Creative Star Wars fans design own lightsabers
TAIPEI: Frustrated by the lack of quality lightsabers in toy shops, Makoto Tsai did what any self-respecting hardcore Star Wars fan would do – he studied engineering at college and then spent years perfecting a replica.
The 36-year-old is part of a small group of artisans around the world who have forged successful careers handcrafting remarkably realistic models of the movie saga’s famous energy swords.
As fans gather globally on May 4 for what has become the unofficial Star Wars Day – this year mourning the death of towering Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew – many will be clutching one of Tsai’s lightsabers, made in his workshop near Taipei.
In the past decade, he has shipped around 1,000 blades to some 40 countries as diverse as the United States, France and Cuba to Peru, Iceland and Tunisia. Prices start at US$255 (RM1,054) and around 80% of his orders come from abroad.
Local and ethnic Chinese fans are offered a half price discount, provided that they pass a written test “to prove they have enough passion for Star Wars”.
“I hand-make every piece of work, so it’s very intimate to me. I only want those who really like it to own it,” Tsai said at his memorabilia-filled workshop.
Star Wars may be a multi-billion dollar Hollywood franchise, but fans have long complained that the official lightsabers on the market are flimsy and disappointing versions of the whizzing, crackling swords seen in the films.
As a result, a cottage industry has sprung up of replica manufacturers filling a gap that more established companies have uncharacteristically failed to fill.
Advances in battery, LED and computing technology have helped these artisans create increasingly sophisticated replicas, many of them choosing to avoid overt branding from the films to reduce their exposure on copyright issues.
Bright tubes of light and motion-linked audio cards similar to the film’s sound effects are now standard.
Among fans of the custom saber scene, California-based Michael Murphy is known as “Yoda”. His online shop and forum FXSabers. com is the go-to place for those trading tips on where to buy and how to build the best lightsabers.
“As far as people doing installations like myself and Makoto, I’d say it’s grown from the original group of 25 in the early years to well over 100 people in forums and on Facebook offering services for sabers in one way or another,” he said.
The original lightsaber wielded by Luke Skywalker in the first 1977 film – a remarkably budget production compared to its lavish follow-ups – was little more than the handle of an old Graflex camera flash.
Those retro flashes have now become notoriously hard to source, thanks to Star Wars fans. The most expensive fan-built lightsaber replicas which feature original Graflex handles have sold for as much as US$15,000 (RM62,000) on eBay.
Tsai’s quest for a realistic lightsaber prompted him to study electro-optical engineering and then work in that industry until he became a full-time lightsaber maker over a decade ago.
He constantly researches to make his lightsabers “brighter, more durable and easier to manoeuver” so they can be used in fencing.
His business also supports fan and charity gatherings, which he organises free of charge.
With plenty more Star Wars films planned by the Disney-owned franchise, Tsai is confident that he’ll have new generations of fans flocking to buy his sabres.
“I am optimistic that there will be more die-hard fans. We can definitely keep the momentum for at least another decade,” he said.