Lightsabers & Blasters Darth Maul Sliced Saber Toy Modding

Okay, I'm considering taking a new Hasbro extending Maul lightsaber toy:


And slicing it in the middle to start on a "damaged" Maul saber prop like what is seen in this pic:


I have dealt with the Hasbro extendable lightsabers before, (but mostly the larger ones), and know that I have some bit of space between the internal extending/locking mechanisms and the floor of the toy, where the mechanism is attached to. The problem is, I don't want to sacrifice the one I already have for dissection to figure out where the mechanism is. That's why I'm wondering if anybody has tinkered with the smaller extendable bladed sabers and could tell me how much space there typically is between the mechanism and the bottom of the lightsaber. This isn't going to be for fanfilm or anything, just me tinkering with modifications.

 

Well, with one table saw, a red Sith synth crystal from the set of 3 colored crystals out of the Ultimate Lightsaber Kit I bought when I was a kid, some no-gloss black paint, a washer, and some Gorilla glue, I completed it and I am very happy with the results!

Spoiler

 

Nice work. I assume the other blade still works?

 

Thank you. Unfortunately, no. I had never worked with the smaller extendable blades and got incredibly lucky when I sliced the toy in half, as I got it exactly where I wanted it, but at the expense of the other half. The release and locking mechanism still works on the half I modded, but got trashed on the other half. It appears that the two mechanisms are glued to the same divider so when I cut, I cut threw the other mechanism.