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This Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber is Perfect for Cosplays - Product Review


This Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber is Perfect for Cosplays - Product Review
9 out of 10

I’ve always wanted a realistic lightsaber! What Star Wars fan hasn’t? In The Force Awakens, we were introduced to one of the most radical lightsaber designs with Kylo Ren’s blade. Thanks to our friends at Entertainment Earth, we were able to receive the new Star Wars The Black Series Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber for review! This lightsaber features a realistic metal hilt with special light and sound effects.

Inside the box is the lightsaber, an instruction sheet, and a clear display stand for wall mounting. The first thing I noticed after unpacking and picking up this beast of a lightsaber is the weight, feel, and look of the real metal hilt. Lifting it up and swinging the blade feels like you are operating a true lightsaber. The difference in feel between this and the typical plastic lightsaber toy is significant. While the hilt does have weight to it, it is still light enough to swing and hold comfortably. The hilt also has a good grip.

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The Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber hilt is nearly identical to the movie design. Even the cleverly designed battery insert at the bottom of the blade closely resembles the specifications of the movie version.

One difference between the movie version and the Force FX version is that the cracked opening revealing wires is a little more subdued in the Force FX model. I imagine this is mostly a technological limitation, as the Force FX version has internal components that take up this space (lighting up the lightsaber, sound effects/hidden speakers, etc..).

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The blue wire on the Force FX lightsaber is metal painted blue. The red wire on the outside of the hilt is actually a heavy duty rubber like material that you can feel flex slightly on touch, it also feeds inside the lightsaber just like it does in the movie. The only real physical downside I see to this lightsaber is that the blades are not removable from the hilt.

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The lightsaber takes 3 AA batteries that are inserted in a compartment that unscrews at the bottom. It's pretty easy to unscrew and re-screw in, and doesn't require any hardware (just use your fingers or a coin).

Turning on the lightsaber requires a simple push of a switch near the top of the hilt. The center tube lights up first, quickly followed by both the arms. The lights also flicker every few seconds, illustrating the unstableness of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber. The lighting effects are accompanied by sound effects too! These sound effects follow the movement of the lightsaber, so if you swing the blade, you will hear accompanying effects. If the blade moves suddenly and stops or hits another blade, it will make a pretty awesome sound effect of clashing blades, just like you would hear in a real lightsaber battle. This makes it a perfect choice for cosplaying and duels at your local Comic-Con.

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While the sound isn’t an exact match to the movie, it is satisfying. The biggest difference you will note is that the sound effect has a bit more crackle to it than the movie, and the movie version sounds more smooth with deeper bass. The noise level on the saber is good, and it is loud enough to fill a room. The sound effects are always on as long as the blade is lit, and there is no option to disable, volume adjust, or turn off the sound (you're not going to use this as a night light).

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You can listen and see the special effects of the lightsaber in Hasbro's product demo below:

The display stand that comes with the lightsaber is a welcome addition. It is useful for displaying on a large desk, but since the Kylo Ren lightsaber has 3 blades, it is most likely going to be used as a wall mount. The display stand has two holes that can be used for wall mounting, but the box does not include any screws, so you will need to pick that up yourself.

Overall, I love this lightsaber! The feel of the hilt is amazing! It is very solid and feels well built. The blade is protected well in a clear hard plastic-like shell. I accidentally hit the blade pretty hard against a chandelier and the lightsaber wasn’t damaged at all (neither was the chandelier).

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Conclusion:

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The metal hilt is great and both looks and feels realistic. The light effects on the Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber are awesome, and I like the flickering effect it has as well as the sound effects. The only downside to this lightsaber is that you can’t turn the sound effects off, and the blades can’t be removed. If you are looking for a lightsaber for display, cosplay, Halloween, or general fun, I highly recommend this version. I couldn’t find anything online that came close to this quality without being a replica in the $1,000s plus range.

You can pickup your own Kylo Ren Force FX Lightsaber for $199 at Entertainment Earth. Have any questions about the lightsaber? Leave us a comment below!

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fantasy & Science Fiction and Reviews page.