Limited Run Vader stunt sabers kits! Barbican, Severed hand and ANH square shroud version

If anyone wants/needs to sell their slot, I’d love to get in on this run if possible!
Hi, the best that can be done for now is that I put you on the backup list for the saber you want. Since no one paid up front, selling their slot is not going to happen. You'll have to wait after the main run is sold.
Cheers
 
Hi, the best that can be done for now is that I put you on the backup list for the saber you want. Since no one paid up front, selling their slot is not going to happen. You'll have to wait after the main run is sold.
Cheers
Okay, Thank You.
Cheers
 
Hello there,
well, we have some huge progress here, I have finally finished cutting all those round corners on the Barbicans and Severed Hand shrouds! this was HELL!
As I explained before, i had to make two parts/jigs to hold the shrouds on the rotating table of the mill for each rounded corner. Those jigs I did 3 times in total, taking basically half a day each time I was remaking it. it had to be so precise, so the center of the shroud was offseted exactly of the right amount. And there was also the damn side with the slightly angled cut:
1702487680720.png

this is the second reason I had to do that setup so many times. Well I first did all of the round corners of the straight side; and then, I had to tweak the setup for the angled side again for half a day as it was still not working perfectly.

Anyways, 5 days later, we are done with all the round corners. and after I milled them, I had to go with a MDF caul with sandpaper and clean and adjust very slightly all of the angled sides to be as accurate as possible as it was still very hard to be perfectly consistent in the result with the mill.
That means that there can be some slight fine file marks and sanding marks on the angled side of the shroud, and this is all accurate to the prop, as can be seen on the photo above were the paint is damaged on the angled line, and on many other pics, all part of the handmade look of that prop!

IMG_20231213_175554.jpg

IMG_20231213_175631.jpg

IMG_20231213_175652.jpg

IMG_20231213_175659.jpg


This means that on some shrouds, you'll have a side that has been fine sanded, and a side that is raw machining. On some of the shrouds, I sanded both sides to make sure everything was lining up. but here is a very very close example of both sides finish that can be expected:
IMG_20231213_175915.jpg


for the kit people, you'll be free to sand a bit the shrouds as well, but keep in mind there are several coats of weathered paint on the Barbican shroud, so appart from knoking down the edges a bit with sandpaper, there isn't much to do on the shrouds in my opinion.

Alright, I am very happy and relieved that this step is finally over, this was the last big hurlde. Tomorrow, i'll cut the front angles of the shrouds and we will be close to finished!

cheers all :)
 
Quick update + Timing update at the end.

I have finally started one of the last steps on the shrouds, those damn round corners!
this is using the two jigs I did 4 times while prototyping, they each hold the shrouds at a very precise position to cut each round corner on both sides.
I have started with the first corner and am about half way done with those. Then i need to do the other side, the side where the round corner ends slightly angled. Believe me, those are a pain.
View attachment 1767941
View attachment 1767942

At this point, i should stop trying to estimate when i'll be finished as I have made so many wrong estimates already, i'm so sorry for all the delays! Life is crazy and such a big project turned out to be impossible to finish on time for me in the end! It will be a huge lesson for me and I hope I can start future big runs with more experience and be more predictable for you guys! It has been a very stressfull past few months for me knowing you guys were waiting on me and I sincerely can't appologize enough.

Still, I think I'll be finished with all the kits around the 15th of December, but there will still be work to be done for the finished sabers.
The month of December is obviously not ideal to be releasing a big run, but at the same time, it won't be ideal for me either that basically half of my year income has to be postponed to next year... So we will see what we can do... I'll try my best to finish the kits for the 15th and will probably get in touch with people from there to see if they want kits, finished sabers, if they can pay right away or not... We will figure it out when the time comes and see how much we can fit into the last days of 2023 or not!

This is mainly to let people know that despite the crazy delays, we are finaly closing in on the release and since this run is very demanded, I will work with you all, but it would be good if you could start planning moneywise to be ready when the sabers are released. I repeat, I will work with you and understand I am delayed and it is my fault, no worries :)

Regarding costs, like I said from the start, I will only know how much the finished sabers actually cost when they are actually finished.
but, here is what we know already:
- Square shroud kit: 139€
- Severed hand kit: 199€
- Barbican kit: 199€
- Finished Square shroud saber: 345€
It would be safe to assume the finished Severed hand/Barbican sabers will be between 400-500€
shipping costs are additional.

Thank you all for your patience and for staying with me, we are close!
Love the pictures of the jig setup!!
 
Hey guys,

I said "around the 15th", we are the 15th, time for an update!

I am almost done with the kits, I should be able to finish everything this week end and start contacting people! finally :)

alright, so this is probably the coolest step on the shrouds, cutting the front angle and cleaning it:
IMG_20231214_170045.jpg

IMG_20231214_170451.jpg

IMG_20231215_173043.jpg


What's left to do:
Alright, so I still need to file a bit the top curve edge of the front of the shroud as it is very soft on the Barbican, then a pass of sanding on the edges I just cut so they are not sharp. then, the last machining step for the run, the last threaded hole to drill at the bottom of the shrouds.
After this, "just" sanding and polishing all the activation boxes that I still have to sand, this is super annoying to do but I said I would add this step to the run, so i'll do it :)
printing grips guides for the Barbican kits, bagging the small screws and small greeblies for each kit, small things :)

Timing update/release:
Because of the long delay, I will not be releasing everything on the website and let you guys fight for it, especially since the painted versions are not yet ready. So, in the next few days, i'll be reaching out by PM in order of the main list and ask if you want kits/finished, if you are ready to pay and will invoice you privately through my website if you are ready. It will take the time it will take, but everyone from the list will get exactly what they registered for and will have the choice to get kit(s) or finished saber(s).

Finished sabers will come probably very early next year as there is no reason to rush them now with Christmas and all.

Price for the main list people:
I am bleeding myself with this run from the start but decided to keep my price the same as announced in the begining for the main list people.
Square shroud kit: 139€ + shipping
Severed hand kit: 199€ + shipping
Barbican kit: 199€ + shipping
the 10% discount is also still in effect for 3 kits purchassed. And I'll activate a 5% discount for 3 finished sabers purchassed, 10% is too much of a loss for those for me.
Finished sabers prices still to be determined as they are not yet all assembled. We already know the painted Square shrouds are 345€ so I would expect the Severed hand and Barbicans to be close to 500€.

Backup list people only, timing and price update:
I'll only open the sale to the backup list people when the sabers are all finished and the main list is done.
I have been torturing myself for the past 30 minutes writing this message and weighting pros and cons for this and I really don't enjoy it, but, I'll have to increase the price slightly after the main list is sold. I'm really sorry for this and really not enjoying having to do this, but I have to. Because the run was so complex, because I added a few additional steps for everyone's comfort (gluing the end caps, attaching the cores, sanding and polishing the activation boxes, making sure all parts were clean and sanding stuff when needed.), and finaly because handling the backup list was so much work for me with the numbers changing a lot after the interest request was closed, I had to scrap parts that were already made, make new parts in small number because they were missing for some versions. In the end, I lost several days managing the backup list and parts numbers changes. To try to recoup a tiny bit of the extra time spent, I will be increasing the price of all the saber kits by 5% after the main list is over and 2.5% for the finished sabers. I hope everyone understands, I think this is still a great price for everyone, my price was very tight from the begining as the saber world is very competitive, I worked extra hard on that run and made sure everything was perfect. I hope everyone from the backup list will get the saber they wanted. For now, there are a little bit more people on the list than sabers, but I guess there will be a few drop outs, we'll see :)

cheers all,
thank you for staying with me all along this really cool but exhausting project!
 
Hey guys,

I said "around the 15th", we are the 15th, time for an update!

