Customer Reviews

Star Wars Anakin Skywalker Force Action Lightsaber

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We have three-quarters of a year of good lightsaber fighting under our belts (with kids) and I can say that the extension mechanism and the translucent cylinders work reliably and are stronger than I expected. The electronics, however, went off-and-on within the first few weeks of use. We have one lightsaber that works most of the time, and another that finally died before I decided to cut it open (see below). This is unfortunate because the light and sounds add a lot to the drama of using these things. I would still purchase these toys, but design-wise, I think there is a mismatch in the reliability of the various components.

For Do-It-Yourselfers: I spent two hours one evening repairing one of ours. I don't recommend this for most people. Even though there are screws in the handle, Hasbro glued the half shells together at the top. So to do this properly, you really need to cut through one of the shells to open it up, see what needs fixing, and then meticulously put it back together. There is a small circuit board, two contact switches, a motion sensor, the battery pack, a speaker, LEDs, catch/release mechanism, one large spring, two small springs, the outer switch and, of course, the translucent tubes. Where our lightsaber was having trouble was with the main contact switch. I removed the small piece of foam between the contacts and it has worked well since. I closed up the shells with a band of hot glue around the cut (ringing the hilt).

I recently bought this piece from a local Walmart with the intention of building up a full Jedi costume. The selling feature, for me, was the fully-retractable, spring-loaded blade. When collapsed, it's held in its handle by a clip, unlike my last lightsaber which had no blade retention. When the switch is pulled, the lights and sounds are activated, and the blade snaps to life, tho it must be collapsed by hand when you're done swinging.

The mold most closely resembles Anakin's Ep 3 hilt, tho the head seems to take cues from his Ep 2 weapon; the details are quite nice for this price range. A belt clip is present on the lower grip, tho you'll need to find or make a belt attachment to mount the weapon (I chose the latter). The hilt is quite big, but even my small hands have little trouble gripping it. The plastic blade has a bit of flex to it, tho stays straight when it extends to an ample and realistic 2.5 feet. I'd be cautious about anything beyond light dueling- I haven't had a chance to clash with other blades, tho it's survived a few smacks into the ceiling fan.

As to be expected of a $20 toy, it has its imperfections. The lights and sounds leave much to be desired in comparison to my older Obi-Wan saber. The activation and clash sounds are nice, but the idle hum doesn't fit what I'm used to hearing. The light is dim and poorly diffused by the blade plastic, and the clip on the last section of the blade blocks the light from going all the way up. The toy has two 'switches'- the gold thumb plate as seen in the movies, and a separate switch that actually releases the blade and turns on the effects. Why they didn't merge the switches into one is beyond me.

Despite a few shortcomings, this should prove a nice addition to my growing Jedi attire. It sure beats spending $100 on a MR Force FX, or $400 on a Park Sabers replica (tho the detail and craftsmanship simply do not compare with those pieces), and I don't hafta worry about carrying the blade separately or having it slide out- it stores quite nicely. If you're a Jedi on a budget, I highly recommend this piece.

I got these for a comic con costume that I'm not going to have. However, the sabers are still nice. The hilt feels a little large, but the spring action is cool. I haven't really played with them, I just took them out of the package to test out, and then put them back. But they seem solid enough for some light saber fighting; Ep 6 style, not Ep 1.
They would serve great as toys for the kids, or for a costume if you don't want to pay for an FX blade, or want something that can actually be hooked on a belt. However, there is no hook, haven't figured that part out yet.

All and all, very cool Lightsabers!!

runs through batteries like water. Too much length for kids to wield. But the sound effects and lighting up are cool.

it's fun toy, and both of my kids love it, but be aware, the noise when the light saber stretched out could be very annoying, and you have to supervise your kids when they play: mine got pokes on his nose and below eyes, scared us a heck when it poked right after his eyes...

Ordered this item from Amazon distributed by Brian's Toys and instead I got the normal $15 Electronic lightsaber, not the force action lightsaber. Amazon wouldn't do anything but refund the money. Disappointed... :(

I received the light saber covered in a layer of dust, but after I cleaned it off and gave it to my nephew for his birthday it was a hit! It's been two weeks and it's not broken yet! Good lights and sounds.

My son and daughter each received a lightsaber for Christmas and they had a lot of fun playing with them! They are still being used but not nearly as often as when they were new. Fun times!

The light is not really bright like I wanted it to be, but the sound and the feel of the Lightsaber is really great, we've played really hard with it, and it's still good! and running.

My son likes the toy; what boy wouldn't? However; I would look for a better made lightsaber if you want it to hold up. This one constantly gets jammed and is so light weight I'm surprised it was as much as I paid.