Hello Everybody, today I have had to make a very quick change of plans! I was relaxing in my Coruscant apartment enjoying the holiday spirits when I decided to check out some videos on YouTube (there isn’t much entertainment on my cable package). Well I had a very pleasant surprise, my friend Frankie – aka Nothin’ Nerdy has posted a video to honour the saber I designed for her and I am speechless. It is a little unreal to hear your name being spoken in a video and for the person to be saying such nice things about you. I’d like to thank Frankie and to let her know it was my pleasure to design her saber and produce the accompanying artwork/animations. So to my loyal visitors, followers and friends, if you could spare a few minutes and check out Frankie’s YouTube, Twitch and Facebook pages I’d be very grateful. Here are the links:
And I decided to revisit Frankie’s sabers and gave it a new colour scheme…
Nothin’ Nerdy Saber Darkside Edition
Nothin’ Nerdy Saber Darkside Edition Lit Up.
Just a little modification to keep me entertained, and speaking of entertainment I also continued my work on a collection of sabers I gave you a sneak peek of last week. Those items that may or may not appear in The Rise of Skywalker. Well I refined some details and I thought a nice group picture would look cool so here is another quick sneak peek of my new collection…(Only in gold…as full galleries of these new designs will feature in future posts!)….
Two of the hilts you have seen already but they look good all together. I will end this post here as I had to type this off the top of my head, but I will have an end of year review of a few of my favourite designs I have showcased these past twelve months, there’ll be a bit of a mix!
So thanks once more to Frankie, I am really proud to have a friend like you and to my visitors, followers and friends that support me tirelessly here thank you too. Please call back to see future posts with more sabers and fun. Till next time….
Hello Everybody, just a quick post with two images to show I can’t relax and have a few days off…after watching the new movie I tinkered in my workshop and came up with these…
MysteREY saber 1
Princess’ Knightsaber
Full colour articles and pictures on these two hilts will appear on FTSabersite very soon when the “spoiler-free” period ends for The Rise of Skywalker!
I am going to take a few days off over Christmas and I hope all of you have a happy, peaceful festive period however you choose to observe it! Thanks for looking in on this quick announcement, I hope you’ll join me for the full reveals.Till next time….
Hello Everybody, I have just got back from my local cinema after viewing The Rise of Skywalker. And I gotta say it was better than the negative comments would suggest I saw and read online. Of course this is just my first thought opinions, other people may not like it but I have been watching these films for over 36 years and I enjoyed this one. It was an adventure from the moment we hear John William’s Intro Theme.
I can’t say too much obviously but I will say some things/characters that weren’t handled well in The Last Jedi were “put right” and dealt with better this time around. Also don’t blink during the first half hour as it is fast moving.
I mentioned I had watched these movies for around three decades so I did see a lot of nostalgic nods to previous films which was fun. I also got to see Threepio get an important job to do in the story aside from saying “This is madness….we’re doomed!” which was cool. The music was outstanding as usual with John Williams winding his way through the film holding it together, binding the contents – I sometimes think he and his music are the Force! There were funny lines and throwbacks that made me chuckle.
On the acting side of things, all of the on screen talent gave great performances…and regards the actual story, I only had one major niggle.
There was a good solid end to the finale that made sense and made me happy and sad at the same time….how else could it have ended? A balance.
So this has been my initial thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker. Again others may disagree (I’m not the most experienced film critic!) but I thought it was worth my money to view it. Oh wait! I got tickets as a birthday present but you know what I mean and finally….yes I was inspired by one or two things that may or may not have appeared in the movie so I will be busy over the festive period making 3D models!
Thank you for looking in on this, my mini first thoughts review. If you are planning to go and see TROS I hope you find it as entertaining as I did. And I hope you will return and let me know what you thought of it (but please don’t spoil it for others ok!). I’ll be taking things easier over the next week or two so if we don’t get to chat I hope you all have a great holiday season however you choose to observe it! Till next time….
The Rise of Skywalker is in cinemas around the globe now and is Trademark/Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm.
Hello Everybody for an impromptu “Special Gift” post! I have recently “met” a nice young lady by the name of “Nothin Nerdy” also known as Frankie, who has her own YoutTube and Twitch streaming channels. On these channels Frankie livestreams while she plays Star Wars computer games such as “Star Wars: The Old Republic” (SWTOR) and the new “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order”. However I was introduced to Frankie when I saw her video on YouTube where she was unboxing her new custom saber. I left a comment on her video and to my surprise Frankie replied and from there we started a conversation and we got to know each other a bit. Frankie helped me get into using message boards and live streaming (giving me instructions on how to sign up etc) and I introduced her to some of my designs. Well, Frankie had the ambition of reaching 1000 subscribers on YouTube before the new year and I kinda suggested that if she reached that milestone I would design a custom saber just for her. Frankie reached that milestone in the past few days and as I am a Jedi I kept my promise and here is the saber…Now Frankie just follow the instructions and reach out…call to your saber!…
See Frankie, I kept my word as a Jedi, I hope you like it! It has a double pronged/shrouded emitter (which are all the rage at the moment!), gold accents and trim, as well as an illuminated activation switch. The saber even has a “Double Crystal Chamber” with a red and green crystal cube. And just to make sure we know you are a Jedi it has the Order’s logo on the pommel. Oh! I just realised you can’t see those details in the reveal video so here are a few images for you (I know you like gold!)….
