Starkiller Base Rey Lightsaber Toy Review

***This Rey Lightsaber Toy review contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens***

Ever since the moment Rey used the force to snatch Luke’s lightsaber from Kylo Ren, and used it against him in battle, I had been hoping that Hasbro would release a Rey Lightsaber toy.

Oh sure, they have produced many versions of *this* Rey lightsaber toy in the past. First as Luke’s lightsaber. Then as Anakin’s lightsaber. It’s not like you couldn’t get one.

But to millions of children – especially little girls –  this was now Rey’s lightsaber. I wanted to see a toy acknowledging that, with packaging that showed Rey wielding it. So everyone could see that this iconic item was just as much for girls as boys.

Well, it took a while to get to market (spoilers and all that) but now it’s out there. We finally have a Rey Lightsaber toy.

Firstly, things have improved since I was a kid. We only had knock offs called Force Beams (that only came in red or green). Now, there are all sorts of sabers – from basic plastic ones to top end replicas.

This Rey lightsaber toy sits somewhere in the middle. The hilt is a reproduction of the Luke/Anakin saber of episodes II-V, though unlike some fans I’ve never paid too much attention to that. The blue ‘blade’ is telescopic and extends with a whipping action.

The blade ‘ignites’ with the touch of a button, and lights up – a darkened room is best for this as it’s not that bright.

The best bit is the sound. There’s a low saber hum, an electronic vroom when moved, and it crackles when struck – or hitting something.

This is also part of the Hasbro blade builder’s series, where you can join lightsabers up into abstract constructions, but I can’t say we’re keen on the idea.

If there’s one downside, it’s that the blade doesn’t retract fully into the hilt, so there is always a few inches visible. I’m sure there are very good reasons why it can’t involving the electronics housed in the hilt – but it’s still a shame.

But overall, this Rey Lightsaber toy is a Star Wars fan’s delight. My 4-year-old daughter keeps wanted to have lightsaber duels. She gets very into it – even starts doing little spins and twirls (weirdly, her moves are mostly inspired by Obi-Wan in his duel in Star Wars).

The Rey lightsaber toy is a cracking product in its own right, but it’s also yet another piece off merchandise that cements the fact that we knew all along – that Star Wars is for girls as well as boys.

Combined with a Rey fancy dress outfit (as we did) the galaxy is your child’s to explore.

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This Rey lightsaber toy from Hasbro has an RRP of £24.99. It was provided for us free of charge for the purposes of this review.