“Data Viewpad” with some secret plans!

Hello Everybody and welcome to this week’s post. Can you believe we are already at the end of January? Well after the excitement of seeing Shredder from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last week we return to the Star Wars universe for a new non saber prop build. As you know I might be carrying out a “Jedi Mission” as we speak (or am I?…Hm?) and I realised I needed a device of some sort to store my travel documents and mission briefing files on. I wanted something portable and secure and it was whilst watching an episode of The Clone Wars cartoon that I saw what I needed….a Data Viewpad!

Detective Tan Divo with a police issue Data Viewpad

The Data Viewpad was in an episode telling the story of a murder in the Senate which was investigated by Coruscant Detective Tan Divo. He was a sort of cross between Peter Lorrrreee and  Lieutenant Columbo. Now these devices are much like tablet computers found on Earth but these compact computers have many more uses and larger data storage capacity. But where to get one from? I had to look online for an Intergalactic Refurbishment Store. I checked what stock they had and found a reasonably priced Viewpad with one previous owner, so I bought it! This is what it looked like….

Unfortunately as you can see this Viewpad didn’t seem to have been wiped before I purchased it! What’s that on the display? Is it the plans for the….No it can’t be, can it? Only kidding this is actually the 3D model I made of a Viewpad, complete with screen and multiple control knobs plus a Trackball mouse controller. The device has two cylindrical handgrips, one either side that also incorporates the memory modules and can be removed and fitted with larger data storage capacity drives. The viewer also has a Data-Term connector on the top edge, similar to a Ribbon cable to connect this to any computer terminal to access it. This is a seriously powerful piece of equipment! Ok, I just have time to show you a few more pictures, so onto Gallery Two….

As I mentioned before this Viewpad has many functions apart from just storing and viewing data files. You can use it as a Comms device that sends/receives voice and data such as the Death Star plans… or it can be an entertainment media player so you can travel and watch your favourite Star Wars content over the Galactic Communication Grid (bit like the internet). The last picture shows a scene from last week’s episode of “The Bad Batch” and shows Tech using a similar Viewpad to analyse data from a Podrace to help him try and win a race.

Tech with a Viewpad (© Disney/LucasFilm)

So, as you can see this is a very trick piece of kit! I might even see if I can use Blender 3D on it….you never know it might work! Unfortunately what I can’t get this device to do is give me more time to type up longer posts! Yes as you might guess I am running short of time but before I go I’d like to give you an update on what I have in store for future posts. I have more Star Wars inspired builds including FOUR new starships, …there are new sabers too (one of which I designed for myself and a second that will pay tribute to the secret location of my mission). There are even some cartoon and animated movie tie-ins all coming very soon.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and my Data Viewpad , it was a fun build. I also want to say thank you for visiting today and giving me your support. Whether a first time viewer or regular visitor to FTSabersite you all motivate me to keep creating and it means a lot. Now I have to say bye and disappear so I can continue my Jedi duties…..Till next time…….

“Data Viewpad” is a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by the portable datapads seen in the Star Wars franchise movies and cartoons. The original 3D model and renders were created in Blender 3D by For Tyeth/FTSabersite and are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2023. “Star Wars”, “The Bad Batch”, “The Clone Wars” and all other names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm.

“Shredded Saber” – inspired by Shredder of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character

Hello Everybody, today we are going to visit a franchise I haven’t commented or designed for since maybe 2017! Whilst modelling my Katana there was a detail I added to it that reminded me of a person/character from popular culture and I couldn’t believe I’d not realised sooner. OK, long story short, back in 2017 I produced a set of saber designs for the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, their Sensei Master Splinter and one for the arch enemy Shredder. I used the old software I had access to back then and always thought I could do better if I had bespoke 3D design applications to work with. The original design was ok and I was pleased with it at the time but I had that nagging sensation. You can check out the original design and post by clicking this link: https://ftsabersite.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/shredder-lightsaber-for-the-turtles-arch-enemy/ .So fast forward to 2022 and I modelled a Katana including a version for Marvel Studio’s MoonKnight. This saber had a specific part that triggered my nagging sensation and I had an design epiphany. The design I came up with is for Shredder once again but this time is bespoke and updated! This is “Shredded Saber”….

