The Force has Lights, Sounds, and Vibrations!
Written: Apr 16 '05 (Updated May 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cool blue glow, lightsaber sounds from the movie, and vibrates on impact
Cons: I find the vibration a bit annoying
The Bottom Line: Fun lightsaber toy. Just remember that it can be dangerous in the hands of those unfamiliar with the Force.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Elect... |
It started out innocently enough. I had attended a computer trade show years ago and gotten a little freebie lightsaber from one of the companies selling their wares (and in that geeky crowd it was one of the most sought-after freebies of the day). When my son was a toddler it was the perfect size and weight for him. My husband and I were both big Star Wars fans as children, so it seemed only right that my young son should have his own lightsaber. When my husband spotted a retractable lightsaber toy he purchased it so he and my son could have lightsaber duels. As time passed newer and better lightsaber toys became available, and my husband continued to upgrade my son's lightsaber collection. Our newest addition is one of the many lightsaber toys released to coincide with the upcoming Star Wars movie, namely The Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Electronic Lightsaber. It's retractable, it makes cool lightsaber sounds, and it vibrates!
Product Description:
The Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Electronic Lightsaber is a (mostly) retractable toy lightsaber. Since this is Obi-Wan's lightsaber, the color of the beam/blade is a translucent blue that glows (thanks to a lightbulb down in the handle) when powered on. Constructed of plastic, the beam or blade piece telescopes out and collapses down. It also makes cool lightsaber sounds (more on that below). What makes this "Revenge of the Sith" lightsaber different from other Obi-Wan lightsabers from Hasbro's previous movie-tie-in toy offerings is that this one vibrates on impact. When it hits a target you get a few seconds of vibration, so I suppose you can feel the force flowing through you...
I broke out the tape measure for this paragraph. As I said, we have quite a few lightsabers in the house. From my experience, the handles on the Hasbro lightsabers that light up and make sounds are longer than average (presumably to house the light and sound mechanisms), and this one is no exception. The handle alone measures 12¼ inches long. Additionally, the blue lightsaber-beam does not collapse completely into the handle (again presumably due to the light, sound, and vibration mechanisms stored in there), so the bottom-most piece of the telescoping blade is permanently out, adding an additional 9 inches to the length of the toy when closed. When fully expanded the blade/beam measures 27 inches, so the full length of the lightsaber is over 3 feet long when expanded!
This particular lightsaber also makes those cool lightsaber sounds that I've loved ever since I was little. The sounds include a "power-up" sound when turned on, the "hum" emitted whenever the blade is active, a "clash" sound whenever it hits something, as well as a "power-down" sound when turned off. The sounds are very true to the movies, and my only complaint is the lack of the sound the blade makes as it moves around without hitting anything.
Unlike our older Obi-Wan lightsabers with their mostly silver-and-black handles, this new lightsaber from "Revenge of the Sith" seems to have a slightly more elegant style, with thinner sections and some copper-colored accents. Rather than the red button found on prior Obi-Wan lightsabers, this one's control button is a rectangular patch with what looks like circuitry drawn in. The button activates the lights, sounds, and vibrations, but does not control the blade/beam in any way (in other words, the beam can be expanded or contracted without using the button, unlike some of our older lightsabers). When the movie is released I will definitely be checking out Obi-Wan's lightsaber to see how true this toy is to its movie counterpart.
The manufacturer recommends this toy for children ages 4 and up. It requires 3 "AA" batteries (not included).
Our Thoughts and Experiences:
What can I say, boys will be boys, and my son and his father enjoy beating each other with sticks (all in fun, of course). I appreciate the fact that playing with lightsabers gets my son active and doing something other than watching television, and like the fact dueling with lightsabers is something my son and his father can do together.
This lightsaber, along with our older Obi-Wan Lightsaber from Attack of the Clones, have become the weapons of choice for my husband and son in their daily lightsaber battles. Both are roughly the same length (the Revenge of the Sith one is 1 inch longer than the Attack of the Clones one) and both have lights and sounds, hence the lightsabers are evenly matched. The Sith blade is the only one that vibrates, which can be both cool and a hindrance during the more intense battles. I really do find my 6-foot-tall husband on his knees battling my 3½ year old one of the more amusing things to watch in my spare time.
Now when my son duels with his Dad he goes all out - it's a no-holds-barred whacking fest on his part (thankfully my husband shows some restraint and spends most of his time simply defending himself with his lightsaber). The Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Lightsaber has taken quite a beating and still holds up well. The business end of the lightsaber is a fairly lightweight plastic and there are no sharp points or anything, however I'd imagine you could damage a foe in a fight with this lightsaber if you tried hard enough. There is a warning label on the toy that reads: "Caution! Do not poke or jab with Lightsaber. Sections are made to stick together in the extended position and will not easily collapse if jabbed into an object, individual, or animal."
One thing I really like about this lightsaber is the fact that it is much lighter than our older Obi-Wan Lightsaber with lights and sounds. That's because this lightsaber requires 3 "AA" batteries, whereas our older one requires 2 "C" batteries. I think my son prefers fighting with this lightsaber because it is lighter (although the vibrations can get annoying).
Expanding the blade/beam is rather easy (just a flick of the wrist for the hubby and I -- my preschooler son is a bit more dramatic about it). Collapsing the blade is another matter. My husband's preferred method is to stab the blade straight downward onto the floor, whacking with enough force to close the various sections. We've tried to discourage my son from using his hands to push the telescoping pieces down into each other, since it is easy to get fingers pinched that way.
The Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi Electronic Lightsaber is one of 3 lightsabers with unique "powers" released for the upcoming Star Wars movie (there are plenty of other, "plain" lightsabers available from Hasbro without lights or sounds). Another "special" one is Anakin's lightsaber, which can change colors from blue to red (signifying his change from Anakin to Darth Vader). Lastly there's Yoda's blade, which has a "training mode" that includes recordings of some of Yoda's phrases from the movie. My husband was going to get Yoda's lightsaber for my son, since it is smaller than the average lightsaber and he figured it would be easier for my little guy to manage, but he didn't want a lightsaber that talked to him.
Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) Lights up with a cool blue glow (not quite the same as what you see in the movie, but decent enough)
+) Makes 4 cool lightsaber sounds that are true to the sounds made by lightsabers in the movies
+) Is lighter than our older light & sound lightsaber (due to the smaller batteries).
+) Vibrates on impact
+) Automatic shut off after a few minutes
+) Sturdy toy stands up well to rough play
Cons:
-) Does not include the sound made whenever lightsabers are moved about without hitting anything
-) When closing the blade/beam it is possible to get fingers pinched in the telescoping sections
-) In my opinion, the vibrating gets old, but that's just me
-) You need 2 lightsabers for a good duel
Final Thoughts:
My husband and I are both Star Wars fans (my son is a bit too young and hasn't seen the movies yet) and we find it rather cool to have "real" lightsabers that sound like those we've grown up seeing. My son is one of those "boy's boys" - with no toy guns he will use a french fry or a home-made Lego-gun to shoot, and has made swords from K'Nex and Tinkertoys, so any qualms I had against buying him a "weapon" didn't last long, since he makes his own weapons anyway (I don't know where he gets these ideas, honest!) These lightsaber toys have gotten a lot of use at our house, and get my boy actively engaged with his father, so I don't have any complaints.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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