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber 1
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber 2
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber Pommel
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber with blade
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber with blade 2
These pictures are textured using a basic preview material making the model gold all over so you can’t really see it in full “Technicolour” so how about I take you on a virtual tour of your hilt? Here is a short video to show off some of the details…
I think you can see all the details in this video and as you are a fan of the Jedi Consular character in SWTOR I made a double bladed staff version for you too! The saber also sports the pink blade you hinted at so this is quite unique (and the switch matches too). I hope this saber and staff serve you long and well, I’ll arrange with you to send some full size images and videos for you to keep OK? Here are a few of them…
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber pics 1
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber pics 2
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber pics 3
Frankie’s Nothin’ Nerdy Saber pics 4
Now I’d like to share a few links to Frankie’s Social Media platforms as she deserves as much support as possible so if you like Star Wars, computer gaming or generally having fun celebrating all things Star Wars then please check them out.
Please visit Frankie and help her channels out, you will have a great time as the community that has built up around her are a great bunch.
Thanks Frankie for becoming a friend of mine and I hope you have continued success in the future…and speaking of futures that includes “Level Up Days” and guess who just got a little bit older today? Yes For Tyeth just became “For T Four” (Forty Four) years young and I just wanted to share with you a few pics of my birthday presents I got!
A cool Japanese style Vader T-shirt
An even cooler Rise of Skywalker T-shirt
And look at these figures, Darth Maul vs For Ty – er, Qui-Gon Jinn!
Ok I think that just about wraps up this special “Gift Giving” post, I hope you all enjoyed it and again to Frankie, thank you for being such a warm welcoming member of the SW community and inviting me to join your circle of friends and I hope you will feel part of the For Tyeth family here!
To all my followers, new and regular (including those in Brazil – I see you!) thanks so much for your continued support it means a lot. Please call back for future posts as I hope to do a review of “The Rise of Skywalker” and I have a whole storeroom full of new saber designs to show you all. Till next time….
Hello Everybody, well! it’s less than a week to the release of the new film Rise of Skywalker! Can you believe that? And as it is such an exciting time for fans I felt I needed a BIG saber for possibly the BIGGEST Master of them all….Luke Skywalker! We didn’t really see him use his iconic green bladed hilt he constructed and so I thought why not show my version of this hilt today. This is my “Master Series” model of that iconic saber complete with a few hidden features. I did make a few videos and would have stitched them together to make a more polished production but unfortunately I had a few issues with my laptop again…but I did my best. Now Luke constructed his saber in a cave on Tatooine using the plans he obtained from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s homestead. There was a scene in Return of the Jedi of Luke completing his saber but it was cut out of the final edit, however here is that scene found on YouTube…
So I took a trip to a desert planet and set to work building my tribute saber and this is what I came up with…this is Skywalker-Risen…
Skywalker-Risen Saber 1
Skywalker-Risen Saber 2
Skywalker-Risen Saber 3
Skywalker-Risen Saber 4
Skywalker-Risen Saber 5
Skywalker-Risen Saber 6
I said a few posts back that I didn’t know how I was going to top my Graflex inspired saber model but with this hilt, I think I may just have surpassed any hilt I have modeled to date! I managed to recreate the beautiful emitter with the thin neck, complete with the copper accented drum part. Then comes the distinctive black and silver ribbed “grenade” grip part. Connected to the grenade handgrip is the main body of the hilt with the famous Control Box you can see Luke poking into with his screwdriver in the video. The control box has matching black and silver stripes on the top panel and is surrounded by decorative copper rails. On the side of the box are two triangular accent function lights and two black activation buttons. The hilt is finished off with a pommel that harks back to Obi-Wan’s saber from Star Wars ANH which looks like a tap/faucet knob…and it comes complete with a triangular belt hanger loop!
This was a really detailed build and just to show you how detailed here is a picture of the model as I was building it…
As you can see there seems to be something going on inside the hilt, a lot of things to be precise! Yes, there is a crystal chamber in the handgrip AND a chamber in the pommel….and if that wasn’t enough, the control box cover slides open!
Look closely inside the control box and you will even find components fully modeled including Hex Head topped adjustment screws (these are what Luke is adjusting in the video above to set the blade length and power settings) and there are four power regulator capsules (which are actually real world resistors which I modeled). To show when the saber is correctly set the two LED indicators shine green! Here is another short little animation showing the Triple Reveal in action…
As you can see this hilt really is unbelievably complex! How I constructed it in a cave I don’t know, I just knew that if Master Luke managed it then I too had to. And to give you an idea of the conditions in that cave take a look at this…we’re going out on location in this video…
Again, I apologise for the video being short but I was on location and experiencing Technical Issues (hopefully in the New Year I will have a new laptop! Hopefully!)
Ok I have a final batch of images to give a slightly better look at all the little details and fancy bits and there is a DarkSide version of this hilt as well just for balance….
