NeoRutty's Prop Projects - ANH Stunt Stormtrooper Bucket - Pointers requested?

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects - Yoda Bolsey (I know... not O.T.)

That yoda lightsaber looks beautiful when it's not CGI

Yeah the replica version based on the CGI version just doesn't appeal to me. It's a neat design when it looked a little more cobbled together...

Very nicely done! I just got my set of t-tracks from Gino so hopefully I'll have some completed build to show off soon as well! (That and hit you up for some finishing tips ;-))

One thing I will say right off with the Gino grips... Be really accurate that they are the same length. My first pass I was less worried, and there were a couple that were off by a hair. I glued them on and as I held the saber and turned it in my hand, it was VERY obvious some were shorter (even by half a millimeter). I spent years as a clean up artist for Dreamworks animation, and being a hair off on your line would get your work sent back, so I learned to get really picky.

Now when it came to the grips, I just couldn't let the difference go... I pulled them off, checked the lengths, fixed and re-glued them. I'll be more careful next time.

Some say "Oh the guys who were doing the props would be less picky"... but I dunno... they are still craftsman. The artists at the studio I work at are always under the gun, but they still get ridiculously picky... it's their reputation on the line.

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects - Yoda Bolsey (I know... not O.T.)

Up next... Another Vader MOM ROTJ...

Back when I was searching for a kit to add to a graflex, a guy on the forum sold me a big box of parts he was collecting to do the same conversion. Unfortunately, the parts were an older kit that were a bit inaccurate, and were on a aluminum pipe. I didn't realize how inaccurate until I got it in front of me. The set did have a bunch of accurate parts as well, that I will be using on another saber, if I can find the missing pieces *shroud* cough *shroud* -anyone have one, PM ME!!!!

This was the saber as I got it:

I guess it's supposed to look weathered, but it actually just looks kinda crappy.

There's glue and grime everywhere. No sith would ever let it get like this . I don't like how it looks at all, so I figure I'll do my best to clean it up, repaint it, and swap out some of the inaccurate pieces with extras I have in my parts box.

I pulled off the shroud, box, grips, and took out all the bolts. The bar itself is pretty dirty and dented. Not in a nice way... it looks crap. If I had a lathe I'd just spin it and take some sandpaper to it... but I don't, so I guess I'll be doing this by hand.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Nice saber in progress .... on an unrelated note ... may I inquire why you have the dutch books by the master artist Rien Poortvliet on your bookshelf?

Chaim

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Nice saber in progress .... on an unrelated note ... may I inquire why you have the dutch books by the master artist Rien Poortvliet on your bookshelf?

Chaim

Funny, when I posted that pic I noticed them in the BG... Figured you may pick them out!

My grandfather (Dutch) was big into drawing/painting and I would teach me out of those books (I was big on "BRAAF"). When he died I grabbed them all, since no one else in my family had any interest in them.

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

So I stripped the paint off the parts, and using a fine grit sandpaper, cleaned the aluminum pipe.

Here's a shot with all the parts on, paint free. Looks kinda cool.

I switched out the ball latch, and got a more accurate thumbscrew for the shroud. I cleaned the old glue and dirt off the grips as well.

The grips are just lightly stuck on for this pic... so yeah, they're crooked. I'll put them on properly when done.

After fighting with keeping this as an unpainted version (I liked it that much), I finally just started painting up the parts.

And here's the old ball latch with the more accurate.

After getting this cleaned up and closer to put back together, I'm starting to see a decent Vader MOM in this thing.

Maybe I'll keep it... hm.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Great progress ... indeed

Chaim

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Here is the thumbscrew I swapped out... The one on the left is the new one I picked up from The Custom Saber Shop

While this DID come with a D-Ring holder for the front emitter, I decided to keep it for a different Vader MOM (graflex build) so had to come up with one of my own using styrene

On the original saber, there is a disk covering the front, with a metal piece sticking out (once the blade holder, I believe). This isn't quite accurate, and I want to keep this easy, so I found a washer I can paint up and epoxy in place.

I'm going to have to forget about the "H" on the front end. This is just too thick to cut through with the tools I have.

Like with my scratch built, I'll likely just dremel a bolt to the right length and use that as the emitter.

