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Limited Run Saberz.com Project O1 and Project Q (Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon TPM)
- Thread starter Saberz
- Start date
The surface finish on mine is actually exactly what I expected. In fact it’s one of the reasons I liked these versions over others, because they have a dulled, slightly weathered appearance like the original props. To be clear I don’t see the harsh linear scratching in the photos that weee shared here. Mine looks more like what’s in the video Saberz posted.
The only thing I was let down by a bit was the paint application on the cube ring, but when assembled it’s not super noticeable. It’s also easy to repaint, which I might do when I get around to painting my Project M (I opted for the unpainted M). Overall I’m very happy with what I received and look forward to installing them all.
The only thing I was let down by a bit was the paint application on the cube ring, but when assembled it’s not super noticeable. It’s also easy to repaint, which I might do when I get around to painting my Project M (I opted for the unpainted M). Overall I’m very happy with what I received and look forward to installing them all.
Thanks very much blobcat. If you'd like us to work on the pommel cubes for you, don't hesitate to email us. We can either exchange you for cubes with anodized black sections (and bare metal on the silver sections), or I can repaint it for you myself.
If you feel like you'd rather tackle it alone when you do your Project M, just load up a small brush with acetone (a toothbrush works great, just don't put it in your mouth later). You can get the acetone in small bottles in the grocery store (with the fingernail polish), or in large cans at Home Depot. in the Paint department. The current paint brushes right off with acetone but does not affect the clear anodized layer underneath. Once it's all clean you can apply whatever paint you prefer. For those sending to us, we're going to use an acrylic black similar to the painted black areas on Project M.
If you feel like you'd rather tackle it alone when you do your Project M, just load up a small brush with acetone (a toothbrush works great, just don't put it in your mouth later). You can get the acetone in small bottles in the grocery store (with the fingernail polish), or in large cans at Home Depot. in the Paint department. The current paint brushes right off with acetone but does not affect the clear anodized layer underneath. Once it's all clean you can apply whatever paint you prefer. For those sending to us, we're going to use an acrylic black similar to the painted black areas on Project M.
Hi everybody, small update here. We have been in constant communication with the factory regarding the widely-debated surface finish, and here is where we have landed.
We're taking all of the remaining O1 and Q1 parts to a specialty factory that specializes only in polishing and surface finish. Based on our input, the came to us with two different solutions. One is a more highly polished finish, as you can see on the left. We call this the "High Shine" finish. This is probably what most other Obi TPM sabers out there look like. Very polished, no machining marks, etc. But generally not accurate to the original TPM prop. The second is more of a brushed finish, but highly consistent and always perfectly radial. It's actually pretty similar to what we already have, just much more uniform all over the saber. We call this the "Machine Brushed" finish. I think this is what most people have in their heads when they say something like "brushed finish" or "machine finish" or "smooth but dull" finish.
It can be tough to know what to do when you're no longer shooting for pure accuracy, but rather for what others think of in their own heads as accurate. So here's what I'm going to do. At present, everyone who asked for a reworked surface finish will by default get the "Machine Brushed" finish. The remaining batches of O1 and Q hilts will also be completed this way. We still have some stock of the original finish as shown in this thread, which we call the "Prop Accurate, Sanded" finish. Both are now options in the store for any new customers. Once all the current stock of Prop Accurate Sanded finish is sold, then the Machine Brushed finish will be the only one available.
I am also going to request a small number (10 each) of the "High Shine" finish, just in case any of you would prefer that. It's perhaps closer to what some of you have in your head, I don't really know. Again, it's tough to know what to do when you're no longer shooting to match your original reference. If you want the high shine version, contact me privately. I'll remove this paragraph on the high shine version if and when they become sold out.
I hope this is helpful and satisfying for all of you, and that you each receive the Obi/Qui-Gon saber you've dreamed of!
-Nick Salazar, Saberz.com
We're taking all of the remaining O1 and Q1 parts to a specialty factory that specializes only in polishing and surface finish. Based on our input, the came to us with two different solutions. One is a more highly polished finish, as you can see on the left. We call this the "High Shine" finish. This is probably what most other Obi TPM sabers out there look like. Very polished, no machining marks, etc. But generally not accurate to the original TPM prop. The second is more of a brushed finish, but highly consistent and always perfectly radial. It's actually pretty similar to what we already have, just much more uniform all over the saber. We call this the "Machine Brushed" finish. I think this is what most people have in their heads when they say something like "brushed finish" or "machine finish" or "smooth but dull" finish.
