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A friend of mine makes movie props as a hobby, and I'm his "idea man" for inspiration. One we've been kicking around for a while is a 'steampunk' lightsaber, in the vien of the SW Jedi the found near Nal Hutta in Dark Empire.

Today my friend emailed me a concept sketch:



I think it looks pretty sweet, and would like to hear what y'all think. BTW, this is the same guy who did my "viking" saber found in my sig.

I think it's awesome, even if I hate Adobe Illustrator with a passion.

Haha, a steampunk lightsabre. That kicks ass.
I´d love to see some rivets.

As a lover of steampunk, that rocks my pants. Thank you, Chewie.

Gil Hamilton wrote:As a lover of steampunk, that rocks my pants. Thank you, Chewie.

Oh definitely. My pants are suddenly tighter too.

I'd love to see it 3d- or physically modeled.

I don't know about 3D rendering, but he's gonna BUILD it :-p

CaptainChewbacca wrote:I don't know about 3D rendering, but he's gonna BUILD it :-p

Einhander Sn0m4n wrote:or physically modeled.

Hawt!

New draft based on some collaborative discussions I had with my friend:



The thought was to replace the mesh with a sort of lantern design, with brass piping between the panes and on the anchor collars.

I'm just saying, when this is made it will basically be the most ultimate thing ever.

Ford Prefect wrote:I'm just saying, when this is made it will basically be the most ultimate thing ever.

I think it is going to be a christmas present for my brother. And no, you can't be my brother.

Nice, but where're the buttons?

CaptainChewbacca wrote: I think it is going to be a christmas present for my brother. And no, you can't be my brother.

Dammit Chewie!

Steampunk Lightsaber?! That is fucking awesome.

Vympel wrote:Nice, but where're the buttons?

Buttons? Wouldn't valves be more appropriate?

Dalton wrote:

Vympel wrote:Nice, but where're the buttons?

Buttons? Wouldn't valves be more appropriate?

Valves would be hard to do. I'm going to ask him to do a slider and some sort of dial which connect to the core through the gaps in the lower rings, sort of like an afterthought.

Very nice looking deisgn. Still, lt needs to at least emit steam from somewhere...

A cool clockwork mechanism would be good, too. Like just have a few bits with turning rods on or that turn the crystal bit or something.

The first version looks cooler. The asymetric part doesn´t fit the steam punk theme.

salm wrote:The first version looks cooler. The asymetric part doesn´t fit the steam punk theme.

Which asymmetric part? The lantern is hexagonal. Also, steampunk is usually full of asymmetry.

I mean the thing on the top. Looks more modern than steampunkish to me.

salm wrote:I mean the thing on the top. Looks more modern than steampunkish to me.

Oh, the emitter disk? Well, its gonna be steel-and-brass, so that'll give it a bit of a look. The main inspiration for this saber is the steampunk-ish world from Dark Empire, which among other things featured a lightning-gun and a steam-powered starship. Its going to look somewhat modern by function of the fact that its a lightsaber. If you follow the link in my sig, you'll see a viking-style saber which combines old look and 'high tech'.

Update: I talked to the guy on email, and he can have it done by the end of the month for $60-75 (mostly for parts). He loves to make these, but he can't keep them all or he'd run out of room to live, so I guess I'm just blessed to have a friend who shares my passions and interests.

I'd ditch the lantern, personally. It makes it look way too delicate and empty. The cooling jacket worked better, visually.

Really, I think it turns an interesting design into looking like crap.

CaptainChewbacca wrote:

Dalton wrote:

Vympel wrote:Nice, but where're the buttons?

Buttons? Wouldn't valves be more appropriate?

Valves would be hard to do. I'm going to ask him to do a slider and some sort of dial which connect to the core through the gaps in the lower rings, sort of like an afterthought.

Maybe a tiny knife switch?

Ok, here's the 'nearly finished' design:



Its got a slider w/fabric-covered wires, and an old-style radio knob. I admit, I can't decide if I like the style-points of the lantern or the badassitude of the cooling jacket in the first sketch. Thoughts? Votes?