I was at the International Mall just outside of Tampa International Airport and just so happened to hear THAT sound, My head popped to the source and I saw two little kids playing with the display model that the store had ready. I walked over and asked them if I could try it out, they nodded and handed it to me without question and more in awe at me (I'm 6'3" and they were scratching at 4'10").
So now I fired it up, the sound blasted out and...the blade faded in after a few seconds, the LED brightness kinda helps in this part as the fade in/out with the low brightness helps to try and replicate that famous scrolling effect. the saber was well balanced and very light (about the same weight as the yoda but without metallic heft) and was VERY easy to spin. I did a cycle of a basic spin, crossover, inverts and crossover, revert, basic spins to the amazement of the kidsand asked them if they'd like to learn how I did them, they (still in awe) politely said 'no thanks' and I turned it off to look at the plastic workings.
Overall, its not too bad, a little looseness here or there but overall very nicely thought out for the kids, and to amp up the bar for Hasbro meet.
If there could be a metal worker that could build the parts as full metal, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. A very good practice saber for a good price, and you won't be at risk of having a heart attack if you drop it and chip the paint or scratch the metal.