It can be tough to know what to do when you're no longer shooting for pure accuracy, but rather for what others think of in their own heads as accurate. So here's what I'm going to do. At present, everyone who asked for a reworked surface finish will by default get the "Machine Brushed" finish. The remaining batches of O1 and Q hilts will also be completed this way. We still have some stock of the original finish as shown in this thread, which we call the "Prop Accurate, Sanded" finish. Both are now options in the store for any new customers. Once all the current stock of Prop Accurate Sanded finish is sold, then the Machine Brushed finish will be the only one available.
I am also going to request a small number (10 each) of the "High Shine" finish, just in case any of you would prefer that. It's perhaps closer to what some of you have in your head, I don't really know. Again, it's tough to know what to do when you're no longer shooting to match your original reference. If you want the high shine version, contact me privately. I'll remove this paragraph on the high shine version if and when they become sold out.
I hope this is helpful and satisfying for all of you, and that you each receive the Obi/Qui-Gon saber you've dreamed of!
-Nick Salazar, Saberz.com
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A couple images of the Qui-Gon hero and Obi hero as well. You can see it's the same one via a couple distinctive chips/dents near the emitter. These things are NOT as clean as a highly-processed or well-lit studio image might lead you to believe.
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Thought this might be relevant - I totally get the interaction between customer and seller when dealing with "finished products" because, you're right, accuracy doesn't always equal a tight/clean finish. To each their own, I've definitely had people change their minds once they saw something like that and that's their right, this is all a hobby and its supposed to make you happy. I just want to avoid giving the wrong impression. It can be easy to take an accuracy decision and mark it off as an unskilled maker or someone who has no quality control.
In fact, I hope its okay to say this, I just had a similar incident. My comlink casts have been coming out pristine. During one of my cleanup jobs, I found a bunch of micro bubbles on the back just under the surface. I kept it a few days longer to fill and finish the back for the buyer. Not kidding, I brought it to a glass like finish. Of course, all the primer, CA glue, and filler makes the unpainted cast look like complete garbage. The buyer actually makes helmets and understood completely and was instead super happy I could get it so smooth, even with all my babbling.
I've learned a lot about these sabers with the runs going on, and am very impressed with what we've made as a community
In fact, I hope its okay to say this, I just had a similar incident. My comlink casts have been coming out pristine. During one of my cleanup jobs, I found a bunch of micro bubbles on the back just under the surface. I kept it a few days longer to fill and finish the back for the buyer. Not kidding, I brought it to a glass like finish. Of course, all the primer, CA glue, and filler makes the unpainted cast look like complete garbage. The buyer actually makes helmets and understood completely and was instead super happy I could get it so smooth, even with all my babbling.
I've learned a lot about these sabers with the runs going on, and am very impressed with what we've made as a community
Jagjaguwar
Sr Member
Just to clarify this: so the currently available “prop accurate w/ sanding” is more true to the original props than the machine brushed, is that correct?
And if someone were to go with the bundle of 3, would there be any option to choose a finish or would it default to the prop accurate?
jedicri
Active Member
There has been much discussion on the surface finish of Project O1. I for one am satisfied with what I've received. It is interesting how under different lighting conditions, the surface finish looks quite different. When I shot my unboxing video, the only two light sources I used was the fluorescent ceiling light and the natural light coming from the right side overlooking the backyard. The thumbnail I used for the YT video was shot with my cell phone under the same lighting conditions.
JetSetWilly
Well-Known Member
For me, the finish looks too forced and un-natural. I can appreciate what you were aiming for but you’re never going to get the naturally aged appearance of months of handling with sanding.
Do I understand correctly, your final finish has then been anodized and so that appearance is fixed, it can’t be altered further?
Great that you’re offering different finishes now.
Do I understand correctly, your final finish has then been anodized and so that appearance is fixed, it can’t be altered further?
Great that you’re offering different finishes now.
Looks to me like the originals started as just a machined finish, and over time, through the production, they picked up some scratches and such. I don't think the folks who made the props deliberately sanded a "finish" onto these prop hilts.
Saberz, you've done some beautiful work here, but I think if you just left these with a freshly machined finish, you'd have a more accurate representation of the originals. It seems to me that you're adding a step to get your replicas to look like the naturally weathered originals, and it's just not working out in a convincing way.
Still, really nice machining!
