It all started in 1999. I was 7 years old and The Phantom Menace was the first Star Wars movie that I got to see in a theatre. Nevermind all the hate that this movie got, I was blown away and loved it! The epic fight on Naboo at the end between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon left me with one goal in mind: get my hands on one of these sweet weapons that a Jedi carries. Blue is my favorite color. And who had a blue lightsaber? Obi-Wan of course! And, even though he ends up losing this hilt twice in the first two episodes, I always thought that it looked the most intriguing and very pleasant to the eyes.

Christmas 1999 arrived quickly and naturally I asked Santa if he could bring me Obi-Wan's lightsaber. I do not know if my parents could not find the proper one or not, but I ended up getting Qui-Gon's lightsaber (green...). It was the collapsible version that didn't fully retract inside the hilt because of the massive D batteries inside it. It was cool but I always thought about that prop that I never got.

Fast forward to 2022, I now have a 3D printer and browsing through Thingiverse, I found a gorgeous version of the hilt made by UnimatrixRed (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3499730). What I really liked about his print is that he owns an actual replica of the hilt that was measured to prepare the 3D files and get a true-to-size model (I highly recommend his version if you are only looking for the hilt).
So I printed it, and thought it was very cool! But something was missing... The blade!

I came across another lightsaber on the website by 3DPrintingWorld. It is a version of Luke's lightsaber with a cool collapsible blade (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3606120). I thought that it was pretty neat and why not try and mix both of these.

SO! Without further due, here is my very own remake of Obi-Wan Kenobi The Phantom Menace's lightsaber!

1. Quick summary
I redesigned all the parts using UnimatrixRed's STLs dimensions as a starting point to make a 3-part hilt. The dimensions are not exactly the same but very close.
The top includes the emitter module with the red and brass buttons and has an inside thread that screws onto the second part that is the main body. The third part is the pommel block at the bottom and it also screws onto the main body.

The hilt is hollow and leaves enough space for a fully collapsible 4-piece blade that extends ~28-30in. I tried to stay as close as possible to UnimatrixRed's dimensions but I had to make the inside cylinder of the handle a little bigger to keep a reasonable diameter for the blade. Outer dimensions are all very similar.
The blade is removable so if you ever feel like changing the color or you broke your blade, you can easily replace it by unscrewing the top part.

2. Mechanical plays
All parts have been modeled with proper mechanical plays considering 0.2 or 0.15mm layers. It should also work with 0.1 or 0.3mm layers but I did not test it, sorry.

Basically, depending on the part, I left 0.2, 0.3 or 0.6mm plays on each side of a cylindrical part to get a sleeve fit with an Ender3-type FDM printer.
For example, if the diameter of a hole is 29mm, then with a 0.2mm play, the cylinder/axle adjusting into that hole has a 28.6mm diameter.

I am aware that the printer that you use has a great effect on the actual finish of your print and therefore mechanical plays.
Which is why I added 3 versions of the TOP INNER and the HANDLE INNER parts. You can choose between 0.15, 0.2 and 0.3mm between the TOP INNER and the HANDLE parts, and you can choose between 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4mm between the HANDLE INNER and HANDLE parts.
I personnaly printed my version with 0.15mm for the TOP INNER part and 0.3mm for the HANDLE INNER part (be careful, this part is thin and fragile).

If for some reason these parameters still do not work for you, I also added the STEP files that you can modify on your CAD software.

The threads all have a 0.18mm play on each side of the threads + 0.47mm play on the outer perimeter. These parameters should work for most printers.

3. Blade
The blade is a simple 4-pieces print with 3 hollow parts and a full 4th part.
Although it looks simple, it is kind of a challenging print. But why? Mainly because the 4 parts are pretty high with a small contact area with the bed.

If, like me, you use a printer with a bed that moves in the Y direction (like an Ender-3), you will notice that once the print reached a certain height it will start wiggling and vibrating a lot. You will end up with a part with a clean bottom but a rough top.
Which is why I am including the "ROCKET" versions with 3 external triangular sections added to temporarily stiffen the blade pieces while printing. It will help prevent that vibrating movement and allow you to get a decent part.

If you are using a printer like a Core X/Y or one that does have a bed that only goes up and down following the Z axis, you should not have this issue and you could print the normal parts all at once.

4. Assembly
Regarding assembly here is a quick guide of how I do it:

1. TOP MODULE

   • Print the EMITTER, TOP INNER, TOP OUTER, RED BUTTON, and BRASS BUTTON parts using the color and material of your choice.
   • You will then need to assemble and bond these pieces together. If you are using ASB or ASA, I recommend using acetone as it is fast and strong. If you are using PLA, cyanoacrylate glue like Gorilla-glue or Super-glue should work.
   • First, apply glue or acetone and insert the TOP INNER part into the TOP OUTER part. The TOP INNER part should sit on top of the inner thread of the TOP OUTER part.
   • Then apply glue or acetone to the inside surface of the EMITTER part and plug it on top of the TOP INNER part, making sure that you also bond it to the three prongs of the TOP OUTER part.
   • Glue the red and brass buttons to the TOP OUTER part as well.

2. HANDLE MODULE

   • Print the HANDLE, HANDLE INNER, BELT CLIP, and BELT CLIP SCREW parts using the color and material of your choice.
   • Again, you will either need acetone or Super-Glue to bond the parts together.
   • Apply glue or acetone to the inner surface of the HANDLE INNER part and insert it into the HANDLE part making sure that the arrow points upward. Be prepared, you will have to execute this step fast, but no too much either since the HANDLE INNER part is thin and fragile.I recommend that you do a first assembly test before applying any glue or acetone to the HANDLE INNER part.

3. POMMEL MODULE

   • Print the POMMEL and POMMEL BLOCK parts. You will need 6 pommel blocks.
   • Use acetone or Super-glue to bond the blocks to the pommel part.
4. FINAL ASSEMBLY
   • Screw the POMMEL MODULE onto the HANDLE MODULE.
   • Insert the 4 blades pieces into the HANDLE MODULE making sure that they are in the correct order.
   • Screw the TOP MODULE onto the HANDLE MODULE.
   • Et voilà ! You are done!

Extra step: if you used ABS or ASA for some parts, you could also smooth the parts using acetone for a cool glossy effect.

5. Future versions

A cool thing would be to print a blade with a transparent material and then add an LED with a small battery in the POMMEL MODULE.
This is something that I will maybe work on for a future version.

So here you go! Here is my version of this beloved, sort of "useless" now, but very fun piece of a galaxy far far away. Leave your comments and photos, I'm looking forward to see them all.

May the force be with you ;)!