I am almost done with the kits, I should be able to finish everything this week end and start contacting people! finally :)

alright, so this is probably the coolest step on the shrouds, cutting the front angle and cleaning it:
View attachment 1769948
View attachment 1769949
View attachment 1769950

What's left to do:
Alright, so I still need to file a bit the top curve edge of the front of the shroud as it is very soft on the Barbican, then a pass of sanding on the edges I just cut so they are not sharp. then, the last machining step for the run, the last threaded hole to drill at the bottom of the shrouds.
After this, "just" sanding and polishing all the activation boxes that I still have to sand, this is super annoying to do but I said I would add this step to the run, so i'll do it :)
printing grips guides for the Barbican kits, bagging the small screws and small greeblies for each kit, small things :)

Timing update/release:
Because of the long delay, I will not be releasing everything on the website and let you guys fight for it, especially since the painted versions are not yet ready. So, in the next few days, i'll be reaching out by PM in order of the main list and ask if you want kits/finished, if you are ready to pay and will invoice you privately through my website if you are ready. It will take the time it will take, but everyone from the list will get exactly what they registered for and will have the choice to get kit(s) or finished saber(s).

Finished sabers will come probably very early next year as there is no reason to rush them now with Christmas and all.

Price for the main list people:
I am bleeding myself with this run from the start but decided to keep my price the same as announced in the begining for the main list people.
Square shroud kit: 139€ + shipping
Severed hand kit: 199€ + shipping
Barbican kit: 199€ + shipping
the 10% discount is also still in effect for 3 kits purchassed. And I'll activate a 5% discount for 3 finished sabers purchassed, 10% is too much of a loss for those for me.
Finished sabers prices still to be determined as they are not yet all assembled. We already know the painted Square shrouds are 345€ so I would expect the Severed hand and Barbicans to be close to 500€.

Backup list people only, timing and price update:
I'll only open the sale to the backup list people when the sabers are all finished and the main list is done.
I have been torturing myself for the past 30 minutes writing this message and weighting pros and cons for this and I really don't enjoy it, but, I'll have to increase the price slightly after the main list is sold. I'm really sorry for this and really not enjoying having to do this, but I have to. Because the run was so complex, because I added a few additional steps for everyone's comfort (gluing the end caps, attaching the cores, sanding and polishing the activation boxes, making sure all parts were clean and sanding stuff when needed.), and finaly because handling the backup list was so much work for me with the numbers changing a lot after the interest request was closed, I had to scrap parts that were already made, make new parts in small number because they were missing for some versions. In the end, I lost several days managing the backup list and parts numbers changes. To try to recoup a tiny bit of the extra time spent, I will be increasing the price of all the saber kits by 5% after the main list is over and 2.5% for the finished sabers. I hope everyone understands, I think this is still a great price for everyone, my price was very tight from the begining as the saber world is very competitive, I worked extra hard on that run and made sure everything was perfect. I hope everyone from the backup list will get the saber they wanted. For now, there are a little bit more people on the list than sabers, but I guess there will be a few drop outs, we'll see :)

cheers all,
thank you for staying with me all along this really cool but exhausting project!

That´s still a STEAL for all the hard -manual- work you put into your kits Matthieu!
 
Hello everyone,

The kits are finally ready. I have spent the day packing small plastic bags (reused to be more ecologicaly friendly) with all the small parts for the kits. Screws in a small bag inside another bag with the plastic or aluminium parts to separate a bit and keep everything safe.
I'm still struggling a bit with the activation boxes, I had a few already ready from when I did the square shrouds and have sanded a few today but it is super annoying and painfull for my fingers to do. So, since we have a more modern resin printer now, I have negociated with my wife to pause a bit her own run today and have launched a few new activation boxes on it. Basically, they are a bit faster to sand, but it will help me a bit already!
since I now have extra, i think I'll include a few raw parts for people that order several kits, so they can have more choice, or at the very least possibly see that the sanded ones are a better (I hope!) and that it is annoying to sand them yourself ahah!

