Customer Reviews

Anakin Skywalker Episode III FX Lightsaber

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We just started carrying these at my store, and I have to say that this is one expensive toy that is definitely worth the cost. Master Replicas consistently produces some of the finest reproductions and replicas on the market, and this is no exception. Powered by three AA batteries (which seem to last about 15-20 hours), the saber features some really cool effects: When you first toggle the activation switch, the blade lights up in a manner reminiscent of the films: The light travels from the pommel to the tip, rather than the whole thing just lighting up at once. The blue blade has a nice glow, especially in lower light. Swing the sabre, and it hums and buzzes. Strike something--how hard is up to you, the sabre seems to be pretty durable--and it makes a clashing sound. Strike two sabres together, and the clashing sound is louder and more pronounced. The saber also has an auto-off feature to save battery life: Leave it alone for a few minutes, and it automatically shuts off. Some people may be concerned about how well this holds up over time and use, especially since this is no mere cheap plastic sword, but an expensive replica. Fear not. So far, our demo unit has seen probably a hundred hours of use between customers and employees, along with a few duels with our Vader sabre replica. So far, so good. So it seems to be pretty durable. It's well-made, and the chrome handle is nicely detailed and closely modeled after the one Anakin carries in the movie. Highly recommended for Star Wars fans.

I hope this review was helpful.
--Christian Wheeler, Star Wars buff

I just got both the VADER and ANAKIN models in the mail today. I ordered them without seeing any models in stores. Once they arrived, I carefully opened one of the boxes and withdrew my new toy.

The hilt is awesome. Looks and appears like the real thing (manufacturer disclaimer says they are slightly larger than the movie replicas to accomodate the electronics)with very shiny chrome and all the detail of the movie props.

Quickly I removed the end and searched for some AA batteries. Once I reassembled the hilt there was nothing left to do but throw the switch. It was late evening and the light in my house was dim. WOW!!! Fan-friggin-tastic. Amazing. Even my wife who could care less for Star-Wars said (in an honest-to-god awed voice) WOW! My entire living room lit up with a blue glow as the blade surged to life. The polycarbonate blade is filled with individual LEDs from hilt to tip and light sequentially for power up and down effects.

Then my wife (once again who cares not for Star Wars...tsk tsk) accepted my offer to duel. We fired up the VADER model (which by the way sounds more sinister when in idle mode than the ANAKIN model...it has an evil pop and crack type sound) and we began chasing each other around the living room and kitchen smacking everything in sight and clashing blades. Some of our blows were harder than intended and the sabers seemed to take our beating just fine, and the sound F/X are very cool!!!

To the other reviewer, who's dog cowered from sight of the blades, mine did too...=)

No STAR WARS fan should deprive themselves of this great toy.

The MACE WINDU model will be available again in the fall, I can't wait to get it. And I hope they release a Green one, too.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

I purchased the Anakin Skywalker model a couple of months ago and was VERY pleased with the item. The hilt is well-detailed, maybe too well detailed, and has the proper weight to make it feel like the real thing. The blade is very bright, and the sounds are crisp and loud. The only problem I had with the saber is the activation switch: It is located right in the center of the hilt and gets in the way very easily. You have to hold the saber just right to avoid the bulbous switch. Also, it is very easy to accidently turn it off while you're swinging it (Very Annoying). Still, I loved it anyway and you learn to handle it better almost right away.
I loved the Anakin model so much, I just had to get another one: It was a toss up between the Mace Windu Model or the Darth Vader Model. I chose the Dark Side. When it arrived by UPS today, I immediately wanted to grab some AA batteries to compare the two sabers. The Vader Model is just as bright as the Anakin (It IS red, not pinkish) but is noticeably lighter in weight. Also, the digital sound effects are DIFFERENT than the Anakin model (That's good), but the Vader saber is not as loud, and it also takes a moment longer to power up and power down. It should also be noted that the blue Anakin model has 4 different clashing sounds.....the red Vader model has only ONE. Again, the activation switch is right in the middle of the hilt which makes it awkward to handle at first, but you learn to cope with it. I guess that it makes them more "authentic". HOWEVER, the actual lightsaber props used in the dramatic fight sequences did NOT have activation switches in the middle of the hilts (It would be difficult to coreograph a fight scene with those switches in the way, so they were removed to give the actors nice, smooth surfaces.....you wouldn't be able to see the switches since their hands were covering up most of the hilts anyway). All in all, I am very pleased with the Vader model as well. I recommend filming yourself in a pitch-black area and then watch it on your TV. It looks cool! Are they worth the price? In my opinion.....YES, but be careful with them. THEY ARE NOT TOYS.
One more thing: A few of the people reviewing these items say that the sabers are louder when they chash eachother.....not true. You're simply hearing TWO clashing sounds at once which makes it SEEM louder. The sabers don't have any sensors that know specifically when another saber smacks it anyway. A strike is a strike.

Next step.....the Mace Windu Saber!

Anakin's Episode 3 saber is by far one of the better and more advanced versions Master Replica could ever come up with.
While other units used Floursent tubes and poor sound quality, the new Episode 3 saber uses 60+ Rowed LED lights which give a realistic Up and Down power motion. The blade's color and brightness has also increased by nearly 20% compared to Episode 2 styles. The sensors have been tuned so it doesn't make the swung noise as easily unless swung unlike Vader's Episode 5 saber.
Also the battle clashing sounds have been improved. Unlike other models, Anakin's Episode 3 has atleast 3 different battle clashes which feel more realistic. Everything from a burning clash down too a quick jolt against another saber.
The hilt/handle is a chrome coated diecast metal with rubber grips for easy gripping.
The power on/off switch is comfortably located near your thumb if positioned correctly and must be firmly pressed to turn on or off so you wont do something by accident like turning it off during some minor play time.

