I need to make an admission – I have a bit of a helmet obsession. Even before getting into Star Wars helmets, I collected old World War Two and post-war military lids. I’m not sure I can explain it, but helmets are just definitive to a person’s look, whether they’re a soldier or a character … Read more
Though I’ve always considered myself a fan of dark side lightsabers and characters, I’ve been on a major Jedi saber tear lately. For whatever reason, almost all of my recent commissions have come from folks looking for basic light side builds with few frills and green, blue, or similar blades. I loved doing the sabers … Read more
The custom sabers just keep coming here at Arms of Ilum. Today’s entry has a bit of an interesting backstory. A few weeks ago, I was working on a custom Hasbro Black Series Darth Vader conversion for a friend when LED Supply messed up my order not just once, but twice. I had originally ordered … Read more
Before I get into this rundown, It’s worth mentioning that this saber is very, very similar to the Republic Defender that I recently completed. I’ll note the differences where applicable, but readers should also check out that build for a different take on a very similar concept. Because the customer in this case wanted a … Read more
One of the things that sets Arms of Ilum sabers apart from standard builds sold by places like Ultrasabers and Saberforge is customization. Whether its adding names (in Aurebesh) or factional emblems and accents, the vast majority of my work goes out with some form of custom artwork. When I first started my builds, I … Read more
There are a few different folks that produce soundboards for illuminated sabers (lightsaber replicas), but if you ask me, Erv Plecter of Plecter Labs is king of the genre (don’t get me wrong, NEC boards are nice as well). Thanks to his extensive lineup of boards for all price ranges and with a variety of features, … Read more
Over the winter and the first portion of the new year, I was pretty well inundated with commissioned saber builds. Most of those were stunt sabers that to be perfectly honest, got a bit boring after a bit. Fortunately, one of my customers asked for a basic saber with sound and even better, a purple … Read more
This saber has taken several months to complete, but it is finally done. Dubbed the General Kota in a nod to the character, Rahm Kota, from The Force Unleashed video games, this custom build is based on an Ultrasabers Standard Issue Battle Saber (a real mouthful, I know). Without further ado, let’s take a closer … Read more
If you’re on the Ultrasabers mailing list, you undoubtedly saw this. If not, you may not be aware that the company just unveiled the new Emperor’s Hand hilt and in short, it looks great. Inspired by the saber used by Mara Jade in what is now Legends material, the Emperor’s Hand joins other recent additions … Read more
Ever since I first saw the original trilogy as an eight-year-old, I have always wanted to own a Stormtrooper helmet. The problem for me as a kid was that the affordable options weren’t great back then and nicer replicas were far too expensive for my limited budget. I eventually forgot about the issue and moved … Read more