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Author Topic: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review  (Read 11807 times)

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Offline darthmorbius

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Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« on: January 04, 2008, 05:48:42 PM »
2007 MR Luke Skywalker ANH Force FX Lightsaber
A Review by Darth Tyranus




Being the final MOVIE CHARACTER Force FX lightsaber from Master Replicas, the adoring fans of the line were in for quite a wild ride.  Feverishly awaiting the release of this saber, there was much speculation as to the design.  Was it a re-tooled Anakin ROTS, or a Re-tooled Luke ESB?

To answer that question: It is neither.  The saber is more accurately scaled than the Luke ESB FX, and while it has many similarities to the Anakin ROTS FX, it is DEFINITELY a totally different animal.  Master Replicas outdid themselves with this beautiful saber with the advancement of their attention to detail, and scaling. This has to be one of the BEST of the FX line!

So Let us get down to business, shall we?




STORY

"Luke Skywalker was introduced the the weapon of the Jedi Knights by Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his life as a farmboy on the backwater, desert world of Tatooine was changed forever.  Catapulted by a series of events set in motion many years before his birth, Luke began the adventure of a lifetime to rescue a princess and ended up a hero of the Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire.

Now with this incredible Luke Skywalker Force FX Lighsaber, you can relive all of the thrills and excitement of the epic battles the Jedi and the dark side.

Battle and fulfill your destiny with this amazing replica."




FEATURES

LUKE SKYWALER FORCE FX LIGHTSABER COLLECTIBLE
  • Official replica of Luke's Lightsaber from STAR WARS : Epispde IV "A New Hope"
  • Glowing, bright blue blade ignites with realistic power-up and power-down light effects
  • Authentic Lightsaber sound effects digitally recorded from the movie
  • Features four motion sensor controlled sounds: Idle hum, swing (x2), and clash
  • Durable metal hilt looks and feels like a real lightsaber
  • Sturdy blade is permanently attached to the hilt




THE REVIEW!!!




Hilt: 8.5/10 (points off for accuracy and small details)



This time around MR really outdid themselves! The hilt for the Luke ANH is a fairly accurate representattion of the original graflex prop.  While there are a few details that just don't cut it, for the most part it is quite accurate for what it is. We all have seen glaring inaccuracies on previous hilts, but this saber narrows that down considerably, and can be put in the same clsss as the Darth Maul FX in relation to it's sizing and detail.

The saber has the correct amount of grips (7 as opposed to six on the Anakin ROTS). This adds to the accuracy exponentially over the Anakin, and sets in stone that this IS an ANH.

The rabbit ears unfortunately suffer a bit from being a separate part from the bladeholder like on the Anakin ROTS. This can be forgiven, due to the nature of mass-production costs, and doesnt really detract all that much from the appearance, just the accuracy of the piece. Also, the "bulb clamp" section of the blade holder has a seam that runs dead-center, vertically across it, making it appear cheap, and quite inaccurate. Points get subtracted here due to this.

The activation box looks good with the realistic looking clamp lever, however, the sidebars look a little cheap in comparison. The switch itself is nice and stiff, which adds to the functionality of the saber by adding the extra protection against accidental shutoff.



The other details are all there, although I am a bit disappointed still with the large bezels used to hold the red button, and the "Glass" eye on the saber hilt. They look out of place and slightly detract from the appearance

The "Beer Tab" is pretty accurate as well as the red button and surround. The Glass eye needs some work as it is not properly scaled, but this is forgivable. (I guess).

That being said, I still believe that this is a beautiful hilt, and I deem it worthy of being displayed in my collection. (As soon as I make space for it, that is!) ;D




SOUND: 7/10



The sound from this saber suffers just a bit from the way the pommel is drilled for the sound to escape, and the placement of the D-ring bracket.  I have read and heard others state that the sound is muffled. I don't think this is the case at all, quite the contrary. To my ears, it may be a bit tinny, and lacking in bass, but the sound is quite loud considering the minimal venting on the pommel cap.

