Hello Everybody, after last week’s stargazing and the Moon Knight saber we return to Star Wars and scan the skies and horizons of the galaxy’s planets. And to accomplish this I felt I needed some more powerful binoculars than the Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi binoculars I modelled and posted a fortnight ago (you can see those here:https://ftsabersite.wordpress.com/2022/07/09/horizons-an-obi-wan-kenobi-inspired-prop-model/ ). So…where would I get more powerful binoculars? The Empire of course! They always seem to have bigger and more powerful equipment and Space Stations than the Rebels or Jedi. However getting hold of a pair of Imperial ones was difficult so I decided I’d 3D model a pair of my own and maybe improve on the design. The original Stormtrooper binoculars seen in Star Wars A New Hope looked a bit like this….
We only fleetingly see the binoculars whilst the Stormtroopers are searching the dunes of Tatooine for the droids Artoo-Detoo and C-3PO, but there are some images of the props online and a few creators have made replicas and 3D models themselves. Here is a close up of an Imperial Electrobinoculars prop.
I studied the images online and saw that these binoculars had a big drawback in my opinion. The drawback was the eyepieces for the optic lenses, they were individual eye-cups like those seen on regular real world binoculars and if you are wearing a Stormtrooper helmet then vision is limited so trying to look through binoculars would be difficult. So I had to come up with an improvement there, and after a few hours tinkering with Blender this was the result….Gallery One…..
I decided to reshape the binoculars slightly so they were more contoured to fit your grip and I also added rubberised strips like those found on lightsaber handgrips to stop the binoculars slipping. The objective lenses that capture the image have been improved and beefed up. Now they produce much better quality images and can be used in more lighting conditions as they now have Infra-red (heat) and Tactical Night-Vision sensors. This allows the binoculars to detect heat sources – useful for search and rescue – while the Tactical Night-Vision is the classic green tinted image system seen used by militaries today. Now having these enhanced optical sensors is great but you have to be able to view the images they capture so I upgraded the viewport lenses and replaced them, you can see what I installed in Gallery Two….
Yes, I replaced the individual eyepieces with a full HD video screen! I felt this would be easier to view through the mask of a trooper’s helmet .And to help I added a glare shield around the screen that can press up onto the faceplate of a helmet (or a forehead) to eliminate glare on the screen. The row of push buttons below the screen allow to switch between modes, whilst the joystick thumb controller and two knobs either side allow zoom and focusing functions along with target acquisition functions. I made these so they can link electronically with artillery pieces to provide remote aiming of the cannon/weapon! And to prove how good my binoculars are (and they work!) in the last two images you can see the background environment and in the viewscreen you can see the very same horizon. I highlighted two points to help you identify the features in the scenery and on the screen!
The final gallery above showcases the thumbstick joystick controller and the zoom and focus/sensitivity control knobs whilst the last image shows the mounting bracket. This bracket mount allows the binoculars to be attached to a trooper’s belt or backpack, a portable tripod or onto a fitting on vehicles. You will also notice the binoculars are also more rugged looking but also a bit worn and scruffy looking (“Who’s scruffy lookng?” – Han Solo)…well the texture I used to skin this model is quite clever. The texture is a base layer of plain white but I worked out how to add a darker patterned layer which I could distort to create a “grime layer” making the binoculars look used.
And that just about brings this post to an end as the twin suns of Tatooine are about to set below that horizon we’ve been viewing and night is falling. That means we need more light so in my upcoming posts I have more lightsabers, more lightsabers….and some new modes of transport I have modelled to show you all that feature the new texture technique I described above, I hope you enjoyed this design and will return to check out all my new stuff. However in the meantime I want to say thank you for checking this out and all the support you give me. All your comments, like and subscriptions mean a lot and keeps me working on new material. Till next time….
“Dark Horizons” Imperial Macrobinoculars inspired by Stormtrooper Binos are a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by props seen in Star Wars A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The 3D design and render images were created by For Tyeth using Blender 3D and are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2022. The original Stormtrooper binoculars props and all other names, logos, images and related Star Wars material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/Lucasfilm ltd.
FTSabersite 
I do like the way you are expanding your designs beyond lightsabers. I’m rebranding and will appear with a new account some time soon. MTFBWY
Hello Neo, I have enjoyed branching out into modelling other objects. You may recall a long time ago you suggested I do other subjects when I modelled a saber based on part of the Death Star.
And I saw your most recent announcement with the “Mission Impossible self destruct dossier”. You’ll have to let me know what your plans are so we can keep in touch ok!
I will keep this account open, possibly just close the site. Possibly just create images on deviant art and post comments of other blogs.
You really did make the IMPERIAL MACROBINOCULARS better!
Great design and features, especially the HD video screen.
Well done, Tyeth!
I’m surprised no one has called you about using one of your designs in a show!
Hello Resa, thanks so much that’s very kind. I haven’t really tried to promote myself before so I am probably not on Lucasfilm or Disney’s radar as far as getting a job in designing or using my work in a show goes. However I think they may have seen my site because I mentioned a few ideas that were later “used” by Lucasfilm. One idea was about damaging the power crystal of a lightsaber so the blade turns red – I mentioned that the crystal was “bleeding” which Lucasfilm later described red crystals as. And even this month there has been news about a new computer game being released called “Fallen Order: Jedi Survivor”…well if you look closely at my avatar image you will see that it reads “For Tyeth – Jedi Survivor”. I created the avatar and put that quote on it as I am a cancer survivor and have used this picture since 2015 when I started my online presence. Here is a larger version:
Anyhoo thanks again and I’ll have to think about contacting Hollywood to get a job!
Hi FT. These are not the binoculars you are looking for 😁
Cool design and upgrades. You make a good point about the impracticality of the Stormie helmet design against a set of binoculars. Therefore, the HD video screen is such a cool touch. Top work!
Hi TVTA, thanks man glad you liked the upgraded optics. I recently got a voice changing mask for a costume and when I put it on I realised how restrictive it was on vision. You can hardly see a thing – it’s no wonder Stormtroopers can’t shoot straight. I just figured a screen that you can view held away from your face a little would work better. But now I want to get a Tomytronic 3D game to modify into a Star Wars prop.
And in other news I have another Nerf blaster on order and I have started work on the Master Blaster saber too!
Cool, FT, cool! The Tomytronic 3D would make a great custom piece. Glad to hear you’re still Nerfing it, and excellent you started work on the Master Blaster saber. Let me know the progress and I will plan a reblog with some MM3 images to supplement the finished piece – just as we did before 😊
H again, I should have the MM3 sabers done in about 2-3 weeks as I have a backlog of designs I still need to post. However I will let you know in plenty of time.
I am keeping my eyes open for a damaged or “spares and repairs” Tomytronic game as working ones are quite expensive just to turn it into a prop. Again I’ll keep you posted on progress.