Luke ESB neopixel saber -by revansskywalker- a review

ave4uevoli

Sr Member
So I had the chance recently to deal with a fine gentleman we know as RevanSskywalker.
I purchased a prism 5.1 neopixel Luke ESB saber from him.

zWchjit.jpg


Let me tell you, this thing is phenomenal. I had no idea tech had come so far in the lightsaber world to cram so many functions into a single blade.
Revansskywalker put together this incredible saber which was no easy feat. I’ve seen people purchasing parts and I’ve heard in passing terms thrown around such as neopixel, 3d printed chasis, speakers, luxeon, crystal chambers, etc. etc. The sheer number of options you can select from for each component of the saber are immeasurable and therefore there is an art involved in creating a saber such as this. There’s also a technical skill needed and the time consuming process of obtaining parts from different vendors that is just overwhelming in my opinion.

This lightsaber world is a whole new world, much like building a Ghostbusters proton pack from GB fans, or a R2D2 from astromech. But imagine those worlds without any standards, without any “builders specs” to follow… utter chaos I tell you.. chaos!

Due to the sheer number of options, it was difficult to find a builder that shared my priorities in prop collecting. There are wonderful lightsabers out there that are “custom” or replicas of sabers from the SW extended universe. I’m unfortunately not interested in any of these. I was always seeking a saber that was accurate to one of the original trilogy sabers and this guy and his saber, fit the bill

A Luke ESB saber accurate when the blade was removed and yet had all the functionality (and more) that I could ever want from a lightsaber/prop replica.
Lets run through how awesome this saber is…..

First, the base flash, it is extremely accurate to a graflex. I’m not a saber expert as many are here, but I can compare it to three of my genuine graflex flashes and there is hardly any difference. (yes there are some… but the thing lights up, and is so pretty… so who cares)

0CsOKc8.jpg

Bjh6bHq.jpg

ULGokBs.jpg

5vB9TGQ.jpg

1yWkYyj.jpg



The builder took the time to get really nice T-tracks, circuit card, and with the ESB saber, took the time to accurately drill screws in all the t-tracks. Then as a personal touch there was a bit of weathering done, but not too much.. not too heavy… just right, in my opinion.
Please take a look at the comparison photos of the lightsaber to 3 graflexes, all side by side. The inside, when the blade is removed, has a blade plug that resembles the plug in the graflex flash. That’s really a nice touch, because then I can display it 4 ways, with a blade, without a blade, with a blade and exposed crystal chamber, and without a blade and exposed crystal chamber.

uP3lv9P.jpg


Crystal chamber reveal? Really? Yup, ever since I was able to obtain a Rylo ROTJ elstree reveal saber many years ago I’ve always wanted a crystal chamber reveal to be put into all my sabers. Not accurate in any way for a ESB saber, but I just think it’s fun looking, and when taking it apart to change out the batteries, it is so much better than just a plain old battery holder like in my MR lightsabers. This thing has been 3d printed. It’s light, but sturdy. I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I am at the people that developed this chasis. The tolerances are so ridiculously tight, it fits into the graflex seamlessly. I’m seriously impressed. The crystal chamber lights up as well. Which is just sheer fun. It was weathered by Revansskywalker, I think he did a nice job. You can see some of the 3d print lines, but they’re somewhat masked by the weathering job giving it an antique used look….much like what an inside of an engine would look like after being driven 100,000 miles. Hell this saber was supposed to have gone through battles with Anakin, then stuck in Obi-wans old chest, then Luke… etc. So I’m expecting a bit of carbon buildup.

XsOe8GA.jpg

nPRjAdb.jpg



One thing I can’t show you in the pictures is that every time this baby is powered up a short sound clip plays. I turned it on the first time and I heard in Obi-Wans voice pulsing through the loud speaker, “this is a weapon of the jedi…” That sent chills down my spine.

Buying experience… So I’m no stranger to the junkyard. Please see how much time and money that the junkyard has sucked out of me over the years. I’ve dealt with the best of the best here.
https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=83680&page=19&highlight=collection+showoff
Surprisingly, Revansskywalker was different. The 2nd PM I got from him was him asking me for my phone number so he could call me. I immediately figured something was wrong, but he introduced himself, and wanted to walk me through every step of the process. I tried to explain that I wasn’t a dummy and I understood props and electronics but truth be told, this saber was out of my league and I needed a bit of hand holding. He kept me updated when he went to the post office, he kept me updated with tracking numbers, and he even called on the day it was supposed to arrive to make sure it got to me in time and intact. When I did receive it, a day late, damn usps delays, he walked me through every function this saber had to offer. Step by step, button by button. Function over function. He took time out of his work day, shooed off a customer or two on his end in doing so, just so we could finish going over everything. This guy surely took pride in his saber…and quite frankly, he didn’t want to see me F it up.

More functions, so I briefly touched on the sound files, of which one will play every time you power on the device, or change blade settings. You can also customize a sound file to play with a particular blade. Neopixel sabers are essentially strings of RGB LED lights. It’s not like the old MR lightsabers that were only one delicate string. This is, to my knowledge, 2 or 3 strands of LED lights that are durable enough to dual with. As mentioned, the blade is removable and you can display it whatever way you like, and regardless if the blade is plugged in, the crystal chamber lights up. Due to the RGB LED lights, the blade flashes from constant pulsing blue to white whenever the motion sensor detects a “clash.” That’s a really cool feature and brings a level of realism to the prop. The blade also has the ability to scroll through different colors. It can pretty much duplicate any color you want. My girls were particularly fond of the pink lightsaber…. Sigh… don’t worry, they’re still young, and all hope is not lost.

Z9vUi4C.jpg

rhDSd1p.jpg

CHIpxtL.jpg



I guess that’s about it I may have not given credit where credit is due in certain parts of getting this saber together. I don’t build these things myself so I can’t fully appreciate how hard it is. I do know that the seller was responsive, friendly and quick to help whenever needed.


Rd8rE8i.jpg

pN5maAk.jpg
 
Last edited:
if you dont mind me asking, how much was the neo esb graflex? it looks beautiful.

I think it's best if you contact or PM RevanSskywalker directly. The prices of these things fluctuate so much. The price depends on how much stuff you want to put into it
 
Awesome to hear about your good experience with a sabersmith. I wanted something similar for my own, but I'm still debating regarding NeoPixel blades vs a QuadCree from KR sabers. Though, since this is going to be a multi-year project for me, I think I'm going to try getting all the metal and plastic chamber bits, then sending it to someone to just do an install.
 
This thread is more than 5 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top