Well, I waited long enough.
I have put off getting the Obi-Wan again and again, always finding something else to spend my money on and never quite getting around to ordering one.
I have read all the rave reviews, telling how flawless the blade is and how this is the best Jedi FX yet.
To cut a long story short, I eventually caved in and last friday I ordered my Obi-Wan.
I was hoping to recieve it yesterday (monday) but the long wait for the delivery truck bore no fruit and I went to bed hoping for it to arrive today. :'(
I had a busy morning and had just returned home after attending a job interview and was just logging on here when I heard a knock at the door.
I hadn't heard a truck pull up, but still rushed to the door.
The delivery guy was just about to get back in his truck! He must have knocked and ran away!
Anyhow, I called him back and my patience began to wear thin as he fumbled with paperwork, unable to find the right place for me to sign.
C'mon, dude, give me the saber already! >:(
He finally found the correct document and I hastily scrawled my autograph.
At last he handed me that familiar 'long box' with the MR logo on it. 8)
A bit of quick work with a knife and out slid the inner box. It seemed smaller than previous ones, but perhaps I am just getting used to them now!
I cut the tape on the inner box and had the saber out in about three seconds flat!
The Hilt: I was immediatly impressed with the finish of the hilt. Whilst not as pretty as the Anakin ROTS, it is a solid and shiny looking piece.
The gold does not look as cheap as I expected it to be, and the little indentations around the end of the emitter are a really nice touch. The black parts are very solid and not at all plastic looking, as I had expected them to be. They were also nicely rounded and I immediatly felt comfortable with the feel of the grip.
The end cap is very solid and the chroming is nice. It allows the battery pack to protrude more from the end of the saber than on previous models, but fits firmly in place and does not feel as though it will break easily.
A few experimental spins showed me immediatly how well the saber is balanced and again, I felt that this saber has a very comfortable and familiar feel to it.
The ignition switch is well placed, and is easy to use, but it is not easy to turn this saber off by accident due to the nature of the switch. :o 8/10
The Sound: Switching the saber on, the sounds cut through the air. Loud and clear, none of the static noise that plagues some sabers. Comparing it with my Ani ROTS, it does seem to be a touch quieter, but the sounds are still loud enough to be clear (and scare the cat).
The motion detectors appear to be very accurate, and do not repeat as often as my Ani does, giving more variety and a more satisfactory lightsaber experience.
The shock sensor is a little too sensitive to my tastes, but not so sensitive that it triggers just from spinning, as my Luke ROTJ does.
The only downside is of course, the reused generic Jedi sounds. It really would be nice if each saber had it's own sounds, but that doesn't appear to be very high on MR's priority list.
Overall a thumbs up, though not a distinct improvement on previous sounds. :o 7/10
The Blade: This is quite simply the best saber blade MR are to produce yet! Of course I haven't seen the Yoda or new Vader FXs up close yet so I could be wrong, but it is the best I have seen yet and if you want a blue blade, this is the one to have!
I cannot see a single flaw in my example, and I haven't even got new batteries in it!
The evenness of the lighting is superb, better even than the Ani, and I think this may be a saber to keep stock, and not convert to lux. :o 8) 10/10
Here are some pics of the saber in the light/semi light/dark:
Overall I am very impressed with this lightsber. The blade is the best yet, and the quality control seems to have been very good. The overall finish is excellent, and the only downside I can see is tha the sounds are re-used again.
I haven't really had chance to play with the saber yet, as I only got it about 10 minutes before I started to write this review, but I can see this one getting a lot of use!
I can't wait for it to get dark tonight! ;D