Figure of the Day: Day 359: Luke Skywalker

LUKE SKYWALKER and Landspeeder
Saga Toys "R" Us Exclusive
Item No.: No. 32511
Number: n/a
Includes: Rifle, Landspeeder
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Summer 2002
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Oh screw it, you know who Luke is at this point.

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: It's a new figure, and it isn't-- this is one of those figures on the edge of what constitutes "new." Luke Skywalker is made from the 1998 "Flashback" Floppy Hat Luke, but has a different waist piece (no hook for binoculars), a newly decorated rifle, and the plastic is different from previous releases. As such, this goes under "just different enough to make you mad." He has a sort of a ball jointed neck, articulated wrists and elbows, and the joints you'd normally expect from Hasbro. So it's good, but not great. He can't sit as well as you'd like due to the "skirt" piece, but the figure itself is almost inconsequential-- the 100% brand new sculpt Landspeeder is why you want to buy this. It looks a lot like the older ones, but it's completely redone and has lots of new bits and pieces I was surprised to see when I first got it. The figure is basically a bonus, and actually isn't a bad Luke-- it just isn't great or particularly stunning, either, just a new flavor of an old figure you likely have in some capacity.

Collector's Notes: You don't need this figure, but it isn't bad. The production values are strong, the deco is good, so it's probably worth tracking down because you want the landspeeder anyway. (Trust me, you do.) If you don't do vehicles or aren't concerned about complete sets, you can pass this one and not worry about having missed anything.

Day 359: April 30, 2007