Jm419
Sr Member
Hey RPFers:
A note for you. This was originally written for the FX-Sabers forums, so you might be unfamiliar with the names. I'll provide a brief glossary for you here.
LDM: A moderator on the FX boards, who I started the build with.
Jango: A moderator on the FX boards, and the sabersmith who finished this build.
Acerocket: Also now a moderator over at FX, he's the machinist for this lightsaber.
JSSDC/ JSS forum: A closed lightsaber sabersmith forum, where the best of the best discuss the hobby.
Plecter-Labs: A French company which provides the best lightsaber soundboards in the world.
So, without further ado, here's my writeup.
_______________________________________________________
Hello all,
Please allow me to introduce the new centerpiece of my lightsaber collection:
The MK VI - the most finely wrought replica of Luke Skywalker's Hero lightsaber from Return of the Jedi ever made. The team who developed this lightsaber took great care to replicate the film prop in every respect - or rather, the idealized film prop. That is, the nine rings of the grip section are evenly spaced, the neck is real copper, and the lightsaber, of course, really lights up. This, then, is literally the best lit replica ever made of this particular lightsaber.
Obviously, the big deal here is the thin neck - the true, thin neck. I've loved the ROTJ lightsaber for as long as I can remember - indeed, the Luke ROTJ MR was the third lightsaber I ever owned. I thought the thick neck wouldn't bother me, but I was wrong. Every day, I looked at the MR, then at my ROTJ movie poster (which prominently featured the Hero prop), then back at my MR. Slowly, but surely, the fat neck bothered me more and more, so, soon, I upgraded to the Arc-Wave, from Parks.
After a customer service disaster, which convinced me never to bother with Parks again, I ended up with the Arc Wave. However, as with all LED component blades, the dark spots in the blade were distracting, and though I preserved the scrolling effect, the LED component blade just wasn't cutting it for me. Even that neck wasn't thin enough - remember, I had the poster to compare it with every day. Over time, I couldn't put up with it - but it was the best there was.
Then, I joined up at the JSS forums. The language got coarse, the criticisms got coarser, but it really helped me to improve as a sabersmith, and I learned that taking the time to do a build properly was almost always worth it. One day, there was a post presented with renders of a new, highly accurate Hero lightsaber - with real copper on the neck. Joy of joys - this was sure to be the ultimate Luke ROTJ saber. Accurate size, proper proportions, and enough room for electronics - and a 7/8 blade. Though I waffled about paying for it, I signed up tentatively. I figured I could make it work, especially since we had several months to come up with the install prices.
Eventually, I talked to LDM about getting an install, and he quoted me a great install price, even though I was no longer a member at JSSDC due to a difference of opinions. He honored our contract, and I made the first payment in February. After selling my Arc-Wave to help finance the new lightsaber, I made a payment to LDM which settled us up. He outsourced me to Jango, who would finish my install at a fantastic price.
Jango was an angel when it came to helping me out with all my little pesky preferences. He sealed the copper neck and box so it wouldn't tarnish, he gave me the soundfont I wanted (Madcow's Hero), and he was even kind enough to change the boot sound after the saber was completed, even though it was my fault that I gave him the wrong boot info. He was a great help during the whole process, and he even gave me a small gift at the end of the build.
So, let's get on to the photos.
First, some comparisons of the hilt with a Graflex hilt.
This thing is so hard to photograph, because of the shine that Acerocket put on it.
Here's the kill key and speaker ports:
A highlight of the box (real copper on the sides):
The gift Jango included was a copper-topped blade plug, shown here:
Here's the part we've all been waiting for: a good photo of the thin neck.
Now, let's look at some shots with the blade.
Shiny! (just like everything else)
Now, the final specs:
Mk VI hilt
Real copper neck and box (sealed)
High-shine on the metal parts
Black powdercoat on the grip and neck
Accent LEDS in the arrows
Seoul P4 Green
PC - U with Madcow's Hero and Avataar's boot sound.
Custom blade plug
7/8 blade with bullet tip
Here's a video.
A note on the video: it sounds in one part that I say "it's not as good as one might expect" but the lightsaber actually makes a swing sound over part of the sentence. I actually said, "it's about as good as one might expect."
My thoughts on the PC-U are this: It's a fantastic board with amazing blade effects, but sensitivity seems to me to only be slightly better than a MR or Hasbro sound. It's undoubtedly the settings, which I'll have to dial up - I'm very pleased with the board. Let's not comment on my impressions on the PC, though, and keep it to discussion on this amazing lightsaber.
Final thoughts: This lightsaber is far and away the best piece in my collection, and it will never relinquish that title. As I say in the video, I might equal it, but I'll never better it. It's my first Plecter-Labs sound, my first Acerocket build, and my first professional install on a lightsaber I've purchased directly from a smith. Jango was unbelievably helpful in every aspect of the build, and I couldn't be a bit happier with this lightsaber.
It's the first lightsaber I've ever owned that I've been 100% happy with.
I sure hope Jango sees this, and I hope it brightens his day - because he sure brightened mine.
Thanks, everyone. I'm off to play with my perfect lightsaber some more.