Saberz, you've done some beautiful work here, but I think if you just left these with a freshly machined finish, you'd have a more accurate representation of the originals. It seems to me that you're adding a step to get your replicas to look like the naturally weathered originals, and it's just not working out in a convincing way.
Still, really nice machining!
In my opinion and based on my reference images (some of which I can't share), yes, the "Prop Accurate" finish is indeed prop accurate. If you buy all three, just email me and you're welcome to request one. By default, at present, it would be the Prop Accurate finish.
Yes the saber is anodized after finishing. This is an added layer of protection, but could be removed if you wanted to alter the saber after that. You can remove it by sanding, or by chemical process.
So, this is a logic error. There is no such thing as "just a machined finish" or "a freshly machined finish" for these hilts. Well, there is, but you wouldn't like it. You are probably thinking of just lathe operations, which leave perfectly radial marks all over the object. But here, we have a very large milling step, for the grip cutouts. And that step leaves some very nasty scratches around the edges of the cut. So SOME kind of cleanup step needs to occur. First, deburring, and then surface finishing. That is typically done with some combination of polishing and/or sanding. If we ONLY cleaned up those edges, then they would stand out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the part. So your finishing step needs to include the entire part. It makes sense to me why the original props feature non-uniform sanding marks all over, which is likely what the prop maker did. Hand sanding. So that's what we recreate in our "Prop Accurate" finish, because that's what you see when you hand-sand something as non-uniform and often semi-circular as the Obi body.
But we understand, many of you either don't like the accurate look, or don't believe me (and Dewy) when we tell you the high-res source material does indeed show this kind of finish. So we have other options. The "Machine Brushed" finish is our attempt to replicate what most of you probably have in your mind when you say things like "just a machined finish" or "freshly machined" even though that is not in fact what it looks like coming off of machining. It creates very uniform, regular marks very similar to lathing or a high-grit uniform sanding step. The "High Shine" finish is for those of you who want something more similar to other Obi offerings out there, even though that isn't accurate at all. But based on certain images some of you seem to think it is, so we're offering that to you as well. At some point these options will have to narrow, as this is a limited run and there are a finite number of each finish that we will be able to offer and deliver. But I really want to make everyone happy, and we will keep working until that is the case.
I love the finish on mine.
Jagjaguwar
Sr Member
I think it’s cool that you’re offering these options- in the end, different people are after different things I suppose.
But I, for one, would much rather have something closer to how the original props look, even though in almost every case I know there are going to be some compromises or differences when you’re trying to replicate something that isn’t absolutely pristine (and what in Star Wars is absolutely pristine?)
I can say that the sanding here looks closer to my eye to the original than most of the non-lightsaber replica weathering I’ve seen that’s painted on (I’m thinking of things like Master Replicas’ Fett blaster, my Anovos X-Wing helmet, or even several of my RS helmets.)
But I, for one, would much rather have something closer to how the original props look, even though in almost every case I know there are going to be some compromises or differences when you’re trying to replicate something that isn’t absolutely pristine (and what in Star Wars is absolutely pristine?)
I can say that the sanding here looks closer to my eye to the original than most of the non-lightsaber replica weathering I’ve seen that’s painted on (I’m thinking of things like Master Replicas’ Fett blaster, my Anovos X-Wing helmet, or even several of my RS helmets.)
It seems like the corners of the Qui Gon hero hilt’s sleeve have rounded or softened corners from some kind of hand sanding or buffing. There’s something to be said for the efficient “good enough” finish on these props, even Adam Savage makes a point on one of the Tested videos that paint jobs of props are often garish or bold in person because things pick up differently on camera
Ding ding ding! We have a winner!!!
HEADS UP to everyone who has been on the fence. We are down to our LAST FOUR SETS OF ORIGINAL PROP-ACCURATE FINISH Duel of the Fates Bundles. If you want the original and much-debated finish shown exhaustively above, there are just FOUR of them left as of this writing. After that, everything sold will be the new "Machine Brushed" finish and further options will be taken off the site. So go now if you're interested!
(EDIT) Oh, and P.S. all four of them are SINGLE DIGIT SERIAL NUMBERS!!! So if you're keen to have the best Obi and Qui hilts on the planet in original Prop-Accurate livery, with some cracking low serials to boot, GO!!!
(EDIT) Oh, and P.S. all four of them are SINGLE DIGIT SERIAL NUMBERS!!! So if you're keen to have the best Obi and Qui hilts on the planet in original Prop-Accurate livery, with some cracking low serials to boot, GO!!!
