Aries: Zodiac 3
Around 2019, I challenged myself to machine a saber from scratch in under 24 hours. The challenge was a success, and the hilt came out great. However, that was four years of experience ago. This year, I wanted to challenge myself further, increasing the detail of the design, and installing the electronics all in under 24 hours.
In December of 2023, I attempted the challenge again, and completed The Mayfly. The owner was enthralled, and challenged me to complete one 24-hour saber build each month in 2024. This is the first of twelve, which I am calling the Zodiac Challenge.
The request for this saber was "Starkiller". Having built a starkiller from scratch before, I was confident going into this build. The tricky part, however, initially appeared to be that I was not using any Graflex shrouds or clamps, and instead had to machine these from scratch. Like the last build, I aimed to do this in one sitting. 15 hours and 30 minutes later, I marked it complete. I admit, the concession agreed with the client was that the grip railed would need to be assembled the next day, as they are glued on instead of screwed, and that required time to set and cure.
During the build process, I aimed to strike a middle ground between game-accurate and idealized. The brass wasp waist, a style/term coined by Todd Johnson of Darth Alice, was a must stylistically. The grip is long and narrow, allowing for a larger battery and big speaker. The crystal chamber is made of brass and titanium, with a 3mm fiber optic cable running through for added detail.
This is my current favourite of the Zodiac Challenge.