Darth Vader DV6 Stunt Lightsaber - EP6

Quick Overview

If you’re diving into building the Darth Vader DV6 stunt saber from Return of the Jedi, here’s a little background: The DV6 itself started life as Luke’s Empire Strikes Back stunt saber, then got a makeover into Vader’s hilt since they lost the original between movies. Interestingly, this was not the only saber swap in EP6 as Luke’s V2 Hero saber is actually Obi-Wan’s old motorized hilt from A New Hope (if you want to check out a model for that, it’s available here. At any rate, the DV6 saber has its own charm, so I had to make a model for it.

The design isn’t 100% screen accurate, but it’s pretty close!  I scoured the interwebs and RPF forum for reference pics as well as Luke’s ANH Graflex schematics to get it right.

I made a few tweaks to make printing and assembly easier, and I am happy to report THAT NO GLUE IS USED IN ASSEMBLING THIS HILT!  I hate glue. Like all my designs, this is print and play.  The pics you see posted have ZERO post processing other than removing supports.

Filaments I Used

• Kingroon PLA – Black
• ZIRO Silk PLA – Silver
• Optional: Sunlu Silk – Brass (filament is press fit into the charging port holes and cut to size)

Assembly Tips

Before you start, take a quick look at these notes—they’ll save you a headache later.

• This profile is dialed in for ZIRO Silk PLA. Silk PLAs (in my experience) tend to expand a bit more than regular PLA, so your fit might be snug or loose depending on the brand. If anything feels way too tight, just hit the threads with a little lube before you screw things together.
• If you’ve been messing around with the hole offsets in your slicer profile, it’ll throw off the tolerances. Honestly, best to leave the profile alone and you should be good.
• The ‘Emitter Pin Plug’ is a super important piece—it screws into the ‘Upper Hilt’. You want this connection to feel really smooth. I recommend threading it in and out a few times and adding a bit of lube so you’re not fighting with it during final assembly.
• I tossed in a 4mm tool to help with the screws and the Emitter Pin Plug, but if you’ve got a 4mm Allen wrench, that’s even better.
• Last thing—take your time! I know you’re pumped to see the finished saber (so am I!). Let the parts fully cool before putting everything together, especially the threaded bits. PLA continues to shrink as it cools, so patience here makes assembly way easier.

Instructions

1. Start with installing the upper hilt control box.  You will need to push it down with some force to full seat it.

   

2. Assemble the upper hilt section as shown.  Before starting, be sure that the ‘Emitter Pin Plug’ has been lubed and can EASILY thread into the upper hilt.  This will make assembly easier.  You can use the provided tool or a 4mm Allen wrench to screw the plug in.

   

3.  Assemble the mid- section by sliding in the control box.  

4. Assemble the three hilt sections together.  Slide the mid section up into the top; Note that there is a locking tab between the top and mid sections of the hilt.

5. Assemble the grips into the lower section.  Note that the grips will only fit in one way and should be flush with the bottom of the hilt.  The end cap assembly locks the grips into place.

6. Finish the saber off by installing the upper D-Ring, Emitter Pin, 6 Allen Screws and the ‘Eye’.

7. You will notice in the my Pics that there are two prongs near base of the emitter shroud.  These are simply Brass PLA filament press fit into the holes.  The holes are designed to lock the filament in place without glue - cause glue sucks.  

Enjoy!

Or you could always…