“Rey of Darkness” Saber – For Tyeth’s Edition

Hello Everybody, now technically as I type this it is 03:30 Friday morning in the UK, so it is the beginning of the weekend (sort of) but I am so excited I felt I had to post this now.

I have over the past 2-3 days been working on a 3D model of “Darkside” Rey’s new double lightsaber switchblade staff. I started off with a screengrab from the new trailer which was very blurry and didn’t show much detail, however I interpreted it as best I could and came up with this “windowed” version with a very poor looking hinge (that semi-circular black thing on the pommels)…

Blurry screen grab

My first build attempt

I thought it was OK as a base model to later modify and so I went crazy and spent most of the day “tinkering” to make it better and more accurate. I found a much sharper image of the saber and found that I had obviously made mistakes, the four windows were in fact part of a “Slotted” emitter with a circular “Glass Eye” window. A Glass Eye window is the round lens that is found near the emitter of a Graflex lightsaber which allows the light from the blade to shine through (In reality it was the lens for the light measuring mechanism of the Graflex camera flashgun handle). I realised I needed to tweak the proportions and thickness of the coloured bands, I also needed to add a few detail parts and REALLY needed to do something with the hinge. I believe that some film trickery helped how the saber looked in the trailer as it extends but I haven’t got that good to do an animation like that…yet! So here was my second build with a hinge I made based on a Universal Ball joint seen on drive shafts of cars…As you can see I added a Universal Ball joint hinge, which is the two spherical pommels connected by a curved plate. The plate pivots 90degs at both ends so that the saber handles straighten out to point in opposite directions and form the staff. I also installed a couple of activation switches to match the blades, but I still knew I could do better so I worked on a more accurate hinge mechanism that looked like the one on screen (even if the bracket seen on screen can’t hinge!). I built the new hinge and that brings me to my final version which I present here. I am sure I have still gotten parts wrong but if I try and make more fixes then I might ruin what I have already (maybe when better footage/images are released I might revisit this hilt) Now onto the “Glamour Shots”…

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 1

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 2

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 3

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 4

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 5

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded 6

“Rey of Darkness” saber folded (note the hinge!)

I added a ring of Hexhead Wrench screws around the switch section along with a pair of switched (I am still not certain where the real switch position is so this could be changed later) Also added are the black rectangular blocks with the thumbscrews. The hinge, I suspect is an end cap for scaffolding poles used for mounting Amateur Radio enthusiasts’ antennae (this piece encloses/connects the bottom of the mounting scaffold pole and the bottom of the aerial tube itself). I think it looks like the one seen in the pictures and video. And now you want to see the staff version right? OK, here are the extended staff “Glamour Shots”…

“Rey of Darkness” Extended 1

“Rey of Darkness” Extended 2

“Rey of Darkness” Wireframe

Hopefully I have done a good job overall. This is the most intensive project I have done, both in detail and timeframe…a lot of detail in a very short amount of time to build. And I think I may have beaten the big names in custom saber manufacturers in displaying a version of this hilt!

Well that just about wraps up this post, except to say I am really looking forward to seeing “The Rise of Skywalker” in December (20th) and find out for certain whether Rey has turned to the Darkside or if this is a “Clone” of her, or even just a Force vision flashback/premonition (hard to see the future is, always in motion it is!). So as is my tradition, I’d like to thank you all for looking in on this design and for your support of me and my site. Whether you are a new visitor (and there have been a few recently) or a regular caller, you are all very much appreciated. If you liked what you saw please spread the word about FTSabersite to friends and be sure to call back to see many more new hilts and designs in future posts. Till next time…..

p.s. I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to have a rest over a long weekend now (Phew!) Back to work on Monday….

“Rey of Darkness” saber is a For Tyeth Editions rendition and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. The Rey “Switchblade” saber staff, and all Star Wars names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm ltd 2019.

“Rey of Darkness” Saber – The “Switchblade” saber update!

Hello Everybody, just a quick post to let you know I have been busy “tinkering” with my attempt to recreate the new “Switchblade” saber seen in the new teaser trailer for “The Rise of Skywalker”. I have managed to get a better resolution picture of the new saber/staff and so reworked my first attempt. Below is a “clay model” render to show the new build off (I feel like a car manufacturer showing of a new car shape with one of those clay sculpture models seen at motor shows!). In a change of schedule due to this new buzz there will be a FULL COLOUR gallery and post coming this weekend, but for now here’s that clay model picture just to get your attentions!

