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Offline Bandit-Jedi

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Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« on: July 10, 2005, 03:29:43 PM »
MY STORY
Early Last year the TESB Luke Skywalker Force FX came upon the scene and I knew I wanted one, but thought I would wait until I could get a good deal on it.  So I waited to see if any specials came up for Christmas 2004 season and nothing.  Not for me anyway.  I hadn't bought an LE or SE replica in over a year so I guess I exhausted my reward points worth of coupons.  Money was tight after Christmas and I wanted to get a Luke for the ROTS opening, but I kept procrastinating and missed out.  Come to find out that Master Replicas ended up discontinuing the Luke a couple months ago and the only way to get one was through an etailer or ebay.  Thus began my quest to find the ellusive saber that I wanted so badly.  First I went to two different etailers who both showed that they were waiting on shipment of a set of sabers.  They inform me later on that they are not going to be receiving shipments and I had my card credited.  So, my last chance was ebay.  I kept my eye out everyday for 3 weeks looking for a good one for a good price.  Low and behold a little over a week ago I come across an auction that was 5 minutes old for a Luke with a "Buy It Now" price of $99!  Well, I checked over the auction and the sellers ratings and I purchased the saber within 3 minutes.  The seller was great about getting it to me quickly and the FX saber itself came in great condition.  (Other than my little snafu with the batteries)I was complete now...my quest ended and tranquility restored.
This was the only FX that I didn't order straight from MR.

THE SABER OUT OF THE BOX
Opening the box and seeing that familiar hilt I had fell in love with so long ago just about made my heart stop.  As I looked at it there cradled in white styrofoam I harkened back to seeing it laying on the floor of the Wampa cave as Luke reached out with the Force to Bring it to his hand and free himself from an icy death.


The Battery Holder design once again carries over.  If it isn't broke, don't fix it, right?  To stay true to the original design of the flashgun they made the removable end to where it would screw into rather that onto the hilt.  Reminds me of an old Energizer commercial that showed Vader having issues with his lightsaber and unscrews the bottom only to find generic batteries.


Battery Holder endcap and speaker grill with the Master Replicas and Lucasfilm copyright and date.


The On/Off switch for the Luke FX is the Red Knurled button as denoted by the bright yellow decal.  I've found that I accidentily turn on the saber quite ofter by just picking it up and knocking into the switch.  I would have rathered a less obtrusive On/Off mechanism.


The Control Box/Clamp for the Luke FX.  Closely resembles what was seen in the film.  Very happy with detail on this.


The Emitter Shroud detail and knobs were reproduced as closely as possible while still accomodating the space needed for the FX electronics.


Another view of the Emitter Shroud and the clamp going around the Polycarbonate tube.  You can see on the inside area of the clamp that the designers added some foam rubber padding to help the blade retain its sturdiness and rigidity by adding the clamp as another contact point outside of the main hilt.  And I'm sure to keep the blade from getting possibly scratched by the metal of the clamp.


THE SABER IGNITED
In Normal Daytime Room Light


In Low Room Light


In Complete Darkness



One thing I like about the detail of this FX is that you can see the blade shine through the shroud in areas.  Which makes the saber all the more real to me.


WORKING REVIEW
Holding this saber is not as bad as some of the others of the same design(AOTC Ani, ANH Vader) which I was happy about.  As I said before I think the On/Off switch is in a relatively bad location for controlling you power.  Its a little too easy to turn it on.  The Ignition Light and Sounds are just music to my ears.  Places me in the dark cave on Dagobah waiting for something to appear.  The idle hum is a sweet sound that seems to be a bit longer of a recording than other idle hums.  There is only a slight stutter, not very noticeable, when the sound loops.  The Motion Sensor is the best I have encountered so far.  Very well calibrated to follow your exact movements without skipping a beat.  As far as I could tell there are 4 motion sounds: 2 buzzes(one short, one long) 2 arc movements (one full movent, one movement with direction change).  Seems to be 4 or 5 "clash" sounds.  Kind of difficult to keep track of what you hear, but I think there are 5.  The Shock Sensor for the "clash" sounds is easily activated with a slight vibration to the upper section of the blade.  Sensitivity seems to be set perfectly.  The shutdown sequence is more in time that previous models.  Sound starts very slightly before the light begins to retract.