IMG_20231219_103213.jpg


So, I will now start contacting by PM people from the list, in the order they posted their interest.

In that PM, I'll ask you if you are still in for your sabers, if you are ready to order now or prefer to wait and if you want kits or finished versions. I'll appreciate it if you are ready, but completely understand if you need to wait a bit as it is my fault the run is delayed. The run has been a long time coming, I have warned begining of December that it was about to be finished, so I think it will be fair if the sabers are reserved for 2 weeks from the date of the PM you received. If not, we will see together the best way to move forward.

The finished sabers versions are not yet done but I'll do my best to not delay this too much. Basically, if you want a finished saber, that PM will allow you to now reserve it instead of the kit you already have reserved and I'll move on to the next person in the list. But your finished saber(s) will now be reserved and I'll come back to your for payment when they are ready.

Please not this is not how I normally work with my runs. Interest lists are normally for me to get an idea of numbers, here, I did 1.25x the number that registered. And when the run is finished, I normally release everything on my website. Since this run was very demanded AND very delayed, I am considering the interest list as an actual reservation list and giving the chance to everyone on the main list to be sure they can get what they wanted. I am trying to be fair to everyone. The backup list will be contacted in order as well after the main list is done, early next year probably.

I hope this makes sense.
Please allow me a bit of time to go through the list and organize all this, but you can expect a PM and your saber(s) as soon as possible :)
cheers all!
 
I am preparing to send PMs to the first people on the list.
It's a bit messy as there is a lot of information to give and some questions to ask as well, so it makes for a long message... sorry about that!

to try to organize and simplify things a bit, I'll post a few photos here for general infos and a reminder on what you guys are buying.

I encourage you to take a look at the first two posts of that thread as there are a lot of photos of the prototypes there, especially the second post for an explanation on all the crazy assymetries, un-aligned stuff and weird details. You are not buying an idealized saber kit, this reproduces all the wonkiness that is present on the props, please be aware the shrouds are super asymetrical and holes are all over the places, this is all normal :)

general infos for kits:
- all kits come with the cores installed with set screw and bottom open plug glued with E6000
- small screws are M1.4 x0.3mm for people that want to thread theirs.
- shrouds on the square version are pretty adjusted with the tubes, they are each tested to fit when shipped, but go slowly when installing them to avoid scratching the tubes. Shrouds were then enlarged very slightly for the Barbicans and severed hand version for ease of instalation.

kit photos:
I haven't had the chance to take new pics for the kits themselves appart from the square shroud version, but here are some photos of what you'll get:

Square shroud, those are final photos with production parts.
assembly help can be found here:
square_kit_02.jpg


Barbican, those are the prototype parts, you can refer to the above photo for final parts example or all the photos I have posted in that thread over the course of production, I hope that is enough.
The main differences are that the core and open end plugs are installed already on your sabers now. you also get 2 small plastruct parts and 1 big, I didn't have the big ones when I did the prototypes.
kit is provided with 16 small screws. That is the exact amount for 7 grips + 2 for the activation box. The Barbican in its current state is missing a grip. That means you can either be very carefull to not loose the screws and can install the missing grip if you want, or you want it with the missing grip and you have two extra screws in case you misplace one.
DSC04920.jpg


Severed hand, prototype parts below,
The final version has the core installed with the big screw and thumbscrew holding it, no smal set screw in the end, although the hole is still present.
The D ring is shown cut here, you'll get it uncut, you'll see there is very little room for the D ring so you'll either need to cut it as shown or file the bottom for it to be able to turn.
The actual movie prop is a cast and the Dring was cast as a solid piece that doesn't move, the full Dring can help you adjust how much material to remove if you want it to be static like in the movie.
the kit is provided with 17 small screws. this saber has it's 7 grips installed, so you get one extra screw in case you misplace one.
IMG_20230421_165343.jpg



Finished versions:

