Hello all! I'd like to share my thoughts on the Anakin ROTS FX Saber.
First off, I'd like to state that this may be the coolest thing i have bought ever. I really love the idea that i can wield my own lightsaber and act like a nut with it and i'm really glad MR decided to take up this project.
On to the review!
Where shall i begin?
The arrival:
So today started like any other summer vacation day. I wake up at around 12 o'clock, shower, and do all the other daily hygienics. I walk down my stairs and kick on my computer. While i'm waiting for this piece of junk to boot up i grab some breakfast. I sit down at my desk and check my e-mail. Oh, sweet! Order confirmation from BestBuy.com. Arrival: 7/14/05. What? THAT'S TODAY! Awesome! Well, to pass the time i sit down, play some Halo 2, watch some TV and before i know it, it's nearly 3 o'clock. Dag yo. I get up to check if the package has arrived at my doorstep. Nothing but the gloomy day. I return to my television and flip through some channels. About an hour later the doorbell rings! "YES," i shout out loud. I rush to the door and see that slim brown package sitting at the foot of the door. I pick it up gently and bring it inside. Carefully i cut the tape with a knife only to see "Anakin Skywalker Force FX Collectible" greeting me as i pull the black box out of the package. I stare in awe at the box. When i find there is more tape to be cut i let out a long sigh. Oh well. I run to get the knife i previously used to cut open the cardboard box. I arrive again and begin cutting the tape off the box holding what i've been waiting so long for. ALAS! The tape is cut! I open the box slowly and see it. I let out an "Oooh," and continue removing the styrofoam that has held my baby for the duration of the shipping process. I carefully pull off the final plastic wrapping. I just hold the saber in awe for a few moments. I run my fingers up and down the blade with elegance. "So smooth..." i say. I take a hold of the hilt. Sturdy as anything. I flip the "On" switch. Nothing. BATTERIES! "Doh!" I tell myself. I rush to the draw where the batteries are stored. Duracell Ultra to the rescue! Quickly i unscrew the bottom of the hilt noticing other details of the hilt. I pop in 3 batteries and quickly put the holder back in. I grasp the hilt and hit the switch. Pure joy rushes across my face as the 64 LED's beautifully light up sequentially."Amazing," I whisper. I swing the blade around a few times. I notice the sounds are near perfect. I hit the blade against a chair in the room, softly. I hear the wonderful "clash" sound and i let out a, "That's awesome." I flick the switch again and the light rushes back into whence it came. I take more time to examine other aspects of this beautiful product.
The hilt:
The hilt on this thing is amazing. The detail is simply unbelieveable. It is mostly made of metal but there are some other plastic parts such as the Off/On switch. There are solid rubber grips towards the bottom of the hilt. Near the top of the hilt there are two metal "prongs." I don't know how else to describe them. Below them is a switch with a red button on it. A little lower, but on the opposite side is another red button. There are also two circles with two things sticking out in them. If you go into the middle section of the hilt there you wil find the activation switch along with the activation matrix (the thing that sticks out). Below that are the rubber grips as i had mentioned before. Then on the very bottom is the sound holes, which leads me to my next topic.
The sounds:
The sounds are very well done indeed. They are digitally recorded from the movie sound effects. Digital is a bit of an overstatement though. The sound can be slightly choppy at times, but it doesn't take from the enjoyment of this collectible. Power-up, power-down, idle, swing, and clash sounds can be heard by doing they're respective actions. The sound is also pretty loud and i almost wish there was an on/off or volume control switch for the sound. I believe the sounds are the worst part of this product, but don't get me wrong they are still very enjoyable.
The blade:
The blade is made out of polycarbonate and is very sturdy. Inside of the polycarbonite tube lies the string of 64 super bright LED lights. When activated light shoots up the polycarbonate and produces an intense blue glow. Even in daylight the blade glows brightly. Swinging the blade around is mesmerizing, seeing the blue flow around beautifully. In the dark the blade proves to be even brighter and more beautiful. I can't wait to see the red of the Darth Vader Saber.
Overall these sabers are top quality and are totally worth the $120 you'll most liekly pay for one of these. Thanks for reading!
