Luke's ROTJ "ISYHCANL" Yuma build (UK)

DaveP

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I've decided to start a thread about the project I'm working on:

Accurate (unidealised) Luke's ROTJ Hero saber.

I've been commenting on a variety of other people’s threads regarding the project, mainly because I didn't want to spam the forum with multiple threads on the same subject...

Equally though, I don't want to encroach on other people's threads with posts about my own project. Wasn't sure what the best approach would be?

With a thread of my own though, I can post regular updates on how the project is going, as often as I like, without worrying about spamming other people's.

I started this project knowing full well that I wasn't the first to embark on a ROTJ Hero saber; nor would I be the last!

I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing other people's finished builds as well as the progress that others are making with their ongoing projects. Hopefully people will get some enjoyment out of following mine too :)

Project description:

The aim of this project is to create an exact (or as close as possible) replica of the ROTJ “Hero” saber prop, as seen in the ISYHCANL and Cave scene pick up shots.
It will be a static, solid piece for display only. This is a personal project, but I do intend on building 5 in total, with a view to recouping some of the costs later on. **This isn’t a production run though**. Depending on how it turns out, and people’s interest, I might decide to do more further down the line.

Progress so far:

I've modelled what I believe to be a fairly accurate 3D model of the original prop based on a variety of photo references. I'll go into greater detail on the process in a later post.

Render_03.jpg

Render_04.jpg



I'm currently in the process of double checking my model against more detailed, close up images. Really enjoying this part. It's very satisfying tracking down areas that need fixing and gradually whittling away, until you know it's absolutely perfect. This is ongoing, but it's drawing to a close. Just a few more angles/areas I'd like to check and improve before committing to having the main body machined.

Testing_02.jpg

Testing_03.jpg

Testing_05.jpg

Testing_04.jpg


On top of this I've been researching/sourcing materials for the various other bits and pieces I'm going to need. Much of this has either arrived or is on its way. There's a fair bit of work to do experimenting with all this. Particularly the control box.
I’m hoping to post fairly regular updates as the project progresses (which is why I chose to create my own thread). It’s become something of an obsession now, and I cant wait to get the ball rolling on the physical build!
 
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Be careful. I started my ANH mechanised saber project as an adjunct to blade research It's gone way out of hand.

Looking forward to seeing your work.
 
Be careful. I started my ANH mechanised saber project as an adjunct to blade research It's gone way out of hand.

Looking forward to seeing your work.
I understand. I wasn't sure whether to make a separate thread or not to be honest. Originally I mistook the other Mom thread as a joint thread for anyone working on a ROTJ Hero. I didn't realise it was a project in itself. I don't want to be seen as piggybacking on someone else's project. I don't want to be seen as copying or trying to compete either. I'd already started the project long before I knew anyone else was working on anything similar. Obviously, I knew it was a possibility due to the subject matter! :D I'll still be following other people's work and contributing to discussions. I'll keep anything relating to this particular project here though in future. Thanks again for the warm welcome.
 
What !!! Someone else here likes Luke Skywalker and wants to make a lightsaber. The nerve!!:eek: :mad:;)

JK of course. Your model looks great so far. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

What is your overall length?
Haha, Thanks :) Same with yours! It's currently standing at 286.54mm. That could change though as I've not done a close up shot of the emitter yet, and I've got a feeling the last emitter section (Nipple?) might be slightly off. Pommel to emitter face has come out remarkable close to what others have said though at 277.9mm.

Thanks again :)
 
Had my hands full today, but just managed to do a quick first pass on the pommel....

Pommel_Test.jpg


Not 100% satisfied just yet (and I need to find a suitable shot of the opposite side of course!)

Getting there though.

In other news, I'm about to have a go at fashioning some 4mm triangles out of acrylic sheet... TBC
 
. I don't want to be seen as piggybacking on someone else's project.

From what I've seen so far on the RPF, so long as you're not trying to pass someone else's work off as your own, sharing work on parallel projects isn't a problem. Does make sense to run your own thread, though, to avoid any confusion.

If that triangle is indicative of your level of workmanship this is going to be a neat build !
 
From what I've seen so far on the RPF, so long as you're not trying to pass someone else's work off as your own, sharing work on parallel projects isn't a problem. Does make sense to run your own thread, though, to avoid any confusion.

If that triangle is indicative of your level of workmanship this is going to be a neat build !
Thanks :) we'll see when I try to get the hole to match up! :D
 
A check up from the thin neck up...

Emitter_Test.jpg


Another accuracy check of my model against the reference photos; this time focusing on the emitter.
As suspected, the emitter nipple was a bit on the short side, so added a bit to the overall length. Still under that 29cm though.
 
Really nice, I’m a fan of no arrows as well
It's definitely my favourite look. I'm leaning more and more towards leaving them off to be honest. I need to decide before I get it all machined though. I'm wondering now about swapable control boxes maybe??
 
Should be do-able with a couple of screws.
Yeah, definitely. I was thinking maybe with it being display only, I could do something with magnets perhaps? Getting a bit ahead of myself though... Need to get the measurements locked down first! :D
 
Would certainly be a quick changeover & if it's not going to handled much getting displaced won't be a problem.
Yeah, I think I might do something along those lines for my own personal hilt. It's just going to be a display piece, and I've got to have that ISYHCANL option! :) Not sure about magnets for the others though on second thoughts. I know some people like to swing/throw them around a bit :D
 
I'm having to make a very slight compromise on accuracy when it comes to the control box...

BOX_RENDER.jpg


Basically the rails on the cave build are a hot mess! Nothing sits flush, and there are gaps all over the place. When all the materials are scaled correctly, and put together neatly, we do loose some of the width in relation to the length of the box/card. This is something I'm willing to live with I think, as opposed to altering material thicknesses (which will have a worse effect on accuracy) or leaving gaps all over the place.
 
Looking good, though it looks like your grey rails might be a little bit too tall (either that or your brass rails are too short), and your black buttons a little bit too small.

Still, great job, it looks almost EXACTLY like the model I've drawn up in Tinkercad!
 
Looking good, though it looks like your grey rails might be a little bit too tall (either that or your brass rails are too short), and your black buttons a little bit too small.

Still, great job, it looks almost EXACTLY like the model I've drawn up in Tinkercad!
I agree. It's definitely the grey rails. I'm fairly confident the brass rails are correct at 3mm. I think I'm a bit over on the gray ones at 6mm though (which is based on the stock I have). If you look at some of the ref photos, the brass rails look about 50% the hight, so I thought it'd be ok. I hadn't figured there'll be more than 3mm sticking out the bottom (schoolboy error). The brass rail only covers the length of the internal face, which is obviously less than 3mm. Might have to shave half a mm off top and bottom before painting, or move to 5mm profile. I'm actually considering going down the ISYHCANL route now though to be honest. I just need to decide before having the blocks machined. I'm definitely leaning that way at the moment. Cheers for the feedback :)
 
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