**Update**
Hi everyone. I'm so sorry for the delay in posting this! I was so excited to share this final post, and get moving with the run, that I didn’t quite appreciate just how much there was still left to do before putting a time on it. Thanks for your patience everyone! what follows will be the final (almost*) update for the run before taking payments and ordering parts!
The response to this run has been
phenomenal! A huge
THANK YOU to everyone who has expressed an interest and to all those who have contributed to the development process!
There have been quite a few developments this week, which I’ll discuss here as they’re related specifically to the run. As usual, any design changes or discoveries will be discussed in a a separate post on the
Research and Development Thread (coming soon!).
*This was supposed to be the final update, but I’ve been waiting on a couple of things such as the jig for the emitter damage, so I’m not able to present a full example of the ROTJ commission just yet unfortunately. The jig has arrived!!, so I’ll be able to show an example of a finished ROTJ paint/weathering commission VERY soon, and certainly prior to taking any payments.
Models:
The models are finished! There have been a few very minor alterations which I won’t go in to too much here. Things specific to the design and development of the models will be discussed in more detail on the
Research and Development Thread.
Briefly, I've done a full round of accuracy checks, focussing on getting the pommel cubes cross referenced between these two images:
The pommel, although it may not look it, is very irregular, and each cube is unique.
This time around, I’ve remodelled all my meshes using NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines), which are more geared towards manufacturing than polygonal modelling (used more in games development). This is something I’ve been meaning to get to grips with for some time now and should also help to speed up the manufacturing process. It’s been a bit of a learning curve (mind the pun).
Motor Kit:
I have tested the motor kit this week in my (very nearly finished) Starkiller hilt and it works great! It needed to be shimmed (I wrapped with insulation tape until it was a snug fit) but other than that it worked exactly as I expect it to on mine. There was a lot of vibration, but this was related to the blade, which I’ll discuss shortly, and is
nothing to worry about (as you'll see).
The actual motor kit WILL now include Anderson Powerpole Connectors as well as spade connectors for those who would like to use them for connecting the wires to the switch and motor without the need for soldering. I recommend soldering as well as crimping.
I was hoping to have a new image ready to post, but I’m still waiting on the Anderson connectors, so here’s a mock-up of what to expect:
***Motor Kit Mock-Up***
Blade:
As part of my test for the motor, I also made a mock up of blade this week, and it worked great (ish). Again, I’d like to go into more detail regarding the size and shape of the blade on the research and development thread, as I did some research in to the length and taper.
The biggest news with regards to the blade is that I have managed to find a VERY talented wood turner who will now be making these. I was fairly happy with my effort, but I don’t have the equipment to get them as accurate as I’d like. Having a professional turn these on a lathe will ensure that the hole is dead-centre (to avoid the annoying wobble that can be seen in the above video). Importantly, It will also free me up to work on getting everything else prepared to hit the ground running once the parts arrive! The vast majority of wood turners I approached flat out refused, or were very reluctant to work on something so slender. The one who has agreed to do them appears to enjoy a challenge though, and has worked on some mind bogglingly delicate work in the past. He really is a very talented craftsman, so I couldn’t be happier that he’s agreed to do it!
Here’s the mock up that I made of the blade showing the reflective material in action.
Getting an image (and certainly a video) that does this justice is quite difficult on my phone, as the automatic exposure control compensates for the brightness before you can manage to capture the effect. I recently sold my DSLR because the camera on my phone was so good (or so I thought). I will try to get my hands on one soon and set up a proper demonstration.
Shipping:
Due to the nature of this run, and everyone's orders being ever so slightly different, figuring out postage and transaction fees has been a bit like cracking the enigma codes!
From the beginning of next week and leading up to the end of the month, I'll be contacting people on an individual basis, to confirm their orders and to give a detailed breakdown of their final price and how it will be broken down in to two separate instalments.
First instalment for everyone will be for the cost of the parts only.
The second instalment will be for any remaining Shipping/Fees/Commission, and won't be taken until your order is packaged up and ready to send. (This includes any pommel/emitter damage commission, which is why the ROTJ kit prices may look a little different)
In the meantime, I've put together three separate charts to give people an idea of expected shipping costs based on the example kits and location. If your order differs at all from the example kits/commissions, I’ll work out a tailored payment plan specific to your order.
