Wow.
Did I get lucky in November.
Let me first say - this is the kind of thing that NEVER happens to me in life.
Only this time ... it did.
I entered the Autumn Raffle and, of course, allowed myself to dream of not only winning a prize, but thinking about a potential prize wishlist.
When I found out I actually won a 2nd place prize - I was psyched. A saber with sound.
And I started thinking . . . what would I love to get?
My thoughts kept coming back to a most elusive saber: The currently Convention-Only model . . . Curved Reaper.
And definitely the Black version. Sure - if an Azure or Crimson showed up, I'd happily take it - but I definitely wanted the Black version.
But of course, the odds of that showing up in my box were . . . well, "long" would be an understatement. It's not even for sale in the store!
So as you can probably imagine . . . when I pulled a Black, Curved Reaper out of my Box . . . you could have knocked me over with a feather for sure. (I don't think any other Raffle prize will ever top that feeling. I'd say I should quit while I'm ahead and leave that as my main UltraSaber Raffle Memory - but I know I'll be back in eventually.
)
And yes - I LOVE this thing. Not only does the curve feel good in my hand, but this hilt (and the normal version) is an absolute MHS Superstar as you'll see later on in the Review.
Enough of the chit-chat . . . let's take a look at this thing!
Review coming up just as soon as
Blademaster Sasha brings me my Curved Reaper . . .
. . . well, it seems she's busy at the moment, so let's just get started.
Oh! One quick bit of business.
I already covered all the unique features of this hilt in my Review for the regular Azure Reaper:
http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=32446.0All the info in that one applies here too; the curved neck doesn't change anything.
Which is to say - I'm not going to be covering all the same stuff again, so you may want to check that out if you don't already know all the mechanics of this model - and it IS very unique!
This UltraSaber has a TON of great features and we're going to cover them all starting at the top . . .
The Emitter is a favorite of mine; personally I like a clawed-saber but the great thing about this one is the claw isn't just removable but can easily be re-adjusted to the front of back of the hilt.
The windows look fantastic and I particularly like the lipstick-style cutaway on it.
Quick view from the other side of the Emitter . . .
Here's a great look at the Emitter Shroud; it slides right over the Body and then you screw the Emitter in with the Blade attached. The hilt looks good with or without the Shroud.
The curved section of the Body; I added the switch with the raised actuator.
Detailed shot of the Body with the circuitry etching. It only covers the straight portion of the Body; the curved part is solid Black.
It comes standard with a Covertec, but I removed that and put a knurled screw in it's place as a sort of faux blade-length control.
Here's a look at both sides of the Pommel; the bottom is completely open for maximum volume when using Sound.
Like the Emitter - you can adjust the claw's alignment, as you can see in the following pictures:
Now for some real fun . . . the various MHS possibilities of this hilt are pure magic.
This is one of my favorite looks for the hilt; no Claw on the Emitter and the Dark War Glaive pommel:
If you want an even sleeker look - you can try it without the Shroud:
Here's a close look at what the joint looks like without the Shroud covering it:
If you like clawed-sabers and you're wondering, yes, the claw from the Scorpion will fit just fine on this Emitter:
Speaking of the Scorpion . . . it's a shame that name is taken because THIS
really looks like a Scorpion!
Lastly, here's a run of example Builds you can do with the components of this saber - enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed the Review!!!