Kids Toys Shop

We have a few months of good lightsaber fighting (with kids) now and I can say that the extension mechanism and the translucent cylinders work reliably and are stronger than I expected. The electronics, however, went off-and-on within the first few weeks of use. We have one lightsaber that works most of the time, and another that has all but given up the ghost. This is unfortunate because the light and sounds add a lot to the drama of using these things. I think the electronics (a small circuit board near the switch) probably could be repaired at home, but Hasbro has made it very difficult to open up the mechanism. I would still purchase these toys, but design-wise, I think there is a mismatch in the reliability of the various components. Since Hasbro can expect to sell these long into the future, I think investing in a redesigned electronic switch would be worth it.

I recently bought this piece from a local Walmart with the intention of building up a full Jedi costume. The selling feature, for me, was the fully-retractable, spring-loaded blade. When collapsed, it's held in its handle by a clip, unlike my last lightsaber which had no blade retention. When the switch is pulled, the lights and sounds are activated, and the blade snaps to life, tho it must be collapsed by hand when you're done swinging.

The mold most closely resembles Anakin's Ep 3 hilt, tho the head seems to take cues from his Ep 2 weapon; the details are quite nice for this price range. A belt clip is present on the lower grip, tho you'll need to find or make a belt attachment to mount the weapon (I chose the latter). The hilt is quite big, but even my small hands have little trouble gripping it. The plastic blade has a bit of flex to it, tho stays straight when it extends to an ample and realistic 2.5 feet. I'd be cautious about anything beyond light dueling- I haven't had a chance to clash with other blades, tho it's survived a few smacks into the ceiling fan.

As to be expected of a $20 toy, it has its imperfections. The lights and sounds leave much to be desired in comparison to my older Obi-Wan saber. The activation and clash sounds are nice, but the idle hum doesn't fit what I'm used to hearing. The light is dim and poorly diffused by the blade plastic, and the clip on the last section of the blade blocks the light from going all the way up. The toy has two 'switches'- the gold thumb plate as seen in the movies, and a separate switch that actually releases the blade and turns on the effects. Why they didn't merge the switches into one is beyond me.

Despite a few shortcomings, this should prove a nice addition to my growing Jedi attire. It sure beats spending $100 on a MR Force FX, or $400 on a Park Sabers replica (tho the detail and craftsmanship simply do not compare with those pieces), and I don't hafta worry about carrying the blade separately or having it slide out- it stores quite nicely. If you're a Jedi on a budget, I highly recommend this piece.

My son and daughter each received a lightsaber for Christmas and they had a lot of fun playing with them! They are still being used but not nearly as often as when they were new. Fun times!

runs through batteries like water. Too much length for kids to wield. But the sound effects and lighting up are cool.