However, I must state for the record the obvious fact that once again MR has recycled the typical "Jedi sound".  This disappoints me greatly with this saber, as this is THE lightsaber... The first EVER seen on the big screen. I suppose I was hoping for a nice bassy, dangerous sounding, electrical hum and reverb heavy swing sound.  Unfortunately we got tinny stock sounds from the archives at MR. :( Therefore 3 points subtracted on that detail.  I know it seems unrealistic of me to expect this, but THIS IS the 30th Anniversary Lightsaber!

I will give it a great grade on the tightness of the clash and the swing sounds are nearly dead on to the motions. much nicer than some of my other FX's




BLADE 9/10



This is where the saber truly SHINES! (Yes, pun was intended) ;D 8)

The diffusion on this particular saber nearly brings a tear to my eye! It's a wonderful powdery blue, and extremely even, with just the SLIGHTEST hint of the typical "Dark spot" caused by the solder joint at the LED ladder junctions.  I have noticed a small amount of blotchiness on the blade, but I will not subtract anything from the score for that. It's a fact of life with Force FX sabers due to the differing qualities of the foam used to house the LED ladder, nothing more.

I do take off a point for color accuracy, because this particular saber really isn't BLUE canonically, it's teal. That's the reason for the -1 to the blade score.  I understand that this color is still very close to screen accurate, but cyan LED's would have mad all the difference in this saber.

The sequencer on the LED driver circuitry seems to be revamped or at least improved on this saber. The scrolling effect seems a lot more smooth in operation than on previous FX sabers.  It may be a trick of the eye, or a byproduct of the diffusion technique, but it does appear to me that MR has improved the ladder effect, making the backs of LED's light more fluidly than before.  Others I have conversed with regarding this tend to agree.








OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

This saber is a high quality item that I will enjoy for years to come. Even though it has its flaws, the LUKE ANH FX has proven once again that MR knows what they are doing. I would recommend this saber HIGHLY to anyone seeking a relatively accurate showpiece for their collection.

The first thing I noticed about this saber was how exceptionally lightweight it is compared to it's bretheren. I was expecting something a little heavier, and was quite surprised by this. The balance of the entire saber makes it a dream to spin and swing. The balance point is roughly right at the end of the emitter (near perfect for this saber), and it spins well.

Now I must point out that there was a major blemish on this saber when I received it. It was like this when I opened the factory sealed box, so I know it was a manufacturer error... On the right side of the saber, on the edge of the recharge port (Where the pins are) there is a nasty little ding (Pics below)




All I have to say about that is....

« Last Edit: January 10, 2008, 02:48:18 PM by DARTH TYRANUS »

Offline RogueJedi

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008, 05:57:28 PM »
DANG! :o Very nice review DT. It is ver through in addressing all the details in the saber. If I hadn't already bought a Luke ANH, I would be on my way right now. And the pictures at the end just add to it as well. ;D ;)

Offline Luke S.

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2008, 06:00:35 PM »
Excellent review DT and pretty accurate it seems.  It doesn't seem to be a bad saber but yes the blobs under the eye and red button are a bit much.

Is the clamp good for parts?  This could be another source of clamps as some of these break.

Offline darthmorbius

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2008, 06:02:14 PM »
It could be a source for clamps, but nothing that will fit an ROTJ, and the clamp is actually two pieces.

Clamp band, and activation box... Another point I forgot to mention, but I digress.

Offline OBI-WAN KENOBI

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2008, 06:30:42 PM »
Hey DT, was that your version of the rolling eyes  ::) at the end there?  :D 

Nice review - glad you finally got this saber.  I like this saber also, especially the color (even though it's not cyan) and the clash sensor. 

My biggest gripe with this FX is the end cap.  It's the roughest and most tedious to twist of all the FX caps.  I constantly have to realign it to get it to screw on right, and even then there doesn't seem to be a fixed end where the cap gets fully secured to push the battery pack in place.  This, of course, necessitates that you twist it COMPLETELY to the point where you can't go any further - or else you'll get a blade that doesn't light up.  ::)  This, in turn, makes it very tough to unscrew the darn thing back off when you need to - and that small D ring doesn't help the situation.

