Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,006 Luke Skywalker (Imperial Light Cruiser, The Vintage Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Imperial Light Cruiser)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F5626
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #264
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, blaster, cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: February 2023
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: Luke Skywalker was a Tatooine farmboy who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever known. (Stolen from Amazon. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: It's a retool! I heard a few fans asking why Luke

Skywalker (Imperial Light Cruiser) came with the Jabba's Palace blaster. That's because this is the Jabba's Palace figure, which a lot of fans missed and Hasbro tends to under-produce most Original Trilogy figures lately. This figure is the same as that figure - which was also in a 3-pack of Lukes for SDCC a few years ago - and some enhancements. For starters, he's got a new belt, a new cloak, and a new lightsaber. (But not a new lightsaber hilt - that's still the old wrong one.) This is a decent figure. If you don't open stuff this is a great figure, but it's still pretty fantastic if you're an opener.

Thanks to massive strides in The Vintage Collection in detail and articulation, a lot of stuff before 2022 and even 2021 look a little clunky now. This Luke was based on a very good figure before whatever switch got flipped, so while you have good head deco on a perfectly nice sculpt, you've got the old hip joints. Remember the ones that have multiple finicky moving parts at the top of the leg? Sadly, you still have those - but they're mostly obscured by the new belt and cloth robe piece. The arms bend and swivel well, but the elbows are nothing special. I admit I sound whiny, but newer figures are so much better! Only bending 90 degrees is standard, or even substandard, on most new figures. They do move smoothly, though, and that's a pretty fantastic thing to have when some joints were really rough. This figure doesn't seem like it's trying to fight you when you're trying to pose him, which is a big plus.

The old blaster is fine, the old hilt is still off-model, but it fits in the belt well. The new lightsaber is pretty great with teeny-tiny details like the belt hook and what seems to be the little triangles, just really small, near the area where he activates the blade. Some areas are more smoothed out and while the deco isn't perfect, it's fine. At this size you aren't going to get the precision on some bigger accessories - at least, not yet - so you might be irritated there's too much black and not enough silver. In his hand, you don't really notice. Heck, even if you get the wrong hilt you might not notice once he holds it. As much as I would like to say "it's no big deal," as we pass $15 and are approaching $16.99 SRP figures, it matters and half-assing it isn't really permissible anymore. I'm glad they went through the trouble to correct his lit weapon's hilt here.

I'm not crazy about Luke's head. The likeness isn't great, and he's a little pale compared to the last time we saw this noggin.  At this point I am almost wondering if there is a reason Luke doesn't look like Mark Hamill in the same way Cassian Andor looks like Diego Luna.

The cloak is one of Hasbro's best - which is good, Luke's robes tend to be a mixed bag. The hood sits well, and the rest of it drapes over (or behind) is arms quite nicely. It hands well and whoever cut it did a good job - and again, as we approach $15-$17, we need things to be good. They should be good at any price, but attention to detail matters and I think they did a pretty good job making it functional here. The hood doesn't roll back particularly well, but at this size that's forgivable. Getting the fabric weight right is more important, and if you have to tape it back for your photo s hoot it isn't the end of the world.

Luke's appearance on The Mandalorian was a little spotty, mixing up new and old sources, so it makes sense Hasbro would do the same thing here. It wasn't perfect - and this isn't either. I think the gloved hand is just Luke's hand painted black, but it's hard to make out fingernails at that size - so I don't blame them if that's the case. It was much more important to get the belt buckle right. If you see this figure I'd strongly recommend it, as it's what a lot of fans have wanted for ages. Of course, it's one per case and Hasbro hasn't been rerunning much lately - so pounce on a pre-order or buy the first one you see in stores. I doubt Hasbro will meet demand on this one.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,006: February 23, 2023