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Author Topic: another Luke ANH review  (Read 7113 times)

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Offline majorj0nny

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another Luke ANH review
« on: April 22, 2008, 01:01:00 PM »
... this time by a saber noob! :)

I got my Luke ANH 2007 saber today, Im totally new to the whole world of lightsabers but Im kinda mixed in my feelings about this saber.

box and packaging is all nice and good - stand looks ok (i suppose its the same with all these force fx sabers?)

the hilt itself - while the main chromed part is a think metal - aluminium I supposem and there is more metal around the grip, the battery cover end, etc ... I think it would have been nice to have the buttons of the hilt in metal too, these look perfectly metalic , but feel warm and light like only plastic does.

the blade is nice and long, sounds are good (though I have nothing to compare them too apart from youtube videos) lights nice ...

the main problem I have with this, I can even forgive and forget the lightness of the hilt which i didnt think would bother me, but my main problem is creeking !

from what I can tell this creek is the meeting of the ring of chromed plactic round the base of the blade and the blade plastic itself. plastic on plastic ... simple as.

the creek on mine is so bad that you can hear it simply moving the saber round in your hands - not even with any rapid swipes and swings.

this only serves to re-enforce the idea in my mind that plastic is at work on this saber - and when Im trying to ignore that fact, im constantly reminded.

im wondering if a little oil or wd40 or similar round the lip of the ring at the base of the blade will be enough to provide a perminant solution to this creeking ? I can imagine that having this saber in a humid environment like outdoors, or with differing temperatures might lessen of worsen this effect?

so on the plus side :

looks very nice
light and sound is great

on the negative:

feels lighter than I imagined it should
plastic on plastic creeking cheapens the experience!


Offline majorj0nny

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2008, 01:09:41 PM »

this I 'think' is the part that causes the creeking (sorry i just stole this pic from another review), Ive highlighted the part in red.

I was wondering, since some people say they dont get creeking at all, could it be possible that on some of these saber they used metal as that ring and on other they used plastic ?



Offline Kyp Durron

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2008, 01:10:43 PM »
You're not the first owner to be put off by the creaking and light feeling hilt. If you're looking for a saber that feels really solid, has good weight, and has the same bright blue blade, then the Obi-Wan ROTS FX is the saber you seek. Unless you're bothered by the fat neck that the Obi-Wan ROTS and Luke ROTJ FX's have.

*Edit* As far as I know, they all have the plastic ring.



-Kyp
« Last Edit: April 22, 2008, 01:12:39 PM by Kyp Durron »

2010...I certainly hope it's better than 2009 was! ::)
10/10/10~Well, so far with my Father's passing away, I'd say that this year was actually worse than 2009, even the fact that I now have a full time job (For now) isn't anywhere near enough to make up for that...so...maybe 2011 will be better? I'm not holding my breath... ::)

Offline majorj0nny

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2008, 01:32:39 PM »
You're not the first owner to be put off by the creaking and light feeling hilt. If you're looking for a saber that feels really solid, has good weight, and has the same bright blue blade, then the Obi-Wan ROTS FX is the saber you seek. Unless you're bothered by the fat neck that the Obi-Wan ROTS and Luke ROTJ FX's have.

*Edit* As far as I know, they all have the plastic ring.



-Kyp

thanks - id love to find an obi-wan saber - its my fav looking saber.

this luke saber was a present from my GF.... but only cause it was dirt-cheap from a place we use online, litterally more than half price! ... im thinking of a 2007 vader ANH too - at only £34 its a steal.

as for other models (ive seen yoda and mace ones for quite cheap but dont fancy either of them) cant find any older fx sabers for sale anywhere in the uk, so Im guessing the stocks have dried up till Hasbro start re-releasing them in the future.


Offline Kyp Durron

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2008, 01:41:05 PM »
Your best bet would be Ebay till Hasbro comes out with the previously released sabers.



-Kyp

2010...I certainly hope it's better than 2009 was! ::)
10/10/10~Well, so far with my Father's passing away, I'd say that this year was actually worse than 2009, even the fact that I now have a full time job (For now) isn't anywhere near enough to make up for that...so...maybe 2011 will be better? I'm not holding my breath... ::)

Offline majorj0nny

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2008, 02:06:06 PM »
applied a little WD40 to that plastic and spun the saber round and Its much better now.

