Dragon Katana – Ultimate Edition Bruce Lee

Hello Everybody, wow time flies and we’re already about to start the third week of 2021. It is a tumultuous time, I had hoped that the new year may calm down a little and things would be less fraught but alas not. And it got me wondering how certain people would react in these strange times. I thought about “heroes” like the Jedi, I thought about our “leaders” of the world, I thought about “Warriors” and that final thought brought me to the warrior I have constructed a new saber for, That warrior is Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee – the man, myth and legend.

Bruce Lee I envisage wouldn’t be one to back down if fighting for a cause he believed in and would stand up to protect those that needed it. He was certainly wise and intelligent enough to be a great leader as well as warrior. You see sometimes you need to know when NOT to fight just as much as when to engage. Bruce I reckon could do that. But I know that if ever he needed to engage an opponent he probably wouldn’t need a lightsaber but I designed one in his honour anyway. Here is Dragon Katana – Ultimate Edition Bruce Lee….

You might have seen Bruce in the picture above from the movie “Enter The Dragon” – that picture/pose was very iconic and 99% of the world would know who the person was, but another iconic image of Bruce is that of him wearing a yellow and black jumpsuit in “Game of Death” where he famously fought Kareem Abdul Jabbar (NBA basketball legend). Well this saber is definitely based on that iconic jumpsuit. The hilt is also based on a traditional Katana sword hilt with an elongated body giving the wielder great leverage and control of the blade due to the ability to spread his/her grip on the handle. The hilt also has a round Tsuba handguard below the emitter. Black stripes adorn the sides of the hilt along with two large panels featuring the outline of Bruce performing a dropkick…another trademark image. Near the pommel of the saber are a set of three diamond shaped apertures with a mesh grill cover. These are sound/heat vents for the saber and are made to look like the hilt wrapping feature called the Tsuka Ito that involves wrapping the silk around the handle leaving small diamond shaped windows (these holes would usually have a contrasting coloured silk or decorative metal plates beneath them). The activation switch is modelled on the “Bruce Lee Dragon” logo and that logo also adorns the pommel end cap. Ok, here are a few more picture of the hilt before I finish describing it’s features…

These final pictures show off the clean smooth lines of the hilt. I say smooth lines but there are three discreet creases around the body of the saber to create 4 distinct positions to grip the hilt by (and just prevents the hilt being too flat sided). The white blade represents Bruce’s philosophy of being free in mind, body and spirit so allowing oneself to quickly adapt to changing circumstances when necessary. Hence the blade is neutral white and not Lightside or Darkside of the Force inspired. The last two images were just me trying out some atmospheric lighting shots as I have been dabbling in artistic compositions recently. I even edited the Bruce Lee Dragon logo onto this picture which shows off the jumpsuit nicely…

There were so many great things Bruce could have gone on to do in his life but sadly he died at a very young age (32yrs) in 1973 just as he was about to break all movie box office records and gain global film mega-stardom. He did after death become a legend and his teachings and beliefs still carry on with the Bruce Lee Foundation. You can read his bio on the Bruce Lee website found here: https://brucelee.com/bruce-lee

That just about wraps up this tribute to (arguably) the greatest martial artist to have ever lived. Thank you for checking this one out, I sort of sprang this as a surprise (I think I may have mentioned it was up coming once but that was late last year). So as always, I hope you will like, comment and spread the word about FTSabersite and whether this is your first visit or you are a regular caller, thanks again for the tremendous support. Coming up….more Miraculous and Star Wars Resistance! Till next time….

“Dragon Katana – Ultimate Edition Bruce Lee” saber is a For Tyeth Editions design and is Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2021. “Bruce Lee”,” Bruce Lee Dragon” and all names, images and logos are Trademark/Copyright the Bruce Lee Foundation/estate and the image from “Enter The Dragon” is Copyright of Warner Bros/Concord Productions.

