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Collector Spotlight
Name : Andreas G.
Collectibles : 130
View Collection
Entertainment Earth
Reviews
Darth Vader - Revenge of the Sith
Limited Edition Lightsaber

Released : 2005
Edition Size : 3,000
Display Case : Included
Retail Price : $369.00
Part Number : SW-142



The script for Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith contained a scene where Darth Vader, fully transformed from the young Anakin Skywalker into the masked Dark Lord of the Sith, strides through the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer to stand alongside a young Moff Tarkin and view the beginnings of the Death Star construction. Since this scene showed Darth Vader after he had lost his lightsaber to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, the script demanded that a Darth Vader lightsaber prop be made for ROTS. Rather than use the lightsaber design seen in A New Hope, the prop makers and George Lucas chose instead to produce a new lightsaber which followed the sleak, streamlined design philosophy of the other prequel versions of original trilogy lightsabers.





The design of this lightsaber appears to have been based on the so called ‘Barbican’ version of the Darth Vader lightsaber used during the shooting of the original trilogy. It is referred to as the ‘Barbican’ as it was first seen in a Star Wars exhibit displayed at the Barbican in London. It is thought that this saber was used for some scenes during The Empire Strikes Back. However it is quite different from the hero ESB saber, and not all of the original real-world parts used to construct this version of the prop have been identified. Many aspects of the ROTS saber bear a striking resemblance including he clamp size and position, the boxy emitter, the grips, pommel, and positioning of the hex screws. It would appear that just as with the other prequel versions of original trilogy lightsabers, the design was stylised, streamlined, and cleaned up from a version of an original trilogy prop, the difference being that this time they chose a little seen version as the basis.



‘Barbican’ Vader saber (top), Vader ROTS LE saber (bottom)




Vader ROTS LE saber (left), ‘Barbican’ Vader saber (right)




Vader ROTS LE saber (top), ‘Barbican’ Vader saber (bottom)



The inside of the emitter is very similar to that seen on the AOTC Anakin Skywalker lightsaber. The boxy emitter housing is initially a little odd as it differs dramatically from that seen on the ANH and ESB hero sabers, however when compared to the ‘Barbican’ saber it can be seen that this is a cleaned up version of that design. The clamp facing straight upwards features a chromed, laser etched circuit board with a gold ‘switch’ on one side. Seven T-track style grips are then placed down to the end of the saber. The pommel is one of the most striking features of this saber, and represents an idealised version of the stepped pommel seen on the ‘barbican’ and to a lesser extent also on the ANH and ESB Vader sabers.



‘Barbican’ Vader saber (left), Vader ROTS LE saber (right)



Vader ROTS LE saber (top), ‘Barbican’ Vader saber (bottom)



In the documentary included on the ROTS DVD, George Lucas can be seen viewing the lightsabers during pre-production on ROTS. One of the lightsabers he views and approves is this Darth Vader lightsaber design. This lightsaber was used in publicity photographs, many of which show the lightsaber ignited. However despite all of this the prop was never seen in the theatrical version of ROTS. For whatever reason, whether the scene utilising the prop was cut from the film and Master Replicas had already begun design and production on the replica; or whether it was known before design had begun that it would not be in the film, but as an officially approved prop it was still deemed to be worth replicating, either way MR produced a Limited Edition version of this lightsaber during the film year of 2005.




As one of the ROTS Limited Editions produced during 2005 the edition size was not pre-determined before it went on sale, and the edition size was not shown on the plaque as had been the case with earlier LEs. The edition size of 3000 was announced in November 2005, and a second plaque showing the edition size was made available in 2006 for all owners of this LE.




The debate will continue over whether MR should have produced this Limited Edition at all as the original prop never saw any screen time. However I feel that this saber has at least these two things going for it:

1. George Lucas personally approved the original prop, and it was used in promotional pictures.
2. It represents a clean, streamlined, idealised version of the ‘Barbican’ lightsaber.








Opinion is also divided on the aesthetic appearance of this saber design, with many asserting both before its release and afterwards that it is one of the ugliest prop sabers ever made (a crown it perhaps shares with the Vader ROTJ in terms of fan reaction to its appearance – at least before the release of the MR ROTJ Vader LE/SE that is when many minds appear to have been changed on this design). Since any opinion on aesthetics is entirely subjective I can only present my personal view that this saber design is much more pleasant when seen in person and on display than it appears in pictures. In order to put my view into context it is worth noting that whilst I did not find the design to be one of my favourites based on the pictures before it was released, I certainly did not hate it as much as some.








As with the other ROTS Limited Edition Lightsabers released in 2005 the packaging is very compact, and yet does a good job of protecting the contents. The standard ‘new style’ of acrylic display case is included, along with the plaque which as noted previously comes stamped with the edition number, but not with the edition size.






In my opinion this replica is well worth owning, particularly as part of an overall Darth Vader evolution of lightsabers. The MR version of this saber is very well constructed, and in my opinion is one of those props that is better in person than any picture can capture. However for some as a non-screen used saber it will never be worth owning. Master Replicas have given us the choice though, and at the end of the day it will be up to each individual collector to make up their mind as to whether one of these belongs in their collection.








Many thanks to Vader71 on the Rebelscum Forums for the use of his ‘Barbican’ Vader saber pics in the comparisons

Review by MikeyX - April 2007

All images ©2007 MikeyX and Rebelscum.com
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