Ro Lightsaber Starkiller V4 Mythos Review

[DarthFM]

Hey Saberfolks,

 

As promised, here’s the review of my Ro-Lightsaber Starkiller V4 Mythos - hope you enjoy...

Before jumping into it, I encourage you to visit Ro’s website:

RO-LIGHTSABERS


Roland has not only taken 45 photos, he’s also made an 18 minute video of the saber. The photos are absolutely stunning (and they should be, Roland is a professional artist / photographer, having worked with Cosmopolitan, Max, and Elite, amongst others), and they are a big reason why I’m the current owner of the RO SKV4 – definitely worth a look. For those who had not seen them, here’s a few...





 


When I started writing this review, I didn’t think that I would have much to say...

Well, seems like I caught a bad case of graphomania along the way...  :o  :shy: Next time I’ll just post the photos, it will be easier. I also need to apologise in advance for the excess use of superlatives – I tried to remain as objective as possible, but failed to contain my enthusiasm - I just love this hilt so much. :))

 

 

Background

 

I have been a huge fan of Roland and Balazs’ work at RO since getting into the hobby. I was lucky to land on RO’s website when doing my initial research about a year ago, and I was blown away by the quality of their work. Their sabers just looked ‘real’, as if they came straight out of the movies. We started discussing a potential order in autumn 2012 - I was initially interested in his Starkiller V3, but given his backlog, I decided to go for a Kota, to make sure that I could get it in time for Christmas.

 

I kept thinking about ordering one of his SKV3... But Roland had mentioned to me that something special was in the works, and seeing the ‘teaser’ on his website about a ‘lightside’ version of the SK, I thought that it would be wise to wait for the new version to be released, to make sure that I choose the right one. When the SK V4 finally came out, I was astounded by its beauty – it was probably the most perfectly finished saber I had ever seen - a pure work of art. The bad news is that the saber was unique, a one-off, and Roland didn’t plan on selling it. Knowing the amount of hours that went into it, I was not surprised to hear that... By the time Roland revealed his SKV4, I had already purchased a spot on VV’s SK Run II, and so I didn’t feel the need to purchase a V3 anymore.

 

Still, from time to time, I would go to RO’s website, to admire the pictures of the V4. And then, in early September, I saw the ‘for sale’ post on the forum. I was quite surprised that Roland would sell his beloved ‘baby’. I immediately got in touch with him, and we quickly agreed on a price that was satisfactory to both parties. However I wanted to limit my cash payment, and was initially negotiating with Roland do a part cash/ part trade (I have a lot of Star Wars paraphernalia that is stored away in cupboards).  Roland was actually quite nice about it and open to the idea. But then I learned the reason why Roland was selling his finest creation: there had been a massive fire at his house, and he needed the cash – at that point I decided to stop trying to trade stuff away to save a few pennies and paid the full amount in cash.

 

On a side note, the burned Darth Vader mask that is included in RO’s Kota Mythos V4 advertising is not a special effect, it’s actually what remains of his Sideshow Life Size Darth Vader bust (and I believe that the video was shot in his house...) – so anyone interested in his Kota V4, please seriously reconsider!... RO-Lightsabers Kota V4 Mythos

 

Out of this whole purchasing experience, this is actually the only point that I dislike, and that makes me uncomfortable – if it wasn’t for the fire, Roland would have never sold his SKV4. And so, whilst in the end I get the object of my desires, the sale only came as the result of a disastrous event for Roland. I’ve sworn to Roland that if ever I decide to sell the saber (won’t happen!!), I would offer him the chance to purchase it; I also said that I would consider selling it back to him should he want it back at a later date.

 

 

SKV4 Review

 

3 points worth noting:

1 - I am not the most tech-savvy person on these boards. My lightsaber skills are limited to purchasing them – I wish I could solder and lathe stuff like most of you guys, but unfortunately I don’t think that it is going to happen any time soon. Therefore, apologies in advance if I cannot opine on the finer technical details of the saber, or if I get a few points wrong.


2 - Until I received the RO SK, I didn’t really understand how the concept of ‘beauty queen’ could be applied to ligthsabers – after all, these things are made for fighting, and with Flash on Clash, they should be bashed around to be able to fully enjoy them!  Well, with this one I’ll make an exception... Whilst RO can build solid hilts (such as my Kota, for example) I am not sure that I would like to duel with the SK, I don’t want to tempt fate. I am quite happy for the ROSK4 to be my first Beauty Queen, to just look at it, and enjoy it as a hilt rather than a saber. As you’ll see, that impacts my perception and appreciation of certain aspects of the hilt.


3 – I have included when relevant comparison between the ROSK4 to my Vader’s Vault SK run 2. Both hilts are masterpieces, but each sabersmith has taken a very different approach in bringing them to life, and I thought that it would be interesting to highlight the differences between the two...

 
 

Specs (shamelessly copy-pasted from RO’s website)

Saberhilt:RO & TCSS:Screw on LED blade holder style 20

Condition: Acid-Aged ( Heavily Weathered)

Scale: 1:1 full scale

Sound module:Petit Crouton Sound Module V2.0

Power Xtenderâ„¢ 2.0

Sound Font: TFU2 remastered (SABERFONT.com - SABER FONT PAGE (The one stop shop, for all your soundfont)

Loudspeaker:  2W Bass Speaker

Current Supply:  Li-ion 7.4V(2 x 3.7V) 1000 mAh

Blade: Led "Corbin style" Show blade 3/4"OD 32 inches

Led Emitter: LED Engin LZ4 10W Single Color Blue

Number of Die: 4

Dimensions (LxWxH, mm):7.0 x 7.0 x 4.3

Nominal Drive Current (mA):700

Maximum Drive Current (mA):1200

Thermal Resistance (°C/W):1.1

Max Junction Temperature (°C): 150°C (125°C for red)

Collimator Lens 8.7 deg viewing angle

Extras:Primary Crystal Chamber LUX Blue Led (Tibetan Quartz Crystal)

Focusing Crystal Chamber with LUX Blue & White Led (Aqua Aura Quartz Crystal)with Flash on Clash

Air Cooling System (2.5mm micro cooling fan)

Precision Vibro moto,Energy Modulator

Power level indicator

Recharge port 2.1mm, Kill switch

 

 

Box:

All of RO’s sabers are delivered in a nice wooden box, lined with black velvet(ish) fabric inside. The foam can be taken out, but I’ve decided to leave it, to keep my ‘baby’ secure. What I need is a nice MR stand with a mirror base to display the hilt properly...



 

Size:

The hilt has great overall proportions, well balanced width/length wise.





 

However, it is a rather long hilt, with a total length of 34cm (or 13.4inches). See below shots next to an Ascend and VV’s Starkiller for comparison purposes – the RO SK is a good 4cm (or 1.8 inches) longer than the Ascend and the VV SK II, both at c.29.5cm (11.6 inches).



 

I was actually quite surprised to see such a size difference when putting the SK hilts side by side – yes, the RO felt larger in my hands, but I did not expect it to be that much bigger. Diameter-wise, the hilts are relatively similar. Which brings me to...

 

 

Comfort

The ROSK4 hilt is comfortable to hold with one hand, especially at the ‘choke’ point in the middle of hilt, in between the back section (the core reveal) and the opening of the crystal chamber.  However, I do not like holding it with 2 hands, for the simple reason that my upper hand ends up being in direct contact with the components of the crystal chamber - the 2 most forward rods are too far retracted to protect fully the crystal and the heatsink body.



 

Therefore, if I hold tightly the saber, my fingers touch the crystal, and I’m afraid that I’ll break something in the chamber if I’m not careful - Roland, please chip in if you are reading this and disagree...  Anyway, that is a non-issue for me, since she is my beauty queen, and I’ll not be sparring with her...


Stating the obvious, due to its smaller size, and the fact that the 2 crystal chamber rods are further advanced and more solid, the VV actually is easier and more comfortable to hold, especially for duelling.


Aesthetically, however, I do prefer the 4-rods look that Roland has come up with. Worth noting that in his SKV3, Roland’s design was closer to the game design:



 

 

[DarthFM]

Hilt design / weathering

This is where things start to get interesting...


Design-wise, Roland took some liberties and deviated from the in-game design of the hilt. That might not sit well with purists, but I see each of changes below as an improvement on the original design. I’m sure that folks will let me know if I’ve missed some, the modifications that I have noted are:

-          Red button near the emitter

-          4 rods set-up

-          Different crystal chamber structure

-          ‘Greeblies’ on both sides of the saber

-          Battle damage on the hilt

-          Different ‘bridge’ section between crystal chamber and back section, with cut-out sections and silver frame

-          Color scheme – the emitter and widening section at the back are in white metal as opposed to copper

-          Burned glass eye



I really value creativity, and with these changes Roland has made this piece truly unique, whilst remaining true to the spirit of the SK in-game hilt. Stating the obvious, purists should go for VV’s, they did a perfect job building a screen accurate hilt.


As the following pictures can attest, EVERYTHING on this saber was done with great care, the amount of details is astounding, and the execution is simply flawless... Taking a closer look at the saber, it is easy to understand why it took Roland 7 months to complete it.


I love the blade plug, it is a little work of art, and matches perfectly the style of the hilt. It is that much more important to me since I will be displaying this piece as a hilt...



 

The glass eye looks as if it has been scorched / blackened by the heat of the blade. I mentioned Roland’s attention to the finest details – even the greeblies got the proper weathering treatment...





 

I absolutely love the controls on this saber – I like the fact that the activation button slides up and down (this is how I imagine a real saber would work), and that the red button is functional, and not only decorative. The weathering job on both is perfect, the many scratches on the main switch show that this saber has been used a few times. The other thing that I like about the red button is that it lights up when the saber is switched on, but the light coming through is quite faint and subtle (see Roland’s video) – very nice touch.





 

The battle damage hole is another great feature and a really good idea from Roland. I like how the wires are showing through, it adds to the realism of the saber in my humble opinion. Again, the idea works well because of the perfect execution



 

I’ve probably said it too many times already, but I do believe that no one does a better weathering job than RO. It just looks so real! A picture is worth a thousand words...



 

The kill key is the best that I have seen so far, and I love how it is completely integrated in the design of the saber. I also really like this feature of being able to remove the black cap to reveal the end of the core, and how Roland has integrated into the design the door to have access to the SD card. This kind of ingenious design and attention to details is very similar to Slothfurnace’s work, which in my book is a top compliment!





 

Only 2 little niggles: in the third picture, above the recharge port there is a ‘tiny’ bit of paint that seems to have come off, but I think that even I will be able to put that right. The other thing is that the black end cap is made out of soft plastic. This actually does not bother me at all, since it is very practical, making it easier to remove it and put it back into place. But I know that some prefer when their sabers are completely made out of metal.


 

[DarthFM]

Crystal chamber

The open crystal chamber is the key defining feature of the Starkiller hilt design, and this is the best one I’ve seen so far. I could go on for ages talking about this crystal chamber – I’m a real sucker for them, and I could spend hours just looking at this one in particular.



 

This is all very subjective, but my personal view is that the best crystal chamber ever built is the one Brad (Slothfurnace) did for his Luke ANH Graflex. I would rate Roland’s as one of my top 3 (I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special mention to Goodman, who does as well exceptional crystal chambers with his G-Core approach – the one he did for my Rhadbos is superb).

From every angle, the chamber looks beautiful.



 

I prefer the 4 rods look to the ‘traditional’ 2 rods. Their positioning within the chamber, and the fact that they are mainly black help draw focus to, and frame the crystal and the focusing crystal activator tube/ heatsink tube (whatever it is called). They also help provide more depth and complexity to the chamber. As for the rest of the saber, the weathering job is spot on.





 

The crystal Roland has selected is gorgeous. It has a nice, deep cyanish blue colour, and a beautiful shape; it has a nice pyramidal shaped end, and is quite long, going all the way to the start of the rear section. I also love the ‘crystal holder’ that Roland has designed – it looks secure, but does provide as much visibility as possible to the crystal.

 

The only problem I have with the open crystal chamber is understanding how the heck Galen Marek doesn’t get his hands burned when holding the ignited saber?

 

In regards to the chamber VV has gone in the opposite direction, and opted for a pure and clean look; I believe that Alan has gone through great efforts to have a wire-free chamber. Whilst I 100% agree with his approach and love the end result, I think that having a few wires visible in the back of RO’s chamber works as well for the style that Roland has opted for. They are not visible from every angle, but again they add to the complexity and depth of the chamber, and I really like them.


 

Reveal Core

It looks fantastic, pure and simple. Roland did a masterful job at hiding all the electronics and batteries. He did rather cleverly highlight some of the wires, and as I mentioned previously, I think that it helps add a sense of realism to the hilt.





 

Again, this is just my personal view, but whilst I’m happy seeing wires, I do not like having either the battery pack or the PCB visible  - they make sabers look like toys. I guess I’m OK with wires since every time we see the guts of robots and spaceships in the OT, we see a bunch of wires (look at C3PO’s belly, for example...)



 

I think that the pictures speak for themselves. What I like is that there is an incredible amount of details that went into building the core section, with a bunch of cool greeblies, but at the same time it doesn’t feel over-complicated, probably because overall the colour scheme for the section is pretty uniform. Roland has managed to keep the ‘used’ feel to the reveal core section, without overdoing the weathering.





 

The bar graph is very well integrated, I think that the grill to cover the LEDs is a really nice touch.





 

I also love the ‘belly’ section of the core. The primary crystal chamber is shaped like a tube, and looks like a mini reactor, which make sense as the energy would be directed to the front of the saber... I really like the addition of another crystal  - especially when lit up, it ties in well with the crystal chamber. Since the focusing crystal is blue, I am not sure why Roland used a clear/white crystal as the primary crystal – wouldn’t blue have made more sense? Anyway, this is a very minor detail...






 

Electronics

So yes, the saber has a PC 2.0, not a CF6 + CeX.

 

A common feedback that I’ve read on RO’s work is that the boards they use don’t do justice to the quality of their hilts, and that people would like them to use the CFs instead. I think that this is a fair comment – heck, I would also prefer it if they incorporated the best boards in their hilts! I am a sucker for perfection, and philosophically, a hilt of this quality should have the best electronics inside.

 

However, since this is a display hilt, I am less concerned about actual performance of the board –as long as it turns on when it is supposed to, then I’m happy with it. I don’t need to have 6 different sound fonts. So, to a certain extent, I don’t really care what board is installed – well, let me rephrase that:  it is not a primary concern.

 

It would however be nice to be able to change the color of the LED from time to time, and having the clearest sound would also be good... I’ve already discussed it with Roland the possibility of upgrading the board, and when things will be back to normal from his end, we’ll look into it. There might be enough space for a CF6 + CeX, which would be great news (not sure about a RICE port though). As much as I’d like to be able to change the blade and crystal LED to any colour, I would be very happy if Roland took the same approach as Yoda for his latest Graflex with CeX – allow to play with the colours, but keeping it in the blue spectrum (so probable have something like a RbRbGW), to remain true to the spirit of this saber. 

 

As you all know, blue LEDs show up differently in photos than in real life – on pictures, it looks more cyanish, whereas in real life the colour is much closer to a royal blue. I actually prefer the cyanish shade of blue. VV actually got the perfect shade of blue for my SKII, and I really hope that at one point I can replicate the same colour on my ROSK4.

 

I think that Roland has done an incredible job with the LEDs on the hilt. When turned on, the reveal core seems to come ‘alive’. Roland has hidden some LEDs in the middle of the core, so that when they are turned on, we can see some of the flashing light coming through a few cracks, but the effect is very subtle. So is the red lighting coming from the ‘reactor chamber’ at the top end of the core (on the belly side). You get the sense that stuff is happening on the inside, without the saber looking like a Christmas tree. The only LEDs partly displayed are the ones on the bargraph, and since they have a proper function (PLI) I am happy having them there.



 

When lit up the crystal is the brightest that I have seen so far. I am not sure if this is because Roland has used more powerful LEDs, but the crystal is as bright as the blade, which is often not the case (in most of hilts with a crystal chamber, the light in the crystal is often a lot more subdued). In theory, since it is powering the blade the crystal should be as bright (if not more), and this is why I am very happy with Roland’s work.





 

OK, this is where I might be a little bit out of my depth. I really like the mini control box, and I think that having a fan is really a novel and ingenious idea, but experienced sabersmiths might think otherwise... I also am not able to opine in any way on the quality of the wiring job Roland did, sorry folks...
 

 

Sound

The saber is not the loudest that I have heard - I am not sure if it is at maximum level, or if Roland set the volume to a lower level. But because of my situation (living with 2 young kids and wife with little patience for cool geeky stuff), this sound level works perfectly for me. I don’t want the sound to be too low, but I like being able to ignite the saber and enjoy the hilt late at night, without waking the kids and drawing the ire of my wife.

VV’s Starkiller is much louder than the ROSK4. So loud in fact that I had to turn the volume down (I forget if I brought it down from a 4 to a 3 or to a 2...).


 

Blade

The blade is ¾”. I prefer 1” blades for duelling, but I like the look of the ¾”. Anyway, since I’ll be displaying the saber with the blade plug 99% of the time, this is not an important point for me.


 

Smell

I believe that I might be the first one to address the smell of a saber in a review...

Right after sending the saber, RO told me: “The Starkiller has its story, it survived the fire, it’s only smoky a bit, but everything is working”. Indeed, the saber does have a very strong smell of smoke - making it even more real... If you like the smell of camp fires, you’ll love how the RO smells.

 

So there you go, folks. Enough for me.


 

Conclusion

 

To summarize, I absolutely love this hilt!

 

Its awesome crystal chamber, unbelievably cool core reveal, real-life weathering and crazy attention to details makes this saber truly unique, and one of the bests that I have ever seen.



 

It is definitely my favourite hilt in my current collection (although I do have strong hopes for my bespoke saber with Slothfurnace, it will be a serious contender to take the no1 spot).



 

Whereas the VV Starkiller is more screen-accurate, sturdier (and therefore better suited for duelling), and packs a higher grade board (offering greater versatility colour-wise), for me the ROSK4 is the Ultimate Display piece. Roland states on his website that his ambition is “to present a lightsaber like an artwork”, and he’s clearly achieved his goal with my Beauty Queen.
 
 

Cheers,

 

Francois

[LordBlako]

Great review of the (imo) best saber out there! the ro starkiller deserves the title "beauty queen" for sure...  8)




soooo....oooo freakin jealous!

[DarthFM]

Thank you Lord Blako... She is indeed a very special queen... ^-^

[Mortoff]

A wonderful review and an absolutely wonderful saber.

Thanks for sharing that.  I appreciate it.

[Clark Kent]

 :o  <faints>

so beautiful. thank you for sharing man. beautiful pictures, beautiful everything.  :'(

[evilfrank]

what a great review...and saber.
thanks a lot for sharing,that just made my day.
 :)

[Pfockerchief]

So you're saying the saber was/is worth every penny lol?  Obviously you do based on length and content of your review.  Congrats again.  Also videos are a good addition for those with shorter attention spans.

[DarthFM]

Mortoff, Clark and evilfrank, thank you for your kind comments, they are appreciated :D

So you're saying the saber was/is worth every penny lol?  Obviously you do based on length and content of your review.  Congrats again.  Also videos are a good addition for those with shorter attention spans.

You got that right! It wasn't my cheapest purchase, but considering the hours of work that were invested in the saber, and the final result, I do think that I paid a fair price, and got my money's worth...

Apologies for the length of the review - I just kept going and going... I didn't think too much about length, and thought that a) the hilt deserved a proper review and b) that Roland deserved a bit more 'airtime' on the Forum. However, once I realised that I would have to post the review over 3 separate posts, I did feel kinda silly.  :o Sorry guys...

Call me a dinosaur, but I'm not very video. I might try for the next one. :)

[Pyromatic177]

Great review you did there Francois!  :D

That RO is indeed one of the most beautiful sabers I have ever seen! And I think that is smelling like a campfire is awesome! Lol  :))

[Vercify]

I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the review of its smell, hahah. I think it's awesome that it has a distinct scent, though the terrible cost of that particular aspect is quite sad :(

This was the saber that got me interested in the hobby. I hope that one day I can afford to commission something so beautiful, as this saber is easily one of the best sabers ever built.

Congrats on your purchase, and I hope you cherish this for years to come :)

[Scorpion]

great review
WOW i never knew that thing was sooo big it looks MASSIVE next to the VV

awesome weathering its very realistic

[DarthFM]

Pyro and Vercify, the smoky smell has indeed become of the hilt's many distinct features, although, as Vercify pointed out, this was unfortunately as a result of a tragic event...

great review
WOW i never knew that thing was sooo big it looks MASSIVE next to the VV

awesome weathering its very realistic

Cheers mate - the RO does look much bigger than the VV. Actually, diameter-wise it is quite comparable - in fact, the middle part of the RO is thinner than the VV. The back of the RO is slightly bigger because of its 'metal sleeve', but the key difference is the length of the saber.

Looking at stand-alone pictures can sometimes be misleading...

Thanks,

Francois

[vvenom]

Awesome review for an epic saber