I accidently purchased an Anakin ROTS though an auction. I got worried about it not comparing to the Luke ANH that I had willingly purchased from someone on the forums. So, I had posted on the forums to find out if it was actually as good as most say it is. They reassured me that it was a great buy and I would be please and some said I should write a review. So, officially, this will be my first review. I only wish I had a Graflex to throw into this review since they are based off of the Graflex in the first place. So, on to the review!
First impressions: I was very happy to see that I got a good deal from a seller and it was in PERFECT condition! Not a blemish anywhere! I thought it was very sturdy and not cheap feeling at all, even the ring around the blade look WAY better than the Luke’s. My first thought was, “This looks like an upgrade rather than something that was supposed to be prequel to the Luke’s.” However, as I thought about it, Anakin was a master craftsman. Obi-Wan (when it was in his possession) lived in the desert and with very limited tools and supplies. Whatever happened to it, Obi-Wan had to repair it with what was available. So, whatever helps you sleep at night, right? LOL
On to the pictures:
At no turns (Anakin left, Luke right). You can see the hole at the top of the shroud is missing from the Anakin’s, the bunny ears are thicker and stronger on Anakin’s, The buttons/knobs are different colors (Anakin’s is a shiny amber and Luke’s is a dull small maroon color), the control boxes are on the opposite side of each other, the metal clamp around the control boxes are different (Anakin’s is way thicker and stronger looking and has bumps for grip, Luke’s seems to be thinner aluminum and cheaper made, the grips are a tad bit longer on the Luke’s, and the overall body of the two are different (Anakin’s seems to be a bit thinner, but a lot thicker than Luke’s).
Turned to one side (Anakin left, Luke right). There are five main differences with this side.
1. Obviously, the ring around the blade is different. Anakin’s is far more superior to that of Luke’s because it is thicker and stronger looking.
2. Close to the top button/knob there is a little oval piece with a small circle there that is missing from Anakin’s. I’m not sure what its purpose was in the film, but have seen videos of custom sabers, that when pressed forward, it would turn the blade on and off.
3. Again, the control box. Unlike Anakin’s, the control box has the bubbles/pearls on top of the control box and a small clip. It is kind of a weird coincidence that Obi-Wan would put that style of control box on that saber and Darth Vader did the same on his saber.
4. Oh, back up top, inside the small circle, the two little copper knobs are different from each other and the hole itself is in a slightly different spot.
5. On down the saber, Anakin’s has a covertec style piece to hold the blade on the belt. The Luke’s has a loop at the bottom end, which you will see later.
Turned again (Anakin left, Luke right). There are four differences on this side that were not previously stated.
1. Again, the ring around Anakin’s looks way better than Luke’s and you can see that Anakin’s is higher up than Luke’s is.
2. On both sabers there is a black piece under the ring around the blade. Luke’s does not come up to the ring and allows light to leak out from it. Anakin’s comes all the way up to the ring and no light leaks out. Personally, I like the Luke’s for doing that, because you can see that the blade starts far down. I guess that is a matter of personal preference there.
3. The buttons are obviously different. Anakin’s is a huge shiny amber color and Luke’s is a smoky clear color. As for the detail around the buttons, Luke’s wins hands down because there is no detail around the button of Anakin’s. Another plus for the Luke’s, you can put led accents in that button and make it glow any color you want to (have seen it in a picture and looks totally awesome!).
4. On Anakin’s control box there isn’t a clip, but a gold color on/off switch to look like a clip. I don’t know how to feel about that one because it reminds me of the Luke ROTJ saber with the switch on the side. It kind of gets in the way when dueling and I accidently shut it off during a duel. Big downer for me. On the plus side, you can turn it on without looking like you turned it on. So, it makes me feel like I am a Jedi and used the force to turn it on LOL. Your call on that one as well. I would like to make a custom saber that when you grip it in a certain place, it would turn on, enhancing the force feature. Got that idea when looking at sabers and Luke created one in a novel and he had to use the force to turn it on because there wasn’t any buttons! You steal that idea, I come after you! LOL nah, if I thought about it, someone already did.
Turned for the last time (Anakin on left, Luke on right). There is only one difference that can be stated and that is the control box. At the top is a gold looking piece that looks like a computer board. Not my cup of tea, but looks better than some of the others I have seen.
The bottoms (Luke left, Anakin right). I have to say that Anakin’s makes Luke’s like a poor man version. Luke’s screws into the base and has a loop for the belt holder. This loop reminds me of the old beer pull tabs. You remember those? LOL Seriously, it looks like you could pull it open and take a drink! LOL Anakin’s is nice and screws around the base. It just looks pretty. Here are the ups and downs. Luke’s is real easy to unscrew. Just lift the tab and twist. Anakin’s is harder to unscrew because it is smaller and I have HUGE hands. Maybe someone with smaller hands would be ok with it, but I have problems unscrewing the Anakin’s.
I have decided not to post pictures of the blades on because they are identical and they are stock. No big deal there. I do have to say that my Luke is way easier to make the clash sound than the Anakin’s. I don’t know why that is, but I have to hit my hand hard on the Anakin’s to make it clash. The Luke makes the clash sound with an easy bump.
Final thoughts: Though they are the same saber in theory, they are different in many ways. I like the Luke because it does look like the original and matches the look of the Graflex in many ways. However, the Anakin looks like an updated Graflex that is built stronger. For some reason, the amber colored buttons throws me off and kind of makes it look cheesy. I have seen conversions and they put gold one there instead. That would through it off even more! It really is a tossup for me on which I like the most. Build wise, the Anakin wins. History wise, the Luke wins. Either way, I have them both. So, I win! Muahahaha!
Well, this is the end of my first review and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I hope to hear back from you all. I would like to know which saber you prefer between these two and your thoughts on them.
DarthYoda,
MTFBWY Always!