“Sith Concept” Saber – An FT update of an Ultrasaber Aeon V3

Hello Everybody, I am back and at 100% after last week’s slight off par performance. Thanks for the get well wishes. So today I am showcasing a design I did back in 2019 for a friend of mine from the Ultrasabers forum named Karmack. Karmack owns several Ultrasabers brand hilts and is well known for repainting them in his own “Clan colours”. Anyhow, he and I were chatting on the forum and the topic of what Ultrasabers new Version 5 wave of sabers might look like and it was suggested that I attempt to come up with a possible update to an existing saber. I chose a hilt that Karmack owned called the Aeon V3 and set to work modifying the design. The Aeon is a nice lightsaber already, solid and durable with great ergonomics with plenty of places to grip it allowing the saber to be used for many styles of combat. It looks like this…

Courtesy of Ultrasabers.com (watermarks added by FT)

As you can see it is sleek and curvy. So I had to come up with something similar but different and I decided I wanted to incorporate an acknowledgement to a classic saber, the one owned by Obi-Wan Kenobi. The saber we see Obi-Wan use in the original Star Wars film had a distinct handgrip that featured a turreted block pattern similar to a hand grenade – and it won’t come as a surprise but the actual prop was constructed using a real World War 2 rifle grenade body. The grenade grip style I thought would give the Aeon a totally different look and feel. I set to work and came up with this base model….

My base model test from 2019!

I took the basic outline of the Aeon design and I replaced the Ultrasabers’ handgrip of engraved rings and added a grenade block grip (sometimes called a “Pineapple”). I also felt the emitter/blade holder was a bit plain so I cut a slot down the middle of the emitter to produce a “forked” appearance.

My re-render of the base model – 2022. Hopefully a better quality pic.

This model was created when I was having my “MatCap” madness moment – MatCap is a method of creating a virtual “clay model” in Blender 3D to view how a model will look using a single texture or material hence the term MATerial CAPture. But this design would need to have proper textures and as the design was more aggressive I went with a Darkside colour scheme….time for a Glamour Gallery….

As you can see I went classic black and gold, using the gold to accent lines of the hilt around the switch section to break up the plain black coating. The Sith red blade blazes out through the slotted emitter giving it an almost crocodile-like mouth look. I also added an Anti Vandal switch instead of the plastic switch seen in Ultrasabers’ official product image above….AV switches just look sleeker/nicer to me.

The Ultrasaber line up of sabers did have one feature that some folks didn’t like quite as much and that was the design of the pommel end cap. Now for some sabers that produce sound you need a hole to vent that audio so Ultrasabers gave their hilts a pommel with a hole cut out large enough to vent sound but small enough to prevent the saber’s electronics slipping out. This led to basically a doughnut (do-nut) shaped pommel with an open hole which exposed the speaker (which concerned a few people as damage could occur if an object found it’s way through the hole) so I added a speaker grill that also acted as decoration. Time I think for Gallery Two….

I think this designs works and gives an existing design a totally different look. Ultrasabers do have a “Darkside” version of the Aeon V3 called the “Doninix V3” but it is just coloured black instead of silver. My design and images have never been posted as I kept them just between myself and Karmack because other members of the forum tried to convince the owners of Ultrasabers to hold a design contest and I would have entered using this design. Alas the contest was never realised and this saber has been sitting on my hard drive for THREE years now…so I figured I may as well showcase it today.

That just about wraps up this “Sith Concept” saber. It was fun to build way back when I was only really starting out with Blender. I hope you enjoyed a belated look at it. I also hope you will return to FTSabersite for future posts as I have more to show you all…including more Katana styed lightsabers, more Nerfing fun (yes more blasters!) and maybe some more costuming and LEGO content. So thank you for calling in today, all your support, comments, likes and subscriptions mean a lot to me and really do inspire me to keep designing and posting. So new or regular visitors, thanks so much. Till next time….

“Sith Concept Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions design inspired by the Ultrasabers Aeon V3 hilt. It was modelled and rendered in Blender 3D by For Tyeth/FTSabersite and both the model and rendered images are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2022. The Ultrasabers Aeon V3 and the product images are the property of Ultrasabers.

Padawan Outpost “Iota” Xenopixel V2 lightsaber – For Tyeth’s New Saber!

Helloooooo Everybodies! It is almost that day again when all the ghouls and ghosts come out to play and I have a beautiful new saber to show you that I purchased recently…..AND I have a horror movie to share with you! Now you may have read in my previous posts and comments references to a new “toy” that I had ordered, well it arrived and I am over the moon with what I got. The new toy is a lightsaber from Padawan Outpost called the “Iota” and it has some very cool features. All of my sabers up till now were the type similar to a torch or flashlight with a very high powered LED in the handle that shone down a polycarbonate tube. They were also limited with what special effects they could do, but my new saber has a technology called Xenopixel installed that allows it do some incredible stuff. The blade isn’t hollow and is filled by long strips covered in small individual LEDs, and these LEDs can be triggered on/off all at once or one at a time to create different illusions. This also makes the blade appear brighter because less light energy is wasted having to travel down a hollow tube. Anyhoo, I can’t really describe the saber and do it justice….you need to SEE it….so Happy Halloween here is your horror movie for this year – For Tyeth Reviews the IOTA!…

I made a ton of mistakes in filming this. I forgot to mention certain features and I called the Xenopixel blade a “Scrolled” blade – I was thinking “Scrolling” and “LED” and managed to merge the two words together! But I was so excited getting this hilt and I filmed this by my self with no tripod – just a handheld smartphone and a laptop. Back to the saber though, as you can see it has some spectacular special effects. You can activate various effects called “Pre-Ons” before the blade ignites. These include effects that make the saber blade appear to “stutter” or appear from different sections of the blade (in one case the light appears at the base and the tip then expands to join in the middle!) Or you can just have the classic Luke or Vader in a corridor effect where the blade “grows”. The blade, because it is filled with hundreds of small LEDs can be set to any colour or as you saw in the video to a “Rainbow” – this is known as a Blade Style. The blade also has a “Fire Blade” and “Ghost Mode” where the blade is active but only lights up when it is moved (keep the blade still and the light disappears like a ghost). Another available Blade Style is “Blaster Blade” where again the blade is switched on but only lights up when the Activation Button is tapped which sends “bolts” of light along the blade and looks like a laser gun firing. I didn’t want to video those really due to how bright they are and the flashing could affect people with photosensitive Epilepsy.

But that is just the blade and lights, a lightsaber also usually has sounds and this saber has 21 built in sound fonts or themes. There are sounds from Kylo Ren’s saber, Rey, Darth Vader, General Leia and of course Luke Skywalker…not to mention Dooku, Maul, Cal Kestis from the PC game Jedi Fallen Order….way too many to list. But then on top of that you can add MORE sounds purchased or downloaded from the Internet and install them using the built in SD card! When certain sounds become unfashionable you can update with new ones.

The sounds also feature SmoothSwing technology. This is the fancy sound effect that makes a saber sound more realistic by mixing sounds triggered by sensors in real time. Hasbro toy sabers have one sound for when the saber swings whereas this saber can have up to 16 swing noises that are played continuously and correspond to your movements. Swing the hilt gently and it whispers a Vroom but swing harder and it sounds more WWHOOOSH!

That all sounds like a lot but there is still more features! The saber can be updated with new functions and settings using the SD Card and a Configuration File (instructions for the saber to operate). This means I can set the saber to detect certain movements or gestures and trigger specific effects…I can even do this with the Force….

Yep! I am most powerful…I can activate my blade without using the button! OK this is what’s known as a Gesture Function but it looks cool. I can set the saber to detect a “stabbing” motion and it will ignite the blade.

Finally, the saber even plays music tracks that you can have playing in the background as you fight your little siblings or friends. Imagine having the Phantom Menace “Duel Of The Fates” music playing while swinging your saber around with Qui-Gon Jinn sound effects! (Or Maul if you are a Sith!).

It can glow green just like Qui-Gon’s too!

All in all this lightsaber is fantastic for the price, the amount of features and tech is amazing. Xenopixel really immerses you into the Star Wars world and you can forget where you are! But I know I’m getting near the end of this review and I have a few mentions I need to make.

If you are interested in obtaining a saber like tis one you can find it and more at Padawan Outpost which can be found at: https://padawanoutpost.com/

Padawan Outpost is based in the London area of the UK but ships internationally. They have a full range of sabers available but you will have to check their site regularly as stock can sell out quickly. I MUST ALSO POINT OUT THAT I AM NOT CONNECTED TO OR EMPLOYED BY PADAWAN OUTPOST – I am just a happy customer (I also bought a basic saber from them last year).

