Many lightsabers in Star Wars display a magnificent array of light that never fails to mesmorize those viewing in awe of the fantastic display that evades them. When it comes to MR's Force FX lightsabers, Luke Skywalker's ROTJ lightsaber best captures that feeling and display of brilliant magic.
When I first heard that MR was going to re-release the Luke Skywalker ROTJ lightsaber with LED technology, I was filled with glee. Growing up before the PT, Luke's green lightsaber had always been the coolest to me. It was the brightest, and the one I wanted if I could have a real lightsaber. In 2005, my desire has been pretty darn closely fulfilled. A few days before official release day, I'd swing by and call the two Borders stores in town to see if they had any in stock. I had one reserved at the closer of the two locations, though it was the other that came through for me. On a Friday afternoon (one day before the official release day) I called both Borders stores and found that it was that one who had the Luke ROTJ. So I hop into my car and get over there. It was a wet and dreary day... a cold day. And because of that, traffic was bad. I avoided the expressways, which caused me to endure a 45 minute trip. As soon as I arrived at Borders, I saw the lightsaber that had been on hold for me since my phone call behind the register. I paid, used the 15% coupon that was available at the time, and left. The total came out to about $108, which I thought was excellent. It also just so happened that the woman at the register didn't notice the "10% off electronics" note on the coupon, and she gave me 15% off. I didn't complain, of course. ;) I then went out the door, put the saber in my trunk, and head home... the shorter way. :P As soon as I got home, I took the saber out of the package and was so happy to see this classic hilt. I popped in the batteries and then lit the almighty green Luke saber sparkled. Aside from the magnificent blade, one of the first things I noticed was the LOUD sound. It was definitely louder than the Anakin ROTS. ;) And then, I noticed something unfortunate... there was some sort of a long hair inside the blade. :( So I called Borders up and asked if I could exchange it, as I knew I couldn't be fully happy with someone's hair in my FX. ;) So I went all the way back (the short way, again) and did the exchange. It was a bit frustrating since by this point it had taken me almost two hours from the time I originally left home the first trip up to the time I got back home with the second saber. :-\ At this time, it was pretty much night. So once again, I crank in the batteries and then stood back, marvelling at the gorgeous Luke ROTJ lightsaber, by Master Replicas. :)
As is always of great importance, the hilt was a concern for me. I knew that the original release had a thick hilt to accomodate the electronics. This one was no different, and I was aware of that before I got the saber. As I handled the saber, I soon realized how forgiveable it was, since the hilt itself was of an awesome metal that didn't get covered in figer prints upon its handling. I also loved the "cold" feel that the metal had. So while the hilt was thick and not entirely accurate at portraying what I saw in ROTJ, it was close enough for me to go, 'Oh, that's Luke's saber.' Beyond that, the only other thing that was somewhat annoying was the D ring. On the saber I had returned, the D ring was secure and didn't move around. On the second one, it was very loose and wobbled all over the place. I soon began liking the sound of it doing that, though. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1146.jpgThe blade... the blade was just awesome in every way possible. I truly believe that it is the brightest of all FFX blades. I've noticed that this saber truly has an arc wave of light that surrounds the blade, very similar to what was shown in the movie. While the other sabers have it as well, it is more subtle. I was absolutely enthralled. This is one to definitely take outside on a dark, cold night. ;D I was a bit disappointed in the inconsistency of the blade. Unlike the Anakin ROTS or Vader ESB, the Luke ROTJ definitely has a few issues with inconsistent LEDs. I've heard many people say that their Luke sabers have the same problem, and I suppose that mine isn't much different. While on the whole, the lightsaber is a pure and bright green blade, there is a segment just beneath the halfway point that is noticeably dimmer. It's about three inches long, yet when I turn the saber around, there's no trace of it on the other side. I've also noticed that the LEDs are much more visible on one side of the blade... mostly on the upper half. I really have no idea why this is, but it is a bit odd. :-\ My final unfortunate issue on this blade is that it contained some scratches and scuffs. The first one I returned had them as well, but so did this one. While they are minor, they can be seen if you really look for them.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1148.jpgAs I stated earlier, the sound in this FFX totally rocks. It's very loud in comparison to the other lightsabers... even the Anakin ROTS. It seems like it has the same idle hum as the Anakin, just at an amplified volume and perhaps with more bass. This saber is about on-par, if not a bit better than the others, with synchronization when the saber is swung. The clash sounds remain the same as the Anakin. So overall, I'd have to say that this lightsaber has the best sound of all of them. :)
I've said before that Force FX's look brightest on a dark and cold night. I took this picture of my lightsaber on one of those nights. The arc wave is clearly visible in this picture just as it is in person.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1115.jpgOverall, I'd have to say that this lightsaber is the best in terms of brightness, but that's not because it was made much different than the others, it's that blue, red, and purple are darker colors than green... so they're not going to be as bright. The sound is amazing on the Luke ROTJ, and the feel of the hilt makes it feel the most realistic of any of the FX sabers. Without a doubt, this may be the most impressive lightsaber to anyone who's not a Star Wars fan or has never seen an FX. :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1004.jpgStay tuned for the Mace ROTS and Luke ESB... which I just recieved as I was writing up this review. ;D
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I present some pictures of my Luke ROTJ FFX with Master Yoda's copper upgrade kit. :) What a difference when compared to the saber before the kit was applied. I really love this kit and highly recommend it to anyone who owns a Luke ROTJ FFX. It does a lot for the saber, it's worth the price, and makes the hilt look so much better. ;D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1464.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1465.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1463.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Vickyrose85/000_1468.jpg