If you follow Arms of Ilum over on Instagram or Facebook, you probably know that I recently acquired one of Hasbro’s Star Wars Black Series Stormtrooper helmets. I’m wrapping up my review of the bucket right now, but suffice it to say that the thing is impressive, especially for the price ($80). Its voice changing capabilities aren’t great, but the… Read more »
NOTE: This post is neither a condemnation nor an endorsement for knockoff Lego products manufactured and sold in China. Any attempts to debate this issue in the comment section will be subject to deletion. From about the age of seven until I was eleven or twelve, I don’t think there was a single activity that I did more than building… Read more »
Last month, I posted an overview of one of the sabers that I helped to customize as part of a Christmas gift for a friend’s children. That saber, the Imperial Acolyte as I named it, was a Sith-inspired hilt with a red blade and Imperial accents. Today, we will be looking at the Imperial Acolyte’s Jedi counterpart, the Noble Apprentice…. Read more »
If you’ve seen any of my previous articles, it may surprise you to learn that I strongly prefer dark side characters and lightsabers over those of the light. Aside from Kylo Ren, the Star Wars universe has been blessed with a wide variety of menacing, intimidating, and downright badass villains. From force masters like Darth Sidious to assassins like Darth… Read more »
Recently, I’ve taken on several commissioned saber projects to help friends with Christmas gifts for their children. The first of these, the Ultrasabers Dark Apprentice-based Imperial Acolyte, as I am calling it, rolled out to the buyer yesterday and I’d like to share the details of the customization here. This hilt represents my basic cosmetic work with some electrical tweaks…. Read more »
Yesterday, Ultrasabers sent out an email announcing their new Electrum Wind saber hilt. The hilt, which draws substantial inspiration from the one used by Mace Windu in the prequels, is the latest in Ultrasabers’ line of film-inspired designs. It is also very likely the company’s most intricate hilt to date. The gold, black, and silver accents all combine to make… Read more »
As I mentioned in my review of the hilt, Ultrasabers’ Initiate LE V4 is a dignified looking saber, but it is just a little too plain for my tastes. Seeing as how the Initiate was a grab bag purchase, I couldn’t complain much. As it arrived, the saber was really a $90 hilt that I managed to snag for $55…. Read more »
Long before I knew anything of custom sabersmiths, homebuilt sabers, or Luxeon LEDs, I looked at the Master Replicas lightsabers as the pinnacle of Star Wars fandom. Based on the real screen props, the Master Replica sabers featured realistic hilts and bright LED blades (excluding the early EL models) with realistic scrolling effects and sound. As a child of the… Read more »
Luxeon LED powered sabers are nothing new. As a matter of fact, Star Wars enthusiasts have been building them since long before the Master Replica lightsabers hit the market. Throughout these sabers’ lifespan, we’ve seen numerous improvements to LED technology and blade designs, many of which have been intended to maximize the brightness of the prop to replicate the movie… Read more »
Almost immediately after purchasing my Ultrasabers grab bag lightsabers, I hit the forums to see how I could customize my new acquisitions. Sure, the hilts hadn’t actually arrived yet and I had no clue which models I would ultimately receive, but I’ve never been one to leave things be and I wasn’t about to change. While cruising Ultrasabers’ official forums,… Read more »