Square shroud:
those are the actual final photos from the production square shroud, accurate to what you'll receive.
There are two variations, one with the hole visible between the grips and one with the grips covering the hole. I have an equal number of each left for now, I hope people will buy the covered hole version as i don't really want to remove the grips and start over on those :oops:
all photos can be found here:
and the batch of finished sabers with or without hole here:
square_01.JPG


Barbican:
those are the prototype photos, they show what the final version will look like but I am already trying to best that for the weathering and will take final photos when the time comes.
more photos can be found here:

there will be two versions offered:
- weathered, as shown below but even closer to the original, weathered aluminium and brass, painted clamp
- pristine, this will be an accurate replica of the Barbican with the wonky grips and all the details, BUT, the 7th grip will be installed, the saber will not be weathered.
DSC_1057.JPG


Severed hand:
same, those are the prototype photos and I will work hard to best this. the black detail in the front hole will be painted on the final version, bubbles will be painted silver, shown here is a custom saber shop clamp but the final will be a nice Roman clamp.
more photos can be found here:
I have planned only this one version for now, but can take reservations for pristine sabers when you get my PM as I haven't started painting. Price will be the same as weathering is minimal on those and pristine paint is also hard to achieve and maintain :)
DSC_1070.JPG


The Severed hand sabers and Square shroud sabers come with the bottom end open, as can be seen on the cast version. I have made extra Barbican plugs for people that want to close this and idealize a bit their sabers. They are available separately for 22.5€ while they last. Please tell me in the PM you'll receive if you want one.
DSC04912.jpg
DSC_0089.JPG


I think that's it. Again, there is a lot of infos to share, sorry for all the long messages. i hope this helps having a clear idea of what is going on.
Now off to sending the first PMs finally!
I really hope you guys will like the sabers after all this work :)
cheers all :)
 
Hi again,
I have sent PMs to 14 persons from the begining of the list and am now waiting for most of the answers before going forward for the rest of the list. If you haven't yet received a PM, I hope I can get to you in the next few days, thank you for your patience :)
cheers all!

edit: If you are sure from the start you wanted kits and are ready to order now, feel free to get in touch as well and not wait for my PM. Going in the list order is mainly for the painted sabers, but there are enough kits for everyone on the main list.
 
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Hi,
first 6 orders from last night have been shipped and you should have received your tracking number by email, please check your spams if you don't see it :)
I am still waiting for a few more answers to move forward in the list, but please get in touch if you are sure you want kits only and we can go forward with your order :)
cheers all!
 
Hello,
Alright, will get back to the list today and try to get a move on the release.
I am waiting for answers to PMs from BrundelFly el toro mrwax Nehcrux mgoob Dewy Ghost2108
I know this isn't an ideal period, but please remember that if you can't pay now, you'll get a 2 weeks period to pay, but I need to take your reservations for the sabers to be able to move in the list and get to the other people that are waiting. Please get back to me as soon as possible. This is especially important for the painted sabers as those are limited.

Everyone that already paid should have received a tracking number, the last batch was shipped on Tuesday. Please check your spams and get back to me if you don't have your tracking.
cheers all
 
Hello all,
happy new year!

People should start receiving their kits now I think, I hope you'll like them!
It it possible I have forgotten the Barbican grip template in a few packages, I was trying my best to organize everything and ship immediately and in the stress of the process, I might have forgotten a template here and there as it was a bit on the side on my desk when preparing the orders. Really sorry if I forgot!

here it is for you to print in case I forgot it, it should print 1/1 if you setup your printer to print 100% of the file size. there are two areas in the bottom to check the size when it's printed:
Barbican_Grip_Template_print.jpg


tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I started sending the PMs and I haven't heard from a few people on the list yet. I am going to need to start contacting people from the backup list soon, so please get back to me, even if it is to tell me you don't want to be part of the run anymore, I just need to know so I can move down the list, thank you BrundelFly Nehcrux Ghost2108 DarthBoots Shao
If I don't hear from you by the end of the week, I won't be able to guarantee your spot anymore, especially for painted sabers, sorry.

cheers all
 

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