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Author Topic: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics & Videoclip  (Read 19380 times)

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Offline Hamill82

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Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics & Videoclip
« on: January 02, 2006, 12:18:09 PM »
Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review

History:
This is the one saber that I always dreamed of and now I finally have it. Luke's lightsaber from ROTJ was actually the first saber that I ever saw and the same goes with the movie Return Of The Jedi back in 1987. So, I instantly falled in love with this green saber. There is also a story about my cousin's birthday back in my childhood when he received Luke's saber from my parents and I never had one for myself. If I recall right, it was the only one left in store and ofcourse I begged to have it, but no. I used to be a bit spoiled kid when it came to toys, so I expected to have it, but parents decided it was good for me not to have all the things that I asked. Makes me laugh nowadays, when I think about those days and the way how jealous I felt that day.So, this was almost 20 years ago and it's a bit hard to believe that my childhood dream has been fulfilled after all.

Story:
I won the auction in our local ebay, but actually it was the only bid overall and the final cost was fair for me. First I waited for the auction to end about 2 weeks, but gladly the mailing took only one and I was soon a happy owner. It didn't just go the easiest way possible, because my wife took the car on that day and called me later on that the car wouldn't start. She was shopping in the city with her friends and so I had travel a bit to check the car. I was like "this can't be happening today". I took the hammer with me and swinged the accumulator few times and car started, heh :D. The accumulator had become a bit oxidized and It needed some cleaning. The one thing I hate about that day was the cold weather. Gladly this time there were a account number in the arrival advice, so I had it instantly. When I ordered Vader ESB, the account number was missing  and I had some trouble to catch the guy who sold it. So, there's always something strange happening to me.

First Impression:
The wraping of the packet was nicely covered with some foam plastic, but still the MR box had some nasty hits on it. So the box wasn't in mint condition, but all I care is about the saber mainly. Once I opened the box and saw the saber for the first time, it looked amazing. I was totally knocked down by it, because it looked so much better in real life than in pics. The photos of this saber won't do justice and all I can say is WOW! I always thought that it looked a bit toyish, but it's opposite and very "real" feeling / looking lightsaber. The aluminium of the hilt is great looking and feels good in your hands. This time I felt totally satisfied with the first impression.

The Hilt:
First of all the hilt is made of aluminium and very light to hold. Even with 6 batteries inside it feels very light and easy to swing & play around. This hilt doesn't offer much little details to be looked at, but it's still well constructed and quality piece of work. The on/off switch has some little details and I like the look of it. Sometimes it may switch off accidentally, but not often as with Anakin ROTS. At first I had some doubts about the size of the hilt, but it turned out to be great. It's not that thick as the pics show, it's smooth and fine looking. When I compared the actual replica to this hilt, I feel pretty satisfied even it's a bit bigger and fuller. One of the greatest things about the hilt is that you cant't leave fingerprints on it, so it looks kind of polished all the time. The battery endcap is quite big and has a movable hook on it, which I like. At first time I had some troubles with the battery holder, because I thought that it would go deeper inside to the hilt and I wondered that what was wrong. Then I noticed that it was supposed to stay out quite much, so don't try to force it in when exploring the battery holder first time. Overall I love the hilt and it's good enough for me. So don't allow the hilt size blur you too much, it's not that bad when you have it in your hands.

The Sounds:
This was the one issue that I was really looking for, but I was totally surprised that it didn't overcome the loudness of Anakin ROTS which seems to be loudest so far. I made many comparisons with different batteries and always the same result. It's very loud, clear and crisp, but my Anakin truly hurts my ears compared to Luke ROTJ. There may be differences between sabers, but this is the case with me. I still love the sounds of ignite & idle hum from Luke more than the Anakin ones, but the clash sounds are better in the Anakin one, even though they're the same. The motions sensors are not the best one's yet and sometimes it makes extra "swoosh" sounds, but not in a bad sense like the Vader ANH FX. I noticed, that when the endcap is closed tight it works quite nicely, but overall the motion sensors are quite average.

The Blade:
When I saw it the first time it was truly a stunning moment for me. Luke ROTJ blade is something to be glad about, it's really bright and looks awesome in darkness. It's also nice looking in the normal room light. There are some dark spots in the blade, but it doesn't bother me at all. Quite visible when looked closely, but all my sabers have some sort of dark spots. From the all four colors I have seen the green one is absolutely my favorite. What comes to the tube, it's pretty sturdy and doesn't wobble the way I imagined. As for overall outcome I'm more than pleased with the blade, it's just gorgeous looking.

