Note: Vintage review – this review is from an earlier version of our homepage and is correspondingly old!
First impression
Apart from the oversized hilt, this FX lightsaber looks very nice at first glance.
Master Replicas carried over all the details of the original, but unfortunately not at 1:1 scale. The only obvious drawback is the placement of the switch directly behind the emitter.
The third version is the first to have an „auto-shut-off“ feature that switches the saber off after a certain period at rest.
Handling
Unfortunately, the lightsaber's handling isn't convincing in any way. Neither the blade nor various parts of the hilt, such as individual buttons, are attached in a combat-ready way. So unfortunately this FX isn't suitable for fighting, and because of the size of the hilt, even simple spinning isn't as much fun as you'd expect.
Light and sound
The blue of the blade is the same as on the Luke ESB FX, so a bit lighter than the color of the other sabers. Unfortunately it's an EL blade, so there's no extend and retract effect, and the blade isn't particularly bright in normally lit rooms. In the dark the saber is visible, but even there its brightness isn't very convincing.
Compared to the other FX lightsabers, the sound is very quiet, but still easy to hear. Beyond that there's only one swing sound, but just as many clash sounds as its successors. Unfortunately, especially with the first version of this FX, a certain sound keeps dropping out, for example the saber's hum. Switching it on again fixes the problem, though.
Wear
Since this FX is more of a display piece, it doesn't wear much.
But even with little use, the saber can break, especially the first version, since the electronics are very fragile. This changed slightly with the second version: the electronics are said to have been reworked, and there's also talk of new „seals“ for better fitting of the electronics.
Verdict
This saber is purely a display piece; it's too unwieldy and big for tricks and fights.
Since it's Master Replicas' first Force FX lightsaber, the Anakin AOTC is rarely found these days. One thing is certain, though: the first replica of Anakin's saber makes every collector's heart beat faster.
