Dewy and Anakin Starkiller's Accurate Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 Lightsaber Design

[Anakin Starkiller]

It will be accurate in geometry. But it will also be as materials accurate as we can get. We plan to use Delrin/POM for the black sections. This will allow us to copy the plastic parts and capture all of the nuances of the original saber's wonky geometry. If we tried to cast resin parts, we would introduce new wonkiness with each pour that we couldn't control--we're working with tolerances along the line of a human hair--so this will be the best most accurate solution.

 

[Eruonen]

Copy that. This is the ultimate run for me. I am absolutely loving the dedication and attention to detail from both of you. A testament to the community.

 

[Excelsior]

Since it’s not feasible to do resin casting for the black parts, they will be machined acetal plastic (aka Delrin). The remaining parts will be aluminum, brass, steel, etc. as appropriate.

What about machining the resin parts from white delrin, specifically, so they can then be painted matte black like the original prop? Machined black delrin will not look accurate unless it's painted anyway, and the white will look more accurate where there are chips in the paint.

 

[AnubisGuard]

What about machining the resin parts from white delrin, specifically, so they can then be painted matte black like the original prop? Machined black delrin will not look accurate unless it's painted anyway, and the white will look more accurate where there are chips in the paint.

I vote against this. I don't want chips with white showing through.

 

[teecrooz]

Mine from Dan’s last delrin and aluminum run. I can’t wait to get the new one. Hard to imagine improving on this beauty.

 

[Excelsior]

I vote against this. I don't want chips with white showing through.

Machined delrin will not look accurate. The black parts must be painted to match the prop. Whether they are machined in white or black, they still have to be painted to get the right look. Otherwise, they might as well just machine them from aluminum and have them anodized black, like 99% of other runs of this saber.

If it's going to be covered up with paint anyway, why not pick the color more accurate to the original resin?

 

[AnubisGuard]

You seem to miss my point: I don't want the possibility of chipping, ergo, I don't want paint. I don't care if it doesn't look 100% accurate.

I realize ultimately it's not a democracy and Dan et al will do this how they please, but since I'm interested in this run, I wanted to get my opinion out there.

 

[Eruonen]

I’d be in favor of paint. I dislike how sheen you get from most straight materials. I do realize that I can just paint my own at home, but that would be a back up option for me.

 

[Excelsior]

You seem to miss my point: I don't want the possibility of chipping, ergo, I don't want paint. I don't care if it doesn't look 100% accurate.

I realize ultimately it's not a democracy and Dan et al will do this how they please, but since I'm interested in this run, I wanted to get my opinion out there.

It seems like a shame to me to make the rest of the saber perfectly accurate and then do a run lacking as big a detail as the paint, which was obviously present on the original prop.

Do they not make accurate stencils so people can do properly weathered, painted V2 sabers? This is no different to me.

 

[Dewy]

What about machining the resin parts from white delrin, specifically, so they can then be painted matte black like the original prop? Machined black delrin will not look accurate unless it's painted anyway, and the white will look more accurate where there are chips in the paint.

I like that idea. I think most of the resin sabers were plain yellow resin with a gray primer. Although on the hero, I can’t see any yellow, only gray/white where there is damage. That could be the underlying material, or the primer showing through. Ultimately this is the type of decision where I will defer to expertise of Anakin Starkiller.

Edit- quoted the wrong post

 

[Eruonen]

I like that idea. I think most of the resin sabers were plain yellow resin with a gray primer. Although on the hero, I can’t see any yellow, only gray/white where there is damage. That could be the underlying material, or the primer showing through. Ultimately this is the type of decision where I will defer to expertise of Anakin Starkiller.

Edit- quoted the wrong post

That yellow/beige resin will be burned into my mind forever, as I used to rewatch the TPM behind the scenes documentaries

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

It seems like a shame to me to make the rest of the saber perfectly accurate and then do a run lacking as big a detail as the paint, which was obviously present on the original prop.

Do they not make accurate stencils so people can do properly weathered, painted V2 sabers? This is no different to me.

There's nothing stopping anyone from painting their saber, if they want. I did that with my personal saber from the last run. I promise, cross my heart, if you decide you want to paint your saber after you purchase it, neither I nor Drew will come to your house and stop you

 

[Excelsior]

There's nothing stopping anyone from painting their saber, if they want. I did that with my personal saber from the last run. I promise, cross my heart, if you decide you want to paint your saber after you purchase it, neither I nor Drew will come to your house and stop you

How about having a certain number machined out of the white (or whatever color is prop resin accurate) delrin for those who intend to paint them, and black ones for those who want the idealized version and no paint? Then everybody's happy. If the machinist is all set up to make the parts, it doesn't matter what color the stock is. You could start an interest list and see who wants which version.

 

[Eruonen]

There's nothing stopping anyone from painting their saber, if they want. I did that with my personal saber from the last run. I promise, cross my heart, if you decide you want to paint your saber after you purchase it, neither I nor Drew will come to your house and stop you

Will this design be disassemble-able, or is this more of a carefully mask type of situation?

 

[Dewy]

Will this design be disassemble-able, or is this more of a carefully mask type of situation?

I can’t speak to what state the saber will arrive in, but it will be fully disassemble-able. There are a few parts that will require a dab of super glue, but that will be up to the end user.

 

[thd9791]

Would the extra layers of paint affect the parts that fit together? I'm loving how this is turning out, hoping it's a static one, and loving that we can now have some accurate greeblies!

I was told that a lot of that resin ages quickly and turns beige. Starts off as like an off-white. There was definitely beige resin though I think... must have been cheap to get in bulk

 

[Dewy]

Would the extra layers of paint affect the parts that fit together? I'm loving how this is turning out, hoping it's a static one, and loving that we can now have some accurate greeblies!

I was told that a lot of that resin ages quickly and turns beige. Starts off as like an off-white. There was definitely beige resin though I think... must have been cheap to get in bulk

Most of the black resin portions of the hero saber (and this replica) are actually quite a bit smaller than the aluminum parts they fit within, so paint shouldn’t be a problem. There are a few hidden (not visible when fully assembled) cylindrical surfaces on this replica that may need to be masked. In other words the diameters of the non-visible sections of the black parts are intentionally larger than the visible portions so things fit together better and won’t move/rattle.

 

[Slave1]

Interested in watching this come to fruition!

 

[Mark P]

Definitely excited for this one. My holy grail lightsaber and yet I have never owned a 1:1 replica of it beyond a resin cast.

 

[Dewy]

Another teaser: