An Elegant (and Expensive) Weapon For a More Civilized Age
Written: May 25 '05 (Updated May 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely impressive light and sound effects. Much cooler than our Hasbro lightsaber toys.
Cons: Expensive. Not a toy.
The Bottom Line: Excellent blade if you are a collector or obsessive Star Wars fan. Not a toy.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Master Replicas Star Wars Episode V Darth Vader Li... |
If you've been reading my reviews lately, you know that we have more than a few lightsaber toys around our house. My husband and 3½ year old son have a great time doing battle with them. I guess that's why my husband, who is a bit of a "collector" anyway, couldn't resist the force when it called to him from the Master Replicas Star Wars Force FX Darth Vader Episode V Lightsaber. Of course my little son is nuts over it too, but unlike our other lightsabers this one is not a toy...
Product Description:
This is no cheap plastic reproduction here. It is the "Official" reproduction of Darth Vader's lightsaber from Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back). The handle is chrome plated aluminum. The blade is polycarbonate and is permanently attached to the handle (and does not collapse in any way). All together the lightsaber is 44 inches (nearly 4 feet) long.
What makes this particular lightsaber so cool (in my personal opinion) is the effects - the lights and sounds.
~~ Sounds ~~
The blade has two motion sensors that sense both the motion of the blade as well as when it comes into contact with something. The sounds aren't just recordings from the movie - a multi-channel chip was programmed with digital sound effects created for the movie by Skywalker Sound. The sounds it makes are:
» Power-up
» Power-down
» Idle-hum (the sound a lightsaber makes when on but not moving)
» Clash (when it hits something)
» Swing (when it moves through the air without hitting anything - there are 4 different "swing" sounds)
The sounds are amazing, really. My very favorite is the "Swing" sounds - there isn't just one sound that it will make when you move it through the air, there is a variety to the pitch-changes generated when it is moved, making it seem so very realistic (and yes, I realize that a lightsaber isn't "real", maybe the proper term is movie-istic?). My son's more expensive toy lightsabers have sound effects (as compared to his less expensive toy lightsabers with no effects), but none of them even try to emulate that "swing" sound.
~~ Lights ~~
When turned off the polycarbonate blade is a translucent-white color, but when powered on it is the glowing pinkish-red of Darth Vader's lightsaber. This isn't just a lightbulb in the handle like the Hasbro toys -- the light is evenly distributed along the length of the blade, which glows like a neon tube (quite cool looking, but of course not quite a duplicate of the fuzzy-glow seen in the movies). According to the Master Replicas Website, the blade houses an electro-luminescent core which contains a sheet with phosphors that glow brightly when voltage and frequency is applied. When powered on or off the entire blade doesn't just turn on all at once - the light actually moves up or down the blade similar to what you see in the movies when a lightsaber is powered on - with the sounds synched to match the movement. Again, very cool stuff.
There is an auto-off feature to keep it from eating your batteries, but our auto-off function has never been used because turning the blade off and on (with the light and sound effects) is part of what makes this particular lightsaber to cool.
A display stand is also included with the lightsaber. It can be placed flat on a surface (ours is currently on our fireplace mantle) or hung on a wall. The base is a tasteful black with the Star Wars logo raised in gold, and the arms that hold the lightsaber are clear plastic (so as to not obstruct your view).
The blade requires 3 "AA" batteries. It isn't a toy and isn't really recommended for children under the age of 12.
Our Thoughts & Experiences:
As I mentioned above, this is no toy. It is a licensed collectible approved and endorsed by Lucasfilm. That being said, this thing is still really cool (yes, that is my geek side coming out). My husband loves turning it off and on - hearing the sounds accompanied by seeing the blade-light move up and down ranks high on the geek-coolness scale. My favorite is just moving it through the air to hear the movie-like pitch changes in the hum sound. Although you aren't really supposed to duel with it, you still have to strike it against things to trigger the "clash" sound, so this is definitely more than just a pretty thing to set up on a mantle somewhere.
For you Star Wars-obsessed nit-pickers out there, the hilt is not an exact replica of the one from Episode V because it had to be made to house the electronics and batteries for the effects. That being said, it is still a very good likeness, with a sliding power switch and little details that we haven't seen on the cheaper toy versions.
This lightsaber usually retails for over $100 (my husband feels that he got it for a steal at $98 including tax). My son, at 3½, does not understand the difference between a $9 lightsaber and a $100 lightsaber. I thought it was the cutest thing when my son was offering one of his cheap lightsabers to my husband in exchange for the Master Replica's one ("Here you go Daddy, I want to use THAT one!"). The blade has been durable so-far, and while we do strike it against stuff to trigger the sound effect we are still quite careful with it.
There are two other blades currently offered by Master Replicas (if you don't feel like crossing over to the dark side) -- Anakin Skywalker's blue one from Episode III and Mace Windu's purple one from Episode II. Apparently there was another Master Replicas Darth Vader Lightsaber from Episode IV that is no longer in production. The handle is longer and heavier (because it takes more batteries) with some slight differences in appearance. Since it is no longer produced it typically goes for quite a pretty penny on eBay.
Final Thoughts:
Everyone in my household certainly thinks that this Master Replicas Star Wars Episode V Force FX Darth Vader Lightsaber is very, very cool. Even though my husband and son cannot whack at each other like they can with their Hasbro lightsabers, the light and sound effects are extremely impressive and certainly elevate this replica up into a "more than just a collectible" category. It is quite expensive, however, and is not a toy for younger children.
Related Lightsaber Reviews:
Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Electronic Lightsaber
Star Wars Episode II Obi-Wan Kenobi Electronic Lightsaber
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 98 incl tax
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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