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

[Dewy]

As I alluded to in another thread recently, this particular prop has always been an obsession of mine and I have been working on my own parametric 3D model on and off for nearly 3 years. I have amassed a fairly large collection of reference photos of both the hero prop and the various stung props. So to the best of my abilities I have been using perspective matching photogrammetric techniques within SolidWorks to align my model to reference photos.

Comparison 1:

Comparison 2:

I scratched my brain for a month over how a machinist would logically manufacture the emitter with the wonky geometry we see on the hero prop. It turns out it is incredibly easy:

Finally after A LOT of time in Solidworks I decided I was ready to move forward with prototyping. My interests lie more in replicating the prop than the fictional weapon itself. In that regard I decided to 3D print not just my hero model, but also a featureless stunt model to recreate these props:

So these beauties are hot off the 3D printer:

Now begins the long and arduous task of turning my 3D models into detailed engineering drawings...

 

[Eruonen]

As I alluded to in another thread recently, this particular prop has always been an obsession of mine and I have been working on my own parametric 3D model on and off for nearly 3 years. I have amassed a fairly large collection of reference photos of both the hero prop and the various stung props. So to the best of my abilities I have been using perspective matching photogrammetric techniques within SolidWorks to align my model to reference photos.

View attachment 1547331

Comparison 1:

View attachment 1547332

Comparison 2:


View attachment 1547335


I scratched my brain for a month over how a machinist would logically manufacture the emitter with the wonky geometry we see on the hero prop. It turns out it is incredibly easy:

View attachment 1547334

Finally after A LOT of time in Solidworks I decided I was ready to move forward with prototyping. My interests lie more in replicating the prop than the fictional weapon itself. In that regard I decided to 3D print not just my hero model, but also a featureless stunt model to recreate these props:

View attachment 1547337

So these beauties are hot off the 3D printer:

View attachment 1547338

View attachment 1547339

View attachment 1547340

Now begins the long and arduous task of turning my 3D models into detailed engineering drawings...

This is my all time favorite hilt. Brilliant work so far! Love the stunt hilt, haven’t seen many of those.

 

[Dewy]

In parallel to working on the model, I’ve been trying to get as much real hardware as possible. In the photo below you can see:
-some real world (but incorrect) hydraulic blanking caps
-a Plastruct domed end as used on the pommel according to lonepigeon
-a couple large extra thick fender washers, one of which was tapped and has a small threaded rod inserted to replicate the look of the hero prop (needs more finishing to look correct)
-and what I’m MOST proud of, some accurate 5mm LEDs in a metallic sharp edged bezel



Closeups of the fender washers and an LED:



And some more of the LEDs:

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Where'd those LED bezels come from?

 

[Dewy]

Where'd those LED bezels come from?

PM sent.

I also filed one of them down to resemble the prop:

 

[Mandalorian444]

That looks great so far, and well done on collecting those found parts. It'll be really cool to see how you finish those up with those pieces. Same question as AS on the LED's. They seem so elusive when searching for ones that have all the proper details.

 

[Dewy]

That looks great so far, and well done on collecting those found parts. It'll be really cool to see how you finish those up with those pieces. Same question as AS on the LED's. They seem so elusive when searching for ones that have all the proper details.

I have a couple more potential matches arriving in the mail over the next week or two. I'm going to hold off posting the details until I have the full story. I will say that after seeing these in person, it's hard to imagine how anything could possibly match better. I think these LEDs are either what was used on the original prop, or at the very least the closest modern equivalent.

 

[Eruonen]

Also interested in the LED ID. Those look bang on.

 

[Dewy]

Another detail that has always eluded me is this one on the black "emitter core" piece:

That last dark shadow that the blue arrow is pointing to is different than the other grooves. I'm seeing one of two things:

Option A - the emitter core necks down in diameter and we're seeing a taper
Option B - We're seeing another groove with sharp corners (no radius or chamfer) that then steps up in diameter

What do you think?

 

[Eruonen]

Another detail that has always eluded me is this one on the black "emitter core" piece:

View attachment 1548932

That last dark shadow that the blue arrow is pointing to is different than the other grooves. I'm seeing one of two things:

Option A - the emitter core necks down in diameter and we're seeing a taper
Option B - We're seeing another groove with sharp corners (no radius or chamfer) that then steps up in diameter

View attachment 1548936
What do you think?