“Warrior Saber” Inspired by Disney’s Mulan live action movie

Hello Everybody, today I am Blending a past design and a new rebuild (see what I did there? Blending?). Now last year around July news of a new Mulan live action movie based on the Disney animation broke and a few promo images and a teaser video released.

Disney’a Mulan promo image (Copyright Disney Studios)

I saw the images and trailer and was interested as I saw that the film has swords in it and Katanas in particular. I knew there would be lots of people making 3D models of the sword so I thought I’d do my version of it. Due to circumstances and how busy I was over the last 6 months I didn’t get to post the design even though I did post this teaser…

Mulan Saber teaser poster from last year!

And as you can see I pushed the limits of my model-building skills by creating an embossed/carved reproduction of the Mulan family crest/dragon on the handguard! But as you can see there are those pesky “Fireflies” or noise pattern on the image. This annoyed me but my old laptop and Blender couldn’t make the images look better without processing the image for hours on end. However fast forward 7 months and I have new hardware and the new Blender 3D v2.81 and so I figured, “I haven’t posted the design so why don’t I modify it and see how my new setup copes?” I reloaded the old Blender file and started to improve (I hope) on the original. Here is that new version, this is “Warrior”…

“Warrior Saber” inspired by Mulan 1

“Warrior Saber” inspired by Mulan pommel 2

“Warrior Saber” inspired by Mulan tassel 3

“Warrior Saber” inspired by Mulan the business end 4

“Warrior Saber” inspired by Mulan environment shot 5

The original Mulan inspired build for comparison 6

In my last version I attempted to use the techniques I used on my LOTR “Barad-Dûr Saber” to recreate a hammered metal look for the hilt handle and pommel ring. This made the hilt appear to be made of wrought iron with lots of hammer pockmarking and I also tried to recreate the dragon handguard. As I mentioned I managed it but the rendered images didn’t do justice to the model. I discovered I had made a few minor errors too in my fist build so I rectified those and added carvings around the edge of the handguard too…and I prayed to the Force that Blender’s new render “despeckle” function would work. Thankfully it did and I reckon the engraved detailing turned out nicely. I will admit the tassel hanging from the pommel still needs some work but with my new more powerful laptop I can use the “Hair” function to improve it. The “Hair” modifier recreates hair follicles but creates a lot of strands that need to be calculated and processed, my old laptop couldn’t manage that. Overall though I think this updated model looks OK and the final renders are a vast improvement. I am really pleased with Blender 3D and not only am I able revisit and tweak my old designs…I have already come up with around half a dozen new hilts….or one design a day! All of which I will be featuring in upcoming posts.

That just about wraps up this post but I would just like to point something out regards the movie’s release and more importantly the Coronavirus outbreak. I sincerely hope that a remedy for this terrible virus is found quickly and deployed successfully and my thoughts are with those already affected, those that have succumbed, and their families. I mention this virus outbreak as it may affect when the Mulan movie is released (it is scheduled for March 21st as of time of posting)…but the health scare could change that date.

Thank you for visiting FTSabersite today and I hope you liked my new updated “Warrior”. All of you, my viewers/readers are much appreciated, whether this is your first visit or you are a regular, thanks so much for your support. I hope you will all return to see what I have in the pipeline in upcoming posts. Till next time….

Oh! and p.s. Hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s Day yesterday…I made sure I got my card…I wrote it myself!

“Warrior Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions model and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2020. It is inspired on the weapon seen in the upcoming Disney live action adaptation of Mulan due out in March 2020. “Mulan” and all names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney Studios.

 

New Dark Dragon Katana – Blender Version

Hello Everybody, whilst reminiscing recently about past heroes for my Halloween “Spidey Saber” I also decided to delve into my archives of past designs and I found one that I felt needed a Blender update. You see many years ago I used a different software package to produce saber designs and it was provided as an online App by the company Saberforge. The problem was, that even though I was “designing” I was using parts developed by SF. However I did push the boundaries of what their Virtual Builder could do. I created a hilt with a Crystal Chamber pommel (before SF had crystal chambers!) and I also made a hilt for a fellow blogger named Cherrycola22. This hilt was a Japanese styled Katana, which I made out of three sections.

