Here's an idea for 'light up' sabers for the 1/6 SW figs!

[JustinLuck]

I didn't say I was dissatisfied with the figures. I was trying to make a point, asking why you find the idea of a wired saber unacceptable.

 

[JustinLuck]

I just ordered some glowires. I will let you guys know how they look like when the order arrives.

This is exactly what I was thinking about when I was describing the size and shape of the battery pack.
https://www.glowire.com/Merchant2/m...tore_Code=G&Product_Code=F4S&Category_Code=3V

 

[captain sack]

After seeing pics of the light up saber for PF Vader, I was thinking how cool it would be if Sideshow could start an accessory line for the 1/6 SW figures that included LED 'light up' sabers.

accessory line? .......doubtful.

a whole new line of re-released figures with light up sabers for $80 each? ........possible.

 

[JustinLuck]

I don't think re-releasing figures would be a good idea. Who wants to re-purchase the figures they already own just for the light up feature? I think having an accessory line of sabers would be fine, and would be in high demand.

 

[captain sack]

I don't think re-releasing figures would be a good idea. Who wants to re-purchase the figures they already own just for the light up feature? I think having an accessory line of sabers would be fine, and would be in high demand.

it would be more profitable for sideshow to sell whole figures than accessory sets.

plus if the normal figures start seling for big bucks on ebay, sideshow could use this as an excuse to make new figures featuring light up sabers and voice chips.

what you want sounds like something that an experienced customizer could do.

 

[King Darkness]

This whole conversation is kind of silly, since Sideshow has confirmed time and time again that the lightsabers included with the 12" figures actually do ignite. They are fully functional!!!

DOH..I forgot all about SS's annoucement of functional saders .....That was in last weeks newsletter, right?

 

[JustinLuck]

If anyone does like the idea of using Electroluminescent Wire for light up sabers, please feel free to chime in.

 

[Wor-Gar]

If anyone does like the idea of using Electroluminescent Wire for light up sabers, please feel free to chime in.

I may have missed this in your posts, but how do you plan to run the glow-wire up the saber blade? Is the wire stiff enough to replace the plastic blade all together?

 

[JustinLuck]

You are correct. Most glowire is flexible because it is meant to be. There are different grades of flexibility, depending on the outer shell that insulates the wire. But I don't think substituting a stiffer material on the outside of it would be that difficult.

 

[darthviper107]

I like the idea of having a lightsaber that lights up, but i don't particularly like the idea of a big clunky battery pack with a wire running up to the bottom of the saber. It would look kind of cheap.

It would be cool if you could do the saber with a wire that lit up.

Here's something I thought of to hide the wire. maybe there could be a redesign on the hands to where when you connect the hand it would have some kind of metal or wire that would be in the back of the hand. Basically the connector in the hand would act like the ports on a computer. That way you could have all the articulation and still hide the wire in the body.

 

[JustinLuck]

Yeah, that's a nice idea Viper. If a company was designing SW bodies for the firs time, that would be a great thing to implement. But since Sideshow has already been using their standard bodies for the SW figures, I'm trying to think of ways to add the light up feature without requiring a new body. I'm not too sure how many people would be willing to purchase a whole new body for their figures, especially if it was expensive. I mean, sure I would be interested, but it is what the majority is willing to spend that is what counts.

Also, light up sabers that are independent of the body would give the flexibility to use the saber with almost any body type as long as the hilt could fit within the figure's grasp. So potential customers wouldn't necessarily be purchasing these sabers for specialized body types, but could also buy them for regular bodies as well, including Hasbro figs.

 

[Wor-Gar]

If you could get a very thin clear tube -- almost like a clear plastic straw -- and slide the glow-wire inside, it might work.

I think they have sturdy clear plastic tubing somewhere. The saber probably would look so good in daylight, but at night it would glow.

What about just wrapping the current saber is that material that reflects light -- highly reflective tape -- like they use for sneakers and traffic workers? These sabers could stand to be a tad thicker anyway. They even have paint that does that.

 

[JustinLuck]

I will post pics of the electroluminescent wire as soon as it arrives.

 

[nash]

i would hope you are able to find a clear tube that tapers upward like a real saber does. im not too big a fan of the whole "lego" saber look.

 

[JustinLuck]

i would hope you are able to find a clear tube that tapers upward like a real saber does. im not too big a fan of the whole "lego" saber look.

LOL, yes that would be a must. It would need to at least be rounded off at the top. Noticeable tapering isn't as big a deal to me because in the OT, the blades were pretty consistent in width along the entire length except for the tips, where they rounded off.

 

[Sabertrooper]

I was telling Justin_Luck about the light up beam saber that is included with the perfect grade zeta gundam. Is there anybody here that actually owns one that could show us a pic? It actually has a small battery in the hilt that lights the whole thing. Since I do not own one, I do not know if the blade consists one long led bulb, or some kind of filament that runs the length of the blade. Just thought it was an interesting comparison, since the perfect grade zeta is about 12" tall when fully assembled. It's beam saber would be roughly in scale to lightsabers, but I do not know how bulky the handle is.

 

[sheng_lung]

The beamsabers that come with perfect grade gundam kits have an extra long LED bulb for the blade. As for the handle it's a little bulkier but it's barely noticeable unless you look carefully. Kinda like looking at the difrence in size between a graflex handle and a force FX saber you will notice the extra bulk if compare the two side by side but otherwise it's not enough added size to worry about.

 

[Sabertrooper]

Sheng, do you by chance have any pics of the lit up beam saber? I was searching the net, and could not seem to find any pics. I for one would love to see how this looks lit up. I am glad that somebody knows what I was talking about!

 

[sheng_lung]

Sorry Sabertrooper wish I did have pics of it but it looks about the same as most the LED sabers we have seen. Even with the blade being one long LED the cathode and anode are still located at the base of it so the light is still more intese at the base of the blade then the tip. EL wire is still probly the best option for keeping the light consistent down the length of the saber.

 

[Sabertrooper]

Thanks Sheng_Lung. I was wondering how that worked. Now if someone could just hurry up and create a custom lightsaber using EL wire running the entire length of the blade with no separate battery pack dangling a foot away (sorry Justin_Luck) I think the idea of a contact in the hand and a battery hidden somewhere in the body would be cool. To use another bandai kit for an example, the 1/35 scale patlabor ingram 2 has a light kit that uses leds that flash to simulate police lights. It uses a watch battery which would be easy to hide on a 1/6 scale figure. Wouldn't it be cool if some mfr made a circuit board that not only turned the saber on, but did the ignite effect? Well, I can dream, can't I?