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Prototype Proton Saber

Added On: December 15, 2020

I wanted to design a lightsaber that embraced the aesthetics of Ghostbusters hardware. I initially started this as a 3D modeling exercise, but I like it so much that I’m probably going to take a shot at making it real!

I tried to echo a number of design elements from Ghostbusters that I consider iconic of the brand. The emitter end of the saber borrows pretty heavily from the shapes of the Neutrona Wand / Particle Thrower, including the front hook and boxy profile. I kept the slotted cutouts from the original design, but opted to use it as a crystal reveal chamber for the theoretical Kyber Crystal that you’d have in a lightsaber. I also added a contoured handle to the saber meant to imitate the grips on the thrower.

On the opposite side, I looked to the Ghost Trap for inspiration. I added a heat sink and blocky resistor on the side, and filled in some of the empty space with the obligatory worky-knob.

The ‘bottom’ of the saber has a few elements borrowed from the Proton Packs. I added a V-hook, which is how the Neutrino Wands in the movies were holstered onto the back of the pack, as a bit of a callback and maybe even a practical way of hanging it from a belt. I also incorporated ribbon cabling that was intended to evoke the look of the cables coming from the round Cyclotron parts of the pack. Lastly, I made a mini-cyclotron for the bottom of the hilt!

I’m going to have to go through the design a bit and tweak things in order to make them practical to make, but I think I’m going to have to actually produce one of these for my own collection. In the mean time, you can play with an interactive version of the model below!