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Author Topic: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!  (Read 22649 times)

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Offline Yoda

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2007, 08:10:35 PM »
So I take it there are just a few people who really don't like their Luke :D

But your forgetting the Box Rob ;) we have to pay for the printed boxes from MR, that's worth at least
an extra $10 :D


Actually Pricing gets set by both MR AND LFL :o :P

If I told you what the additional expectations were for the projected price increases suggested by LFL
you'd never believe it.

Even with MR's black and white proof of customer purchases and frequency in judging what the collecting
market will bear on it's various levels the additional request was higher than could be dealt with given their
structure for their profit margins etc..

From My observations I see the MR loyalty comes form them bringing a lot of collectibles out in to the open
that weren't there before and how they picked up the pieces recently after Icons had their unfortunate demise.

I will say that MR's ability to bring an affordable saber to the market has brought a lot of people together
and in to the collecting limelight that couldn't afford it or some who didn't even know about such things.

In the beginning with MR quality and attention to detail really was something they embraced.

I can only hope that after MR looses the License it won't go to some company who drops the quality
bar altogether :-\




Unless by some stroke of magic the key people in the after-market are able to pick up some extension
of licensing...  ;)


either way next year will be interesting and exiting around here :D 8)

MTFBWY
always
YODA


Offline darthmorbius

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2007, 08:13:18 PM »
/\/\/\ AGREED! ;)

Offline Andy Anonymous

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2007, 10:15:41 PM »
Now rob, I thought we were already over this.

I'm still waiting for somebody to compare one of the sabers that were released in June with the ones that came out this month. I'll see if there's a TRU display I can have a look at, if I can. Mojo's description of his saber as being mostly plastic makes me highly suspicious, because what he's describing sounds absolutely nothing like the saber I've got mounted on the wall to my right. Heck, a look at the pics I took shows beyond doubt a saber that's clearly made mostly of metal.




Offline Louis

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2007, 01:08:47 AM »
For what I see on mine, it's almost full of metal too.It's really light, but, it's made of metal, no doubt about that;)


Offline Darth Matth

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2007, 03:35:00 AM »
I hope so, because today I will receive mine, and after all the negativety about the Luke ANH, I'm now only looking forward to the full Maul, that I'll receive along with the Luke.



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Offline darthmorbius

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2007, 11:43:25 AM »
Well, now that I have opened mine (Got it today...third time I posted about it) I must say that I am VERY DISAPPOINTED!

I cannot believe how cheaply made this saber is! >:( We're talking Scrooge McDuck cheap...

Some of the details are okay, but nothing compared to a real vintage or replica Graflex! This thing feels like it's made of pot-metal, and poorly at that.

It definitely is WAY too light, and is off balance. The grips are too short, sound is HORRIBLY crippled (muddy and muted), and the blade squeaks like a 200 year old rusty barn door hinge.

The Blade holder has an even more noticeable casting seam running DEAD CENTER down the middle of the "Bulb tension band" than the Anakin ROTS (At least the Anakin had it slightly canted to the side and hidden to some extent). The bunny ears look like they would break off if you looked at them wrong.

The "metal" is so soft that I was afraid the threads would strip just unscrewing the pommel to put batteries in... At least they got something right though... The switch has a lot more tightness to it than previous sabers, meaning that it is harder to turn off while spinning (which is a CHORE with this saber).

The blade is standard MR fare, and DOES have the dark spot in the middle from the board's solder joint, gappy leds toward the tip, and you can SEE the LED ladder bouncing in the blade diffuser...

I did note that the "lumps" under the Red button and the "Glass" (more like badly cast cloudy plastic) eye are not as extreme in person as they seem in photos.

In my opinion, this is the way MR is "getting back" at LFL...

This was SUPPOSED to be the "Holy Grail" of FX's... Turns out that it is a battered 7-11 big gulp on the side of the highway.

I don't know whether to love it just because it's Star Wars... or to hate it because this saber SUCKS and I feel cheated. (By MR, not the person that sold it to me)

I see SOME possibilities for this saber.

  • Display piece to collect LOTS of dust
  • Vader ROTJ conversion fodder
  • doorstop
  • Sound board donor
  • Light-up Paperweight
  • disappointing costume prop

To quote Darth Vader:

"You have failed me for the LAST time MR!"


« Last Edit: October 03, 2007, 11:51:15 AM by DARTH TYRANUS »

Offline Elandron

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2007, 12:02:00 PM »
I have not been a "collector" nearly as long as most of you - not that my desire wasn't there :)  Still, this is disappointing to me... for you guys.

After the 2nd or 3rd post... I had already made up my mind to save that extra money for the Mace conversion... or better yet, the saving fund for Yoda's blade.  The thought of getting one, keeping it prestine in the box for a collectors item, that crossed my mind.  But not anymore.

They still have nearly 2 months to redeem themselves... if we are so lucky  ;D

Offline GoldLdr

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2007, 12:24:37 PM »
I am in the same boat.  I had intended to purchase one of these until I got to handle one at the TRU near us.  It felt so cheaply made by comparison to my Obi/Maul/Vader/Yoda/Mace that I was shocked it came from MR.  Light weight, creaky blade.  I was not the only one in the store disapointed, and several of us comforted each other.  the TRU had a ton of Luke IV's, but when we left everyone who came for a luke IV had either left with nothing, or a vader IV.

I was glad to read others had similar experiences here.  I thought I was being overly critical.  Ohh well, that's money towards the Yoda Graflex (ESB) I hope to get some day.

-GoldLdr

Offline OBI-WAN KENOBI

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2007, 12:26:47 PM »

I always love the old "What do you expect for $120.00" outlook.  I expect a whole lot more than you do apparantley.  It is this type of thinking that has brought this hobby to the point where "collectors" are willing to pay $400.00 for some silly MR hilt that is not nearly as screen accurate as a $150.00 vintage graflex + a $35.00 Blast-Tech kit.

I also tend to look at the comparison between these FX sabers and Yoda's masterpieces from a much different perspective.  Many of you seem to be saying that the FX quality should be horrible at $120.00 because a truly masterful saber like Yoda's costs $470.00.  As far as I can tell by looking at the two products side by side, the exact opposite is true.  If Yoda can provide what he does for $470.00, the MR ANH FX should be priced closer to $75.00.

I'm not sure why people have such feverish fanboy loyalty to this company, they have always provided their products at outlandish prices which were tolerated only because of the quality of these products.  Once the quality is taken out of the picture you have a piece of **** at an outlandish price...enter the Luke ANH FX.

As far as your opinion that the ANH FX should be priced closer to $75.00, there's always ebay - where you could get this item for much cheaper than $120.00.  There are many options out there that allow you to avoid paying full sticker price on an FX.    

I like most of MR's things, but I also DON'T LIKE some of their things.  I certainly didn't intend to give the impression of blanket, "fanboy" approval for all things MR.

The Bottom line: There will always be disapproval with these types of products.  There are many people who still haven't gotten over the fat necks on the Obi-Wan ROTS and Luke ROTJ FXs!  At the same time, these are regarded as two of the best sabers in the FX line by A LOT of fans.

I did recently receive my second ANH FX, and the creaking on that one is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE.  ::)  So I can understand the frustration of people who received theirs with this serious creaking problem.  The first ANH saber is fine though, no creaking at all.  Inconsistant quality HAS always been a problem with these FXs

But anyway, what's done is done dude.  There's always the option of an Ultra conversion.

 

« Last Edit: October 08, 2007, 11:09:07 AM by Jedimoves »


Offline Luke S.

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2007, 03:55:05 PM »
Sorry to hear that DT.  I was hoping yours would somehow be better and the others were from a bad lot.   Hmmmmm, sad this is.

