Luke Skywalker Bladebuilder Mod - Help!

[bobanotfat]

So here's the story:

I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, always have been. I could only collect mini figurines but I could never really afford a ForceFX lightsaber or build my own one here in my country. I do have the old clone trooper helmet, and I recently purchased the black series kylo ren helmet. I had to spend a **** load just for that. Sigh.
The conversion rate skyrockets the price way too high and parts are hard to come by.
How expensive you may ask? I'd rather not say. It's that bad.

Anyway, enough of that. Since I couldn't really afford one, I decided to pick up the cheapest lightsaber off the shelves, the basic electronic lightsaber.
Yes I bought the Luke Skywalker blade builder saber in all of its glorious plastic parts, extendable blade, and a decent soundboard. I would have never considered the plastic ones simply because they were oversized. But this one is close enough as a cheap replica. It also helped that I was desperate.
Frankly speaking, since I've never owned a lightsaber let alone a decent one, this one got me super excited!! While the sensor response isn't great, I was swinging around this short plastic blade for two whole days and I held it close while watching reruns of star wars episodes. Yes, I also did the all too famous ani-obi lightsaber spin. Let's just say if it was a real saber, my ass, my head, and my calves would have been sliced off quite nicely. Sad... I know. Stop judging me. I tried.

Back to the point. After two days of messing around with the plastic lightsaber(yes,this one),

I decided it was time for its mod. I was going for a battle damaged version as you can see.
Nothing fancy. Sandpaper the saber, black washed it a couple of times, used a file to put in some scuff marks and damage. I also removed the blade through a very unconventional way Then added 'rust' to it by mixing a bit of black to a mixture of brown and orange acrylic paint. Messed around with it a bit till I got the colour I wanted. As you would know, the colour in the photo would appear slightly different from what it really looks like. But you get the idea. When that was done I added a tiny bit of metallic silver by dry brushing.

You may also notice a deep gash over the neck of the saber. That's where I intended the light to leak out like it was really damaged.
Another plus point, left unmoved the lightsaber would flicker and with a cracking sound that makes it seems damaged and slightly unstable.
So cool. Blends right in with the change I made to the blade. You can watch the video to see what I mean.

Here's the problem. While I was able to file my way through the neck, I found another plastic piece that held the blade in place between the inner wall of the emitter.
I could easily work that out with more filing but... The led is white and would not be bright enough to shine through the crack. Here is where I would need some help and advice. What can I do about it?
A green plastic tint may do the job just fine but I won't be too satisfied about it. Plus, it would only make it dimmer.
I was thinking of changing the led but I wouldn't begin dismantling it if I didn't know how to piece it back together.
Also, I might plan to find a way to attach a polycarbonate tube into the hilt and make it detachable since there is already a nice housing in which the blade can sit flush. I am aware that it would make it unbalanced, but it's fine with me.Advice?

 

[Sym-Cha]

I don't have a clear idea of how to assist you . . . however I am curious to know whereabout in the outer rim of the star wars galaxy you reside that parts are so expensive and hard to come by? Meanwhile others might join your inquiry and be more helpful

Chaim

 

[bobanotfat]

The land of the missing airplane. Conversion rates makes things really expensive especially with our dwindling economy. USD against our currency is at 4.23.
Now translate that into purchasing let's say, a Black Series Kylo Ren Lightsaber. It costs an average of 250usd to get one. For us, it's RM 1,100 average. To give you a better visual, that lightsaber cost almost half of our average freshgrad pay. It falls around the average of RM 2,400. Karabast!
Talking about parts, I can't seem to find the essentials to build a saber. Luxeon LEDs, soundboards and all that. I have been scouring for a really long time. The best option is to get it online and ship it in. With the conversion rates and the import charges, it really adds up. So to say, a decent build (keeping quality in mind) would cost between 700-1,000 or possibly more. See my predicament? Even this plastic lightsaber cost me slightly more than RM100. Man.. This sucks.

 

[Lotustar]

I can tell you this...those things are NOT easy to cut into or work with at all. I recently cut a luke version for the t tracks I needed. I used a Dremel to cut it in half and then cut the tracks off. There is some serious plastic (and even metal wire) in these. You are going to have to get creative. Good luck!

 

[bobanotfat]

Thanks, Lotustar! I appreciate the pointers. These things are indeed not easy to cut or work with at all. The plastic is thicker and sturdier than I thought it would be. I just need to figure out how to get to the electronics without destroying the saber. The white light is just embarrassing. It's essentially a torch light at this point.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Indeed as Lotustar suggests you need to think like a propmaker ... could you use a piece of green glass from say a bottle to alter the white into green inside? Or perhaps some fake plastic green jewelry crystal, which can be found in those vending machines for cheap?

Think green translucent ... it doesn't need to be matt, which indeed would make it dimmer

Chaim

 

[bobanotfat]

You're absolutely right. I was thinking more of a plastic gel they use for photography flashes. It's a thinner material that can easily be cut. Sort of a temporary fix to the problem until I've figured out the internal workings of the lightsaber. I would very much like to have the led changed. Will be looking into making a blade plug too. I came across some acrylic tubes in an art store that I could use. I'll try to keep this thread posted on my progress.

 

[H0llyw00d]

Odds are you have a 5mm LED in that saber. A 10mm would make a HUGE difference. It wouldn't need a heat sink and the board could handle it no sweat. I ordered 10x of those for $3 USD on fleabay from China for a DL-44 build. They have green so that might be your most economical option with the greatest impact. You would still have to get the saber apart to solder in the new LED. I don't envy you that :/

I hear you on your first saber. Finally got my first (a Force FX) this year and it was magical. Good luck with your build man, and kudos on your English.