May the Force be with you.
A note for you. This was originally written for the FX-Sabers forums, so you might be unfamiliar with the names. I'll provide a brief glossary for you here.
LDM: A moderator on the FX boards, who I started the build with.
Jango: A moderator on the FX boards, and the sabersmith who finished this build.
Acerocket: Also now a moderator over at FX, he's the machinist for this lightsaber.
JSSDC/ JSS forum: A closed lightsaber sabersmith forum, where the best of the best discuss the hobby.
Plecter-Labs: A French company which provides the best lightsaber soundboards in the world.
So, without further ado, here's my writeup.
_______________________________________________________
Hello all,
Please allow me to introduce the new centerpiece of my lightsaber collection:
The MK VI - the most finely wrought replica of Luke Skywalker's Hero lightsaber from Return of the Jedi ever made. The team who developed this lightsaber took great care to replicate the film prop in every respect - or rather, the idealized film prop. That is, the nine rings of the grip section are evenly spaced, the neck is real copper, and the lightsaber, of course, really lights up. This, then, is literally the best lit replica ever made of this particular lightsaber.
Obviously, the big deal here is the thin neck - the true, thin neck. I've loved the ROTJ lightsaber for as long as I can remember - indeed, the Luke ROTJ MR was the third lightsaber I ever owned. I thought the thick neck wouldn't bother me, but I was wrong. Every day, I looked at the MR, then at my ROTJ movie poster (which prominently featured the Hero prop), then back at my MR. Slowly, but surely, the fat neck bothered me more and more, so, soon, I upgraded to the Arc-Wave, from Parks.
After a customer service disaster, which convinced me never to bother with Parks again, I ended up with the Arc Wave. However, as with all LED component blades, the dark spots in the blade were distracting, and though I preserved the scrolling effect, the LED component blade just wasn't cutting it for me. Even that neck wasn't thin enough - remember, I had the poster to compare it with every day. Over time, I couldn't put up with it - but it was the best there was.
Then, I joined up at the JSS forums. The language got coarse, the criticisms got coarser, but it really helped me to improve as a sabersmith, and I learned that taking the time to do a build properly was almost always worth it. One day, there was a post presented with renders of a new, highly accurate Hero lightsaber - with real copper on the neck. Joy of joys - this was sure to be the ultimate Luke ROTJ saber. Accurate size, proper proportions, and enough room for electronics - and a 7/8 blade. Though I waffled about paying for it, I signed up tentatively. I figured I could make it work, especially since we had several months to come up with the install prices.
Eventually, I talked to LDM about getting an install, and he quoted me a great install price, even though I was no longer a member at JSSDC due to a difference of opinions. He honored our contract, and I made the first payment in February. After selling my Arc-Wave to help finance the new lightsaber, I made a payment to LDM which settled us up. He outsourced me to Jango, who would finish my install at a fantastic price.
Jango was an angel when it came to helping me out with all my little pesky preferences. He sealed the copper neck and box so it wouldn't tarnish, he gave me the soundfont I wanted (Madcow's Hero), and he was even kind enough to change the boot sound after the saber was completed, even though it was my fault that I gave him the wrong boot info. He was a great help during the whole process, and he even gave me a small gift at the end of the build.
So, let's get on to the photos.
First, some comparisons of the hilt with a Graflex hilt.
This thing is so hard to photograph, because of the shine that Acerocket put on it.
Here's the kill key and speaker ports:
A highlight of the box (real copper on the sides):
The gift Jango included was a copper-topped blade plug, shown here:
Here's the part we've all been waiting for: a good photo of the thin neck.
Now, let's look at some shots with the blade.
Shiny! (just like everything else)
Now, the final specs:
Mk VI hilt
Real copper neck and box (sealed)
High-shine on the metal parts
Black powdercoat on the grip and neck
Accent LEDS in the arrows
Seoul P4 Green
PC - U with Madcow's Hero and Avataar's boot sound.
Custom blade plug
7/8 blade with bullet tip
Here's a video.
A note on the video: it sounds in one part that I say "it's not as good as one might expect" but the lightsaber actually makes a swing sound over part of the sentence. I actually said, "it's about as good as one might expect."
My thoughts on the PC-U are this: It's a fantastic board with amazing blade effects, but sensitivity seems to me to only be slightly better than a MR or Hasbro sound. It's undoubtedly the settings, which I'll have to dial up - I'm very pleased with the board. Let's not comment on my impressions on the PC, though, and keep it to discussion on this amazing lightsaber.
Final thoughts: This lightsaber is far and away the best piece in my collection, and it will never relinquish that title. As I say in the video, I might equal it, but I'll never better it. It's my first Plecter-Labs sound, my first Acerocket build, and my first professional install on a lightsaber I've purchased directly from a smith. Jango was unbelievably helpful in every aspect of the build, and I couldn't be a bit happier with this lightsaber.
It's the first lightsaber I've ever owned that I've been 100% happy with.
I sure hope Jango sees this, and I hope it brightens his day - because he sure brightened mine.
Thanks, everyone. I'm off to play with my perfect lightsaber some more.
May the Force be with you.
)