THE COMPARISON
Here you can see a big difference in size from the SE version(bottom) to the FX model(top)


The details of the emitter shroud were reproduced as closely as possible.  Most noticeable difference is the "red" button which is much larger and doesn't come up out of the knob as high as the actual one on the SE


The detail of the Endcap is very close. If it weren't for the speaker grills then it might be tough to tell them apart. (I noticed on my SE that it doesn't have the Signature Edition wording stamped on the bottom like it should have. I contacted MR about this to find out why mine doesn't have the stamp and others do)


THE BOX
For those that want a detail look at the box that the saber came in.  I also included a comparison shot of the old ROTJ Luke box with the new smaller TESB Luke Box.

Left-Hand Side Front and Top


Right-Hand Side Front and Top


Back of Box, LEFT


Back of Box, CENTER


Back of Box, RIGHT


Box Size Comparison



FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm so pleased that I was able to finally get my personal FAVORITE saber in its FX version.  I have always loved this saber since I first saw it in 1980.  My very first replica that I bought in 1991 was a resin version of the TESB luke and back then I payed $150 for that hunk of plastic!  This far surpasses everything I had hoped for in a "as real as you can get" saber.  I love the brightness of the LED blade( when used in conjunction with the proper batteries ) and the sound is magnificently done with  no static.  The Force was with me when I found this saber and I don't plan on ever letting it go.  It is now my favorite FX and it will be difficult for another FX to surpass it.....for me.

I hope you were able to gain some insight into this elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

A few Bonus Pics of the TESB Luke FX with my Fan Club TESB Bespin Jacket







Review of Luke Skywalker ROTJ Force FX (LED) coming this Fall...



May The Force FX Be With You!


Offline Mr.Griffin

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2005, 05:00:48 PM »
Fantastic... oh and shall I say nice shirt :)
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Offline UberJediVK

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2005, 06:50:54 PM »
you never fail to amaze me man... once again, A+ review!  :)
"What's in there?"

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Offline weylander

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2005, 08:57:14 PM »
Another great review! You just keep blowing me away with all the pics and I love the shots with the actual prop.

Glad you were able to find one after it were discontinued. I was in the same boat, but managed to get lucky (not as good a deal yours though) and wasn't disappointed. I know how you feel as the Luke ESB is my all time favourite saber as well and for exactly the same reasons! Ah, May of 1980... good times!

Offline The Abbot

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2005, 12:37:04 AM »
xxx yeah another great review!!!!
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Offline Darth Eunice

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2005, 02:37:05 PM »
NICE!
May the Force be with you! :D

Offline Bandit-Jedi

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2005, 03:26:23 PM »
can't wait to do my next review of the new Luke ROTJ.  I will finally be able to compare an original FX to a Re-release.

May The Force FX Be With You!


Offline jack3auer

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2005, 12:42:04 PM »
a very good revies bandit.  it was nice to see that saber up close properly.  i was very surprised by the difference in size between the SE and the FX.  do you happen to have a vader ANH SE for comparison.  the shots i have seen of it look slightly smaller but by no means as much as your pics.

by the way my ANH review disappeared with yours!  i may do a comparison of my ANI ROTS and VADER ANH when i get chance.

once again great review, thanks for taking the time





Offline Darthirishman

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2005, 10:13:40 AM »
All most makes me want to go out and buy one
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Then go find the person who has vodka and have a party

Offline Wat-Gav Martra

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2005, 11:29:55 AM »
Almost? I would reccomend you try and get one they are excellent. It may not have the best technology but its more like a piece of history and it is great looking, its in my top 3 fx list for sure.
Luke ROTJ FX Lightsaber: £89.99
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Fighting for the Light Side: Priceless
(Borrowed(Stole) this idea from Dark Skywalker)

Offline Darthirishman

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2005, 11:32:08 AM »
Yeah almost meaning I need the money lol.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Then go find the person who has vodka and have a party

Offline The Apprentice

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2005, 06:17:52 PM »
Thanks man. I like your writing style Bandit-Jedi  :)

Offline psykE

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2005, 08:39:12 PM »
Yea, he has a very unique way ;D ;D I will write a Reveiw when mine ships
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Offline Gnosis

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2005, 08:51:04 PM »
Whoa

I so want one!

Wanna do a comparison against a Anakin ROTS?

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Offline Bandit-Jedi

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Re: Luke Skywalker TESB Force FX (2004) Review and Pics
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2005, 09:08:33 AM »
The Anakin is the only FX that I do not have.   I wasn't very impressed with it when I held one at Sharper Image.  When you have the Luke, it just doesn't make sense to buy a new Anakin.   I might wait and see if I can get a used one for cheap later on since they are flooding the market with them just to complete the collection.

May The Force FX Be With You!


 

retrousse