While Master Replica has stated that dueling with other MR sabers is okay but not recommended, I also agree. However I have seen these bashed around a few times from hard core collectors and nothing bad will really occur unless you go all out violent with these.
The blades are incased in a durable hard plastic coating over the strobe LED lights. But still, I recommend moderate dueling with caution, don't swing these around as hard as you would as HASBRO toy.

Master Replica has really outdone themselves and continue to do so in the future with other Light Saber releases for 2006.

I bought one of these neat gadgets from the Sharper Image a couple of weeks ago. So far it's been the coolest toy/collector's item I ever bought. Its hilt is made of polished steel and its blade is as durable as you'll most problably ever need it. From my experience, you shouldn't let it make contact with concrete, bricks, solid wood or steel, or plaster walls. Other than that, the lightsaber is shatterproof if you don't intend to murder someone with it. There's been a few instances where I hit something with it roughly and put black marks on the blade. However, the marks were easily wiped clean using a rag and water. Fortunately, no damage was done.

The details on the model make it seem as if it were real. The best thing about it is by far the blade. Its glow looks very bright and cool, especially for only 3 AA batteries. Therefore, when I use it, I feel like the only thing I need is a robe in order to feel like Anakin Skywalker! Everytime I look at it on its included stand, I feel like picking it up and using it again. If you're a Star Wars Finatic, such as myself, you MUST get this. Its worth the cost. It's MUCH better than those cheap Hasbro or Bandai imitations which are incidently made for 3 year olds-hint, hint.

By the way, some of the photos on amazon.com are spurious. Though the blade is bright, and pretty, it does NOT have a core like in the Star Wars movies. Even in complete darkness, there is no core. The core is a bright streak of WHITE light which appears in the center of all lightsabers. The color of the lightsaber surrounds the core, as seen in the movies. Unforunately, the model glows only in a blue hue. A few of the pictures posted do show cores. Please do not be fooled. They have been digitally enhanced by computers.

I've got to say...


The FX Lightsabers from MR are quite amazing. I have all of them, and whenever I hve friends over(Frequently), we'll duel for 4 hours with these things until the battery wears out... but these are super durable. Yes, you can duel with them with moderate strenght, and they'll never break.

GREAT gift for a birthday.

When I first saw Star Wars as a child, I had always wanted a lightsaber toy that was just as perfect as they were in the movies. I can't believe I waited this long to get into the Force FX line of replica sabers. The Anakin Skywalker FX Lightsaber is nothing short of a masterpiece. From the moment you take it out of the packaging and find the flawless hilt that looks like you pulled it out of the movie, you know right away this is something special. You pop in 3 AA batteries and witness the most brilliant reproduction of a lightsabers color and glow.. It's simply stunning, the child in me came out and I just can't put the thing down. It's very neat and comes with it's own display stand. My favorite collectible, by far.

I am a die hard Star Wars Fan having seen all of the original movies in the theaters when they first started in 1977. I am not that old though really. I have the anakin Fx and soon the Darth Vader one and let me say,"if you are a a fan you must get and display this one." I turn it on just to hear the awesome sound digitized right from EP IV. It is not a toy and can break but if you are a real fan you won't buy one to have real fights with although you will want to. You will buy it because for the FIRST time you get a real idea of what it would feel like to weild a lightsaber and can hear the real hum instead of having to make the sounds with your mouth. BUY IT! You wont be dissapointed.

Yes indeed for that one person who gave it a one star rating I don't know what's wrong with you. Well I bought the Darth Vader FX Master from shopstarwars.com but the Anakin Master FX I bought here. There both really awesome lightsabers. Man just like the real thing no different. I thought the ones from target for only 13 dollar light up sabers where cool but I never knew that there was a master Replica of them. So I immediately went to [...] then to amazon for Anakins. I like Darth Vaders better I guess because of it has more of a sinister dark humm to it. My Sister likes the Blue one because she likes being the good guy as for me Red suits me well. If Starwars where real I would be a Sith because The Dark abilities are much better than the light. Man for being 21 I can be like a little boy just like now but that is besides the point. I give this Product a 5 star because once you get it you'll be hooked on it until your friends tell you to grow up and you'll just beat them with your light saber lol.

There are many "versions" available for the Anakin Skywalker Ep 3/Luke Skywalker Ep 4 & 5 Force Fx light saber. This version, the Episode 3 saber, is one of the most elegant. The hilt is a near-exact replica of the movie prop, only being very slightly wider and longer than the authentic hilt, to accomodate the circuitry/electronics/batteries. As one of the "newer generation" of FX sabers, it only requires 3 AA batteries. The sturdy polycarbonate blade is brilliant blue. The power-up, idle hum, and clashing sounds are loud and crisp, and the total package inspires the imagination. Alas, the hilt design and weight does not make this saber the easiest to spin, and the location of the power switch sometimes makes it prone to accidentally turning off the blade while manuevering or spinning the saber. A minor drawback to one of the most eclectic Force FX sabers; this is the saber that transcends the trilogies, if you will, passed from the fallen Chosen One to his son, as with the hope he would be redeemed....