I can see both if I force myself, but my instinct/opinion is Option B

 

[Dewy]

I can see both if I force myself, but my instinct/opinion is Option B

I'm inclined to agree with you, but I go back and forth on a regular basis.

Some more food for thought:

 

[ssdesigner]

Always felt like this was just a groove added for symmetry after they added the cutaways in the outer aluminum shell.

 

[Dewy]

Always felt like this was just a groove added for symmetry after they added the cutaways in the outer aluminum shell.

Oh interesting. They made the black part short by one groove. Assemble the thing, realize it looks weird, then hastily disassemble and add an additional groove on the lathe. That would explain the uneven size/spacing.

 

[ssdesigner]

Oh interesting. They made the black part short by one groove. Assemble the thing, realize it looks weird, then hastily disassemble and add an additional groove on the lathe. That would explain the uneven size/spacing.

Exactly. Not sure if true, but it seems plausible.

Also, love the work Dewy! This was always by favorite prequel saber.

 

[Eruonen]

I'm inclined to agree with you, but I go back and forth on a regular basis.

Some more food for thought:
View attachment 1548939

My confirmation bias sees this as more evidence of Option B

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

B

 

[Mandalorian444]

I'm inclined towards B.

Did a quick render with similar options and this is what came out.

This model of course isn't totally accurate, but there are a couple things about it that push me towards thinking B is more likely.

- The shadow from the 'U' cutout is more pronounced on A with the step down in diameter than I'm seeing in the reference image.
- The lighted area inside the 'U' has a highlight along the top edge just below the final groove shadow area that would seem to be a slight bevel at the top of another ridge. This isn't exhibited in my B render, though I did make that edge fairly sharp which might have been too much, but it is exhibited on the other ridges in the original image.
- The highlight on the top edge seems to be too much for the bottom of a taper, since light wouldn't catch as much on the curve from taper to straight, as can be observed in A. The highlights I'm seeing in the grooves of the original appear to be at the bottom of the groove as it begins to curve back outwards.

Interesting observation and I'm curious to see what you determine from your model.

 

[Dewy]

I'm inclined towards B.

Did a quick render with similar options and this is what came out.

View attachment 1548998

This model of course isn't totally accurate, but there are a couple things about it that push me towards thinking B is more likely.

- The shadow from the 'U' cutout is more pronounced on A with the step down in diameter than I'm seeing in the reference image.
- The lighted area inside the 'U' has a highlight along the top edge just below the final groove shadow area that would seem to be a slight bevel at the top of another ridge. This isn't exhibited in my B render, though I did make that edge fairly sharp which might have been too much, but it is exhibited on the other ridges in the original image.
- The highlight on the top edge seems to be too much for the bottom of a taper, since light wouldn't catch as much on the curve from taper to straight, as can be observed in A. The highlights I'm seeing in the grooves of the original appear to be at the bottom of the groove as it begins to curve back outwards.

Interesting observation and I'm curious to see what you determine from your model.

I agree, I’m moving forward with Option B. More reference photos support option B to my eye. Additionally, from a construction standpoint Option B makes more sense to me.

 

[Dewy]

Well just got another delivery with yet another promising found item:

The two on the left (red text) are just two examples of run of the mill valve adapters you would find in the USA. The replica on the right (blue text), I believe is an old Roman's Empire replica? It's got the details nailed down pretty well, but the overall size is a little too large. Second from the right (green text) is a newly acquired valve adapter. To my eye, this valve adapter is a much closer match to the original hero prop. It has the correct 90 degree diamond knurl and it has the right diameter to height ratio of the knurled section. This one was sourced from Canada, but I believe was more commonly available in Asia and Europe. I have another potential match on the way from Singapore. I'll post some better photos in the morning once I have some natural light.

 

[thd9791]

What an analysis.... great work, to everyone. I've always wanted to build a mixed-media-real part hilt one day. This thread and your modeling work are going to be invaluable. The washers used by the team for the emitters.... straight edged and not soft looking or stamped?