Thanks for looking in on this announcement and I hope to see you all this weekend for my post on this model. Till this weekend…..

“Rey of Darkness” is a For Tyeth Editions design and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. It is based on the new lightsaber from the upcoming movie “The Rise of Skywalker” and all Trademarks/©Copyrights belong to Disney/LucasFilm 2019.

“Rey of Darkness” staff – For Tyeth Edition

Hello Everybody, yesterday a teaser video dropped for the new film “The Rise of Skywalker” and there was an immediate buzz about the last few seconds where we see something we are all dreading (unless you are part of the Sith!) – REY as a Darksider?

She has a double ended, folding staff lightsaber and dark robes which brings me to the reason for this impromptu post. I have two questions….

Will Rey turn to the Darkside? And second….should I keep working on this design to make it better?

Let me know! Thanks for looking in on this quick sneak peek…man I can’t wait for the 20th December now! Till next time….

“Rey of Darkness” staff is a For Tyeth Edition rendition and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. It is inspired by the design seen in “The Rise of Skywalker” trailer which is Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm 2019.

TY Silencer TROS Saber – For Tyeth Editions

Hello Everybody, I realised this past week that there is only three months till the release of The Rise of Skywalker and how time flies. I also received a message from WordPress congratulating me on my THIRD Blogversary. So I figured I needed to post my updated TY Silencer Saber hilt ready for when the new film comes out. A good friend of mine called Lord_S_Gray on the forums, suggested that I added some silver accents onto my original model to help define the shape of the hilt. I did this and it worked wonderfully but I didn’t get a chance to post the update as I received a few requests for other certain hilts to be built. When I had spare time I took another look at the TY Silencer and as there was a new TIE-Fighter variant shown in The Rise of Skywalker as you can see in this trailer….

I decided to modify my saber even more. Now the ship seen in the trailer isn’t the same as Kylo Ren’s fighter as this ship has a traditional round cockpit section but I liked the red, black and silver colour scheme and adopted it for my Silencer saber, I also added a few laser cannons too…not that the pilot of the ship in the trailer knows how to fire them. Anyway I have chatted enough, how about a few pictures? Ok here is TY Silencer TROS…

Ty Silencer TROS

Ty Silencer TROS rear

Ty Silencer TROS top down

Ty Silencer TROS top down rear

Ty Silencer TROS top down front

I kept the base black colour but the ship/saber now sports silver accents on the handgrip to reveal it’s contoured shape better and the clawed wings feature a silver edging and have “solar panel” textures to give a bit more detail. The wings also feature new laser cannons mounted in the side panels between the points of the wings. The wing pylons also have new red parts to represent the new mechanical parts seen on the new ship (I don’t know if they have any special function but do add interest). The cockpit section is now painted with the new red squadron markings to finish off the new aggressive look.

As this is a remodel of an existing design I didn’t have much to show that I did within Blender, I just tweaked bits so any studio pictures would look very similar so I have rendered a few extra “Glamour Shots” for you all…oh and I tried to recreate a scene from the trailer!…..

Is this The Rise of Skywalker

Or is this The Rise of Skywalker!

Ty Silencer TROS 1

Ty Silencer TROS 2

Ty Silencer TROS 3

I used to do backflips when I was a younger saber designer…but as I get older my body fails so I had to learn new tricks and I have another to show you here. As regular readers/followers will know Blender 3D is also a 3D Animation software and I have started tinkering with short little video clips (though it is a bit daunting and not straight forward as there are so many techniques to accomplish the same goal that there isn’t a right or wrong technique…it gets complicated). So here is a very short clip so don’t blink or you may miss it (this ship/saber flies very fast!)…..

So as the TY Silencer TROS finishes it’s flypast (maybe the pilot is in a rush to buy tickets for the release of the film?) I am approaching the end of this post. As always I need to thank you all for looking in on this design, whether a first time viewer or regular visitor to my site thanks so much. It is a testament to you that I am still blogging after three years. And please spread the word about FTSabersite and call back for future posts as I still have a lot more to designs and hilts to come (I am always designing). So thanks again….Till next time…..