But all in all, it's a good FX.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2008, 01:30:20 PM by Jedimoves »


Offline darthmorbius

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2008, 06:35:06 PM »
Hey DT, was that your version of the rolling eyes  ::) AND tongue  :P at the end there  :D.  I propose we all now use Tyranus' rollie-eyes pic whenever the need arises.  ::) ;D 

Nice review - glad you finally got this saber.  I like this saber also, especially the color (even though it's not cyan) and the clash sensor. 

My biggest gripe with this FX is the end cap.  It's the roughest and most tedious to twist of all the FX caps.  I constantly have to realign it to get it to screw on right, and even then there doesn't seem to be a fixed end where the cap gets fully secured to push the battery pack in place.  This, of course, necessitates that you twist it COMPLETELY to the point where you can't go any further - or else you'll get a blade that doesn't light up.  ::)  This, in turn, makes it very tough to unscrew the darn thing back off when you need to - and that small D ring doesn't help the situation.

But all in all, it's a good FX.

Use a little sewing machine oil in the threads on your pommel cap.

That was the FIRST thing I did as soon as I took it out of the box. ;D

Offline RogueJedi

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2008, 06:37:44 PM »
Funny though, I have no problem with my end cap. It comes off nice and easy and it goes back on just as well. Any thoughts?

Offline OBI-WAN KENOBI

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2008, 06:42:30 PM »
Funny though, I have no problem with my end cap. It comes off nice and easy and it goes back on just as well. Any thoughts?

Mine was fine when I first got it as well - but then it started to act up the more I used it.  Actually, parts of the grooves, or connectors, in the cap are not as straight any more, so that's probably why it doesn't twist on and off easily.  The Luke ANH FX is a good saber, but the end cap for it is simply of a very poor quality compared to all the others.


Offline darthmorbius

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2008, 06:43:28 PM »
Funny though, I have no problem with my end cap. It comes off nice and easy and it goes back on just as well. Any thoughts?

From time to time the threading in the hilt or on the cap isn't the greatest on the MR sabers...

I had a Vader that wouldn't even unscrew NEW out of the box..

I've had a couple Luke ROTJ sabers that had an entire thread come OUT as a sliver. NEW even.

Offline RogueJedi

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2008, 06:47:43 PM »
Thanks DT. I noticed that I have had a hard time with my Yoda saber, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Offline jetsaber

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2008, 06:52:56 PM »
Thank you thats a great review and many more to come .
Overall the saber is nice , except for the blade .
And the the fact the hilt is slightly larger in the circumference .
Opposed to the Original Graflex 3 Cell Vintage .
Thank you very much .

Offline BEN KENOBI

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2008, 07:07:40 PM »
 ;)

I bow to you my brother!!A real classy and great review!!I love this saber as well!! ;D

Offline Elandron

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2008, 07:44:38 PM »
Hi DT and thanks for the great review.

The only gripe I've had with this model is the "creaking" from the plastic at the end of the hilt.  Some have had the problem, others haven't.  Have you had any issues with the creaking?  Honestly, I don't know if I'm just getting used to it...but I only notice it about half of the time anymore.  I've thought of selling it a couple times... but I've decided to keep for the contrast with the Ani and one day display along with Yoda's version.  And not to mention it is the last model from MR.

Offline Kyp Durron

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2008, 07:49:05 PM »
Or you can use Rem Oil with teflon. You can find a tiny bottle of this stuff in any Gun shop. I highly recommend it. ;)

Awesome review, DT!  8)



-Joclad

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 Bin Adam

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Re: Darth Tyranus's In Depth LUKE ANH Review
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2008, 08:00:57 PM »
Peace be upon all,
Thanks for the review DT. Makes me want to go to Toys-R-Us and play with the display model for a few minutes!  ;)

Bin Adam
The battle outside, starts inside.
"Don't desire to meet your enemy, but if you do be steadfast."

 

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