Shredder was originally a martial artist named Oroku Saki, who lived in Japan. He was enamored with a young woman named Tang Shen. Unfortunately, she was in love with another man named Hamato Yoshi and there was bound to be conflict. The situation led to Oroku challenging Hamato to a fight to settle the love triangle “honourably” but Tang Shen persuaded Hamato to flee rather than fight. The pair fled to New York and eventually Oroku followed, after he had joined a criminal gang and trained to be a Ninja.. The criminal gang, called “The Foot” made Oroku the leader of the American arm of the organisation and Oroku used this to his advantage in taking revenge. He tracked down the lovers and in a sneak attack he killed Tang Shen….then attacked Hamato. During the fight Hamato’s pet rat, named Splinter, was freed from his cage when it was knocked over. Splinter despite being just a rat ATTACKED Oroko – scratching his face. Oroku brushed off the rodent and swung his katana which grazed the rat’s ear causing him to scamper away and run into the sewers. Later in another incident, four baby turtles and a container of “Nuclear Goop” were released into the sewers also. This Goop ended up mutating the turtles and Splinter who discovered the reptiles. The animals became the characters Master Splinter and Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael – the turtles. Oroku Saki continued his criminal activity and adopted a disguise that we know as the Shredder costume. And it was this costume’s helmet that inspired me! Here is the helmet and a few comparisons…

Well look at that! I didn’t realise when I came up with the MoonKnight Katana that I had inadvertently made a version of Shredder’s helmet decoration! The last two images show just the claws and emitter and in the final picture I added the pommel decoration onto the cylinder. That logo is actually the emblem of Shredder’s gang “The Foot”.

And that I’m afraid is just about all the time I have and I’ll have to finish shortly. I have mentioned I am in the planning stage of a big “Jedi Mission” that is coming soon but I am on standby awaiting the final documentation and briefing papers to arrive before I get the “GO” signal. And I am getting very nervous. So I am finishing off some upcoming posts and I have a ton of new stuff I hope you’ll come and check out – ranging from sabers of course all the way through to new on-screen used props, speederbikes, a couple of starships……and sabers for a Cat and a Mouse!

I’d like to finish by thanking all of you for today’s visit to my site and all the support you show me. It helps keep me motivated knowing folks out there enjoy what I do Till next time…..

“Shredded Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by the Shredder character seen in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise. The 3D design, model and renders were created by For Tyeth in Blender 3D and are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2023. The Shredder, Splinter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT and all character names, logos and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of VIACOM International Inc. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared in Mirage Comics.

“Speedster – Ronin” Edition – Inspired by Star Wars Visions

Hello Everybody and welcome to today’s post. I have another of my BARC Speederbike inspired models today and this time it has some custom artwork on it! I watched the Star Wars anime inspired show “Visions” and one of the best episodes was titled “Ronin” which centered around a lone, mysterious warrior with a red bladed katana lightsaber. He travelled the lands and stopped off at a village to have repairs done to his droid. However, the remnants of the evil Empire (?) arrived and attacked the village whilst demanding “rent monies”. The locals resisted and a skirmish broke out forcing the lone warrior to step in and defend the locals. That warrior was Ronin, for whom I recreated his saber in a previous post (you can view that post using this link: https://ftsabersite.wordpress.com/2022/10/22/ronin-katana-inspired-by-the-traveller-warrior-in-star-wars-visions/). Ronin was a mix of a traditional Japanese Samurai and a Jedi but with a dark Sith looking set of robes (so we don’t truly know his status, either light side or dark side following). Ronin was very iconic and popular, featuring on the advert posters.

Ronin is the dark character at the bottom of this image and I thought he would feature higher up and more prominently. So I decided I would “promote” him and feature him on a Speedster…so here is the first of a set of custom speeder-bikes, this is Speedster-Ronin….

I had recently seen some examples of “Cameo” styled jewellery pendants that feature an oval panel with a carving of a facial portrait in the middle. I realised that those “Cameos” were a similar shape to some of the panels on my Speedster so I wondered, “Could I add Ronin’s image onto my bike on those elliptical parts?”. The answer was yes and I found Ronin’s image on the poster and felt that might look good applied as a custom hotrod style paint-job. The process involved selecting the areas I wanted to paint and creating a “secondary material” which was the poster image that I could position on top of the selected areas and paste the image on. Early on in my 3D modelling efforts I did use this technique to add logos and details (such as nameplates on my Knight Rider and Red Dwarf inspired sabers) but I never thought about using the trick to create hot-rod style decoration like this. I think it worked well. Anyhoo, too much chat…here is Gallery Two…..

