Many of you probably don't know this, but I just recently got a Graflex SE for my girlfriend. It's Arctic Blue with silver FoC (which, btw, is an EXCELLENT combo) and we both absolutely love it.
Like my Jacen Solo Dark Prophecy, this saber had a theme in mind. I always think of the two of us as Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade in many ways, and not just because they are one of the most badass couples in Star Wars. They share a relationship based on the perfect yin and yang combination - Luke's easygoing nature vs Mara's fiery sass, Luke's humble farmboy upbringing vs Mara's start as an Emperor's Hand on Coruscant, Luke's skills as a Jedi vs Mara's skills as a spy and assassin, etc. Many of these traits I see in my own relationship, and I can only hope that it continues to grow in strength until it's as powerful as the eventual marriage between those two characters.
Anyway, the point of this rambling is that Luke eventually recovers the lightsaber he once lost on Bespin, his father's hilt until he lost it dueling Obi-Wan, and gives it to Mara as a token of his gratitude for her help.
I had planned to obtain the Graflex eventually anyway, choosing Arctic Blue to make it a true OT hilt, and once I recalled this moment in SW history my decision was made - it would be my girlfriend's first (and probably only) lightsaber with sound.
Without further adieu, here are some pics.
One of the hilt:
And a few in the hands of my lady:
I've really spoken enough already, but I just want to do a quick summary of my impressions thus far. First, I had expected this hilt to be less comfortable for some reason. It's not that I didn't have faith in Ultrasabers - I really, REALLY do after all this time and so many sabers ordered - it's just that it seemed far too accurate to a true Graflex replica to be terribly comfortable. I was wrong! This thing is an excellent Makashi hilt to be completely honest, I have found a number of comfortable places to grip it with one hand, and the lower grips give a good solid place to place your other hand for a two handed style. The details on the thing are beautiful, and I really need to take some more detailed pics to show it off appropriately (I will, later!). The Obsidian board is LOUD (seemingly even more so than usual) and the sound quality is excellent as usual. Finally, my impression of the silver FoC is a very positive one - two thumbs way up for this flash color, especially with the beautiful Arctic Blue blade color.
Seriously, this is an all around excellent hilt. If anybody here wants to own a functional version of Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber, I highly HIGHLY recommend it.
As usual, questions and comments are welcome. Enjoy!
