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Tyme Machines Sculpted USB Drive Review Here at the Club we see a lot of pure performance parts, but sometimes its just nice to get to play with something that puts a smile on your face. Tyme Machines has provided just the right product with their Star Wars themed Sculpted USB drives. Out of the four currently available characters Tyme Machines has covered some of the most popular Star Wars Icons. But do they perform as good as they look? We put two of the legendary characters to the test right here.
These officially authorized products represent two of the four designs from Series 1. The packaging is a high contrast blister pack that focuses on common storage estimates while letting the characters do most of the talking. Out test samples represent the best of both sides of the Force, Yoda and Darth Vader. The drives come in three sizes: 4 GB, 8GB and 16GB. MSRP runs $29.99, $39.99 and $59.99 respectively. Our test characters were both 4GB models.
As you can see from the back of the packaging, Series 1 also includes Boba Fett and a Storm Trooper. While the characters are the focus here, the USB drives support USB 2.0 and should be universally Plug and Play for most current systems. In addition to the LucasFilm authorization, the packaging also shows the detailed character designs are powered by FUNKO. FUNKO is well known for their stylized PVC Vinyl characters found in many toy stores and often highly collectable more limited runs.
The amount of detail found in these ~3 inch characters is impressive, most impressive! I have taken most of these pictures at larger than life size to help show the attention to detail you can expect from each of the designs.
It's a pity that the LucasFilm Limited copyright isn't located on the base out of sight but it's not too much of an eyesore. The PVC construction makes even Yoda's ears feel solid. It's a good thing as they make a natural grip. Sorry Master Yoda.
The small size of the figures and the glossy black color make Darth Vader much harder to photograph. Funny, he films never mention a Sith no pictures policy. The level of detail here is equally high.
Darth's copyright is more sensibly located on his back where it tends to disappear below the back of the helmet. For some reason everyone around the lab was compelled to pop Darth's helmet off first, coincidence?
Poor Yoda is our model for this picture demonstrating the removable "cap". The heads are held in place by a protruding tab that clicks into the indent you see here on Yoda's neck. The fit is very tight right out of the package leading my Wife to fear she might break Darth and more than one passer by to look for a release button. I am sure they will loosen over time with normal wear.
This angle shows the interior of the head. This is also the most visible seam on both figures. Overall the construction is pretty clean. Installation:
Installing the drives is as simple as plugging them in and waiting just seconds for your operating system to introduce it's self. Using Microsoft Vista I captured the above installation prompt. As you can see the USB portion of the drive is powered by PNY. I have to say the presence of a name I recognized goes a long way towards justifying a purchase here. Both drives installed quickly and with no detection issues on both this machine and a Windows 7 system. Performance:
Lets not kid ourselves; you probably aren't buying these guys for raw performance, right? Still the actual performance is pretty respectable. Darth tested in at an average of 26.1 MB/s average read and Yoda was nearly identical showing the consistency across the line is probably pretty dependable.
Using the latest SISoft Sandra V 2009.1.15.72 I captured some more performance numbers for comparison. Sandra has a benchmark suite that provides a wealth of removable drive tests. I have chosen a few highlights for your review here:
SiSoftware Sandra: Conclusion: While we tend to be drawn to our performance builds here at the club, no one was able to resist picking up our Tyme Machines. For many of us the Darth Vader and Yoda designs represent cherished childhood memories that continue to inspire the imagination. If your favorite character isn't currently available you need only look forward to the next Series and beyond. Tyme Machines even has a Twighlight drive for a newer generation. On the performance side, the PNY based designs may not be benchmark busters but the performance was well on par with most of the mainstream drives on the market and faster than most bargain drives. I only fear my trusty characters may provide to strong a temptation for the Dark Side and walk away if left unattended around the lab! With a MSRP of $29.99 for the 4 GB models we tested you might find these Star Wars drives a perfect stocking stuffer for the tech geek in all of us!
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