“Ty Silencer TROS” is a For Tyeth Editions design and is ©Copyright of  For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. “The Rise of Skywalker” and the TROS video clip/”backflip image” seen here is Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm ltd.

“Temple” and “Fortress” sabers – For Tyeth Editions

Hello Everybody, first off today I have to say a big thank you to all the viewers/followers who commented on last week’s “Guest Designer” offering by my friend PsychoSith from the Ultrasabers forum, SaberForum. I was so happy that you were able to see his talent on show and enjoyed it. So thanks to PsychoSith and yourselves for making a great post….but I guess I had better get back to posting some of my designs (but don’t worry there will be more PsychoSith designs in future).

Now you may remember a month or so back I posted a hilt named “Dishonoured Saber” that was based on the saber seen in an upcoming computer game, “Jedi Fallen Order”, well I did some tinkering with some of the parts I made for it. I particularly liked the twin shrouded emitter and used the shroud plates on another basic emitter shaped piece and I came up with a part I called the “Temple Emitter”. Of course an emitter needs a hilt to fit on and I thought it should be sleek and elegant so, as I was working on building double ended staffs I built a staff body. Here is a picture of a base model of the staff in Blender….

Temple Staff base model in Blender 3D

Having a double fluted handgrip gives this weapon an elegant “hourglass” shape and so there is plenty of gripping positions for the user. The gold and black is an elegant colour combination and as I had been working on designs that could exist during the Old Republic era, I gave the blades a golden/amber colour. The blades project from my modified Temple Emitters and you will see a Jedi Order logo embossed on the upper shroud plate. This logo is a 3D modelled part, but here is the clever bit, it is moulded onto the surface so that it curves with the plate! This used a technique in Blender called, “Shrinkwrapping”. This modifier takes a flat sided object and merges it down onto a curved object so it clings like Shrink-wrap/Saran Wrap. It is great for creating embossed logos.

Now some staff weapons are made from one solid body part with two emitter sockets, however some are also made from two separate hilts which connect together to form the double length body and staff form. So I made this weapon as a double saber model, and here are a few shots of the single saber section…

“Temple Saber” hilt 1

“Temple Saber” hilt 2

“Temple Saber” hilt 3

“Temple Saber” hilt Jedi pommel

“Temple Saber” twin hilts

Now I named the base models as the “Temple” range because I imagined these may have been used in the Jedi Temples around the galaxy (either as defensive armoury or as a ceremonial weapon). But there is always an equal and opposite and so too  this saber/staff combination has an equal and opposite  version. What if the Sith had this weapon to protect their sacred places or just as a weapon of devastation? It might look like this…

“Fortress Saber” hilt 1

“Fortress Saber” hilt 2

“Fortress Saber” hilt 3

“Fortress Saber” Sith Empire pommel

A quick colour change and a switch around of the logo used to emboss the emitter and you get the Sith based “Fortress Saber”. It is in a Sith black and silver colour scheme but has a striking red Sith Empire emblem on the emitter and pommel to match the crimson blade colour. This model came about as a request from another friend and member of Ultrasabers’ forum named Darth Logos, so I hope he likes it when he sees it (I’m all about balance).

I also modelled another version that represents the Galactic Empire itself and has a Galactic Empire Cog logo for decoration. Here it is…I call this hilt the “Stronghold Saber”…

“Stronghold Saber” hilt 1

“Stronghold Saber” emitter detail

“Stronghold Saber” top view

“Stronghold Saber” cog pommel

There is a subtle difference with this hilt as the cog logo isn’t embossed but actually “cuts” into the shroud plate to create a “shine through” window. OK, I’m nearly finished but I have one final batch of images for the twin sabers in classic Jedi silver/black with blue blade and of course the three staff versions of “Temple Staff”, “Fortress Staff” and “Stronghold Staff”…

“Temple Saber” Jedi regular version

“Temple Staff” saber

“Fortress Staff” saber

“Stronghold Staff” saber

Phew! Sorry that was a lot of renders but I had to prove I had been busy! I hope you like my “Temple” range of hilts, they were great fun to build. I am nearing the end of this post but I just have my usual last minute messages before I end.

