh a Gold Dalek…Bling!

Oh and old blue Police Box!

These were fully operational Daleks and travelled around the convention floor chasing a very distressed Doctor who was also a very lifelike John Pertwee look-a-like! I couldn’t get a photo of the Doctor as he was too busy rushing here, there and everywhere…plus he was the compere of the on stage events! It’s a good job he has plenty of time.

There were of course some Star Wars stuff as well including the Droids I met earlier in the year at the Comic Con I attended. They were glad to see me

Remember these guys?

They were back again!

Yours Truly and R5-PHT

And the new member of the family!

And an interesting bit of information about the last little droid pictured above, his name is R3-N3 and is very heroic. You see this is one of the droids that attempted to repair Queen Amidala’s starship in The Phantom Menace film. Sadly he was hit by enemy fire and blasted into space. The droid you see is a replica built by the gentleman who built the R5-PHT you saw in my post about the earlier Comic Con (and of course featured in it’s own saber design post found HERE ). And in a funny twist of fate, I had pictures of the saber on my phone and I showed the gentleman the hilt. He replied, “Yeah I’ve already seen it”. I was a little confused by the comment and said “How? This is a design I created and posted on my site” to which I got the answer, “I looked up on the Internet to see what people were saying about my droid and this picture showed up in my search results…I then went and saw it on his page!” I couldn’t believe it, I was being recognised (sort of) for my designs by the gentleman whose work I had been inspired by!

EDIT: NEWS FLASH! I have been contacted by Mr G Turner, owner and builder of both R5-PHT and the new little green and white droid. I have mistakenly identified the droid and it’s name is J3-S5 or JESS! I apologise for my mistake, I tried to find the name of his new droid based on model type and colour and I got it wrong 😦  Thank you Mr Turner for letting me know!

But it wasn’t just droids who were present, there were more Sith at the event. At the last con I bumped into Darth Maul….this time it was KYLO REN!…

Kylo Ren about to meet his match.

I win, I have the higher saber!

Yes I had to confront Kylo Ren this time, and his saber has three blades! But no problem for a Jedi Master like myself as you can see from the second image…I had the upper hand saber! Kylo was great actually and I got to examine his saber and found it was really good. Though it would look better in green obviously 😀 . After defeating Darth Maul and Kylo Ren word has been spreading of my exploits and a certain Dark Lord even tried getting me to join his band…Don’t worry, I haven’t turned to the Dark Side of the Force but I have been known to drink Coca-Cola now and then! I forgot I had the bottle in my coat pocket (doh!). However the recruitment attempts didn’t stop there, the Mandalorians wanted to hire my services. Maybe they want me to appear in the new Star Wars television series “The Madalorian” that is due out soon, hmm…whatever the reason Boba Fett was at the con too…

I think Boba wants my saber!

Yep! He sent a friend to try and steal it!

I was beginning to feel outnumbered at these conventions, I think I might be the only Jedi there (in disguise as I don’t have a costume yet 😦  but I’m working on one) Luckily I found some support in the shape of Jedi Master Plo Koon and guess what? He likes green too!…

We easily saw off the Empire and the First Order! But to finish the day, how about some fluffies? Well there was a new face and one you might recall from last time…

Not sure what this is, can any Anime fans help me?

Hoth Wampa (You can see him better now)

As I say in the caption, I’m not sure what the first furry is (never seen it on any planet I’ve been to) so if any of you are fans of Anime and can name it please let me know. The last picture is a slightly better image of the Hoth Wampa I met before. The lighting is much better but it seems Luke Skywalker left in a hurry…I don’t know why the Wampa is armless really!

Sadly it is time for me to leave too, I hope you have had a bit of the fun I had at the con. I want to thank all the folks there for being so accommodating and posing for pictures. They do a great job raising funds for local charities and if you ever get to a convention don’t forget to thank the participants too.

I also need to thank you all, my viewers for dropping by and checking out my little bonus post. Whether you are a regular visitor or this is your first trip to FTSabersite thank you for your support. Till next time…

FTSabersite and all it’s contents are Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2018.

A Glowing New Trick! For finally works it out.

Hello Everybody, I’m so glad you all survived the Halloween week and made it back to see my next post. And do I have a story to tell you! Many of you will have noticed since I started using Blender for my designs, that the blades don’t have that “Aura” effect around them, they just glow a certain solid colour. Here are a few examples of what I mean…

R2 Saber full portrait.

Panther’s Claw V2 “Glamour Shot”

TY Silencer Saber Glamour 1

Ecto-Plasma Saber 1

The blades do emit light but are just solid beams, they don’t have that special “Movie Magic” look do they? The reason is that I mistakenly thought I had to program or assign a special material or part to the model to get the effect. Previously I used to add the effect using GIMP, a photo editing software (like Photoshop but a free software) and had to edit each image. In some galleries I had 6,7,8 maybe more images that I had to add effects to and it took a long time. But there is good news, I came across a video on YouTube that explained where I was going wrong with Blender. Blender can produce the movie effect but not in the way I expected. As I said I thought I had to manipulate the model, when in fact all I had to do was add an instruction to modify the light colour AFTER I had built the saber. So I add a blade to the hilt, then choose the colour/light and then attach the effect to the colour – not the model! Now I have done this to the four sabers pictured above to see how well it works and here are the results….

R2-D2 Saber Aglow!

Panther’s Claw Aglow!

Ty Silencer Aglow!

Ecto-Plasma Saber Aglow!

I think the new technique works rather well, if I say so myself! And the real bonus of this new found skill is that Blender does the work for me, and if I have to make 6,7,8 images from different angles the effect is automatically added whenever I click the button to create a new picture. Even better than that, look closely at the Ecto-Plasma hilt emitter and you can see the effect “seeping” through the holes. This means the aura is actually “within” the images and models and not just an overlay!

So I apologise that I didn’t have a new saber to share with you today, but I am tweaking the ones I have scheduled so they have the “new blades”. And in future all my new builds will hopefully look a little more “lifelike”.

I am about to run out of time as I need to make a start on the new schedule. But please call back for upcoming posts where I have the long awaited “Watery Warrior” and “Brave Robot Car” hilts (inspired by two big movies due out in December), a saber dedicated to the “Best pilot in the Resistance” and my new collaboration TV and Movie franchise series of hilts. Phew that’s a lot. Thank you for looking in today and supporting my site whether this is your first visit or you call regularly, you are much appreciated. Till next time….I’ve got to GLOoooow!

FTSabersite and all it’s contents are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2018.