Still have to figure a way to add a replica kobold D-ring clip to the back... since this base is solid aluminum, and the holes drilled in the back aren't to the right spacing to use for the clip I have, I may just have to epoxy it on.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Perhaps you could just use one of the holes drilled in the body to attach your Kobold clip into and then epoxy a rivet through the Kobold hole that's left over? Best of both worlds I'd say

Chaim

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

I'm thinking something like that... I have an epoxy that talks like you can glue two cars together, so I'm hoping I can get away with punching two rivets in the kobold clip, then just epoxy it in place... I can't actually rivet it through a hole in the hilt, because it's SOLID aluminum, where the pre drilled hold doesn't have anything to grab onto. But I'm hoping I can epoxy the end of one of the pre punched rivets into the hole for extra hold.

It'll make more sense when I put up pics.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Yeah ... I see what you mean ... solid ... so that's a mighty hefty lightsaber at the back then? Don't forget to cut a bladeholder unevenly like the original :



Chaim

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

The whole thing is solid... it truly is a weapon. Weighs a ton. You could really bean someone with this if they broke into your house.

Make for an interesting Newspaper headline.

Yeah ... I see what you mean ... solid ... so that's a mighty hefty lightsaber at the back then? Don't forget to cut a bladeholder unevenly like the original :

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz258/Sym-Cha/108-0839_IMG.jpg

Chaim

And definitely cutting uneven... it won't have the cut in at the base though. No tools for such a thing.

 

[BobasBounty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

I can just hear it on the morning news. "Late last night in Vancouver, BC a homeowner beat and hospitalized an intruder with... a lightsaber"

That would be an awesome story. Lol.

 

[Marv]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

The weird shroud part is that a found part or do you have to buy these some place?

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

The weird shroud part is that a found part or do you have to buy these some place?

The Vader shroud?

It's from a run a guy named Kenny did back in the day. The one on this saber is an older version he did, and is not AS accurate. I guess he did an initial run where the whole thing was built on an aluminum pipe. I bought these parts thinking I could attach them to a Graflex, but they were a bit too small. So I'm fixing this one up instead.

He did a more accurate run later, and I have some of those parts for another GRAFLEX build, but not a shroud. I'm thinking of having a guy at work model it and 3D print, but I'm hoping Pastor Jedi does a 3D version instead.

They are REALLY hard to find in Aluminum. I bought a vader with ALL the accurate Kenny parts on a "Graflex reborn" that I'll be fixing up as well. The guy did a nice weathering job, but it's not quite how I see it, paint wise.

So yeah... I'll have... Four Vader MOM ROTJ? Jeeez.

May have to let the one I'm doing now go...

Should be done soon... but I took a break to finish my Han blaster my wife will need for Halloween.

 

[Edraven99]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Should be done soon... but I took a break to finish my Han blaster my wife will need for Halloween.

I've got a plastic one that was painted up and looks pretty decent that she can use if you need... you just have to come pick it up and drop it off after

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

I've got a plastic one that was painted up and looks pretty decent that she can use if you need... you just have to come pick it up and drop it off after

Heh, thanks, but I think she is only being "Girl Han Solo" as an excuse to carry around this Boba Debt full metal gun and get attention from the Star Wars nerds in our studio.

And it will work.

The guy with the proton pack last year was borderline a celebrity for the day.

 

[Andymac84]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Hey Neo. Awesome work on your sabers:thumbsup
The ANH Luke is one of my favourites, too.
The real bubbles are real nice and shiny. Great on every saber they've used them.
By the way, where have u found your yoda Lamborghini emitter? I'm looking for a single one for a long time..

 

[NeoRutty]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

By the way, where have u found your yoda Lamborghini emitter? I'm looking for a single one for a long time..

Thanks! More sabers coming...

I got my lambo wheel of a member here ages ago. I put a WTB up in the junkyard.

The model for it is known, I think it's covered in the main yoda saber thread, and models do show up on ebay every once in a while.

I almost bought one myself, figuring I could recoup 3/4 of the cost selling them off... but then someone answered my WTB.

 

[Andymac84]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Yes, I didn't want to buy either the whole kit, rather than a single wheel

 

[Sym-Cha]

Re: Finishing my O.T. Saber Projects -Vader ROTJ MOM

Perhaps you or NeoRutty, since him being a Premium member, could round up a group-interest-buy in that Yoda thread or even the junkyard ... the same as was done for OB1's emitter?

Meanwhile I'll keep my eyes open

Chaim