After a couple weeks of playing...I mean "training" with my new Crimson Fallen (with UltraProffie and Pixel blade), I decided I wanted to post a review. This review will go over the hilt design and its MHS compatibility. There will be several photos, so this post may appear fairly long. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the Crimson Fallen.
As many of you know, the Crimson Fallen is based on the saber used by Cal Kestis in the Jedi: Fallen Order & Jedi: Survivor games. I really enjoyed playing both of these games and I really loved the design of the fins on the emitter of this saber. I know that Ultrasabers just came out with the Survivor lineup of sabers, with the battle-damaged pommel and slimmer hilt profile. However, I ultimately decided to go with the original model due to my personal preferences. First: unlike many Cal Kestis fans, I prefer the "fixed" or "undamaged" pommel for both functionality and aesthetics. As an added bonus, Ultrasabers designed their Fallen pommel to act as a Resonator to boost the sound of their already loud soundboard (trust me it definitely makes it louder). Secondly, I like the extra design feature Ultrasabers put on the Fins of their "combat-ready emitter" compared to the plain screws seen on the Survivor's combat-ready emitter. Lastly, I decided to go for the Crimson (red) version of the saber. Ultrasabers, unlike the "other guys," tend to offer their hilts in different colors (Crimson red/Azure blue/LE gold) which I really appreciate, because it makes their sabers stand out among the sea of black and silver sabers out there. It also kind of stays true to the video games, where you can change the color/material of your lightsaber. I choose Crimson (as opposed to blue or gold) to represent the Red hair that both Cal Kestis and I share, which you don't see on many characters in Sci-Fi or superhero movies. Here are some pictures below.
You may notice that I have a Crimson pommel instead of the standard silver one, there's a reason behind this. Another underlying factor for me getting this saber is its MHS compatibility. The Fallen sabers' emitter section and pommel section are MHS compatible, which means I can switch out other MHS-compatible parts. So I decided to get several MHS emitters and pommels to change the look of my saber whenever I want. The picture below shows all the MHS parts I have for this saber (minus the staff couplers I have for my other sabers). From left to right they are: Dominicide LE emitter, Fallen LE pommel, Fallen Crimson pommel (back), Spectre pommel w/D-ring (front), Azure Fallen pommel, and Azure Savior emitter w/windows. The other 2 photos organize these pieces and the hilt in a similar fashion to the Jedi: Survivor game, showing you how I can customize each part and color.
Below are just a couple of ways I chose to reconfigure my saber. We have the red/blue look with the Azure Fallen pommel and Azure Savior emitter. This almost gives it a Superman or Optimus Prime aesthetic (which I'm currently looking at purchasing matching sound fonts to go with the look). The other major configuration is with the Dominicide LE emitter and the Fallen LE pommel. To me, this gives off a "Flash" vibe with the red & gold. Also the claws on the Dominicide somewhat resemble lightning bolts, adding to the effect.
Overall, I think my favorite combination is the regular Fallen emitter with the Spectre pommel. This silver pommel is simple and sturdy, but still elegant. And the D-ring on the bottom is very useful for hanging the saber on the wall (I wish Ultrasabers made more pommels with the D-ring option).
Speaking of functionality, I almost forgot to mention how the saber handles when swinging it around. First thing you have to know is that the Fallen's hilt is super grippy. This makes it great for holding one-handed or two-handed; however, this grip will dig into your palms when spinning. So the Fallen better to use for simple, broad strokes, or if you do want to do a lot of spins with this hilt, I recommend wearing gloves. Also, there's this regular Activation box that is simply for looks but can sometimes get in the way when two-handed wielding. The corners of this box are also a little sharp for my liking, I almost wish I could grind them down to a smooth surface or remove the activation box altogether. Other than that, this saber is absolutely fantastic and is lots of fun to wield as well as display proudly on my wall.
