Annihilator Saber – Inspired by the Empire’s Star Destroyer

Hello Everybody, hope you are all well. I have a BIG saber to show you all today and not just a saber, but if you don’t like this design as a lightsaber you can remove the handle and use it as a model! (Plus I have a bonus item at the end of this post to check out!) The inspiration for today’s hilt is the awesome Star Destroyer. The Star Destroyer was the second ship we ever saw in the Star Wars universe and movies as it chased down Princess Leia’s transport ship the Tantive IV. That opening scene where the destroyer overflies the camera (and us) was phenomenal, the ship seemed to be never-ending. These ships were big, powerful, and could destroy planets (or at least wipe the surface clear of any inhabitants). They also carried dozens of TIE Fighters and hundreds of troopers. So I figured I should try and replicate an SD ship in saber form. So here is a work in progress picture of the basic outline model..

Now as you can see there are a few differences between the space ship and the saber, firstly there seems to be a long handle sticking out the back end (sorry, stern of the ship) and a big tube for the blade extending out of the bow. But I did try to make this model accurate as far as the basic shape was concerned and I used a set of blueprints I found on the net to help build the model. In Blender you can import and display images to act as reference guides, then you build the model “on top” of the pictures, pulling and shaping parts till they match the outlines. The blueprints I used look like this…

Ok so you have seen the studio WIP pictures, it’s time for the Glamour Shots gallery and you will notice I have a very special backdrop for the model this time…a 3D Space Panorama!….

Annihilator Saber 1

Annihilator Saber Emitter

Annihilator Saber Keel

Annihilator Saber “Hangar Bay Crystal Chamber”

Annihilator Saber Switch on rear of forecastle

Annihilator Saber Handgrip and Shield Generator Pommel

Annihilator Saber – or just as a model!

I recently perfected the trick of adding a 3 dimensional background for my models so thought a star scene would look better than a plain backdrop. From the images you should be able to pick out details such as superstructure which I etched into the body, the two secondary hangar bays on the port and starboard sides along with the forecastle (or bridge as it is sometimes called). I placed the red activation switch on the rear of the bridge structure. The pictures also highlight that I included a crystal chamber to represent the main shuttle hangar bay on the underside of the ship. Finally, on the handgrip I added a pommel that represents the SD’s “Shield Generator Globes”. These globes are the emitters for the shield and were originally located on the top of the bridge structure but after watching SOLO – A Star Wars Movie and seeing a Star Destroyer being assembled on Corellia I thought the globe would look great as a pommel. You can see the Generator Globe being lowered into place in this screenshot…

Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm Ltd.

Alright, that just about….WAIT! I still have a bonus to show you all yet! Not only have I learnt to add 3D backgrounds to my models but I have been working on my ANIMATION skills. I did a small animation of my TY Silencer Saber and thought the Star Destroyer would look “Impressive…most impressive!” animated with a space background so, if my video works….here is my animated Annihilator Saber (CAUTION!! There may be a Flashing Image issue for some people so if you are Photo Sensitive please be aware!!)

If the animation doesn’t work please let me know (but I tried it on YouTube and it seemed to display). I know it is a basic orbit and lasts a few seconds but I kinda liked it. However I have a much more advanced animation for my upcoming saber for the most famous Jedi Master ever, Luke Skywalker.

This time that does wrap things up for this post. I hope you enjoyed this design and I’d just like to say thanks to the developers of Blender 3D….because tomorrow marks the anniversary of my first Blender model based post. You can check out my first model by clicking HERE . I have only been using Blender for 365 days and it has allowed me to create sabers, pictures and animations like this ^^. And Blender makes it soo much fun!

So to you my viewers and followers, new and regulars, thank you soo much for joining me on my 3D modelling/saber designing journey and thanks for the continued support, it really means a lot me reading your comments and thoughts. Till next time…..

“Annihilator Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions design and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2019. The “Star Destroyer” and all Star Wars related names, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm Ltd.

R5-PHT Saber – Inspired by the Imperial Astromech

Hello Everybody, I haven’t see you all since…well yesterday actually! Yes I have posted twice this week and in my second post of the week I have my second Astromech Droid inspired hilt to present to you. The droid is called R5-PHT and appeared briefly in SOLO – A Star Wars Story so is very new to the saga and lore. Technically you could argue this is just R5-D4 in different colours (and it does share a lot of similarities) but I learnt a new modelling trick to add a new feature. In real life custom sabers they are illuminated with very high powered LED lights. These can if shone directly into someone’s eyes cause injury so saber manufacturers created a device called a blade plug which is inserted into the emitter when the blade has been removed. This filters most of the light to allow people to look at the coloured light safely. This new hilt has a blade plug, so I now present R5-PHT…

R5-PHT Saber Imperial Astromech

R5-PHT Saber side

R5-PHT Emitter (without plug)

R5-PHT Pommel

R5-PHT Body Grip

R5-PHT Switches Close Up

R5-PHT Full Length

This hilt is similar to R5-D4 from my last post but has a gloss black and silver finish to match it’s character counterpart. I actually got to meet this droid when I attended my local Comic Con. He was posing for photos with his master Darth Vader….

Yours Truly and R5-PHT

R5-PHT and Vader (domed head)

R5-PHT and Vader (flat head)

R5-PHT actually has an interchangeable domed head which allows him to conduct different missions and it was the “Flat Head” version that inspired my blade plug design which you can see in these next pics…

R5-PHT Blade Plug

R5-PHT Blade Plug inserted

The plug slots into the hole left when the polycarbonate blade is removed. This protects the lens of the LED light and also allows people to look at the saber while it is lit without blinding themselves. The silvery white sections are translucent which diffuses the light making it safer to look at. It also acts as a bit of decorative detail when you aren’t swinging the saber around with a blade in. The plug’s segmented design reflects the panels on the top of R5-PHT‘s flat dome head. Now to wrap this design up a few “Glamour shots”…

R5-PHT Saber in the “workshop”

R5-PHT Saber on the Death Star 1

R5-PHT Saber on the Death Star 2

Phew! There you have it R5-PHT Saber. Now the new modelling trick I learnt for this hilt is called a “Boolean Modifier”. This function of the Blender software allows me to add an object and basically “liquefy” it so it is malleable. I can then press any other object into the first and it will leave an impression (just like pressing a stamp into modelling clay). This helped make sure the stem of the blade plug was the same diameter of the blade so it would fit the hole in the emitter. Clever!

Ok I am very pressed for time now and will have to finish here. But first I will let you know next week I have not one, but two hilts based off the most famous Astromech in Star Wars history (“beep BRap Whoop!!” No I can’t mention your name yet but I think everyone can guess it!”) I hope you will return to see these new hilts, they have a few surprises. But for now thank you for visiting today, whether it’s your first visit or you’re a regular viewer you are all welcome and much appreciated. Till next time…

“R5-PHT Saber”  is a “For Tyeth Editions” design and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2018. R5-PHT is a Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm. The above images of Darth Vader posing with R5-PHT belong to the R2 Builders Club UK and The Sentinel Squad UK.

Two Years and Counting – Can it be that long?

Hello Everybody! Well this is a bit different, I was just preparing my next offering for you all and I received a message from WordPress congratulating me on my SECOND anniversary! To say that sneaked up on me is understatement. I don’t know where the last year has gone but it went quick. So in retrospective mode I thought I would just take a look back and see what I’ve done the past 365 days.

This isn’t in order as I am typing this off the top of my head but here are a few highlights(?)….Firstly I welcomed in a new year amid a wave of “Anti-Star Wars” feelings from fans. They were/are really upset about how the Star Wars legacy (and Luke Skywalker’s character) was treated in The Last Jedi. I saw the film and I thought it did some things it needed to but also a lot of stuff it didn’t. I have to say I haven’t watched it again (can’t afford the Blu-Ray just yet) but I did take a chance and watch SOLO – A Star Wars Story, which on the whole was an entertaining action flick. It spawned a few designs for me so it couldn’t have been as bad as folks predicted! Here are a few links to some SOLO themed hilts: Bloodstripe for Han , Calrissian – A Scoundrel’s Saber and L3-37 “Elthree” Lightsaber .

Another turbulent time for me was the closing down of the forum where I sort of  made my name. That forum was the SaberforgeForum run and owned by a custom saber manufacturer company that produced the “Adaptive Saber Parts” virtual builder I used to use to create designs. Well due to “business reasons” the owner, Phil Isherwood clamped down and shut the forum in March. But not before offering the members the chance to apply to become members of his Facebook page community! (Firstly the members who wanted to join shouldn’t have had to apply for entry and this was probably just Phil’s way to control the discussion about Saberforge). Saberforge also updated their Adaptive Saber Parts application with new parts (which had been promised over the 2 years since it launched but never showed up). Great news for most but the upgrade specifications needed to run the program meant I couldn’t use it as my laptop is old (really old). Sooo I had to learn some new tricks and I did….I learnt to use Blender 3D modelling software. This has had MANY positive benefits. It has made it possible for me to create a lot more diverse designs than was possible with ASP. With more work I’ll also be able send my designs out to be built in real life (hopefully).

I also discovered that I may have inspired the company named above as my series of Super Hero Hilts seems to have spawned a series of similar hilts from Saberforge – so maybe just maybe they saw my designs and “liked” them. It feels quite cool to have created something that inspired others. And speaking of inspiring I was inspired by the artwork of a few people around the net. One young lady called Capili Jiron runs a blog and YouTube channel titled “Artistbybeauty” who is a very talented artist. Capili asked for ideas on subjects for her to draw and I suggested Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Clone Wars Cartoon and she graciously obliged me! Here is the timelapse video!

If you want to see more then check out Capili’s YT channel by clicking >HERE or right here on WordPress at Artistbybeauty.blog

(I have been introduced to another young woman on YouTube recently who is a professional concept artist and very big Star Wars fan. I have sent her an email and saber design as a thank you for her entertaining and passionately presented Star Wars videos. I hope to hear back from her so I can display the saber here.)

And last but not least, a long time friend of mine, Prowl 1701 has set up a new Scifi themed review and discussion channel. You may remember Prowl from early posts I made where I designed a hilt for him based on the Transformers character he takes his profile name from. You can see the hilt by clicking > Prowler Lightsaber . Prowl is a big saber fan and owns around 20-30 lightsabers I think at the last count. If you are fans of sabers, Star Wars and SciFi in general then please go check out Prowl’s channels. He has the best cameraman on the internet, Eric, though I will warn some of the saber battles you will see there are a little intense! (I have advised Prowl and his friends on safety gear 😀 ) Here are the links:

Another Scifi Guy on YT (Prowl 1701)

Prowl 1701’s Saber Review Channel

As I mentioned this anniversary crept up on me so I wasn’t prepared for this post but I have at least marked the milestone. Whilst proofreading this post I also realised I was awarded a Liebster Award which was a great honour so thank you you for that. And as always I want to thank you all, my viewers, followers…friends, new and slightly more elder states-people for your support. It means a lot to me that people find what I create and post is mildly interesting. I will continue to design for as long as you come to see my work. And speaking of which in a few hours time I will be posting my scheduled post of another Astromech Droid Saber design. I hope you will join me for that hilt! Till midnight (that’s midnight GMT!)….

For Tyeth, FTSabersite and all it’s content (including all saber designs) is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-2018. All other Copyrights/Trademarks are used either with permission or under Fair Use terms.

 

Falcon Saber – Inspired by the Millennium Falcon

Hello Everybody, today I have a design based on the most iconic beefburger ever…sorry I mean the most iconic starship in Star Wars, the Millennium Falcon! Viewers may know the inspiration for the Falcon was a part eaten beefburger and a pickled gherkin on the plate of an executive George Lucas was having lunch with. However this saber is inspired by the Falcon before the revamp we saw in Solo – A Star Wars Story, so this is hopefully “old school” with a new twist. Enough of my talking, let me present a few work in progress shots….

Falcon Emitter

Commander find that escape pod!

Slowly taking shape!

Speaker grill?

Upper ventral exhausts.

Belt clip and detailing.

As you already know this is based on Han Solo’s Falcon, you can probably tell that the emitter is meant to be the famous cockpit module (or gherkin…sorry). I also tried to find other details I could weave into a hilt handle and I thought the escape pods would make good covers for a Recharge Port. On most custom sabers that use rechargeable batteries there is a socket to plug in a wall charger so you don’t have to remove them to charge up. However these sockets look out of place on a lightsaber from the future so designers try to camouflage them. I did this by creating a dust cap to insert into the socket that looks like the Falcon’s escape pods. The row of silver grills on the top side of the hilt represent the six exhaust/cooling vents on the top surface of the Falcon and the first grill also acts as the activation switch! The pommel has the speaker grill in the base, or if you know the Falcon it might just be the Holochess Board that Chewie so loves winning on, The remaining details are panels that are inset to give the impression of cargo cases and a round clip to attach the saber to your belt. Now I think it’s time for a few “Glamour Shots” of the finished hilt…here is Falcon Saber…..

Falcon Saber 1

Falcon Saber Pods and Vents

Falcon Saber Holochess speaker vent

Falcon Saber full length.

I had great fun building this hilt and pushing my new found skills further. The hilt is made up of three separate sections, the vents are made up of twelve parts, two escape pods and a belt clip knob! I hope you enjoyed my take on my favourite Star Wars ship. I have a few other starship inspired hilts to bring you (yes, and the TLJ hilt!) There will also be two hilts inspired by upcoming blockbuster movies due for release in the near future….oh and three droid inspired designs. I have been busy, but I sincerely hope you will come back and see all of them in my upcoming posts. Thank you so much for checking this hilt out, whether you are a regular viewer or first time visitor you are all appreciated. Till next time…..Hit it Chewie!

“Falcon Saber” is a For Tyeth Editions design and is ©Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-18. “Millennium Falcon”, “Han Solo”, “Chewie” and all other names, logos, images and related material are Trademark/©Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm 2018.

Crimson – A Solo Star Wars Story inspired saber

Hello Everybody, I felt it was about time I got back to designing sabers that were Star Wars related and what better way than with a design inspired by the latest movie, SOLO – A Star Wars Story? Well I started my design process as I always do by looking for a suitable character who didn’t have a saber in the film. Well there was only one saber in the whole film so there was a lot of candidates. Chewbacca maybe? But I already made one for him, Lando? The same. Ok Han Solo? He could use a saber but I designed Bloodstripe. Right then Qi-Ra, how about her? Qi-Ra is a new character, doesn’t have a saber, looks as if she could handle one….yes I’ll design a saber for her! The next step was to look for design cues to link the saber to her. Colours, shapes and oh yes markings all went into this hilt and here is the result…

Crimson Qi-Ra Hilt

Crimson Qi-Ra Emitter

Crimson Qi-Ra Emitter 2

Crimson Qi-Ra Pommel/sound vent

Crimson Dawn Logo

This hilt is one of the first I came up with when I began modelling in Blender using more than just adding building blocks and moving them around. The hilt is coloured a sort of velvety grey/brown which reminded me of the dress Qi-Ra wore at the drinks party aboard the villain’s starship yacht. The emitter is basic but has “windows” cut into it to allow light to shine through from the blade when ignited. The switch is basic but has a nice accent colour of gold to compliment the hilt. There are functions in Blender called “Modifiers” which help mould parts into more complex shapes. I used a “Wireframe Modifier” to create the hand grip ridges. The hilt handle then flares out slightly near the pommel to give a feminine shape and bit of interest to a basic tube! But the best part I feel is the pommel which I modelled on Qi-Ra’s tattoo and necklace. This emblem belongs to a criminal gang called “Crimson Dawn” and Qi-Ra may or may not be part of the organisation but one person most definitely is and this is his version of the hilt…

Crimson Saber

Crimson Hilt 2

Crimson Horned Emitter

Crimson Pommel

Crimson sound vent

Yes, this hilt belongs to the kingpin of Crimson Dawn, the Dathomirian we saw in The Phantom Menace…Darth Maul! He is briefly seen with a an old damaged lightsaber and I thought if he was such a successful crime-lord he would have a better weapon. So this is what I came up with. With just a little change in colour scheme and reshaping the emitter I had another hilt. I added some triangular points around the mouth of the emitter to represent Maul’s horned head and darkened the hilt to a black handle with contrasting Crimson red accents….just like his tattooed face! I think he would approve of this weapon.

Oh and I nearly forgot to mention, I have been experimenting with screenshots and here is one final “glamour” shot of the hilt for my catalogue…

Phew, that post was slightly longer than I planned but I hope you enjoyed it. I feel it shows I am progressing in 3D modelling. I still have three droid inspired hilts, two vehicle themed sabers and the special TLJ inspired design I know somebody is eagerly awaiting. They will all appear in future posts and I sincerely hope you will come back and check them out. Thank you for visiting today whether you are a regular viewer or a first timer, I appreciate your support. Till next time….

“Crimson Saber” is a For Tyeth Edition and is © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2016-18. “Crimson Dawn”, Darth Maul, Qi-Ra and all other names, logos and related material are Trademark/© Copyright of Disney/Lucasfilm 2018.

For Tyeth’s Comic Con 2 – “It’s a Trap!” (pic heavy)

Hello Everybody! Wow! Oh Wow! What a day I had yesterday (Sunday 17th). I received a HIGHLY IMPORTANT SECRET COMMUNICATION from the Jedi Council, who wanted me to take on another mission. This mission involved top secret documents, an Imperial Droid, a Sith Apprentice and a Sith Lord…a Princess plus a SUPER SPECIAL GUEST….but do you know what? I will tell you the story instead it will be easier! (But please stick with this post it is four pages long ok!)

I received the mission briefing early in the morning and I was instructed to go to my local Comic Con to gather intel – yes it was that time of year when my local comic con takes place. Well, what better place to hide and blend in than with a lot of Star Wars fans? I was told an Imperial Droid that belonged to Darth Vader had some really vital information stored within him and I had to get it!

That’s the Droid I’m looking for!! Quick Tyeth move!

Upon arriving I met up with an old acquaintance called Takamatsu to get my first lead on the droid’s whereabouts. Takamatsu is well known as and I think IS the best Bossk the Bounty Hunter cosplayer in the UK. But this time he wasn’t dressed as Bossk, oh no…he was “Edrio Two Tubes” this year! What a costume…and all hand made by himself…unbelievable!

Takamatsu as “Edrio Two Tubes”…this guy is amazing!

Edrio told me that news of my arrival was already known and forces had been sent out to stop me. And Edrio wasn’t kidding…take a look at these Imperial troops!

Yikes! Stormtroopers, Biker Scouts and a Tie Pilot!

They seemed determined to stop me but hadn’t detected my presence yet so I had a chance to meet up with my second informant…and you can meet him too on page two, just click the page link below!

Pages: 1 2 3 4

L3-37 “Elthree” Lightsaber – Inspired by the droid in Solo

Hello Everybody, recently a new extended trailer was released for the new upcoming film Solo and with it were some arty publicity posters. However there was a problem, the main characters each had a poster, Han of course then Chewie, Lando and Q’ira. There was also a bit of a buzz around the Internet about a new droid but this “main” character didn’t have a poster! This droid is of course L3-37 or “Elthree” as she is fondly called. Elthree travels with Lando and is programmed as a female personality, carries out repairs on herself using whatever spare parts are around but they left her out of the line up of posters so I thought she might need cheering up. And how better to do that than to design a saber based on her? Well here is my design L3-37 “Elthree”…

L3-37 “Elthree” Hilt

L3-37 “Elthree” Emitter

L3-37 “Elthree” Emitter 2

L3-37 “Elthree” Switch

L3-37 “Elthree” Body

L3-37 “Elthree” Pommel

L3-37 “Elthree” Vertical Up

L3-37 “Elthree” Vertical Down

L3-37 “Elthree” Hilt 2

Elthree is made up of many random parts and is “one of a kind” and so too I hope is this design…though I did carefully pick out which parts to use! The first part is the amber blade and LED setup which matched the sepia desert like colours used in the aforementioned posters (giving them a Western Cowboys film style look). The emitter is next up and reminded me of Elthree’s head and neck, including the rectangular block decoration around the edges. Now Elthree has a distinct sensor built into her head that shines out and to recreate that I thought it would be possible to cut a hole into the emitter part to allow some light from the blade to shine through, creating her “eye”. The switch section forms the torso of “L3”. As the film hasn’t been released there doesn’t seem to be many pictures of Elthree’s lower body so I picked parts that looked vaguely robotic. Here is one picture I did find of the new droid.

L3-37 “Elthree” Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm 2018.

As you can see the legs are missing from the shot so I apologise for the educated guesses I had to make building the lower section of the hilt but I’d like to think I recreated the head quite well! (Oh, and the title image at the top of the page is a little homage to the Solo movie posters!)

I hope you liked this design and when I get the chance to see the film I may return to this hilt and work on improving the “legs”. Unfortunately time is running out again and I will have to bring this post to an end. But before I go as always I want to thank you all for visiting and supporting me and the site. I have recently had a visit from a nice  “artistic person” from Australia (yes I did sense you!) so thanks for calling in wherever you are in the galaxy! Till next time.

“L3-37 Elthree Lightsaber” is a For Tyeth Editions design and is © Copyright of For Tyeth/FTSabersite 2018. “L3-37”, “Elthree” and all other names, logos and related material of the film Solo are Trademarks/© Copyright of Disney/LucasFilm 2018.