Overall:
Now that I have experienced five sabers so far I must say the Luke ROTJ force fx is my favorite one. It's actually a little surprise for me since I mainly love the exact duplicate replicas, but somehow this is amazing looking and feeling. Then again it's pretty obvious when childhood dream is fulfilled to feel this way. I always thought that the hilt would be a sort of stumbling block for this saber, but gladly no. There are lots of good points to get this saber even if not a Luke ROTJ saber fan. It's a quality saber in many ways with great sounds, awesome brightness, easy to swing around along with nice weight, aluminium feels great in your hands and most of all it's a very "practical" saber in use. So when you'll ignite this saber, you'll get the true feeling of a Jedi. All I can say is, GLORIOUS saber for my taste.

Here are my Luke Rotj Force FX (2005) rates:
Size 8.5/10
Weight 9.5/10
Build quality 8/10
Hilt surface 10/10
Looks 9/10
Usability (tricks and spins) 10/10
Brightness 10/10
Sound 9.5/10
Motion sensors 8/10

OVERALL 9/10

Here are some pictures of my Luke ROTJ

The Hilt:




In Normal Room Light:


In Dark Room:










I thank you for reading...  ;)

Here's a little Luke ROTJ video sample from my home  :)
http://www.vimeo.com/clip=33183
« Last Edit: January 06, 2006, 07:06:32 PM by Hamill82 »

Offline jack3auer

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2006, 01:01:41 AM »
nice review hamill

i agree that the pictures just cant do the hilt justice,  it does look better in person.  the blade is IMO the best, though mine has no darkspots in it.

i picked up my mace ROTS the other day for the first time in a few days, and noticed the red lines more predominent.  i would agree that the luke is the best saber.  its the one i always choose to duel with first.





Offline trexy

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2006, 03:31:04 AM »
very good review!
When you said the bloade doesnt wobble, it just remided me that my anakin rots blade is wobbly,when i use my anakin rots, i really forget that it has a wobbly blade.
btw i like the 5th picture, nice shot



 

Offline PADME AMIDALA

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2006, 05:31:38 AM »
Very good review, Hamill :D
I'm glad you like your new saber.
But I've been wondering, why does the hilt look so strange in every single picture taken of it(not just your pictures, everybody's), it looks very good in person? ??? I find it very strange.


Offline Hamill82

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2006, 05:52:25 AM »
very good review!
When you said the bloade doesnt wobble, it just remided me that my anakin rots blade is wobbly,when i use my anakin rots, i really forget that it has a wobbly blade.
btw i like the 5th picture, nice shot

My Anakin blade is also wobbly and all the other sabers have a good sturdy blade...  ???

Offline Hamill82

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2006, 05:58:16 AM »
Very good review, Hamill :D
I'm glad you like your new saber.
But I've been wondering, why does the hilt look so strange in every single picture taken of it(not just your pictures, everybody's), it looks very good in person? ??? I find it very strange.


I don't know for sure, but I think it's because camera and that we see three-dimensional way with our own eyes , the hilt gets somehow a bit distorted and so it looks kind of different.

Offline PADME AMIDALA

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2006, 07:25:35 AM »
Very good review, Hamill :D
I'm glad you like your new saber.
But I've been wondering, why does the hilt look so strange in every single picture taken of it(not just your pictures, everybody's), it looks very good in person? ??? I find it very strange.


I don't know for sure, but I think it's because camera and that we see three-dimensional way with our own eyes , the hilt gets somehow a bit distorted and so it looks kind of different.

Yes, I think that might be why.
It's a shame if people don't go to check out this saber just because it looks a little strange in pictures, it look really good in person.


Offline Mr.Griffin

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2006, 08:32:17 AM »
nice review.... bravo
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Offline Snoballz

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2006, 09:17:01 AM »
I see a few other items on the shelves.  any chance of a pic of your display?

Offline Hamill82

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2006, 10:15:24 AM »
I see a few other items on the shelves.  any chance of a pic of your display?

I'll add some pics asap...

Offline Hamill82

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2006, 10:31:21 AM »
Here are few quick pics... Mace Windu is in the box so I don't have pics of it now...












« Last Edit: January 03, 2006, 10:34:24 AM by Hamill82 »

Offline Snoballz

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #11 on: January 03, 2006, 11:03:33 AM »
nice setup you got there... I'm about to add shelves to house all the 12" figures and FX Sabers I've been aquiring lately.
love the Rambo III...
12 or so years ago I almost bought an actual Gil Hibben Rambo knife, if my memory serves me correct, for about $550.  My friends talked me out of it... it sells for around $1500 now.  I still think it's worth it.

Offline trexy

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #12 on: January 03, 2006, 11:53:38 AM »
Very nice,
would look maybe better with the vertical saber mounts



 

Offline Hamill82

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #13 on: January 03, 2006, 12:56:02 PM »
Very nice,
would look maybe better with the vertical saber mounts

I would actually use rather vertical saber mounts, but those aren't available here...

Offline Knuckle01

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Re: Hamill's Luke ROTJ Force Fx (2005) Review + Pics
« Reply #14 on: January 03, 2006, 05:55:28 PM »
those vertical mounts are awesome.....much cooler then the MR standard mounts...IMO
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