Obi Wan ANH build... Development Thread

[DaveP]

Oh dear, what have I started?! So, my impatience has got the better of me this evening, and I may have started something... The parts for my ISYHCANL are still in production, so I thought while I waited I'd have a try at a few Obi Wan parts in 3D:

These are all very rough at this stage and apart from a few measurements that I've found on here, they're mostly modelled by eye. Not bad for an evening's tinkering though. I like to rough out a basic model first and then adjust later to match up to photo references or documented measurements.

I'm not even sure what I plan to do with these at this stage to be honest? I know that at some point I'd like to build an Obi Wan from scratch. I'm considering the possibility of blocking in the empty space and having solid sections milled (for weight)? I realise this wouldn't be accurate internally, but it would feel pretty damn cool in the hand! For now though, I'm modelling all the real world parts separately.

I don't know. I'm undecided yet. I'll keep adding the occasional bit to this though as time permits, and hopefully by the time ISYHCANL is finished, I'll have something ready to get started on, and a clear idea of the direction I'd like to take.

 

[Halliwax]

Super impressive

 

[DaveP]

Super impressive

Thanks Early days, but it's a start. Still figuring out the construction side of things in my head. Just dawned on me though, the booster and grenade, are both steel I believe, so I could combine the booster, spacer and grenade as one solid lump in theory. Sure your new V2 thread will come in handy for the weathering.

 

[Halliwax]

This modeling is waaaaaay over my head

 

[DaveP]

This modeling is waaaaaay over my head

It can be pretty daunting at first for sure (I've been doing it a long time now and do it for a living). There's an endless number of features that you don't need for modelling static parts like this though. Character rigging, animation, physics, etc. Once you know where the tools you do need are and how to get around the UI, it's not half as complicated as it looks. If you ever feel like giving it a go, I'd be happy to help.

 

[DaveP]

Had an unexpected day off today, so made a little progress on the Obi build:

So, the idea is to make this as accurate as possible externally, but with a simplified, solid construction. As few parts as possible, that are completely solid, and milled from the correct material. I'm considering stainless for the pommel, which isn't accurate, but the original plastic pommel was made to look like metal, so I'm affording myself this liberty on the basis that a stainless steel pommel will add to the weight and feel of the thing.

I've extended the grenade section to include the clamp spacer. This will be one lump of mild steel. Where the clamp meets the booster was a bit awkward to model/mill as one piece, so I've opted to do them as two pieces (even though, they will be the same material and finish).

I had to split the wind vane in to three pieces. Again, these have been modelled to look accurate, but the construction is very different to the real world parts. I was hoping to combine the two main sections too, but had to split them to allow for machining of the fins.

Still a *little* loose on the dimensions at this stage and relying heavily on other people's measurements. This is one of the things I'll be addressing next though.

 

[Halliwax]

Dang man... 1 word “skills”

 

[DaveP]

Dang man... 1 word “skills”

Too Kind Thanks

 

[DaveP]

It's been a while since I created this thread. A lot of other projects, freelance jobs and life events have happened since then, but this project has always been on the back burner and in the back of my mind!

Well, now that I'm between builds, I've finally managed to get the design of this project finished, and this week I sent the models and CAD drawings off for a final quote!

I've posted a project run/Interest thread here!

I'm hoping to get enough people interested, to get this thing manufactured! If successful, I'll return to this thread as I go through weathering the parts and completing the build. If you'd like to come along for the ride, please sign up to the interest thread!

Cheers,

Dave

 

[eethan]

Hey,
nice project,
I have a genuine question, why do you want so much weight to it? my Roman/real part saber is already a full kilo and that's a very very heavy prop to hold and it's already pulling a lot on a belt.
Now, concerning the booster, the fins are very wide on your model. Genuine boosters generally have very thin fins, this is something that you can probably tweak easily on your model for now to get a lot more accuracy.
good luck with your project

 

[eethan]

If I may, the inside part of the balance pipe could also be improved if you wish.

this awesome photo by Scott Jua is a great example. there is a flat spot the same color as the outer part of the balance pipe and flush with the front. The black part with the holes has a more pronounced slope toward the inside too, it's not as flat as you modeled it and it generally has a step in the middle, it's not a perfect curve.
I hope this helps, it can be difficult to explain in proper English what I mean.

