Reboundre·bound
verb1.
bounce back through the air after hitting a hard surface or object.Hey everyone! Just here to show off my latest (and IMO greatest) custom saber, Rebound.
Being a total geek, I have a backstory for the character here, an extremely idealistic Light Side user who just suffered through the second Jedi Purge in his lifetime (very, very long story). I named this hence because this is the second saber he's built in this period of his life, and the character just recovered from severe depression after losing the Order a second time, a la Kota's drunkenness (blindfold and all). This is what he carries after he recovers; it's his Rebound. Plus, the name had a nice elastic feel to it, which works considering he's more acrobat than combatant at times.
Anyway, onto the saber!
Yes, your eyes (and my camera) deceive you, it isn't red. This is an Emerald saber, and I mixed this into what I consider the perfect orange: closer to red than FO is but still clearly orange to the naked eye. On camera, it shows up quite red unless it's contrasting with a BR saber.
Yep, I'm one of the weirdos who prefers D-rings.
I used to be a Covertec guy, but I was rewatching Empire and something about the way Luke's saber hangs from his belt, and that sort of freedom it has to move was really drawing to me. Plus, I like the old style, at least for this guy, and a d-ring is about as old-school as you can get.
Quick comment on the body: weathering was done with aluminum black, and a lot of it. After letting that sit for a day or so, I gave it a once-over with a can of clear coat, let that sit for a day. Voila. No sanding or anything even needed on this one, and I'm quite proud of it actually.
And the front side. To get into the review-y part of this: when I was putting this custom together, I was looking for the proper base US to use. My next most-recent purchase had been my Sentinel in GB, and I gotta tell you it was so comfortable to wield I couldn't stop using it, and I'm not huge into blue at all. The Sentinel was a clear-cut choice for me: I love the emitter and overall style, it's weighted perfectly for me (I've got average-sized hands, I'm roughly six foot and about 140 so I'm not huge) and the grip was comfortable as they come to me. I have nothing but good things to say about the Sentinel, it's served me well in every duel thus far.
The grip is a strip of leather I stitched together myself. Just simple, five dollar leather from the craft store and some hemp as the thread. Holds together nicely, and gives a decent grip. Mostly importantly, it sets Rebound apart even further.
Close up on the emitter. I took a Krylon copper leafing pen to it, found that was easier than spray paint for such a tiny segment
. Ignore that little blemish where you can see the gold, I noticed that uploading the photo and immediately touched it up. The thumbscrew, which you can barely see in the background, is what I'm using presently as a set screw. I tend to prefer thumbscrews as they're quicker to remove/add a blade on the go.
I think that about calls it done. Maybe once I get my act together I'll throw on my getup for this character and get some photos with it in hand. Catch you guys later!