LUKE SKYWALKER Jedi Knight2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Saga Legends
Item No.: Asst. A3857 No. A5917
Number: #SL14
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: CDN $6.99
Availability: May 2014 (Canada)
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio:Luke goes to the second Death Star for a final confrontation with Darth Vader. When Luke refuses to turn to the dark side, a devastating Lightsaber battle ensues between father and son! (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: At press time there is no concrete evidence of US-packaged figures on the market. To date it appears that it is debuting in Canada, so keep an eye overseas. I have not yet seen one in any packaging on eBay or Amazon.
Commentary: As a kid I wanted Luke Skywalker figures. I had most of them as the line went on, but I didn't get some until years later. This white-flapped Death Star version of Luke didn't even exist as a figure for quite some time, so seeing it today as a 5-jointed throwback is a real treat. The sculpt is good, the paint is acceptable, and the ability to sit is good enough. He has no problems standing, so he's a winner in my book.
The first thing I noticed about this figure is that the eye paint wasn't as perfect as I might like - it's not the worst Jedi Luke, but well, there's some real zingers in there. His eye paint in this version is just a tiny bit too much - the top of the eyes seems to be painted larger than the eye sculpt, but the sculpt itself is exquisite. There's a subtle mole on his left cheek I didn't notice until I put him under my desk lamp, with another similar marking just under his right eye. The chin is good, the hair is good, really this figure is a redeco away form being excellent. The torso is glossy and the limbs are more matte, with a white shirt flap. The right glove, boots, and belt are glossy which was a real surprise for the so-called discount figure range, and this is certainly the best action figure Margaret Keane ever designed.
Luke's sculpt is pretty simple - he's skinny, and the outfit is more or less what you'd want in this figure. I'm certainly satisfied with various silver snaps and buttons on his belt, giving the figure a little more detail than I would have expected. He has no problem holding his green lightsaber, which has a silver grip and that gold bit near the emitter. The flare on the blade seems more subtle than usual, too. The figure passes the Landspeeder Test, so he may be a good vehicle pilot if you can find one. It's a good figure if you like this kind of toy - and I do. If you don't, well, I guess it won't matter to you that he isn't easy to get right now. I'm glad I got one, and I hope Hasbro makes more figures similar to him in the future.
Collector's Notes: I have seen no online pre-sells for US packaging. This pattern - Canadian or European releases followed by a US release much, much later - has happened a few times with Transformers lately, but there have also been quite a figure figures that started out in Europe and stayed there. I'm not seeing on eBay, nor Amazon, so while it could just be early my paranoia kicked in early.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,082: June 3, 2014
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