Luke ROTJ CUTAWAY (*Added more pics*)

JOATRASH FX

JOATRASH FX

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*See POST #30 on page 2 for pics of the completed saber.*












Hey all.

Some folks asked me when I did my Vader ROTJ cutaway if I'd consider doing Luke's. I thought about it, ultimately deciding it would be too costly and problematic to construct a hollow version of that saber.

But it grated on my mind... and now I've decided to give it a try.

Since the focus of a cutaway is the guts and not the shell, I decided to cast the shell in "chemical metal"... ground metal powder mixed with polyester resin and hardener. With all the metal bits going into this it'll be heavy anyway. I also hadn't cast anything in years and wanted to see what I could do with what was lying around the house.... so I made the mold out of alginate.

Here is a pic of the rough cast, fresh out of the mold. All the greeblies and stuff will be filed off and replaced. Obviously it looks like crap in this rough state and I've got a long way to go, but I definitely think it's doable. I just wanted to give y'all a heads-up that it's comin'.

Now I gotta go buy some green leds. :D

Stay tuned for more.

/Joe F
lukerotjcutaway1.jpg
 
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I have never thought about casting using "Chemical Metal".. It looks better than I would have imagined. :)
I am going to consider it for a difficult part of my own project now. I was leaning towards casting in aluminum. Too bad CM sets to fast though...
What did you use for mold release?

Are you going to base the design on Elstreeprops' extending saber or do your own design?

LMK if you need any parts for this one too. ;)
 
Hello all.

Sorry for not updating this sooner, but it's been slow going so far. I knew the Luke ROTJ would be a challenge. I have to constantly keep coming up with solutions to things that would have been no problem with a a hollow-tube saber like the ANH/ESB/Vader ROTJ. I do know that I won't be able (or have time) to build a bunch of these, so if this ends up in the JY or on the 'bay it'd be a bit... lonely.

I've got a clear idea now of how I'm going to do this and I'm confident it'll turn out as well as my Vader. I've begun lining the inside with copper and I'll be having a brass (or copper) core go through most of the saber. I've been looking at the "real" Luke ROTJ cutaway too and will incorporate some ideas from it, but not all because it is kinda rough in places, like around the crystal and the top of the emitter.


Progress is starting to pick up, so hopefully more updates will follow soon. Oh, as for the mold... I just did an experiment. I didn't have any "proper" casting stuff for this kind of thing, so I used alginate (.) to make a mold and doesn't need a release agent. First I tried casting in polyester, but it wouldn't cure due to the moisture in the alginate. Chemical metal (grey) and hard filler (beige) cured without any problems. If I were to try this again, I'd have to make a proper mold. Luckily I just found a local supplier of silicone and stuff so I'm starting to plan future projects (like my next cutaway muahahahah).
 
Hey gang,

I'm hard at work on the outer shell but I can't decide on if I should make it pristine or weather it? I'm leaning towards the latter (the real prop isn't in too good a shape) and you don't see that many hero-versions that aren't pristine. Also, since it's cast and not machined, I'm not sure i could make it a 100% flawless piece and that would kinda bug me.

What do you think?
 
Personally, I prefer the "old, but cared for" look for my SW props. Weather it, but not excessively.
Btw, If I had been you I would use cast pieces only for the ribged grip and pommel, making the other sections out of real metal, because I think they might be simple to scratch build.
Weathering with cold bluing liquid (if possible), then a polish with steel wool to remove 99% of the blueing, dip it in acid for some lighter oxidization, followed maybe by very light wash of black/brown/"earth". I would do this both on steel, aluminum and exposed brass parts. ("Gun blue" and "aluminum black" can also darken brass)
 
The plan is to weather the outside, but keep the inside looking clean, with some "natural staining" that occurs around electrical components. (For my Vader, I used a real neat technique to "age" the circuit boards a little.) The amount of weathering will be a cross between a V2 and the real hero as it looks today.

I'm getting close to finishing the shell now. Just spent all of yesterday with it. I considered doing the tip and "mid ring" out of aluminum, but it would still have to be painted to match the body. Machining the outside is no problem (the cast is actually of my self-made hero) but making room inside the tip would be harder because of what I've got planned and I don't have access to a mill. (I also don't know when I'll have access to a lathe next... could be months.) As it is now, I'm pretty satisfied with the results so far. I'm trying some new layering techniques with the paint to first get it really shiny but still durable. The "chemical metal" feels pretty cool to the touch too which is kinda nice.

I'm hoping to have a major update in the next few days... stay tuned.

(And thanks for the opinions guys.) :)
 
Your cut aways are amazing.. I think the old but cared for look is best for the Luke ROTJ-however you decide-I am sure it will be brilliant.
 
Hey gang,

sorry for slackin' off on the updates but I've been tinkering away like a nut on this and haven't had time to take out the camera.

Here's a little teaser pic of the main core:

powerunit.jpg


It took a while to build but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Note the miniature Flash Gordony-type emitter which was really fiddly to put together.


More to come... :)
 
AWESOME... Where might I ask do you canibalize part from? Looks like from old clocks with some brass tubing to boot.

The cutaway sabers are by far the coolest thing to revolutionize saber collecting. Keep up posted :thumbsup

Steve
 
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