As for MR, read PlaneCrazy's post.  This was it.  It is the end, and now it is all about what's left on the shelves.

And as for the Holy Grail of sabers.  Look no further than our own Master Yoda.  ;)

Offline Noneoftheabove

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #25 on: October 03, 2007, 04:21:25 PM »
Two reviews already and the ANH Luke saber is really this bad? That is really too bad, I was really looking forward to nabbing one of these.


Offline darthmorbius

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #26 on: October 03, 2007, 05:00:39 PM »
Perhaps I am being overly critical of the saber.

After looking at it a bit more, it's not really all that bad in appearance. There are major flaws with the design, but in appearances, it won't look bad on display.

I'm just upset that a saber that took THIS long to release, is very sub-par compared to MR's previous FX's. Most notably the Maul, Obi-wan, and Vader (ESB AND ANH).

This one was supposed to be special...it turned out (to quote Carlos Mencia) "Dee-Dee-Dee" instead in certain areas.

It's a good saber, for say perhaps $70-$90, and not the full MSRP of $120. This one really feels more like TOY quality instead of replica quality.

I am really disappointed in the sound, and construction of the blade housing that anything. It WILL make a good frame for a Vader ROTJ convert though.

Offline Mojo_LA

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #27 on: October 03, 2007, 07:40:33 PM »
I think it's most likely that all the ANH sabers are the same and my impression that it's all plastic is wrong... however, it still FEELS like it's all plastic!

As others have said, this is a bad saber.  It's cheap and shoddy and nothing like what MR is capable of producing.  I'd like to hear what they have to say about it.

It does LOOK good... so for a display piece it's fine.  But I wouldn't use it for conversions, because the hilt is just not that sturdy.

Personally, I think the saber to stock up on are Obi-Wans... they are easily the most solid and durable of all the MR sabers and would be my saber of choice for conversion - it will hold up to a lot of abuse and if I remember correctly Ultra has said that the Obi Wan makes for a better conversion because of where the blade sits in the hilt (I think it allows for more even illumination than other sabers).

But this Luke ANH... eesh.  I have no idea what to do with it.  Seriously, if you want a "Luke" MR, get the Anakin ROTS.  It's not as accurate as the ANH saber, but it's 10 times better constructed.

Offline BEN KENOBI

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #28 on: October 04, 2007, 07:40:49 PM »
 ;D
Got mine today and I love it.Yes it does creak somewhat;but,I love where the on/off switch is like it was ment to be.It's light;but,to me it's a lot closer to scale than most.It hs a flaw or two;but,it's worth the money to me.if I wanted to rid the saber of the creaking noise I'll convert it with a metal blade holder and this should take care of it.I'll post my review of this saber tomorrow. :o :o ;D

Offline Bandit-Jedi

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Re: My Luke ANH review - it stinks!
« Reply #29 on: October 04, 2007, 08:23:23 PM »
;D
Got mine today and I love it.Yes it does creak somewhat;but,I love where the on/off switch is like it was ment to be.It's light;but,to me it's a lot closer to scale than most.It hs a flaw or two;but,it's worth the money to me.if I wanted to rid the saber of the creaking noise I'll convert it with a metal blade holder and this should take care of it.I'll post my review of this saber tomorrow. :o :o ;D

I have to agree with you Ben!

I really like the Luke ANH that I got today.  Yes, it creaks when reversing motion with the saber, but its not all that noticeable when turned on.  I actually like the weight of the saber too and the balance is not that bad.  I'm actually contemplating getting another to use as a practice saber. 

Anyone want to sell theirs for $90?


On a seperate note:

Yoda's Graflex definitely puts this...and really ANY other FX lightsaber to shame.  So its not really fair to compare a Corvette (MR) to a Ferrari Enzo (YODA)


YODA RULES!
« Last Edit: October 04, 2007, 08:29:03 PM by ANAKIN SKYWALKER »

May The Force FX Be With You!


 

retrousse