Figure of the Day: Day 711
4/16/2008 9:29:33 PM - Adam

LUKE SKYWALKER X-Wing Pilot
The Saga Collection Vintage
Item No.:
Asst. 87129 No. 87060
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, Hilt, Helmet, Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Spring 2006
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Luke Skywalker was a legendary Jedi Master who helped defeat the Galactic Empire and found the New Republic. Born the son of the prolific Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, he was raised on Tatooine in solitude to hide from Emperor Palpatine and his father. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: It took a few tries, but this is arguably one of Hasbro's finest Luke Skywalker action figures. He has a decent head sculpt and wonderful articulation, with joints pretty much everywhere you could expect them to be. The sculpt is excellent, making Luke just a little bit shorter than his fellow pilots. Both hands are capable of holding weapons, and unlike some other figures, he doesn't fall apart easily. The helmet can be removed without a problem, and the lightsaber hilt plugs into his belt. In short, as a toy, it functions well-- the straps around his legs may get in the way of sitting in a vehicle, but they can be bent without too much difficulty. It's a well-designed figure, and while it may not necessarily warrant the premium price, it's still very good.

My only real gripes about this figure come from its accessories. His helmet is squeaky-clean, and in the movies it was fairly filthy. Also, the lightsaber hilt he comes with is that of Darth Vader, which is pretty close to Luke's and odds are they just had someone at the factory grab a close enough piece rather than delay the figure to be correct. It doesn't necessarily hurt the figure's overall performance, but it is an unfortunate glitch in an otherwise nearly perfect action figure. If they made more pilots with this level of quality, it'd be much more exciting to see more of these orange suited redshirts.

Collector's Notes: Along with the Scout Trooper/Biker Scout, this was tied for the fastest selling Vintage figure in most markets during 2006. This is probably because Hasbro packaged a mail-in redemption form with this figure and not the others, but it actually is a very good figure. A slightly redecorated figure based on this mold is expected for Wal-Mart's Droid Factory packs later this year.

--Adam Pawlus



Day 711: April 16, 2008


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