LUMIYA Dark Lady of the SithThe Legacy Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87970
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #07
Includes: Lightwhip, alternate head, Luke Skywalker figure, comic book
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: September 2009
Appearances: Star Wars Marvel comic books
Bio: Luke Skywalker is defeated in a battle with Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith, who wields her lightwhip with devastating precision. But this confrontation is far from over. Lumiya wants to punish the Jedi who caused her to become more cyborg than human, while Luke tries to persuade his opponent to turn away from the dark side. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' former back yard.
Commentary: There's a short list of figures I tried to see if I could nag someone into making-- as I assume they would never see production-- and Lumiya was on it. While some of you know her as a villain from a recent-ish batch of novels, I grew up with her as one of the last major adversaries from the Empire to confront Luke and the Alliance of Free Planets from Marvel's comic line. Very, very few original characters from Marvel's run made it into the toy line, and most of those which did were existing bodies with new heads. So this one seemed pretty damned unlikely, particularly given she's an entirely new sculpt with an alternate head and a companion Luke figure to boot.
With 12 points of articulation, this is a pretty good figure and a great argument for why it's actually just fine when Hasbro drags their feet-- the longer you wait, generally speaking, the better the figure will look. Were she made in 1998 she's have 6 joints and a crappy accessory, and certainly not have the alternate head. You can choose between an unmasked head, after she lost a duel with Luke, or a partially masked head which is, really, a battle-damaged one. Her first appearance played her up as some security cyborg, and through time it turned out she was a Rebel pilot-- who is actually an Imperial agent-- who went on to fight along with green pirates and pale extra-galactic invaders.
This particular figure bases its design on her increasingly damaged form, right around the One Big Cool Duel around the time of the Nagai invasion. Exposed wires and boards on her torso are accentuated by silver armor, plus a big yellow flexible lightwhip makes for a great accessory. It's a reasonably simple figure, with a scarred eye and some decent overall deco. I like this one a lot, but mostly because I liked those old comic books. It's still a fine figure, but you won't declare this to be some giant amazing incredible release. It's just good, and if you like the character you should enjoy this release. If not... well, I'm going to like this a lot more than you are.
Collector's Notes: Fans of the 1980s Expanded Universe-- before it had the name-- should probably want this one. It seems to sell for roughly the original price, give or take, but I'd be dumb enough to pay more. I really like this set.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,700: December 20, 2011
Isn't there a Shira Brie pilot figure out there too somewhere?
ReplyDeleteSure is! http://figureoftheday.blogspot.com/2010/07/figure-of-day-day-1326-shira-brie.html
ReplyDeleteSome magazine with behind the scenes at Hasbro mentioned work on this comic pack and budgeting meant either she got ankle joints or the extra unmasked head. They went with the head. The extra head is so big, I almost wish they'd gone with the ankle joints.
ReplyDeleteBut regardless, it was great to have a Marvel character made.