So I am finally able to do my review of my PS. I got it this past Thursday and I was in love with it at first sight, but I had already planned on doing some modifications to it to make it a little more film accurate. But until I get to that, I'll go ahead and review it first.
Right when I opened the box, I was able to see that this was a quality piece of work. The weight alone makes you appreciate the saber as well as the detailing. One thing I did notice that was wrong on mine was that the black greeblie on the control box was kind of mispositioned from the factory... and I'm not referring to its inaccurate placement at the bottom end of the control box. Part of the greeblie on my saber was literally hanging off the edge of the control box toward the back. Not a big deal, I wanted to reposition it, anyhow.
The copper side rails of the control box also broke off on mine, so I had to use a two-part epoxy to glue them back on, which wasn't a big deal, and of course the control card on mine was sliding too easy. My trick was to place an adhesive-backed foam strip to the end of the card and also on the control box below it, which provides enough traction so that the card doesn't move easily.
The machining on the saber is absolutely amazing. Clean, crisp edges, the grenade section grip is very comfortable, and contrary to the usual criticism, I like the pinkish tone to the copper on the neck. Though, I am kind of disappointed it's not actual copper. Granted, true copper would tarnish incredibly fast, which is why most copper-finished products are also clear-coated which is an option.
I haven't had any electronics issues with my PS. After a full charge, it started right up and was as bright as day with quality, bassy sound that is quite satisfying to the ears; especially the accurate snap-hiss activation sound.
Now with mine, to make it more movie accurate I went ahead and did some tweaks to the control box and they are as follows:
- I removed the black greeblie from the spot it was glued on from the factory. For those who want a more film-accurate saber, this modification is very easy to do. The greeblie is only glued on and there is no milled inset or indentation, the area it's glued onto is flat like the rest of the control box surface. Just pry it off, use a two-part epoxy and glue it at the top of the control box right below the copper siderail where it should be. I did this and it makes all the difference.
- Also sanded down the anodized finish on the greeblie and repainted black and layered it with clear coat to give it a nice gloss.
- I had a few Kingbright triangular LEDs that have the same general shape as the arrows they inset and paint on the PS, but unfortunately they're not similarly sized. So what I did was I just snipped off the ends of the LEDs (didn't plan on making them functional), sanded them down a bit and glued them right onto the painted insets. At least now it looks like the triangles are actual, separate parts rather than just painted insets.
- And finally, I drilled two holes the same size as the milled screw accents that SF puts into the control box under the arrows and glued in two brass slotted screws like with the actual prop. Even turned the screws until the slots were facing the same direction as they should. The screws had to be ground down to size to fit, since they were originally a head diameter of almost 5mm and I grinded them down until they were about 3.8mm. I don't think you'll be able to find a screw that fits perfectly from the get-go. This was a pretty invasive modification, but I'm glad with how it turned out.
Wasn't able to accomplish these mods without putting a couple small nicks and scratches into the aluminum but I don't care. No lightsaber in the SW universe is going to look perfect and clean, not to mention now it is way more film-accurate.
Thanks for reading, and I absolutely love this thing! WIthout further adieu, PHOTOS!