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Manufacturer: Master Replicas (www.masterreplicas.com)
Series: Force FX Collectibles
MSRP: $139.00
Edition: Unlimited
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ASM Quick Facts |
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Manufacturer: Master Replicas (www.masterreplicas.com) |
What child of the 70's never wanted to be a Jedi Knight? Okay, probably quite a few of them, but if you're reading these pages, there's a pretty good chance that at some point in your life, you've swung a cardboard tube around your head while making "vwummmmmmKSHHHzhowummmmm" sounds under your breath.
Or maybe that was just me.
Be that as it may, Master Replicas has finally filled that lightsaber-shaped hole in my heart (insert Qui-Gon joke here) with the Force FX series. Known for its exacting prop replicas, the company has now turned its hand to the world of... well, I'm not quite sure what to call it. Interactive reproductions?
Last year saw the first release in the Force FX line, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber from Attack of the Clones. Now Master Replicas have launched their follow-up in the form of Darth Vader's lightsaber from A New Hope and Luke Skywalker's from Return of the Jedi. We'll be reviewing the last of these today.
The blade of the lightsaber isn't detachable from the handle due to the electronics inside, so the box that it comes in is quite long. In classic Star Wars tradition, the packaging is black with gold text. The simple design shows off all necessary information; there's a photo of the product, a description of the main features ("Realistic Metal Hilt, Glowing Bright Green Blade and Authentic Sound Effects") and the appropriate notations: "the lightsaber is not a toy, it's recommended for ages 12 and up, adult supervision is required, and six AA batteries are not included." A sticker notes that a display stand is also included.
The box is sturdy but easy to open -- just cut the tape and flip up the top panel, held in place by a set of tabs. Inside, you'll find the plastic-bagged lightsaber suspended in a pair of styrofoam supports, with the stand and instructions sandwiched between them. It's no-frills packaging, which is just fine by me; more importantly, it's easily reusable for storage.
The first thing that you're likely to notice about the lightsaber is its weight. The handle is a big chunk of metal, definitely not something for a small child to be waving around. The edges are very precisely cast, which means that although you won't cut yourself holding onto it, you wouldn't want to get smacked in the head with it.
Made almost entirely out of machined aluminum, the handle mixes bare silver metal with painted black and copper. The paint applications are spot on, without a single scratch or wavy line. The triangular belt-ring is jointed, although since the blade isn't detachable, you'd have to be pretty tall to hang it from your hip. Positioned unobtrusively on the bottom of the handle is a round speaker grille, flanked by printed copyright notices. The "ignition" switch is a narrow black slider on the rectangular block that sticks out of the handle. Translucent red and green plastic arrows are attached above the switch, near a pair of tiny screws.
The lightsaber has three pre-applied stickers (four if you count the one inside the battery chamber). The first two point out the On/Off switch and the battery compartment and are meant to be peeled off. The third surprised me: the row of black and copper stripes on the activation block of the handle is a flat decal. It looks pretty durable and is perfectly color-matched to the painted sections, but sticklers for accuracy should be aware that it's there.
Of course, as Master Replicas is careful to point out, the Force FX lightsabers are not exact prop replicas. Although they're designed to be as close to the originals as possible, compromises had to be made to accommodate the electronics. The changes are pretty minor for the Anakin and Vader lightsabers, but they're more obvious in Luke's case. The handle is a bit thicker (and possibly slightly longer), but where you really see the difference is in the black and copper bands near the top. On the original prop, these sections are very narrow, but on the Force FX version they've been made nearly as wide as the rest of the handle in order to hold the batteries and support the blade.
I've heard stories about the difficulty of installing the batteries in the Anakin lightsaber. Thankfully, things are much easier this time around. All you do is unscrew the knob at the bottom of the handle and pull out the plastic cylinder inside, pop in six AA batteries, slide the cylinder back into place (with a handy arrow to guide you if you forget which way it goes) and you're set.
Now comes the fun part!
The blade of the lightsaber is a transparent polycarbonate tube (polycarbonate being the material that is used to create bullet-proof glass) filled with a roll of white electro-luminescent material that leaves a minor but visible seam up the side. When you slide up the ignition switch, the blade hums instantly to life, lighting up a bright bluish-green. According to Master Replicas, the phosphorescent ink used comes in a fairly limited palette, with the final color the result of months of development -- it's not quite the yellow-green of the on-screen lightsaber, but it's definitely much greener than last year's blue Anakin blade.
The activated blade glows brightly, even in a well-lit room. The glowing material doesn't quite extend into the rounded tip, and if you look at the blade point-on, you'll see that the light is only on the outside, leaving the hollow center dark. From any other angle, though, it's a fantastic effect and looks very authentic to the films.
The glowing blade is only half the story, though. The lightsaber also plays sound effects digitally sampled from the Star Wars films themselves. Switch it on and as it lights up, you'll hear the familiar electronic snap of the blade activating. (mp3 ogg) Hold it steady and you'll get the lightsaber's droning "idle" hum. (mp3 ogg) Wave it around and a motion sensor in the handle changes the pitch to match your movement. (mp3 ogg) Strike the blade and, thanks to a second motion sensor, you'll hear one of several different clash sounds. (mp3 ogg) When you switch it off, the blade shuts down with the appropriate hiss. (mp3 ogg)
The sounds are loud and clear, and they'll keep playing as long as the blade is activated. There's a very subtle hitch in the idle hum where the sampled effect loops, but it's almost undetectable. I was especially impressed by the range of different clash sounds; the manual notes that the blade shouldn't be used for duelling, but the polypropylene tube is quite sturdy and should hold up to repeated bumps and jolts.
On top of all that, the lightsaber also comes with a display stand. Anakin's didn't include one, and it seems to have been a fairly late addition to Luke and Vader, since it's advertised on the box with a sticker and the manual's FAQ notes that stands can be purchased from the Master Replicas website. The stand comes in three pieces, each individually bagged. The base is a curved black plastic wedge with the "Star Wars" logo in raised, chromed letters and rubber pads on the bottom to prevent it from slipping. There are also two transparent supports that plug into place and can be removed for storage. One has a large semicircular notch to support the handle, and the other a smaller one to support the blade. The base is heavy enough to display the lightsaber in a few different positions, depending on whether you want to keep the handle central or balance it with the blade.
So what's the final verdict? The Force FX lightsaber doesn't come cheap -- at $139, it's not a toy, but it does pack in a heck of a lot more "fun" value than your average prop replica. Between the precision detail of the handle and the complex electronics of the blade and sound effects, it definitely lives up to the price tag. If you like the concept and you've got the cash, then go for it.
Still, I'll kind of miss making the sound effects myself.
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