For more than a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. This is the weapon that saw the end of that civilization. This weapon belongs to one of the greatest warriors in a galaxy of old, and to one of the wisest Jedi on a council of his kind. This is Master Obi-wan Kenobi's lightsaber, and you can some it up in his own words; an elegant weapon.
The hilt.I wasn't surprised at the weight of this saber, you can tell just by looking that it is solid and well put together. It's weight is not unwieldy, but rather holds a strength and durability behind it. The balance lies on the rim of the gold section, which is perfect for spinning, but I fear will lead to the gold being rubbed away, so for the moment I am holding it with my upper hand on the black "grenade grip".
Although this saber shares the shape of the Luke ROTJ, once you hold it you realise they are a world apart. This grip is smooth and comfortable, with the feel of cold steel beneath your palms. The ridged black grip toward the bottom of the hilt is also extremely comfortable and offers variation in texture. The level of detail screams out quality, from the famous holes around the emmitter to every groove and screw next to the activation switch. Which havin mentioned, is a touch the Anakin and Luke ROTJ sorely missed, when you use this switch, it feels the way a lightsaber should, and it is amazing how simply moving the switch to the correct place on the control box makes the usability of this saber so much more enjoyable.
I have a tiny nick in the black paint on the bottom black section, and a pinprick of metal can be seen through. I will not be sending this back for replacement as it is not something that wouldnt have happeneded through my normal use of this saber throughout it's lifetime ( I expect it to be a little more beaten up sooner or later as I use all my FX's for display and dueling purposes )
Overall the hilt is nothing short of beautiful, it has a truely elegant finish which is very impressive in person.
The bladeI am going to be honest here. My Anakin blade is better than my Obi-wan. I've always suspected I received a top-end Anakin blade and when I activated my Obi-wan it was confirmed. On my Anakin you can not see a single Led distinguished from any other, it is just a smooth blue light. This is not to say my Obi-wan has a bad blade. FAR from it, my Obi-wan blade is stunning too, but bery occasionally you will be able to see the LED'S faintly all the way up the blade, and the dark spot can be seen (though not noticably. The Obi-wan and Anakin are EQUAL brightness.
I had half suspected this would be the case, and was not dissapointed.
The Obi-Wan on my wall...
With fully lit room, more realistic exposure.
In a dark room to compare
To concludeThis is my new favourite Lightsaber. The quality is astounding and just the feel of this FX is perfect in the hand. Don't be put off by the above comments about the blade, it clearly a very good blade, I was just lucky with my Anakin. I was on the edge between this and the Mace Windu for a long while and for any one in the same position I was I'll say this; MR FX's are only improving, and the Obi-wan is a testiment to the climbing quality of these superb products. This is a flawless lightsaber and a platinum addition to any saber collection.
9.5 out of 10
Pictures to come ;)