I’m ready for the 3rd phase of being a Star Wars fan… and it’s a lot like the Holy Trilogy I’ve loved my entire life has prepared me for. In the last 15 years, Star Wars and I have had an often virulent relationship. As anyone who listens to the podcast can tell you, I did not handle The Prequels very well. But you know what? That’s part of being a Star Wars fan.
A New Hope was our early fandom. It was all sunny and amazing. For over 20 years, almost everything Star Wars was great, from the trilogy of films to the video games to the books and comics. It really was the best of times and the future looked bright! But The Prequels for me were like the Empire striking back. It was a pretty dark time for me, one in which I got rid of almost all of my Star Wars memorabilia and cried to anyone who’d listen that we’d all been wronged. I’m not sure if I’m still over the heart break.
But just like the Jedi returned, so has Star Wars… and the future looks promising with a brand new series of films, brand new tie-in stories and the reappearance of our favorite characters. So why wouldn’t I return to A Galaxy Far, Far Away in heavy anticipation for Episode VII? Besides, with brand new Star Wars brings a whole bunch of what helped make us super fans in the first place, right? I’m talking about Star Wars memorabilia!
Well, after steering clear of Force Friday (I know, I still kind’ve want that remote controlled BB-8) I am finally proud to say that I have my first piece of Episode VII swag… and it’s probably the coolest piece on the market yet! Just look at my reaction when I unboxed it and quickly put it together:
Yup! I’ve gone to the Darkside! The awesome folks at Ultrasabers sent me their new replica version of Kylo Ren’s crossguard lightsaber… and I love it!
The lightsaber actually shipped in two packages, one with the hilt and the other with the bulbs. The first thing I noticed in unpacking them (furiously, with my dog Rufus helping to destroy the bubble wrap) was the weight of the hilt. It’s very, very well crafted and has a good amount of heft to it. No doubt, shipping them with the plastic LEDs may have damaged them. Even still, the LEDs (which make the cross guard 14” long and 5.5.” wide) seem pretty sturdy. It would take a pretty big impact to damage them. Really, the construction of everything really impressed me.
My specific saber came with the batteries ready to go (4 AAAs). And the LEDs were easy to insert and tighten into place with the tiny included Allen wrench. Once that was all done (a few minutes), it was ready to go. This IS the first replica sword that I own (I almost bought a Master Sword and shield at SDCC a few years ago but disciplined myself) and I’m pretty impressed by it. The craftsmanship that went into it is pretty detailed and the aircraft aluminum construction really needs to be felt to be appreciated.
There are other replica lightsaber companies out there but it’s best to go to a company that’s reputable. The model that I got retails on the Ultrasabers site for around $199-$250 depending on what options you select (some of the sabers come with motion sounds, rechargeable batteries, etc.) but they all seem like a high quality for the price. A friend of mine on Facebook warned me away from some of their competitors, saying that companies like Saberforge were known in the fan community as “Saberforgery” because of their reputation for not fulfilling orders. Regardless, I’m pretty glad that my first experience was with the folks at Ultrasabers.
So just like that, my Star Wars fandom has been reignited and I can’t wait for The Force to awaken. Like every single one of you, I’m planning to get tickets for opening night. This time though, when the lights go down and the opening Star Wars crawl starts stretching across the screen, I won’t be empty handed when the theater fills up with fans waving around their replica lightsabers (because you know it’s going to happen)! I’ll have my Ultrasaber crossguard with me, ready to represent The Dark Side in full Force!
To take a look at the entire inventory of customization options, visit the Ultrasaber site for yourself!
