Common Questions and Some Brief Answers

With such a broad range of topics related to the saber community, there are still some common questions that keep coming up. We'll try to address just the main ones here.

Q: What is a Force FX Lightsaber?

A: Force FX Lightsabers are made by Master Replicas under license from Lucas Films. They are replicas of various lightsabers used in the movie Star Wars. The Force FX Lightsabers' features include a glowing blade that ignites with realistic power-up and power-down light effects, enhanced by either 8 (older models) or 10 (Gen3 and up) motion sensor controlled sound effects digitally recorded straight from the movie: power-up, power-down, idle, movement (3 sounds) and clash (4 sounds**). The bodies are crafted from lightly chrome-plated aluminum that looks and feels much like the real thing. A sturdy polycarbonate blade is permanently attached to the hilt and uses either 6 or 3 AA batteries depending on the model.

** - Only the Vader models have 1 clash sound. All the other models have 4 clash sounds.

Q: How many different kinds of lightsabers have been released?

A:There have been about 10 different models of the Force FX Lightsaber released so far. These include:

- Anakin EP II
- Luke EP VI
- Vader EP IV
- Mace EP II
- Luke EP V
- Anakin EP III
- Vader EP V
- Mace EP III
- Luke EP VI (Re-release)
- The Obi-Wan ROTS

Q: What the heck is this "EP" and "AOTC" stuff?

A:"EP" stands for Episode. It refers to the Star Wars movie episode in which the lightsaber was used. Also, "AOTC" is short for "Attack of the Clones". It too is just an abbreviation for an individual movie. So, the movie listings would be as follows:

* EP I - TPM = Episode One, The Phantom Menace
* EP II - AOTC = Episode Two, Attack of the Clones
* EP III - ROTS = Episode Three, Revenge of the Sith
* EP IV - ANH = Episode Four, A New Hope
* EP V - ESB = Episode Five, Empire Strikes Back
* EP VI - ROTJ = Episode Six, Return of the Jedi

Q: Are these REAL lightsabers?

A: No

Q: What are the blades made of?

A: The blades of most of the sabers are constructed from 64 individually sequenced LED lights inside a polycarbonate tube. The early sabers (Original Luke ROTJ and Anakin AOTC) are the only ones that do not use the LED blades. These two sabers use an EL or Electro-Luminescent blade.

Q: Is the blade on the Vader saber red or orange?

A: The blade on both the Vader EP4 and Vader EP5 are red. In fact, they are a beautiful bright red. There are pictures/Videos circulating around the internet that show the blades as being orange, but that is only because of the way the cameras interpret the color.

Q: Can I duel with Force FX Lightsabers?

A: Officially? No. Master Replicas has said that the FX sabers are NOT to be used for dueling. They are strictly meant as collector items. However, there have been a number of people who have successfully dueled with FX sabers without any problems. While the newer models are more robust than in previous times, they can still be broken if swung too hard. Duel at your own risk!

Q: Where can I buy one of these Force FX Lightsabers?

A: The best place to purchase one of these FX Sabers would be at the FX-Sabers.com Trade Federation! Otherwise you could try to find one locally, or a number of other on-line stores. Some of the common places to buy have been Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Best Buy, Barns and Noble, as well as a host of other online stores. Of course, if all else fails, you can always try eBay!

Q: Is Master Replicas going to make any other lightsabers?

A: No... they have elected not to renew their licecense agreement with Lucas Films.