Figure of the Day: Day 825: Luke Skywalker

LUKE SKYWALKER Purchase of the Droids
Power of the Force Cinema Scenes
Item No.: Asst. 69650 No. 69778
Manufacturer: Kenner
Number: n/a
Includes: Uncle Owen, C-3PO, Display Stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: 1998
Appearances: Star Wars

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Bio: Under attack by an Imperial Star Destroyer, protocol droid C-3PO and his partner R2-D2 safely escaped a battered Rebel capital ship and landed on the desert planet of Tatooine. Soon after, the droids were abducted by scavenging Jawas and sold to Owen Lars for use on his desert moisture farm. Luke Skywalker, nephew of Owen and a Tatooine youth, remained unaware that his uncle's purchase of C-3PO and R2-D2 was to help launch one of the most pivotal destinies the galaxy had ever known...his own. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Commentary: There's really no shortage of Luke figures. By late 1997, Kenner unveiled this "new" style of Luke Skywalker which featured a new head and a slimmer build. It was a step in the right direction from previous efforts, but in 2008, the toymakers have yet to make a truly great likeness. This one was one of the worst due to what seems to be a tooling error. As you can see in the photo, Luke's profile is... special. His nose is smushed flat, giving him a unique look. While we have spotted a few with a decent nose, almost every sample I've had the chance to buy was flattened like this one. On the bright side, it makes an ideal face to put a blast shield helmet over, for a variety of practical and aesthetic reasons.

With six points of articulation, he doesn't do anything too incredible, and he looks just like a number of other Luke figures save for one unique feature-- binoculars molded to his belt. That's the big draw with this particular Luke. If the rest of the set doesn't float your boat, your decision to pick up this release is pretty much exclusively relying on if you get a kick out of Mr. Flatnose and his amazing belt. It's very samey in the grand scheme of things, but for the time, a lot of fans enjoyed the release-- mostly for his companion figures.

Collector's Notes: This set was fairly easy to get on closeout, and remained in circulation fairly cheaply until as recently as last year. You can probably get the set for $10 or less, and it's arguably worth it just for the C-3PO.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 825: August 12, 2008