I’d like to thank you, my viewers/followers once more for looking in and supporting me and this site. Whether a newcomer or a regular on the site you are much appreciated and if you liked what you see here then please be sure to call back to see future posts. I have more of my “Master Series” hilt designs, more bespoke original designs, more from PsychoSith, more of, well a lot more of everything! I hope you’ll join me again. Till next time…

“Temple Saber”, “Fortress Saber” and “Stronghold Saber” and their staff versions are For Tyeth Editions and ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. All content and this website is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. Any third party Trademarks/©Copyrights belong to their respective owners.

 

 

The Durasteel Dove by PsychoSith Sabers – A new guest contributor!

Hello everybody and welcome to a big day on this site. The reason it is such a momentous day is that I have the honour and privilege of introducing a Guest Designer! As I have mentioned I belong to the Ultrasabers forum and on that website are a group of very enthusiastic and, in the case of my Guest today, talented individuals. My guest uses the forum name of PsychoSith and  he is a talented artist but PS is a wizard with pencil, paper and tons of sketching skill. PS designs and sketches lightsabers and has a real eye for designing interesting hilts with lots of neat details. He then posts his work in a gallery on the forum and always receives well deserved praise. One hilt that PsychoSith came up with was a very distinctive saber with four aggressive looking claws and spines yet the hilt was named “The Durasteel Dove” and here are the sketches that PS posted…

PsychoSith’s Durasteel Dove Sketch

The Durasteel Dove Isometric view

This saber caught the attention of the forum members and rightly so. They loved it and so do I. It was here that things started to get interesting….as both PS and I designed sabers but in different mediums, one member commented he’d be interested to see what the “Dove” would look like if I modelled it in Blender. PS kindly commented that he liked my work and would be  intrigued to see that too. So we chatted and I offered to do my best on building a Blender replica of his hilt. I was apprehensive because I had to do the design justice but was determined. At first I only had the first image to work from (the top down view) and not the Isometric/perspective view but I managed to block out a base model. And it looked a bit like this…

Durasteel Dove studio build 1

Durasteel Dove studio build 2

Durasteel Dove studio build 3

As you can see I made not just one version but three in total as I couldn’t quite work out the shape of the shroud plates that circled the emitter. At first it appeared to have four spines, but then on closer inspection the spines formed a “V” shaped cutout but that wasn’t possible as the spines were spaced too far apart. So I built new shroud plates but again it didn’t look “right”. Then PS kindly sketched the Isometric image that showed the shroud much clearer and after a quick chat I came up with the final version. This version was much closer, and here are the Glamour Shots….

Durasteel Dove final build 1

Durasteel Dove final build 2

Durasteel Dove final build 3

Durasteel Dove final build 4

Durasteel Dove final build (the top down view)

As PsychoSith sketches in pencil and ink, I had no colour or material references to work from except for his fantastic shading/shadowing. As a result I opted for a grimy silver and brass look to fit with PS’s backstory for the hilt’s history. It was well used and worn in places, having been handed down through several owners. Each person added their own touch to the hilt. I used a silver texture with a distortion pattern mixed into it to create dirt/grime effects. The material also complimented the orange blade. And the blade which has the colour of molten Durasteel  is now surrounded by four really distinct claw shrouds. The shrouds have a kinked spike and then the shroud widens with small tabs to surround the emitter cone. The shrouds also have inlaid panels stretching down their length. The large X-Guard claws have battle damage and feature chipped edges, while the handgrip/body has a broken lanyard chain that would have looped to the pommel cap. Now complete I offered it to PS to check out. In the meantime I also produced a few “arty posters” for the design…

Durasteel Dove poster 1

Durasteel Dove poster 2

I am so pleased and honoured to say that PychoSith approved of my efforts and posted the pictures on the forum and they created quite a stir with the other members, PsychoSith’s Dove had come to life off the page! It is absolutely beautiful and I kinda wish I had designed it…but I did get to build it so had a little hand in it’s conception! And so this is how the collaboration between PS and myself came about and it has been a pleasure working with him.

If you would like to see more of PsychoSith’s awesome art (and it is art in the real sense of the word) then you can visit the Ultrasabers forum and his gallery pages by clicking the link HERE . You will be amazed by his skill with a 6B pencil.