I reckon this looks like a suitable mean machine street cruiser, and certainly has presence (I know I can sense it’s presence!). Jokes aside though I am afraid I will have to end this post shortly as life in Tyeth Towers is getting very busy as preparations for my “mission” intensifies…I am in the process of compiling TWELVE weeks of articles because I have no idea when I am going to be called into action or for how long….I have to be prepared for action. So that means I have more Speedster variants in the works, some “classical Rapiers with Claws”, oh yes and some more Katanas with claws…more Visions hilts, some original designs, more props….I think you get the message – I still have tons of projects to show to you! So I hope you will all call back to FTSabersite to check all of this out in future posts. (And I haven’t even listed everything…plus I am watching the new season of The Bad Batch so that might inspire me too!)

So for now I will have to end here but thank you all for checking out this Speedster design and for all the support you show me. Whether you are a new reader/viewer or one of my regular friends of this site all the comments and likes mean a lot to me. If you like what you see maybe you could subscribe if you aren’t already and tell your friends about FTSabersite. Thanks again, Till next time……

“Speedster – Ronin” is a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by the BARC Speeder-bikes seen in Star Wars movies and cartoons. The “Speedster” design was created , built and rendered by For Tyeth in Blender 3D and all models/images are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2023. “Star Wars”, “Visons” and all other names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm Ltd

“Repulsor Staff” – Inspired by Power Rangers’ Rita Repulsa

Hello Everybody and welcome to 2023 and the first post of the new year. Hope you had a great time over the festive period – I had a quiet but busy holiday with lots of planning as I wanted to start the year off on the right foot. As a result I am returning to the Power Rangers franchise today for this offering because I remembered long ago when I did my first Rangers tributes I got a lot of interruptions from a certain witch by the name of…Rita Repulsa! Yes the arch enemy of the Rangers (initially portrayed by Machiko Soga) kept nagging me to design/build a weapon for her too.

Well I wasn’t going to make the mistake of forgetting her this time and I have “revamped” her old staff I built back in 2017…which looked like this…

So the new staff had to look a bit like this original and a bit like the new staff that Rita had in the rebooted Power Rangers’ movie (with Elizabeth Banks portraying Rita). I’m gonna have to go all out on this one, so here is the new Blender 3D built “Repulsor Staff”…..

In the past I had struggled with creating curved/organic like objects but I have now got a better idea how to model them and Rita’s staff does feature mystic swirling parts so I had to include something similar. In this case I added a “Torus Knot” which is a 3D object like a coiled snake but is a continuous loop. I used this loop as part of the struts holding the “axe-blade” in place. The staff features Rita’s iconic green, black and gold colouring, with black leather and brushed gold accents/parts. The staff also needed somewhere to store all Rita’s mystic power and spells so I incorporated a “Crystal Chamber Pommel” on the base of the staff…and I was pretty pleased how it turned out. You can see it here in Gallery Two…

The power crystal is suspended within a cage built from another crystal object from which I deleted the flat surfaces leaving just a wire frame. I then thickened the frame to make it more solid. The power crystal has all it’s flat surfaces which creates the facets. I think it looks suitably “astronomical” – Rita’s staff featured stars and crescent moon decorations – and hopefully meets with Rita’s approval.

Rita Repulsa – as portrayed by Elizabeth Banks

Bethells Beach

And now, you may have noticed that I try to create or find backgrounds that “Tie-in” or are associated with the design/model that I have created such as using images of a dockyard with shipping containers for my Power Ranger Katanas, well I managed to find information and images about the filming locations of the Rangers franchise and some of the beach fight scenes were shot at a place called Bethells Beach (Te Henga). Where better to display my new staff than here? It is very famous and well known, especially if you are a Lord Of The Rings or Xena Warrior Princess fan. The Rings of Power film shot scenes on this beach too so it is full of magic!

Finally, I also discovered that 2023 is the THIRTIETH anniversary of the franchise and sometime this year a new season of Power Rangers (Cosmic Force) is slated to be filmed. Maybe I’ll get to see it and find some more inspiration for new builds in future. And that I’m afraid is just about all the time I have and need to bring this post to an end. You can see all my Power Ranger designs old and new by clicking this link: https://ftsabersite.wordpress.com/tag/power-rangers/

I will be returning to the Star Wars franchise next time with another “Speedster” variant plus in the coming weeks I have much more to show including other props and objects from Star Wars. I hope you will return to check all that out. In the meantime, thanks so much for re-joining me in 2023, the support you show really means a lot. Till Next Time…..

“Repulsor Staff – Inspired by Power Rangers’ Rita Repulsa” is a For Tyeth Editions design, modelled and rendered in Blender 3D. The 3D model and rendered images are created by For Tyeth and are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2023. “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”, “Rita Repulsa” and all other names, logos, images or related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Saban International Entertainment 1993-2023.