 

[DaveP]

I have a genuine question, why do you want so much weight to it?

Hi, thanks, I guess it's down to personal preference really. I guess the weight gives the object a sense of importance and power? I remember an interview with GL, where he was explaining how in the original trilogy, he wanted the sabers to look as though they contained so much energy, that they took a great deal of effort to wield. He wasn't necessarily talking about weight, but it kind of stuck with me.

If I may, the inside part of the balance pipe could also be improved if you wish.

You absolutely may! I really appreciate your feedback, thank you. Looking at the booster now, I can see they definitely need thinning out. I'm not at my computer now, so don't have the references I used to hand. I know there's quite a bit of variation on genuine boosters, but I can see that mine are thicker than most. It's not too late to alter these parts before production, so I'm very open to suggestions that would lead to it being more accurate, thanks. I'll certainly take another look at the emitter too, thanks.

 

[DaveP]

I detached the Booster section temporarily while I work on getting it 100% accurate. I wasn't going to add the threaded section or any detail south of the booster section as I figured it would be covered by the pommel. It occurred to me though that there is a slight gap. That flat end was looking really ugly too, so I've recessed the end to mirror the original parts. It only goes down a couple of cm though.

Also thinned out the fins on the booster to match this beautiful example here.

*permission to use these photos was kindly given by Nick Cline over on "Props of Star Wars: The Original Trilogy" FB page*

There's still an active project run thread for this project to gauge interest, but I'll continue to update/refine the models right up to hitting go.

 

[eethan]

ah very nice! this is going to be an awesome booster with thin fins. It's nice to see you able to improve your project. good luck with the rest

 

[Edraven99]

If I may, the inside part of the balance pipe could also be improved if you wish.

this awesome photo by Scott Jua is a great example. there is a flat spot the same color as the outer part of the balance pipe and flush with the front. The black part with the holes has a more pronounced slope toward the inside too, it's not as flat as you modeled it and it generally has a step in the middle, it's not a perfect curve.
I hope this helps, it can be difficult to explain in proper English what I mean.

Actually, that's not necessarily true. As with all of these hand-tooled parts back then, there are variations.

Here's my BP that's almost a perfect curve:

 

[DaveP]

Actually, that's not necessarily true. As with all of these hand-tooled parts back then, there are variations.

Here's my BP that's almost a perfect curve:

View attachment 1269791

Great photo, thanks for posting!

I must admit, I've seen a bit of variation on this. The references I've used all have a smooth curve, but I have seen some with a more defined corner (crease?).

I do prefer the smoother curve personally, but I agree with Eethan that mine isn't deep enough. That's something I'll be fixing soon.

 

[eethan]

thanks for the pic, indeed they might have a perfect curve sometimes, thanks
the most important difference for me in the 3D model was the different separation of the two parts of the balance pipe. I circled it on your photo because I feel my explaination was a bit complex last time:

 

[DaveP]

the most important difference for me in the 3D model was the different separation of the two parts of the balance pipe.

Thanks Eethan. I can see the detail you're talking about. The thing is, I've modelled my emitter as a single, solid piece (it was originally modelled as two parts). If that area is intended to be 100% flush, it needs to be flush on my model. I have seen examples where the inner part is slightly raised though. I could potentially have a raised ring on my model to indicate that there is a separation there? A fraction of a mm maybe?

 

[eethan]

that makes sense, I saw the two separated parts at first so I thought it was still separated.
I just thought about how to finish the two "parts" differently but I guess it would still be possible to blue just the inside or even polish a bit the contour afterwards to remove the bluing.
I actually put my center part in the fire directly, this will not be possible in this case obviously.
cheers

 

[DaveP]

That's not a bad idea. The emitter is going to be stainless steel on this kit, so I've been looking at some "Sculpt Nouveau" patinas for weathering mine. Same principle though. I won't be applying any weathering before sending out though, so maybe a very slight raised area would be useful too? Just pronounced enough to leave a machine mark?