Hasbro
Released July 2004
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Photography by Michael Sullenger
Reviewed on August 20, 2004
MORE IMAGES

The best (or second best) trilogy figure of 2002 was the original version of Luke Skywalker, since he had a magnet hand, metal lightsaber, a decent action feature, and posability previously unheard of on an older figure. Now, Hasbro goes back and answers the question "what would he look like if he wasn't bruised and absolutely filthy?" The answer: quite good.

Like before, the figure includes a lightsaber, blaster pistol, and bacta tourniquet. The Bespin weather vane has been dropped in favor of a base.

Sculpt/Articulation/Gimmicks/Paint

In 2002, the figure was a fan favorite second only to the elusive and grand Ephant Mon. Two years later, he's still one of Hasbro's finest, and now that he looks a little cleaner, it makes sense that fans would want to buy him all over again.

No significant changes were made to the figure's sculpt, but there's a little question as to which Bespin Luke this was based off of, as several changes were made to his arms (and possibly holster) over the initial production run of the figure. This figure seems to be based on the sculpt of the very first release, the "bloody Luke" which has the magnet peg extend from his arm slightly rather than having the peg stick out of the hand on the second release. (The third issue had a plastic peg and no magnet.) All the tears of the costume are still here.

So what's new here? The figure is cast in a slightly lighter color, but the real difference is that the once-nifty dark brown wash applied to this figure has been traded in for a far more subtle and lighter level of detailing which really makes the original release look a little goofy by comparison. Also, the bruises and other signs of battery on Luke's face have been dropped, making it look like he was modeled after the earlier moments on the duel on Bespin. As an added bonus, this figure looks far more appropriate in any Dagobah display you can think up.



The changes to the actual figure are pretty much entirely cosmetic-- the saber swinging feature is still present, as are the 12 points of articulation.

As you can see, the figure has had some fairly significant changes made to his appearance. Kudos to Hasbro for seeing a good opportunity to redecorate this one.

Accessories

This set includes the traditional stand, a saber, a pistol, and a tourniquet.

The base is nothing new-- but it is welcome. Due to the many ways you can pose this figure, the base makes it certain you don't need to worry about balancing the young Jedi just so... and that's always a good thing.

The blaster has the same sculpt and decoration as before. It fits in Luke's hand and in his holster, although it seems to be not exactly a perfect fit in the holster-- it fits, don't get me wrong. It's just that my 2002 Luke with the Plastic Peg seems to have been tweaked slightly so that his holster really holds the gun snuggly.

Nothing new here... it's the tourniquet, and it precents Luke from fighting and stuff. It looks good, and it's nice they didn't drop it like I would have probably done in their position.

The lightsaber has been left unchanged, and this is a good thing-- it was right the first time, and there's no reason to tweak it. Kudos to Hasbro on some great accessories, although it really is too bad they dropped the much larger windvane from the package.

Packaging

Ladies and genltemen, boys and girls, behold. This is it. This is the cardback you've wanted from the start. It looks great!

There's a lot to the packaging, surprisingly. The double-border is just like the original Kenner packaging, and the black background is also very similar to the old toys. Also, the font of the name plate is similar to (if not the same as) the old days. Beyond that, there aren't a lot of similarities to the old days. Instead of a big photo, there's a background showcasing the environment that character belongs in. In this case, the backdrop is of the Cloud City duel, showing a window that Luke is just about to be knocked out of. The selection of the backdrop and the pose of the figure are pretty much perfect-- there's almost nothing that could be done to make this any cooler short of somehow casting a red glow of Darth Vader's lightsaber on the scene which, really, is probably darn near impossible to pull off and make it look cool.

The back of the card is completely new, but quite colorful and striking. It's a departure from the past few years, but it's a welcome improvement and something I'd like to see more of in the future.

The nameplate for the figures is a sticker, and the plastic bubble is grooved so it fits snuggly in place and won't be off-center. Customizers will probably have a field day with this packaging, as there are a lot of generic elements you can easily change out andcreate a package that's very specific to your tastes.

Availability

As of today, this figure is just becoming available in the USA, but looking at future assortments he should be really easy to get and shipping for a while.

Fin

Like the Jawas, this is a repaint that has earned your five bucks, even if the figure includes fewer accessories. This Luke is different enough to really grab your attention and is arguably the superior of all versions released so far. Well, mostly-- the one missing accessory is a dent in the armor of this otherwise fantastic figure. Still, you can probably find that older Luke at certain K-Marts, Kay-Bees, or even Toys "R" Us stores if you live in the right neighborhoods, so if you can, get both.

This was one of Hasbro's finest efforts, and as such, it needs to be in your collection in some form or another. If you missed the Saga version, buy the OTC version.

Our review sample was obtained from Entertainment Earth in August 2004.