Sakura No Hana – Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom Hilt 2

I liked this design (and the  variants that I also created seen HERE) but now I felt I could do better. So I set to work with Blender which gives me so much more creative freedom and updated my 3-Part Katana Collection. And first up in this series is a hilt I named Dark Dragon Katana….

Dark Dragon Katana 1

Dark Dragon Katana 2

Dark Dragon Katana 3

Dark Dragon Katana 4

Dark Dragon Katana 5

Dark Dragon Katana 6

The hilt is much longer than a “traditional” hilt which gives the user much more tactical reach and leverage. Also being able to grip the saber at various positions alters the dynamics of the users attacks, so he or she can alter their grip and change the range/distance they fight from. This can confuse an opponent as they are never sure if you will use short range stabbing techniques or longer range sweeping melee strikes – giving you an advantage. I also modeled a Jedi Order inspired Tsuba handguard to tie the design into both Japanese sword styling and the Star Wars In Universe galaxy. As this hilt was designed to give a combat advantage I didn’t add a regular activation switch that could hinder grip and instead imagined that there is a sensor incorporated into the Dragon logo that could be triggered to ignite the weapon. And as I am rambling on about the “Technical Details” maybe I should post a few wire frames pictures of the hilt being modeled…

Dark Dragon Katana Wireframe 1

Dark Dragon Katana Wireframe 2

Dark Dragon Katana Wireframe 3

As you can see the hilt is structurally pretty basic but it is the simplicity that gives the weapon it’s tactical flexibility. The hilt consists of three sections and two silver  couplers, the Tsuba on the emitter and a pommel. However, if you wanted to have a regular length hilt (or shorter Katana/Japanese weapons known as Tanto or Wakizashi) you can unscrew the sections and remove the lower grip and pommel then replace the pommel to form a two section hilt! Here are a couple more pictures showing the short 2 piece Katana and a close up of the grip Dragon logo..

Dark Dragon Katana Two Piece

Dark Dragon logo

The two part saber is much more like a “traditional” length hilt (approx 12 inches). But I’d like to mention the Dragon logo, as this is taken from my earlier “FT’s Lightside Dragon” which I posted way back in December 2017 after I learnt to apply transparent textures (Wow Dec 2017?…I feel old!  😀 )

Ok, I think that covers the boring technical bits and backstory to this design, now I just have a few Glamour Shots to finish with, here you go…

Dark Dragon Katana scenic 1

Dark Dragon Katana scenic 2

Alright then, now I think that really does cover everything and it just leaves me to say a big thank you for checking this design out. I hope you like the Blender Updates of my “older” designs. I do have many more new original sabers coming soon, inspired by characters from Disney/Lucasfilm’s new movie and TV series. There are also more “Master Series” hilts to post…in fact I have over 13 more sabers I need to post! I hope you will return to check those out too, but whether you are a first time visitor or a regular viewer of FTSabersite thanks again, you are all much appreciated. Till next time….

“(New)Dark Dragon Katana” is a “For Tyeth Editions” saber design and is Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. All “For Tyeth Editions” designs and material contained within FTSabersite are Copyright of For Tyeth 2016-2019.

Dantoresu Lightsaber – Inspired by Dauntless 7

Hello Everybody, here is my first post for today and it is to display the hilt I designed having been inspired by the gorgeous modifications my friend has made to her hilt I will be displaying in post number two! This hilt is a 3 part katana but I used traditional flat sided katana parts whereas my friend’s hilt is based on a Saberforge Ronin which is cylindrical. This design is the Darkside version of my recent Dragon Katana with a few little tweaks, here is Dantoresu…

Dantoresu Hilt

Dantoresu Emitter

Dantoresu Emitter 2

Dantoresu Switch

Dantoresu Body

Dantoresu Pommel

Dantoresu Pommel 2

Dantoresu Vertical Up

Dantoresu Horizontal

Dantoresu 3 Part Version

Dantoresu 3 Part Version Pommel

This hilt has a Sith red blade projecting from an ebony black emitter which is adorned by a Japanese Dragon emblem. Again as with the Lightside Dragon Katana I posted recently this hilt has the body parts rotated 90 degrees from standard which provides the flat faces for the etching of the dragon. It also makes the grip more comfortable as the rounded sections now rest against the palm of your hand and the inside curl of your fingers, leaving your thumb to rest on the dragon etch. The switch is wasp-waisted to allow it to work as a choke point. The lower body section also has the flat face orientated upwards but this time instead of my name in Aurabesh symbols, the etching you can see is the Japanese word Dantoresu or Dauntless in English. The name is a nod to my friend whose saber inspired this design and her forum name is Dauntless 7! The pommel caps the hilt off nicely and has matching red accents to tie in with the colour scheme.

This post is coming to a close but before I finish…wait, I forgot I still have a second post coming up today! That post is dedicated to the fabulous hilt my friend Dauntless 7 has modified that inspired this design, and which I have teased was coming these last few weeks.  So please don’t go anywhere as this hilt is about to be overshadowed by a real piece of Saber Art! See you in post two.

“Dantoresu” is a For Tyeth Edition and is © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2017. FTSabersite and all it’s contents are © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2017.

FT’s Lightside Dragon Lightsaber

Hello Everybody, I have had to change my plans slightly for today’s offering but I have just about finished preparing for it. I recently paid a visit to a charity fund-raising shop (aka a thrift store in the US) and managed to pick up some cheap DVD and Blu-Rays. One of the discs was a movie called “Hirokin”, the cover of which features a warrior wielding a Japanese style Katana sword. As it happens a friend of mine has recently purchased a lightsaber from one of the big companies, that looks like a Katana and she has modified it. All of this Katana influence prompted me to create a design inspired by my friend’s work of art, so I returned to my 3 Part Katana series (which you can visit by clicking HERE) and came up with this new version. I call this FT Lightside Dragon…

Lightside Dragon Hilt

Lightside Dragon Emitter

Lightside Dragon Emitter 2

Lightside Dragon Switch

Lightside Dragon Body

Lightside Dragon Pommel

Lightside Dragon Pommel 2

Lightside Dragon Horizontal

Lightside Dragon Vertical Up

Lightside Dragon 3 Part Version Pommel

I have shown both the 2 part and extended 3 part versions here and as you will see if compared to my earlier designs there are some subtle changes! The first is that I have rotated the body/handgrip sections through 90 degrees. This should help grip the weapon better as the rounded segments are now on the sides where your fingers would naturally curl and the flattened faces are now top and bottom. This new positioning also allowed for my next, maybe not so subtle change, the inclusion of an image of a dragon and some symbols. The image of the dragon and symbols could be either painted onto the surface or etched (using electrically charged salt water to “burn” the image into the metal) or engraved and filled with a paint to give the etch or engraving colour. Oh, and the symbols are just my name in the Star Wars language Aurabesh!

Now the reason I had a change of plan is because I asked my friend if I could feature her beautiful saber along with my tribute version here on FTSabersite. My friend said I could…but asked could I postpone the article for a few days as she was about to apply some “finishing touches” to the saber! So I had to think quick and knock up a version for myself to show you all. However you will get to see the fabulous saber that has inspired me hopefully in my next post…and it is worth checking out.

Very quickly I am running out of time, it’s winter now….did you notice it’s snowing on my site? ^^up there^^  😀 and I will have to finish this post. But first as always I want to thank all of my viewers and followers, new and regulars, for your continued support, it means a lot to me. Please do spread the word about the site and I hope you will return to see my friend’s (real life) lightsaber and her fantastic modifications in an upcoming post. Till next time.

“FT Lightside Dragon Lightsaber” is a For Tyeth Edition and is © Copyright of For Tyeth. This site, FTSabersite and all it’s contents are © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2017. Guest Designer lightsaber designs are used here with permission and are copyright of the Guest Designer.