Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,416: Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master, The Black Series, The Last Jedi)

LUKE SKYWALKER Jedi Master
The Force Awakens The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Figure Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. B4054 No. C3622
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.92
Availability: September 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: After tragedy destroyed his attempt to rebuild the Jedi Knights, Luke Skywalker vanished from the galaxy.  Now, the resistance needs his help to thwart the efforts of the evil First Order.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  So despite being announced as part of the Force Friday II launch on September 1, Walmart had Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) and his casemates gated, or missing, from its systems - so if you scan it, you might not be able to make the purchase.   The funny thing is this has happened to me a lot over the years, often for items with no street dates or marketing plans.  In addition to the standard cheaper Luke with plastic cloak, this one now exists with super-articulation and a cloth cloak.  Is it better?  Eh.  It's different.

In terms of sculpted detail and the head, the Walmart exclusive version is slightly better.  There's a little more color in his hair and face, with a tiny bit more detail and better paint.   The robes cover the legs better, but the super-articulated legs are hindered by the large vinyl robes hanging down.  You may have thigh swivels, but why?  They offer no value, nor do the lateral hip articulation.  With 26 or so points of articulation, there's a lot going on here.  Thanks to the design, they offer no real benefit.  The arm movement is handy because he can move his arms a bit, but it doesn't hang as well as the plastic one does.  The arm joints all move perfectly well, but the flesh hand peg seems to not quite fit in the sleeve perfectly - so keep an eye on that.
Aside from the lack of weapon, this is probably the Obi-Wan Kenobi meets Luke Skywalker mashup you've been wanting.  I think I prefer the regular cheaper edition in terms of something I want to play with, but it's cool, and Hasbro did a nicer-than-usual job with the cape and hood.   (The tassels hanging down look goofy, though.)  I love that there's a hook on his belt for a lightsaber... but the lack of lightsaber is disappointing.  I hesitate to say there's $5 more worth of figure here, but if you see it you may as well snag it.  I mean, it's Luke.   Who doesn't want Luke?   It's kind of amazing that not too long ago we had that mega-articulated Dagobah Luke... with one of the worst heads ever, ugly joints, and a gaggle of accessories.   You can't have it all, but at least in this case you can have something that was executed very well.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 2,416: October 11, 2017

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2 comments:

  1. Vader47000October 13, 2017 at 5:27 PM

    I found one of these but some dastardly soul had replaced the articulated Luke with the simpler figure, and removed the cloak. Probably a swap and return.

    It always disappoints me how often this happens. Usually I see it with a Marvel Legends 6-inch figure with the Build-a-figure part removed or swapped. I even saw a Wonder Woman from the movie line that swapped out all her weapons, the build a figure and even swapped the figure with the BvS version. At first I thought it was a new variant until I took a closer look.

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  2. Phantom TroublemakerOctober 19, 2017 at 10:48 AM

    I got the basic version for my son and this one - the only time I've seen it - for me. I like his more. But I can't bring myself to spend eight more dollars to get one.

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