Thanks so much for checking my review out. I am no YouTube expert reviewer but it is kinda fun now I have done one. Now I have scared you all for Halloween, I hope you will return for future posts on FTSabersite as I still have more saber designs to showcase, more LEGO creations and just maybe some more Cosplaying. I am For Tyeth, the FOR in the Force, Till next time…..

One last message to my dear friends “Mr and Mrs D” at this difficult time for them…..I light my sabers and remember…..

This For Tyeth review is independent and my own opinions. The video and photos are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2021. Padawan Outpost and their product image and logo are ©Copyrighted and Trademarks of Padawan Outpost.com , UK.

Ultimate Works “Flyte” – For’s new saber (and more)

Hello Everybody, I hope you are all well and staying safe. Today I don’t have a saber design to show you….shock and horror! No saber? Well not one of my sabers no, but I am going to show off my new custom lightsaber I recently purchased and added to my only other saber. I have wanted a new saber for a while so I can say I am an actual “collector” rather than just a Star Wars fan with one saber, so I had a bit of fortune earlier in the year and I got some money back that I was owed . With the credits I got I bought my boots, outfit and robe….I just needed a saber. Eventually one became available to purchase that was just too good of a deal to turn down, and it is called the “Flyte” lightsaber from a manufacturer named Ultimate Works. I saw the list of features and the price and had to get one. It came within 1 week of ordering (that’s fast from Hong Kong to the UK) and when it arrived it looked like this…

This saber is a beauty, and has some nifty features. For one it has sound, but it doesn’t just have one set of effects – it has SIX sets of sounds (a set of sounds is known as a Soundfont or Font for short). So this saber can have the hum and clash sounds of Rey’s lightsaber…or the crackle and hisses you hear from Kylo Ren’s! The saber also has the ability to swap those default sounds for new ones you can purchase and download. You then use a USB cable to upload the fonts into the saber like you would transfer files on a computer. The USB cable can also recharge the battery that powers the saber, so no more buying batteries or looking for spare ones! Oh and I mentioned multiple sounds…but I forgot to mention this has multiple blade colours too by having an RGB LED installed. This LED bulb has three smaller LEDs inside, one Red, one Green and one Blue. By programming the electronics I can set how bright each colour is and mix my own colours (a bit like Colour Balance on a TV set.) So this saber can be red or blue as well…

Due to the sensor in my digital camera the blue looks a bit purple and the red looks orange but they are red and blue…oh and not just these three colours…here’s a slideshow of a selection of what’s possible….

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

With this technology I can have any combination of lights and sounds to mimic any lightsaber in existance. And even more tech is installed on this beauty. The sounds on some lightsabers you can purchase are very “static” meaning no matter how you swing the blade the noise remains the same, well in this hilt there are sensors that detect which direction and how hard you are swinging and it processes the sounds accordingly. So if you just wiggle the blade it will sound “whum, whum” but if you swing like a baseball player the noise is louder and harsher “WWWHHHUUUM!, WWWWWHHHUUUM!” This saber even flashes different colours when it hits another blade or when you tap the switch it will flash and make the noise of a laser blaster so you can “deflect” enemy fire! It is just unbelievable how good this hilt is and it has earned a place next to my first saber. Here they are next to each other…

Don’t they make a nice pair, hang on! There’s three sabers!

Er, I seem to have miscounted! I see three sabers in this picture…and you would be correct…there is another….light…saber! Yes, not only have I received an Ultimate Works saber but a new company based in the UK has set up selling lightsabers and they too had an impressive offer so I was able to buy a “Mystery Box” saber from them too.

The company is called Padawan Outpost and is based in London so I didn’t have to pay any import tax and the hilt had free UK shipping…and I purchased a Mystery Box saber. I had no idea which hilt I would get or what features it would have, but for £59 ($78) the price again was too good to pass up. I could have received a movie inspired replica (costing £200+) but I was sent a model called the ECO Zeta, and it is sooo cool. It is a base model with the basic electronics installed but it is awesome and looks beautiful….here take a look….

The Zeta comes in a classy rose gold colour and too features SIX fonts (however these fonts aren’t swappable), has a recharge function too and yep, you guessed it it has RGB colour change blade. And to demonstrate my Force powers I took a quick video of the saber to show you it working. I’ll apologise immediately and say that I turned the sounds to muted so I don’t bend any copyright laws and the whirring and clicks you hear are my camera trying to focus!

How about that! I am one with the Force and can control my saber without touching it. Jedi Mastery 😀

Now I am approaching the end of this exciting post but first I need to point out I am in NO WAY AFFILIATED with either Ultimate Works (available via The Pach Store) or connected to Padawan Outpost. I am just a very satisfied customer who is happy with my purchases. As such I am going to leave links to both vendors so you can check them out for yourselves .

Padawan Outpost website features 19 models of hilt in three price/specification tiers and can be found here: https://padawanoutpost.com/

The Pach Store is the online outlet for Ultimate Works and have a range of hilts in three specification tiers and can be found here: https://www.thepachstore.com/collections/custom-sabers

Both companies were swift and efficient, their packaging (outstanding and recyclable) and shipping options were good and I hope to purchase more from either company in future.

I might have to as Mrs Tyeth has taken a liking to the Zeta hilt and has sort of owned it for herself!

Thanks so much for looking in on my new expanded saber collection. I hope you liked the new sabers and don’t worry I will post a full ensemble gallery of me in my robe and costume, using these hilts when I get the belt and pouches I am shopping for. As always your support is fantastic and we have broken the 25,000 views milestone this week, so even bigger thanks. Till next time….

Ultimate Works “Flyte” is a lightaber design built and sold by Ultimate Works via The Pach Store web retail store. The design and Intellectual Property are Trademark/Copyright of Ultimate Works.

The “ECO Zeta Saber” is available via Padawan Outpost and the name “ECO Zeta Saber” is Copyright of Padawan Outpost.

The incoming “Flyte” has arrived! And it’s a beauty!

Hello Everyone, just a quick post to let you know that things are moving very fast for For Tyeth this week. Not only did my Jedi robe arrive yesterday (20th Nov) BUT my new Ultimate Works Flyte saber has been delivered!!! YAY!!!

I received a notification quoting a Monday 23rd delvery but this morning a TXT message pinged my phone saying DHL were dropping the saber off today. And WOW oh WOW! The hilt is sleek, smooth, is nicely constructed and has a semi gloss piano black finish….plus it feels just right to hold for duelling. I found out it has some really nice sound fonts too (each set of character sounds is called a “font”) and this hilt has 6 fonts built in! But as a tease you will have to wait till my review to find out what sounds it has and see pictures of it but in the meantime here is the product picture again…

I won’t say too much more except that I am EXTREMELY happy with my purchase on first impressions…I’ll see how it holds up over the next few months etc.

Oh and the Jedi robe? That is something equally as spectacular – I’m gonna be the best robed Jedi in the galaxy – but again I’ll review it and have pictures in upcoming posts.

Thanks for checking out this post so I could share some positive news with you all, I hope you stay safe and you all have as good a day as I am having. Till next time…..

Legal stuff: For Tyeth and FTSabersite are NOT affiliated or connected to Ultimate Works or their distributor The Pach Store. I am just a paying customer and have received no payments or incentives. The “FLYTE” is a Trademark/Copyright of Ultimate Works 2020.

For Tyeth takes Flyte – I’ve added a new saber to my personal collection!

Hello Everybody, bet you didn’t think I’d be posting today and so soon after my regular weekend slot. WELL….I have some exciting news…I have managed to acquire through a game of chance a new lightsaber! Sort of! I discovered that a well known saber supply company based in Hong Kong was releasing a new saber for the Black Friday Sales and as I had some spare credits I managed to snag one of the first batch of 100 they were selling!

NOW BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER I WILL POINT OUT FOR LEGAL REASONS, THAT I AM JUST A CUSTOMER AND HAVE PURCHASED ONE OF THESE HILTS. I AM IN NO WAY CONNECTED TO OR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COMPANY. OK?

Image Credit: The PachStore

As you can see the hilt is named the “Flyte” and is quite a reasonable price. A very good price in fact considering the features this hilt packs (though after the first 100 are sold the price will go up to $139 and at the time of writing this there were only 8 left!) Not only is the saber machined from aircraft grade Aluminium but it features a chassis system to hold all the internal components securely so they don’t rattle around inside and get damaged. The hilt has lights AND sounds – multiple colours of light and multiple sets of sound effects so I can mix and match. One day I may feel a bit moody and switch the blade to Red, or another day I might set the saber to sound like Luke Skywalkers’. The on site video says that the sounds are configurable via the USB connector so I think I may be able to load new sets of sounds onto the saber when I get bored of the default effects. So this hilt has multiple colours, sounds and the sounds are “Blended” so they don’t have gaps or clicking noises when each recording starts/stops as you swing the hilt. It has the chassis to make the hilt “duel worthy” meaning when I’m at a Comic Con in future and any little Sith or Jedi have a swing at me the saber will withstand any potential damage 😀

The saber is available in plain silver, black or a vivid red finish though I chose a black version (I already have a regular silver coloured hilt and thought black would contrast nicely for a change).

The reason I got this hilt is so when I am at Comic Cons (hopefully) I will have my costume and two hilts so folk can pose with me and have a saber too if they don’t happen to have one. But for now I am eagerly awaiting for it to be delivered. I’ll let you know about it as soon as I get it and do an unboxing review.

That’s my news for today, thanks for checking it out. Now as long as I’m not breaking any rules I’ll leave the link to the PachStore’s saber pages below so you can take a look (they also sell movie collectibles).

The Pach Store Lightsaber page: https://www.thepachstore.com/collections/custom-sabers

Till next time…..

“The Flyte” lightsaber is a product of the PachStore based in Hong Kong. For Tyeth/FTSabersite are not associated or connected to the company in any way, I have just purchased one of these sabers on offer. Any trademarks/copyrights, images or IPs belong to their respective owners.

BREAKING NEWS! – Saberforge Forum is no more (taken offline by SF owner)

Yes, Hello Everybody, I am with a sad heart having to bring this little bit of news to saber fans. As some viewers here know I have been a long time contributor to the “fan run” lightsaber forum called Saberforge Forum. Well as the title suggests this forum is no more. Members were greeted with an announcement on 25th April that the site would close on the 30th April. This news wasn’t welcomed warmly and many members showed their disappointment and posted “requests” for the owner Mr Isherwood to reconsider the decision as the forum was such a great resource for information and friendship between saber owners and newcomers to the saber hobby online.

But these pleas fell on deaf/ignorant/uninformed ears and as of the 2nd May the OWNER of the forum finally pulled the switch.

It was blamed on the “costs incurred” and “stretching of Saberforge resources” and “not enough usage” and the “there are much more up-to-date social media platforms we could use”. But we have been offered an “Alternative” as you can see in the screenshot……

Well this has in my honest opinion been a mistake. I am not on social media for personal reasons, and because of the current Facebook/Social Media data security issues a lot of other people will prefer not to join up to social media. Other members have already set up various chat rooms for “survivors” to meet up and carry on long established friendships and form new ones. I will in time seek out these groups and join up and hopefully be a helpful contributor to these communities instead.

I just need a break. This past week has been a test. I’d like to think I’m a polite and honest guy/Jedi and if I were to say anymore on this subject in my current frame of mind some of you may question that description of me! I will say that on the forum I had to “bite my lip” to keep to forum rules and tried not to create complications but believe me there were issues that I didn’t speak of and that I feel weren’t dealt with fairly or evenly. I will leave it at that, the people involved know who they are and what they did…whether they say otherwise or not.

I want to celebrate and thank ALL the great members I encountered and shared exchanges with during my time on the now deceased forum. It was a pleasure to be able to help some of you out and the conversations were informative and enjoyable. I will cherish those times and hope some of you will somehow find this place and we can chat again (I couldn’t mention this website on the forum in case I broke Rule Four which said I wasn’t allowed to “recruit” for another website, social media platform or online group/message board).

I now have a lot more time to post here but I will end this post now as I have “wounds” I need to attend to. I am taking as many positives as I can from this experience and will become stronger….as will all of you my friends and forum survivors. I don’t know how many people will see this but it is out there now….take care Forum Survivors and thank you.

(I do want to thank Saberforge for providing the forum in the first place but due to this decision, my praise cannot go any higher than issuing this acknowledgement.)

For Tyeth – former sf forum member.

FTSabersite and all it’s content are ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2018. Guest Designs and posts are ©Copyright of the Guest Designer and used with permission.

Dauntless 7’s Agony Lightsaber

Hello Everybody, It’s finally here!…No not The Last Jedi, that was in my last little post! I am talking about a beautiful piece of saber art that a friend of mine has created that inspired my recent Lightside Dragon Katana. My friend is called Dauntless 7 on the lightsaber forums and she recently purchased a saber called the Saberforge Ronin, but decided it was a little plain and so modified it. This was no easy task, as the hilt was covered in a knurled texture, so how could somebody decorate that? The answer, D7 used a Dremel rotary tool and a lot of patience and bravery! The process of trying to engrave a textured surface led to D7 calling this hilt Agony, and it is my absolute privilege to present it to you here….

D7’s Agony

D7’s Agony Fire Dragon

D7’s Agony Emitter

D7’s Agony Emitter 2

D7’s Agony Dragon’s Tail

D7’s Agony

D7’s Agony Horizontal

D7’s Agony Horizontal 2

To say this hilt is beautiful is to sell it short. This saber is amazing, it has Star Wars Aurabesh writing etched into it, Japanese text symbols and fire dragon emblems! It was the fire dragon which caused the hold up in posting this gallery. D7 engraved the hilt and thought she had completed the designs but just as I was preparing to show you it, D7 felt the tail of the dragon needed a little attention. To her it wasn’t quite right and set about fixing it. And I have to say the little tweak to make the tail broader really set the emblem off nicely. On the section near the emitter are some symbols of Aurabesh which spell the word Agony, while the Japanese characters spell Fire Dragon. Below that is a symbol representing Energy. Everywhere you look on this saber there is some detail to see but yet it still retains a traditional look. I love it so much it inspired me to create a design based on this hilt, a darkside version of Lightside Dragon which you can see in the first of today’s posts. That hilt is called Dantoresu!

I have to say a massive thank you to Dauntless 7 for allowing me to display her outstanding work here. I am placing this hilt in the Saber Smith’s section of the site because, although D7 didn’t design the base hilt her modifications lifted it so far above it’s original appearance that I feel any Saber Smith out there would be proud to have created this beauty!

I am going to have to bring this post to a close soon but before I go I need to say thank you to you, my viewers and followers for your continued support, I appreciate it very much. I do have more hilts to display (including a SECOND hilt from Dauntless 7) so I hope you will return to check those out! Till next time.

“Agony” Katana Lightsaber is a Guest Design of Dauntless 7 and all modifications including the etching designs are © Copyright of Dauntless 7 and displayed here with permission.

Korbanth Graflex 2.0 installed by DK44 Designs

Hello Everybody, today I am very, very excited as I get to share with you a lightsaber that has been assembled by a good friend of this site DK44. And this lightsaber is a Graflex replica hilt! DK44 bought this hilt as a replica kit from a company named Korbanth and assembled and installed the lights, sounds and blade (plus a little extra something I’ll get to later). What is astounding is that this was DK44’s first full saber build project! He did build a Saberforge Adaptive Saber Parts (ASP) lightsaber but that was fully modular which screwed together fairly easily, with no need to solder wires or cut and shape parts. This saber was built very much the same way as the original lightsaber was way back in 1976 by the special effects artists John Stears, John Mollo and Roger Dunlop . This particular hilt is made to look like the one seen used by Finn and now Rey in The Force Awakens. Here is DK44’s Graflex Lightsaber…

Graflex Hilt

Graflex Emitter

Graflex Emitter 2

Graflex Emitter 3

Graflex Emitter 4

Graflex Switch Box circuit card

Graflex Body and Grips

Graflex Pommel and D-Ring

As you can see this is BEAUTIFUL! Sorry to raise my voice but I love this hilt. The saber is a work of art (although DK44 says he wishes he could have done better!) and has everything that you associate with the Graflex saber. The emitter with the slanted opening and metal collar that extends through the tube to form two tabs, which are affectionately called “Bunny Ears” by fans. The collar and tabs are actually the mechanism that held the flash bulb in place when the handle was used as a photographic flashgun. Just behind these Bunny Ears is the red topped activation button and below that there is the “Glass Eye”. The activation box is really the clamp that attached the flashgun to the side of the camera. But if you slot a carefully shaped piece of circuit board between the two jaws of the clamp it looks like a switch! Next down the hilt is the famous T-Track grips, the black ridged parts that form the distinctive handgrip. And to finish the hilt off there is the Graflex pommel with the D-Ring to hang the saber off your utility belt! Though I doubt this saber will be hanging on a belt it has a very nice custom stand (built by a mutual friend of DK44 and mine called Kouri, who is a whizz with 3D printing and prop making.) But you will have noticed I haven’t mentioned the blade…well I have a SECOND gallery with this beauty activated and in all it’s glory with a very special REVEAL surprise….

Graflex Emitter and Blade Plug

Graflex and blade

Graflex and blade 2

Graflex and Blade holder

Graflex and lit Glass Eye feature

The Special Crystal Reveal!

Graflex lit in daylight

Graflex night time action!

Yes this saber has what is called a Crystal Chamber Reveal, which shows that this saber has a “heart of Kyber”. The electronics allow the crystal to light up and actually pulses and flashes along with the blade. This feature is usually found on expensive higher end replicas but DK44 decided he wanted one in his (and with help from another friend called Vechaljian he was able accomplish the feat). The colour matches the effects seen in the film perfectly thanks to an LED that can mix two colours to make the blue light and has a white bulb that flashes when the saber hits something! I think you’ll agree this is impressive.

I’d like to thank DK44 for sharing this fantastic saber with us on this site, he was gracious enough to provide me with great photos and a full description to help me write this post (did you notice he lined up his photos like the images for my designs? Thanks man!) This shows what is achievable with determination, patience and Talent!

I am now once more approaching the end of ths special post so thanks DK44 and also to you my viewers and followers. Your support is much appreciated and I hope you will return to see future posts featuring more designs from myself and my friends…and who knows there may be more “real life replica hilts” to come! Till next time.

DK44 Designs is © Copyright of DK44 and is used here with permission. Graflex is a Trademark of Folmer Graflex Photographic Co. of New York. All Star Wars/The Force Awakens names, logos, images and other related material are Trademark/© Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm.

Hunter Lightsaber – Inspired by a Venator

Hello Everybody, I am busy working on the next couple of sabers in the Sports theme series so I am going to have to make this a shorter post than normal. This design is inspired by a hilt I have seen online created by a group of talented people from Belgium called Force Relics (website link). I may be tempted to get one of their hilts (depending on how many Republic Credits I can save) to install the electronics into in the future so I can say I have built my own saber. The saber is called the Venator 2.0 and comes in different colour combinations, but the one that caught my eye is a black hilt with a silver diamond grip pattern on the body. It also has a slanted emitter which I love (my current saber has a slanted emitter as well) but you can unscrew the separate parts to make it easier to put the battery and electronics inside (great for a beginner like me). I won’t make you wait any longer, here is my homage to the Force Relic design, this is Hunter Lightsaber…

Hunter Hilt

Hunter Emitter

Hunter Emitter 2

Hunter Switch

Hunter Body

Hunter Pommel

Hunter Pommel 2

Hunter Vertical Up

Hunter Vertical Down

I attempted to create a design that had the same essence as the Venator but using the parts available to me in the online builder. I really like the black highlighted with the silver accents. My design has a choke point to make spinning the saber easier (and to prevent the hilt slipping from your grip). Here is a picture of  the Force Relics hilt so you can see the inspiration.

I hope you will check out Force Relics and their creations, they make some really nice hilts. And I would like to thank all of you for checking out this design and sorry the “powder coat” sabers take so long to post. I have to repaint the gallery pictures using multiple layers  which means I have to paint 24 Frames for each gallery, and one frame can take 2 hours to edit  😦 !. However in-between all this painting I am still working on new designs, so please call in to see what’s in store! Till next time.

“Venator 2.0” is a Trademark/©Copyright of Force Relics (Belgium). Their website can be found at forcerelics.com.

Saberstaff Design Lightsaber

A new promotion has been launched at Saberforge (around the 28th August) and their advertising material features a double bladed Saberstaff. It caused a stir on Saberforge’s forum page and some members asked if it was possible to build and if so how they would go about it.

Well, I always like to rise to a challenge and so I came up with my version of the weapon on display. One of the parts isn’t available in the virtual builder so I substituted the part for another but I feel it still looks pretty similar, hence why I am not claiming this as my design, just proving to everyone these designs are possible.(Though when building one in real life you will need some knowledge of how to assemble the parts and electronics!) Here is my version of their staff..

Saberstaff can be done!

Saberstaff can be done! 2

Saberstaff can be done! 3

Saberstaff can be done! 4

As mentioned above this is just my recreation of the Resilient Saberstaff in Saberforge’s promotional material.

And again I am NOT employed or connected to Saberforge.