I’d like to thank PsychoSith for allowing me to display his hilt here it is an honour and I’m pleased to say that there will be more of his designs coming in future posts in the Guest Designer gallery! However this just about wraps up this offering and I just need to thank you my viewers and followers for checking this post out. Your support as always is much appreciated and I hope you will return to see future posts…there is so much more in the pipeline! Till next time…

“The Durasteel Dove” is a PychoSith Sabers design and is ©Copyright of PychoSith Sabers used here with permission, FTSabersite and all it’s content including Guest Designer contributions are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019.

Vengeance Saber (AOTC) – My first Master Series hilt.

Hello Everybody, today is a big day because I have decided to showcase the first of my “Master Series” models! And the first one up is the hilt belonging to Anakin Skywalker in the movie Attack of the Clones! (Ep.2). I built this model way back when I made my “The Destined One” hilt for Vader but it was just a solid model. I also made a small mistake in the shape of the emitter as I based it on one of Vader’s hilts but Anakin’s is much more sleek so I remodelled it. Here are two pictures of my first attempt you may have seen in my “Upcoming Sabers” posters I posted a few months back…

Vengeance Saber first build 1

Vengeance Saber first build 2

I wasn’t happy with the accent LED lights on the side of the saber either, so a rebuild really was necessary. I decided to tidy up the interior of the model and reshape the emitter and replace the LEDs. And as this is a special saber I thought “let’s give it some WOW factor while I’m at it!” You have seen sabers I have modelled that have “crystal chambers” but this one has what is known as a “crystal reveal”. But before I show you what a “crystal reveal” is I will post a couple of studio pics and the remodelled non-reveal pictures…

Vengeance Saber wirefram

Vengeance Saber Emitter 1

Vengeance Saber Emitter 2

Vengeance Saber handgrip/pommel

Vengeance Saber full length

The hilt has a D-Ring to hang the saber from a belt hook, and just below are two control knobs used to alter power and blade settings. These may look familiar as earth objects as the prop makers used electrical components called “terminal post screw and caps” which consisted of a threaded post which you wrapped bare copper wire around then you screwed a thumbscrew to fix the wire in place. They make great detail parts. The emitter has also been reshaped, and the LEDs improved. And did you see the crystal? No?….Oh I forgot….I need to do the big reveal!

Vengeance Saber on Tatooine

What is that glow..Wait what’s happening?

The saber is opening up!

Vengeance FULLY REVEALED!

I said this hilt was a bit special, not only does it have a crystal…it has TWO crystals and the saber unscrews to slide open to reveal them all lit up! I made the crystal chamber parts as interchangeable modules which fit inside the model (this was why I had to “tidy up” the interior so they would actually fit inside). The two crystals have special functions in Star Wars lore, the one in the handgrip helps power the saber while the one in the emitter helps “focus” that power into a blade.  I also went to town and added quite a bit of tiny detail into these modules as you can see in the following pictures…

The core of the Vengence Saber studio shot

The core of the Vengeance Saber rendered.

This weapon as I mentioned, is the hilt Anakin owned in Ep.2 and has a sad legacy as it was the weapon he used to slay the Tusken Raiders in retaliation for the death of his mother, Shmi, at their hands. The quote above in the title image comes from the film where he describes his frustrations and actions to Padme on Tatooine. This moment in the film was the tipping point where Anakin became more like his alter ego Darth Vader. He took out “Vengeance” on the Tusken Raiders and hence my saber model’s name.

This just about wraps up my first “Master Series” offering and I hope you liked it. I am always trying to push my modelling skills and this hilt really tested me. And I couldn’t just build one so I have FOUR more “Master” hilts to show you in the run up to The Rise Of Skywalker. I hope you will return to see those (and many more) designs in future posts. Plus next week I will be joined by a very talented artist with the nickname “PsychoSith”. Thank you so much for checking this saber and post out, your support is always amazing and is much appreciated. Till next time….

“Vengeance Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions design based on Anakin Skywalker’s hilt from the movie “Star Wars Ep.2 Attack of the Clones” and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. “Star Wars”, “Attack of the Clones”, “Anakin Skywalker” and all other Star Wars names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm.