Anakin Starkiller's New Luke ROTJ Hero saber design thread

Anakin Starkiller

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hello everyone,

This post has been a long time coming. About a decade ago, I did my first lightsaber run here on the RPF, releasing what was then, and I believe still is, the most accurate Luke ROTJ hero saber kit ever produced. It was the first saber to have the appropriate scale, the asymmetrical and varying width grips, and the asymmetrical pommel cubes. It was a real labor of love, that I still stand by and proudly hang my hat on.
If you're not familiar with this run, here are some great examples of customer's builds from my kit
17192431_10212646005604536_2357533662684534796_o.jpg
17191757_10212646004444507_605834563520243942_o.jpg

If you want to see more, head over to my instagram Anakin Starkiller (@asatstarsend) • Instagram photos and videos

In the past few years, I've had a number of people contact me and ask if I'd ever do another run of these hilts. And I always planned to someday. But, never quite got around to it...

However, in the past six months I've completely reworked my model, with the help of Roy of Wannawanga, and in consultation with BRRogers and drizzt1234, have come up with, what I think is the most accurate representation of the ROTJ hero saber that I can produce.

I'm now ready to reveal the design and get the ball running on making this thing a reality. So, if you're interested, you can follow this link to see the final cad model and check out the details of the redesign. The autodesk online viewer will let you play around with perspective and examine the whole prop from every angle. Also, if you switch to the exploded view, you can see the parts breakdown that I've come up with and how the hilt has been designed to allow for electronics, while not sacrificing accuracy.

Here are some beauty shots
Luke hero preview.jpg
Luke hero preview2.jpg
Luke hero preview3.jpg
Luke hero preview4.jpg
Luke hero preview5.jpg
 
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These will be different projects from here on out. Bryan and Adam and I were working in tandem for some time, but we've decided to part ways. This model was developed by me during a period of consultation and mutual exchange of information and feedback, but it is not exactly the same design.
 
Looks like a stellar project!

Are there any plans for a more solid hilt, or is the project a fully fx compatible run? Just curious :)
 
Looks like a stellar project!

Are there any plans for a more solid hilt, or is the project a fully fx compatible run? Just curious :)

I'm hoping that with this kit, there won't really be much of a need for a more solid hilt, as most of the tells that make a FX kit inaccurate will be removed. If you look at the exploded design, you'll see that the blade retention screws are hidden on the model so that they will be covered by the static emitter cap when no blade is present.

Here's a shot of the bladed emitter cap
luke hero emitter preview.jpg



Also, I will be including a vented pommel cap to allow for sound, with a little easter egg present. I made the vent holes resemble the Armitage Shanks handwheel logo from the 80's, sort of in keeping with this saber being derived from the OWK hero.
Luke hero preview vented pommel.jpg



Also, to speak to the question of the original prop being solid. I'm not sure if it actually was. I'm not an electronics expert, but if they were running a tracer led pattern in the control box in 1983, I've often thought that the saber may very well have been hollow under the control box to accommodate batteries.
 
I'm hoping that with this kit, there won't really be much of a need for a more solid hilt, as most of the tells that make a FX kit inaccurate will be removed. If you look at the exploded design, you'll see that the blade retention screws are hidden on the model so that they will be covered by the static emitter cap when no blade is present.

Here's a shot of the bladed emitter cap
View attachment 1071846


Also, I will be including a vented pommel cap to allow for sound, with a little easter egg present. I made the vent holes resemble the Armitage Shanks handwheel logo from the 80's, sort of in keeping with this saber being derived from the OWK hero.
View attachment 1071847


Also, to speak to the question of the original prop being solid. I'm not sure if it actually was. I'm not an electronics expert, but if they were running a tracer led pattern in the control box in 1983, I've often thought that the saber may very well have been hollow under the control box to accommodate batteries.

Dan!! That’s a wicked logo!! We need T-shirt’s!!!
 

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