Skywalker-Risen Control Box closed
Skywalker-Risen Control Box open
Skywalker-Risen twin chamber open
Skywalker-Risen Triple features
Skywalker-Risen Darkside
Skywalker-Risen Darkside 2
Skywalker-Risen Darkside 3
Phew! This is a LOOONG post! But I have one final crowning feature to show you all. So far my hilts have had static non moving blades, as I struggled to master the animation feature to recreate the extending blade and combining it with the glow effect….well watch this next clip and get ready for the “SNAP!-Hiss”…
I finally nailed the animation tricks needed to make the blade extend (and retract) and I thought I’d add a little sound effect too! Just in time for the new and sadly last movie in the Skywalker saga. I hope you enjoyed this design and my tribute to Master Skywalker’s saber, I certainly pushed every limit I could think of to accomplish it!
That just about wraps up this post but first I need to thank you (for reading this far and…) for all the support you have given me. Whether you are a first time visitor or a regular thanks so much for your time, likes and comments, you are very much appreciated. Now I have more new designs still to come in future posts and I will be writing a few posts about The Rise of Skywalker (I’m giving myself a birthday treat and getting VIP tickets to see it!) I hope you will return to see all of that and more! Till next time…
Hello Everybody, today I bring toy you not one but TWO new hilts, well a matching pair of sabers for a mysterious female character who will appear in the new Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker in about 2 week’s time! (Wow time has flown!) A while ago Vanity Fair released some promo teaser images and one was of a mysterious woman dressed in a burgundy and gold bodysuit and helmet. The outfit immediately reminded me of a few things…first was Daft Punk because of the helmet but I also remembered a movie and tv show with rocket/jet pack wearing characters. The TV show was an old Saturday morning cinema style serial called “King of the Rocket Men” from 1949. The movie came out around 1991 and was called “The Rocketeer” made by ….Disney! Both lead hero characters wore rocket packs and distinctive helmets. Here is the poster for the Disney film…
Image Copyright Disney Studios
The movie set around the 20’s/30’s has a distinct Art Deco style and look to it, but it is that helmet just look at it! Now take a look at the Vanity Fair image of Zorii Bliss and her helmet…look familiar?…..
Image Copyright Vanity Fair/Disney/LucasFilm
Ok, it is a little bit more futuristic with the paneling and air vents/radiator parts on the back but that looks spookily like the Rocketeer. Zorii also has what looks like art deco styled patterns on her belt and bicep bands. I saw this and just knew I needed to create a hilt for this character. So I set to work and came up with this hilt…
Blissfull Saber 1
Blissfull Saber Emitter
Blissfull Saber Switches
Blissfull Saber Pommel and Belt Clip
Blissfull Saber full length
I really went to town with this design and used the burgundy of the suit as the handgrip and added the antique gold and gloss black accents. The emitter is modeled on Zorii’s helmet viewed side on. The switches I made to look like the old rotary dial controls found on 1930’s/40’s radios to fit the art deco look. The pommel looks like the decorations found on pillars and columns of art deco buildings with the geometric carvings. I was pretty stoked and happy how these turned out but I had only seen a picture of Zorii from the waist up and a new image was released (the one above) that revealed Zorii had two curved handled blasters. I liked those blasters and thought “How would this saber look if it was curved?” So you know me….I bent the saber! Here are the pictures of the update…
Blissfull Bend Saber Emitter
Blissfull Bend Saber Switches
Blissfull Bend Saber Pommel
Blissfull Bend Saber full length
I used the same function in Blender 3D that I used to bend my Aquaman Bend Lightsaber hilt. I had to create “cuts” in the hilt then draw a curved line which the software then maps the model onto and bends the shape to the line drawn. Anyhoo, you may have noticed that in the last picture there are TWO hilts and you would be correct. I modeled a matching saber to form a pair (and I mirrored the second hilt so each one can hang off Zorii’s belt like a pair of pistols). Oh yes and did I mention that the mysterious Zorii is portrayed by Kerri Russell? That is why you can see the actress in the title image above! And as these hilts were for such an intriguing character I decided to add one final touch, an embossed pattern to replicate the mysterious geometric art deco designs on the handgrips too! Here is a final batch of images of the matching pair…
Blissfull Saber pair 1
Blissfull Saber pair 2
Blissfull Bend Saber pair 1
Blissfull Bend Saber pair 2
I forgot to mention that I added a yellow “Darksaber” style flat blade to match the flat rounded rectangular shape of the hilts’ cross-section. Phew! That was a lot of images again but I think I have covered everything now. Not a lot is known about Zorii except for the facts she is a human from the planet Kijimi and was the leader of a gang known as The Kijimi Spice Runners….and has a past connection to Poe Dameron! We will find out more when Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas on the 20th of December (UK date).
I am nearing the end of this post, but before I go I need to say a big thank you to evrybody who has visited and supported me these past three and a bit years, I have now passed the 15,000 views mark. So thank you all, new viewers and all my regulars you are fantastic and much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed these hilts and really hope you will return for future posts as I have my final Master Series hilt coming up along with a whole batch of new original designs and I’ll be chatting about the new film. Till next time…..
FTSabersite 