Force FX Lightsabers

[D'oh!]

Would love an Old Ben if they could somehow keep the neck skinny.

 

[chRd]

anyone got info re difference and updates on the one with removable blades? planning to sell my current line to upgrade to these.. just hope the new removable ones are better

 

[obi_dave_kenobi]

I have owned Master Replicas Luke Episode IV, own 2 Master Replicas Darth Maul, and have the Hasbro Anakin episode III with removable blade and to me they feel they are same quality, maybe a little improved. Some might argue that, Someone posted a while back hat the soundboard was changed but I don't know the specifics.

 

[canofhumdingers]

Help! I have the original ANH vader Force FX saber & I screwed up by leaving batteries in it too long. They corroded & now I'm having issues. I caught it fairly early on, so the corrosion was pretty much limited to the battery contacts. I've cleaned the corrosion off the battery pack as well as I could (using vinegar & Q-tips). I can't see any more corrosion & I kept cleaning until I could no longer get anything to pop or fizzle (that's the sign that the vinegar is eating the corrosion away). Then I rinsed the battery pack down in the sink to get rid of the vinegar & spent the next two days drying it VERY thoroughly.

So I went to put batteries in it today to test it out. Bu I ran into a problem. 5 of the batteries seemed to be fine, but the sixth would immediately start heating up once in place. It became hot to the touch within seconds. Of course, I popped it out as fast as I could. I tried 4 or 5 other batteries, all to the same result. It doesn't matter if I have any other batteries installed in the pack or not, this one slot makes evey battery I put in it become hot instantaneously. The only other thing I can think to try is to get some regular batteries, as all the ones I have in the house right now are rechargeable types.

So does anyone here have more experience with electronics & perhaps know why this is happening or what to do about it?

 

[canofhumdingers]

Ok, weirdest thing. I took all batteries out & let it be for a few more hours. Came back to it this afternoon & thought I'd give it another try. This time it worked perfectly. No over heating batteries. No shorting out & powering up/down uncontrollably when the switch was on (which is what clued me in the batteries had corroded to begin with). No monkey business whatsoever. It worked just like when it was fresh out of the box. I'm totally dumbfounded, but happy it seems to be back to normal!

I'd still appreciate any input about what might've been going on from those more knowledgable than me. I've always been pretty slow when it comes to electronics.

 

[budafett]

None of my FX sabers have the batteries in them! Better safe than sorry!

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Wow, yeah, I'm going to get my batteries out as soon as I get home!

Canofhumdingers, I would guess that there was probably a little moisture left where that last battery went. That's the only thing I can think of.

 

[canofhumdingers]

yeah , I normally don't keep batteries in any of my electronic collectibles and just put them in when I want to use turn them on. Don't know why I left them in the saber. Bad lapse of judgement that certainly won't be repeated!

 

[hydro86]

I heard Hasbro is releasing a couple new lightsabers such as Kit Fisto anyone know if this is true?

 

[Cocoboloboy]

Yep, Kit's and ANH Luke with removeable blades are due out in July.

 

[willocrew]

Yep, Kit's and ANH Luke with removeable blades are due out in July.

ANH Luke too? I thought it was only kit fisto.

Would look nice alongside my custom rotj hero Luke saber

 

[Cocoboloboy]

ANH Luke too? I thought it was only kit fisto.

Would look nice alongside my custom rotj hero Luke saber

Yeah, I saw a few shops had it listed for preorder. I'll probably pick one up to replace the Mace saber I have in my quad display.

 

[modeljag]

What's the retail on the new ones?

 

[Cocoboloboy]

What's the retail on the new ones?

I've seen them mostly around $125-135.

 

[willocrew]

My Hasbro anh vader saber is coming in tonight. Cant wait!

It's my favorite vader hilt design..second favorite would be the rotj hilt.

 

[budafett]

My Hasbro anh vader saber is coming in tonight. Cant wait!

It's my favorite vader hilt design..second favorite would be the rotj hilt.

Let's see some pictures when it arrives!

 

[willocrew]

Let's see some pictures when it arrives!

Yep can do. I'll try to snap some pics later after the french open final.

I unpacked the vader anh saber yesterday and I must say the hilt is quite impressive. I'll comment more when i post the pics.

 

[willocrew]

Here are the photos of the Hasbro Force FX Vader ANH Saber which i received a few days ago.

The finishing on the saber hilt itself is quite impressive for a mass produced item. It has a combination of plastic, stainless steel and aluminum fittings and the choice of material is quite appropriate (it creates a nice illusion of an amalgam of metal and futuristic plastic/carbon fibre). The metal body has also been clear coated to prevent tarnishing.

I've had a look at some comparison pics between the replica prop version (non-electronic) and the master replicas/hasbro fx version and they are almost identical (this vader saber is only marginally fatter to house the electronics). So this particular vader saber is quite a solid display piece once you remove the "removable blade".

The electronics however is not as good as the aesthetics unfortunately. The motion detection isn't quite as accurate and sensitive as i would have liked, and the speakers are not as crisp (a little bit of crackling static inter ence at times).

The luminosity of the red LED blade is good (I used brand new duracell ultra 1.5 V alkalines). When fresh, the blade gives a very solid true red glow. But after a while, when the battery starts to deplete (and the voltage drops), the redness is less intense and it takes on a more reddish/orange colour which still looks decent. The picture above is a bit deceiving because the inner "orange core" is merely due to the camera exposure. In person, the LED tube takes on a glow similar to the reflection on my venetian blinds which, hopefully you can see, is slightly orange,

I haven't yet tried 1.2 V NiMH rechargeable batteries yet, but I suspect it'll work quite well even with the lower 1.2 V rating because NiMH batteries tend to have more voltage consistency during discharge (alkalines give you really good performance initially but it drops quite drastically).

Overall I'm very happy with this saber and i know there are quite a few people out there who are looking for a vader anh saber to complement the efx vader anh helmet. If you are looking for a saber, i think you might want to consider the FX saber. It looks pretty good, it has working electronics and it isnt quite as expensive as the prop replica hilts. And even if you do end up getting a 99.9% screen accurate vader hilt, this vader fx saber wont really be a redundant piece in your collection since it offers costuming possibilities (would you really want to wear your $900 custom made hilt to comic con??).

So I'll rate the hilt a 9.5/10 (there always room for improvement) and the electronics 6.5/10 (gotta balance cost vs. Features)

Now there are two options available if you do want to take the force fx route in preparation of your upcoming vader helmet. You can either get a stock hasbro/master replicas fx saber OR you can get a custom made one done. In my opinion, there's no big difference between master replicas and hasbro (some people will disagree and they say hasbro uses cheaper screws etc). But personally I'll much rather buy a brand new hasbro electronic piece because master replicas no longer makes these and you would need to get a second hand one on eBay if you want an mr.

If you do choose to go custom, the price can vary. I've got a Luke ROTJ custom made saber coming in next week (the hasbro/MR version is just too inaccurate with the fat neck) and hopefully I'll be able to do another review on that. But yeah' hopefully this review will help you guys decide for yourselves whether it is worth it to get the force fx saber because that vader helmet is going to need a saber.

 

[budafett]

Awesome review Willocrew!

How's the saber with the blade removed? How does that actually work? Can you post some pictures of the cap piece and the hilt with the blade removed?

Thanks!

 

[willocrew]

Removing the polycarbonate tube is a little more tedious than the other sabers cuz you need to remove the emitter shroud and then unscrew the inner cap. But its not terribly difficult.

I've attached a two quick iphone pics of my two fx sabers.