UK
ORDER | INSTALLMENT 1 (PARTS ONLY) | INSTALLMENT 2 (SHIPPING/FEES/COMMISSION) |
| £180 | £20.19 |
ANH KIT | £305.30 | £23.92 |
ROTJ KIT | £315.60 | £44.83 |
BOTH KITS | £620.90 | £53.95 |
ANH COMMISSION | £305.30 | £126.92 |
ROTJ COMMISSION | £300.60 | £229.76 |
BOTH COMMISSIONS | £605.90 | £341.87 |
EU
ORDER | INSTALLMENT 1 (PARTS ONLY) | INSTALLMENT 2 (SHIPPING/FEES/COMMISSION) |
| £180 | £25.47 |
ANH KIT | £305.30 | £29.88 |
ROTJ KIT | £315.60 | £50.94 |
BOTH KITS | £620.90 | £61.69 |
ANH COMMISSION | £305.30 | £133.40 |
ROTJ COMMISSION | £300.60 | £236.75 |
BOTH COMMISSIONS | £605.90 | £351.01 |
INTERNATIONAL
ORDER | INSTALLMENT 1 (PARTS ONLY) | INSTALLMENT 2 (SHIPPING/FEES/COMMISSION) |
| £180 | £37.58 |
ANH KIT | £305.30 | £44.03 |
ROTJ KIT | £315.60 | £65.59 |
BOTH KITS | £620.90 | £81.32 |
ANH COMMISSION | £305.30 | £149.19 |
ROTJ COMMISSION | £300.60 | £254.10 |
BOTH COMMISSIONS | £605.90 | £374.98 |
In keeping with community guidelines, PayPal fees have been included in the price (as part of instalment two). I'll be giving everyone a detailed breakdown of these privately of course.
I've spent a LOT of time looking for the most suitable shipping company this time around and I'm very happy with the service that I've finally chosen. Previously, I've always taken packages to the post office in person, but this is incredibly time consuming on runs like this. It occurred to me on my last run that that time could be used far more productively. Also, the length of the blade for the ANH kit is over the maximum parcel length for Royal Mail.
So, I’ve gone with a service that will collect from my home, freeing me up to work on commissions and allowing me to send more out in one go, rather than being limited by how many I can carry!
UPSs service is perfect for this run for a number of reasons. Both the ROTJ and the longer ANH packages are classed as the same parcel size, and the difference in weight has no effect on the price either (up to 70KG!). Two kits can be sent in the longer ANH box for the same price as one too, which just makes things so much simpler for everyone! The price of shipping is basically the same, regardless of the size of your order, or it’s value.
I also found that the additional insurance for UPS was very competitive (and simple) too and covers orders up to a value of £1000. So all above shipping costs include this. Importantly, UPS appear to cover artwork/collectables, whereas over companies have them listed as exempt from compensation.
Timetable/lead times:
The timetable that I’d previously set out hasn’t really changed. I’m planning on getting all the parts ordered at the beginning of October.
The lead time on the CNC'd parts is 15-20 working days (so four weeks/one month). During that time I’ll be making up boxes for the DIY kits and printing labels. I’ll also spend this time cutting stencils and putting any third party items in to people’s boxes as they arrive. I’ll also be making up the blades and applying the reflective material as soon as I get those in hand.
As soon as the CNC'd parts come in (which should be around the beginning of November), I’ll be sending out any kits with undamaged pommels/emitters. I’ll then spend the first few days of November applying damage to emitters and pommels for all the remaining DIY kits. Once they’re sent, I will be working on commissions in batches of 10XRotJ and 10XANH/month until they’re complete.
I hope to have batches one and two completed and posted before Christmas. I’ll then be starting on batch three in the new year. I’ll be letting people know which batch they can expect to be in when confirming their orders.
I think that’s all for now (relating to the run at least). Please keep an eye out for an update of the
Research and Development Thread which should be landing soon. It will go over some final changes to the models as well as some research in to the blades that you might find interesting.
Thanks again for your patience everyone! It really is very much appreciated! Looking forward to contacting everyone individually very soon and getting things in motion!
All the very best and
MTFBWY-A
Dave