Im wondering with lots of spinning if this will slowly vanish as a problem?

Offline Kyp Durron

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2008, 02:28:43 PM »
Glad you were able to fix it, but I doubt that more spinning will help it go away. If anything, I'd think that it would get worse with more use. But I'm not sure as I have very little experience with the Luke ANH. I had one for a short while, but took it back. It was OK, but the Anakin ROTS seemed better made hilt wise to me.



-Kyp

2010...I certainly hope it's better than 2009 was! ::)
10/10/10~Well, so far with my Father's passing away, I'd say that this year was actually worse than 2009, even the fact that I now have a full time job (For now) isn't anywhere near enough to make up for that...so...maybe 2011 will be better? I'm not holding my breath... ::)

Offline darthmorbius

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2008, 05:25:40 PM »
Kyp is correct about the Clamp ring on all ANH FX sabers being plastic. 

I might point out another source of the creaking blade.  It really isn't the blade at all.  It is the bladeholder shifting inside the main hilt tube, and at the flex points of the plastic bezels on the Red button and glass eye sections.

I would NOT recommend using WD-40 on the plastic parts of your saber for many reasons.

1. WD-40 is a pertoleum based lubricant, and anti-seize compound, it also contains ether. It can and WILL degrade the plastic parts of your saber, and can cause discoloartion in the polycabronate blade. This can lead to breakdown and weakening of the plastic, and even breakage. The Clear polyc will cloud and yellow, and possibly bubble.

2. Petroleum products are flammable.  While there is not a huge amount of electricity flowing through the saber, there still is enough to cause a spark.  Leading to damage or injury from fire. Some may scoff at this but it is still a possibility.

3. If enough wd-40 gets to the wiring, it can have adverse effects on the insulating plastic. Therefore breaking it down, and possibly causing a short, and damaging the electronics or the molex connectors. See above for fire hazards.

4. WD-40 is not exactly something you want coming into contact with your skin for prolonged periods. It can cause skin irritation.

5. You will NEVER get the smell of WD-40 out of that saber...

6. WD-40 has been known to strip plated plastic parts VERY quickly.

For things like that, I would recommend a silicone based lubricant that is safe for plastics, wax, or even graphite. These will not degrade the plastics as quickly or readily as WD-40.

Synthetic bearing oil (the clear stuff in the needle applicator tubes) or synthetic sewing machine oil is a good product to look into for this.



« Last Edit: April 22, 2008, 05:28:07 PM by DARTH TYRANUS »

Offline Arthet5

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2008, 10:20:20 PM »
Awesome, thank you very much for the review :). I'am wondering if this version is discontinued as well? I know this is their last saber, but is it in still in production?

Offline vex

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2008, 12:28:19 AM »
I was under the assumption that all the MR sabers were out of production. I think there is just excess stock left..

Offline darthmorbius

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2008, 12:32:08 AM »
Yes, MR Stopped production on them a few months ago when the license was up.

The sabers you see now are all leftover stock, so it would be wise to get them if you see the ones you want for a decent price.

Hasbro will most likely start shipping out sabers soon.  They have really been pumping out the product, so it's only a matter of time.  They are already showing them in their booths at trade shows and conventions. Hopefully we will know more when Comic Con happens.

Offline majorj0nny

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2008, 01:56:20 PM »
I would NOT recommend using WD-40 on the plastic parts of your saber for many reasons.


thanks for the info - I only used a tiny tiny drip of the stuff though - because of some of the concerns you mentioned there.... but I wanted to see if there was any degree of reduction to the creaking if I applied some lubricant to that area - and there seemed to be.

the way I see it is that the entire blade flexes slightly as its moved around, that asthetic plastic ring at the base it tight on the blade and seems to be squeeking as the blade inside it flexes..

but ... point taken.... no more wd40.

:)

as for the saber - I quite like it at the moment , at the seriously reduced prices of the other 2 (vader and yoda) I might get them too while the price is good!.

Offline Arthet5

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Re: another Luke ANH review
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2008, 08:42:22 PM »
Ok, well this is definately a nice saber. Thanks again for the review.  ;D

 

retrousse