Hey friends,

I’m just gonna come out with it–I love Star Wars, and any paraphernalia related to the films. I have 2 toy lightsabers [1 Anakin; 1 Obi-won] and have gifted a Yoda, Dooku, and another Obi-won to my closest friends…so technically, I have bought them all! I also have an old cardboard lightsaber that a good friend of mine painted–but none were nothing compared to this Master Replicas Force FX Saber.

As you can see, that item is beautiful but really expensive. Plus, a big part of Jedi training is learning how to do things by yourself. So, there was only one solution left: I had to build my own.

I read a lot of websites, but wasn’t quite sure where to start. I enlisted the help of someone known on the forums as Novastar…and was glad to find out that he was relatively local. Matthew Carrauddo from The Cutting Edge was kind enough to stop by popSiren and show me how it was done. Then, I spent some time building one on my own. Want to see how it turned out? Check this out, padawans (and stick around for the bloopers at the end, pretty funny)!

If you want to know how exactly to build it and get a list of materials, see the show notes here. Now for some pointers:

1. Take Matthew’s advice; Try to get a narrow tube
I learned that bigger is not always better. Because my tube was 2″ in diameter, I had to get larger parts to accommodate it. However, finding a cost efficient thin LED Flashlight would have been even tougher if I went with the thinner sink part. Pick your battle, I suppose.
2. Use light parts, your arms will thank you!
I ended up using plumbing parts because of my large and in charge tube. Sink parts are much, much, lighter making it easier to maneuver the saber. Although, I gotta say that my guns look pretty good after toting that bad boy around for a few days :)
3. Be patient and keep focus
Building lightsabers can take some time. Understanding how it all comes together, and tweaking it for yourself can be frustrating and time consuming. Also know that this will not be your last lightsaber.

On that last note, I have to say that it’s a bit of an obsession. I want one thats even more realistic, and with noise. I’ll be tooling away in my workshop, and I’ll keep you posted on what becomes with this project. Try it out, and show me what you make!

I just got home from picking up the coolest DVD case ever. The actual film inside of it has some good moments–but the packaging is out of this world. What else could it be but Transformers!!!

While looking online today, I noticed that most retailers had the standard Transformers on DVD and HDDVD, but two stores had a little more. Best Buy was offering two little toys with their 2-disc DVD. Unfortunately, the toys looked more Happy-Meal-esque rather than something that is proudly displayed alongside your original Optimus Prime circa 1985.

Target, however, had something much more applicable–a DVD case that actually transforms into a 15″ Optimus Prime! It’s not available on the website, so you may actually have to saunter into your local Target to get it. Please be assured that it is so worth it. As an added bonus, the DVD comes with a mini Transformer comic book and a special decoder to use on Target’s Transformers website. Check out the slideshow and get the “all spark” of DVD packages, people!!

p.s. Those are not my hands--totally my brothers. Man hands would be very unfortunate!

While perusing through the Sharper Image online catalog, a special robot caught my eye–R2D2!

I remember seeing this cute little guy at CES in January. Apparently, Sharper Image has picked him up [good call, guys]. In terms of functionality, he can hold drinks, and has 3 modes: companion, game, and command. Little R2 can even respond in the proper beeps to certain key phrases, like Princess Leia, Darth Vader, etc. According to the website, the R2D2 Interactive Droid can also bust some mad moves. I would truly love having him as a dance partner!

This seems to be as close as I will ever get to having a real R2D2 of my own. Upon a visit to the Sharper Image, I discovered it was much smaller than I would have thought–my only foreseeable gripe. Oh and R2d2 doesn’t come cheap. He retails at about $120, which is around the price of a fancy lightsaber replica. I want both…badly. Santa, can you hear me?