In this instructable I will show you how I made the following star wars props for Halloween: Astro Droid, Little Yoda Lightsaber, Little Darth Vader Light Saber (Not Movie Accurate), Adult Jedi Belt and Belt Pouch.

Just so we are on the same page, I am a poor collage student living in a small apartment with no access to a nice shop with expensive tools. You wont find fancy fiberglass formed stuff or expensive parts. So all of my projects are 1. done the easy way. 2. done the cheap way. All of the props in this instructable were built for less than $25.

Tools Used:

Dremel
Hand Rivet Gun
Drill
Hot Glue Gun
Skill Saw
JB weld

Other Materials:

Belt and Pouch- Fabric (I found some fake leather stuff at a local thrift store), card board, rivets, old child's black dress belt.

Astro Droid- 5 gallon buckets (2), scrap pvc pieces (no more than a couple inches), garbage electronic pieces lying around, clear flexible tubing (.50 cents at thrift store), scrap wood from a neighborhood new construction, nuts/bolts (2.50 walmart), acrylic paint.

DV Lightsaber-
copper pipe ($1 at a scrap yard for a 6 inch piece)
Black zip ties
Old timing belt and inner tube parts from the trash at the scrap yard.
Wood dowel (broken yard tool)
red tape

Yoda lightsaber-
Kid's bubble container
dollar store LED flashlight

Leia Blaster-
Scrap Wood
Scrap PVC
piece of a recorder (musical instrument) from the thrift store
twisty cord from the thrift store

Step 1: Astro Droid

So I wanted to make an astro droid prop for our halloween party, but all of the plans I could see were either cardboard (to wimpy and not weather proof) or were WAY out of my price range (which was about $5). So I looked around at what could potentially be used. Mine droid is thinner than the traditional R2D2, but I think it works fine and no one ever has a problem knowing what it is.

Materials-
Scrap 2x4s
rivets
nuts/bolts
5 gallon buckets (2)
scrap pvc pipe
peanut butter jar lid

I realize that buying new this list costs more than $5, but who doesn't have at least a couple items lying around? I found the 5 gallon buckets at the thrift store...otherwise that would raise the price by like $10 to buy them new.

1. Use a dremel or saw to cut the couple inches off of one of the five gallon buckets.
2. Then drill holes (the size of your bolts) around the top outside of the uncut bucket,
3. Fix the mouth of the cut bucket into the mouth of the uncut bucket (its a tight fit, but you can do it!). Then use a marker through the drilled holes to mark where to drill on the cut bucket.
4. Once the second set of holes are drilled put them mouth to mouth again and install the bolts.
5. At this point I used the dremel to cut the top off (inside the lip). I planned on adding a more domed top. This gives access to the inside to secure the bolts with washers and nuts.
6. Next I did the legs and feet, I secured the legs to the spot were the handle of the top bucket was originally. So I cut the legs to that height. I only have a little skill saw so rounding the top and angling was easy, but straight lines were hard.
7. I added dimension to the leg, the tubes and the back hydrolic (fake hydrolic) to make the leg look less plain.
8. The front leg, I used the same style foot as the sides, but used a fat dowel for the leg instead of the 2x4, if I hadn't had the dowel laying around I think you could turn a 2x4 sideways and it would work just fine. I mounted it to the bottom with a screw, and fit the tubes into pre-drilled holes and secured them with hot glue.
9. I then cut very short pieces of pvc for the "eyes" and put them against the bucket to trace them. Then I used the dremel with a grinder bit and just melted through to get the right sized hole for each eye and for a peanut butter jar lid.
10. Before gluing in the pvc pipes, I glues pieces of broken electronics to the backs of the eyes (so that people looking into the eyes would see "machine parts" instead of the inside of the bucket. Then I glued the pvc into the holes on the buck on the inside with hot glue.
11. I pained the outside edge of the peanut butter jar lid black and the top blue and glued it in as well.
12. Then I used a dremel to cut slats into a scrap piece of tin and riveted them on to the front as vents.
13. Finally I taped it off and painted the various parts in the pattern of astro droid pictures I found online.

Step 2: Child Darth Vader Lightsaber

Like I said before this is not film accurate, it is simply a smaller darker colored lightsaber like prop that fits perfectly with a Darth Vader or other Sith lord Halloween costume.

For the base piece of the blade I used a piece of copper pipe (1 and 1/4 inch diameter i think)

1. I asked the guys at the scrap place to cut it to the length I wanted...about 6 inches.

2. I then wrapped masking tape around a couple of spots and drilled holes were I was going to want to attach the end pieces and the button.

3. After the holes were drilled I cut a rectangle piece of an old popped inner tube (any local tire store has plenty of this and mine were very helpful once I told them I was making a lightsaber :)

4. Then glue the tire, so it covers the hole tube, or part or whatever you want it to look like.

5. I then attached black zip ties, making sure the part that sticks out is in a neat line down the side. Then cut of the 'tails' once they are tight.

6. Next I use a screw (you could probably use a rivet as well) to hook the button (an old lead fishing weight) to the base.

7. Then I wrapped a piece of an old timing belt around each end, leaving a half inch at the bottom to cap it. And angling the top slightly for asthetics, riveting them in place (two rivets for each piece).

8. Next I spray painted a pvc cap silver and glued it to the bottom.

9. I also cut a broken rape dowel to a good length and wrapped red tape around it for a removable blade.

Step 3: Child's Yoda Lightsaber

Little kid yoda lightsaber

For this I used the giant bubble wand (http://www.amazon.com/Giant-Bubble-Stick-Wand-pc/dp/B004S7B83E/ref=pd_sim_sbs_t_5) its $3.5 on Amazon or $1 at your local dollar tree.

I also used a small LED flashlight (http://www.amazon.com/Cree-300LM-Mini-LED-Flashlight/dp/B006VPPERC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1382203278&sr=8-4&keywords=led+flashlight) not the exact one in the link but a cheap version, again found at dollar tree for $1.

1. dump out the bubbles and clean out the tube.
2. cut the neck off the tube about an inch up from the thread.
3. I unscrewed the top of the light and than hot clued the LED lens back into place so that the light would fit just inside the tube.
4. Hot glue the tube to the top of the flashlight (with like 1/4 inch overlap of the two), then use a thin piece of black duct tape or an o-ring or something to place over the overlapping green of the tube.

In less than 5 minutes and spending less than $5 a small yoda lightsaber for small child or baby yoda costumes.

Step 4: Belt and Belt Pouch

I was going for this kind of look without spending more than a couple bucks.

For the Jedi belt I used an fat black belt from the 80s I found in the women's section of the thrift store and a child's leather dress belt that was very skinny.

I punched holes in both with a hammer and a nail centering the skinny belt in the middle of the fat belt. Then I riveted them together, reinforcing with hot glue as I went.

3/4 of the way down the belt I put a clip with a loop (to hook the lightsaber). At the end I sewed Velcro onto the belt, but you could do a buckle or other clasp just as easily. The belt looks better when its pulled tight during use.

For the belt pouch, I built a small box out of cardboard, I then hot glued the leather like fabric right to it. I hot glued a broken rivet head to make it look like a button. Mine has a loop on the back cut into the box so it can slide onto the belt.