Hasbro Ultimate FX Lightsaber Review

Seems like interest in this has died off pretty quickly. The availability of these sabers only spotty at best. So far the only Target I've seen them at is the one I bought mine from. TRU doesn't appear to have plans to carry them at all (at least the clerk I spoke to didn't know anything about it)!

I'm toying with the idea of getting another Anakin saber and one of those "basic" Obi ROTS sabers. If I take the the forward grip, neck/windvane, and emitter from the basic saber, the activation band, rear grip, and pommel from an old electronic Obi ROTS plus the electronics and blade from the new Anakin saber, I might be able to cobble together an Ultimate FX version of the Obi ROTS. Maybe...
 
I'll likely be picking one of these up, if and when they ever become available in my neck of the woods. It would definitely go a long way to keeping me tied over until I get a chance to convert my Graflex replica!
 
They seem to be all over target stores in the bay area. Saw some on Sunday and was astounded they were out already. Just picked up a couple as gifts for our neighbor's kids since they always have a hankering to grab my FX sabers and MR sabers. These are great little toys and so much nicer then the basic slide out sabers. Hopefully they will stand the test of time and the wrath of kids playing jedi.
 
I am very interested in seeing how hard it is to break the LEDs. I've hit mine fairly hard on doorframes and the like, with no ill effects. It's interesting - the LED string seems to have been redesigned somehow to absorb impact better, but I've never broken a LED in a regular FX saber, so I wouldn't really be very qualified to make a judgement on the matter.
 
Yes, I would think if they are goingto put them in the hands of kids... especially boys, they are expecting them to take and withstand some decent abuse.
 
Tan Djarka said:
Ha! I had the ORIGINAL lightsaber toy. It was an unlicensed product that came out shortly after the movie. Some guy was in a sports shop when he noticed the golf tubes (plastic inserts for the clubs in a golf bag). They were a milky white, unlike the black ones available today. Attach that to 2D Cell flashlight, add a red or blue filter, and you've got a lightsaber. The guy made a small fortune, and even started a fan club ("The Order of the Jedi Knights") before Lucas put a stop to it. It was a good twenty years before another decent saber toy hit the market.

I don't have my original anymore, but I did recreate it with a vintage golf tube I found at a thrift shop. I've also got a rare vintage RED tube attached to my '96 style Vader electronic saber.
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Was it actually called a lightsaber?
I had a different unlicensed one, again, right after the 1st movie.
Just a flashlight with an attached milky plastic blade, the blade was oval in cross section (more like an actual sword) and it had a sliding piece within the blade that blocked the light. By tilting the whole saber you could get the slider to slide and the "light" saber would then extend or retract.
 
TRU Canada doesn't seem to have them yet, sadly, or I'd grab a Vader for the kids. And...DAMN! I remember having the inflatable lightsabre! With it's "Gyro-Action" or something close. For about, oh, a week before it got broken :( Oh, and I love the photo of Luke on that packaging - crudely painted-out E-11 and paste a lightsaber-sorta thing into his hands :)
 
Tan Djarka said:
Seems like interest in this has died off pretty quickly. The availability of these sabers only spotty at best. So far the only Target I've seen them at is the one I bought mine from. TRU doesn't appear to have plans to carry them at all (at least the clerk I spoke to didn't know anything about it)!
Click to expand...

Not to worry, wave 2 of the Ultimate FX sabers should be hitting in September. And it's not really a surprise that your local TRU employee had no idea what you were talking about. The 5 or so stores in the metro-Atlanta area all have Darth Maul Force FX displays in their Star Wars section but none of the employees seem to know where the associated product is, what it is, or whether or not they even carried them in the first place...go figure.
 
My local Toy R Us has lightsabers as well a Darth Vader one and a Luke Skywalker one that are marketed as adult collectibles. They are exf force or something like that they are 120$ are these the same as the ones in this review? They only had 4 of them 2 Vaders and two lukes.

I have pics of the boxes I think?
 
No, the $120 ones are the standard (adult) FX lightsabers. My TRU (and most) have been carrying the line for a few years now. They too are also made by Hasbro. When MR turned over the license, efx did the regular prop replicas and Hasbro took over the FX line. The Ultimate FX (kids/$35) Luke ROTJ will hit store shelves in October according to Hasbo's SDCC presentation.
 
Does anyone know if Target is going to be the only one to sell these sabers? Sadly my neck of the woods is usually the last to get new products, although they are still new to the market.
 
Psab keel said:
Does anyone know if Target is going to be the only one to sell these sabers? Sadly my neck of the woods is usually the last to get new products, although they are still new to the market.
Click to expand...

I've now seen them at K-Mart as well, but not Walmart. I was in a TRU yesterday, who still don't have them but they have restocked the "Signature" (formerly MR) FX sabers. That's the good part. The bad is they're still the ones with the non-removable blade. I have a feeling they won't carry the Ultimate FX sabers unless they have to, protecting their Signature FX sales, which I'm sure are more profitabe.

The only stores that I've seen the removable blade FX sabers in is Books a Million, but they want $150 for them, which is well above retail (what is it now for the new sabers, $120 or $130?). They often have them on sale for 30% off, but that only brings it to MSRP. They might also have "member pricing" as well, if you've signed up for one of their cards.
 
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WhiteShadow said:
Not to worry, wave 2 of the Ultimate FX sabers should be hitting in September.
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So far all we've seen of that "wave" is the Luke ROTJ, which is due for October. Do you know something we don't (like what other sabers may be produced)?

I'd like to see an Obi ROTS or an Ahsoka Tano saber, while a Qui Gon Jinn might be cool. Or maybe a Maul? At one point I thought another "saber construction kit" would be cool, but it occurs to me that the technology doesn't really support a color changing blade.
 
Tan Djarka said:
The only stores that I've seen the removable blade FX sabers in is Books a Million, but they want $150 for them, which is well above retail (what is it now for the new sabers, $120 or $130?). They often have them on sale for 30% off, but that only brings it to MSRP. They might also have "member pricing" as well, if you've signed up for one of their cards.
Click to expand...

If you want a decent price of the removable blade sabers try: Lightsabers Any order over $50 is free shipping.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We don't have a Kmart in our town anymore (haven't had one for years now) but I always forget about the one a few towns over. I drove over on a whim and they were rearranging the aisles. I saw the signs for the Ultimate FX Sabers and I'm glad I asked a sales rep if they had any in stock. He took a look in the back and came out with a box of them. They had the Anakin and Vader models. I bought the Anakin model. For only $37.21 after tax, I'd say it's a GREAT kids toy, and for a collector it's a great buy.

The sound is the same as the standard Hasbro lightsaber toys, but the blade is light-years better than the ones with the telescopic style blades that they've been making since 1995. The LED's are more spaced out, since there are fewer encased in the tube than the standard Force FX Sabers, and they aren't quite as bright. But I was surprised that it was more evenly lit than I was expecting. I figured for a kids toy that the blade might be sort of spotty. Not the case.

I'll post a video review up once I have a chance to open it. Overall my first impressions are that it is definitely worth the purchase price!
 
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