Reader Review: 30th Anniversary Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight) By Whitewolf

Bespin refugee - August 13, 2007
I'm going to tick off a LOT of collectors in my area with this review because our store received 9 cases of Saga Legends figures, 3 cases of Wave 3...and 1 revision case of Wave 4. Needless to say, I snagged as many of the Wave 4 figures that I could (author's note: I bought them the same day, no hording was committed) and I'll be doing reviews of all Wave 4 figures in the coming weeks. The Wave 4 revision case had 2 M'iiyoom Oniths, 2 Elis Helrots, 1 Luke Skywalker, 1 CZ-4, 2 Umpass Stays, 2 Jawas from Wave 3 and 2 Stormtroopers from Wave 3. Animated Debut Boba Fett nor McVader were part of the revision assortment. Of course they weren't...because those are the only two figures from Wave 4 that every collector and eBay seller from here to Corellia wants to get their sweaty mitts on. I was also not really surprised to see Luke and CZ-4 to be shortpacked because both of these figures are excellent brand-new sculpts. Hasbro sure knows how to play spindoctor with the supply vs. demand ratio with their figure cases, doesn't it? You REALLY want a particular figure? Hmm...let's shortpack it to increase demand even more. (In my best John Lovitz voice) Yeah! That's the ticket!

Nonetheless, this review will be covering one of the best figures of the wave: Luke Skywalker in is signature ROTJ Jedi Knight garb.

This isn't your daddy's Saga Collection Endor Luke. Jedi Luke comes to us with a brand new super-articulated sculpt. Wow, Hasbro really DOES make new sculpts once in a blue moon! 9 ball-socket joints (neck, shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles, 3 straight-cut joints (waist and hips, and 2 swivel joints (wrists) allow Luke to weave and bob between Desert Skiffs with the greatest of ease. The hands are somewhat on the larger side compared to other Jedi/Endor Luke figures we've seen, but it still works well. He is slightly shorter than VTAC Bespin Luke, but not so much that you could tell at a glance unless you had to pick them out of an Empire's Most Wanted lineup. The new head sculpt bears a remarkable likeness of Mark Hamill, post car-accident...just as he appeared in Episode 6. If you look back through the OT, you will notice that Hamill looks quite a bit different in ROTJ than he does in ANH or ESB. He had received reconstructive surgery on his face. The other noticable difference between this Luke and past incarnations is the softgoods pieces to his tunic. Yes, I said pieces... The first piece is a "strap" that runs up around the figure's neck and tucks neatly into the tunic's belt. This piece is removable, but is a pain in the backside to try and put back on. The second softgoods piece is the tunic "skirt" that runs all the way around the figure's waist. This piece is not removable, but allows Luke to sit down if needed. A very nice detail added on Hasbro's part. The belt itself allows a lightsaber hilt to slide into it in much the same way as the Jawa's bandolier holds the Droid Caller.

The paint app is of particular note here. Like the Death Star Trooper or Death Star Gunner, Luke is dressed primarily in black from head to toe. The figure's gaze is somewhat "unLuke-like," reminscent of Moff Jerjerrod from last year. Jedi Luke has a very no-nonsense-kicking-innocent-puppies-and-kittens-spit-in-your-soda-while-slapping-your-grandma kind of expression on his face. And as strange as it seems, it actually works for this figure. At this point, Luke is no longer the naive moisture farmer he was in ANH. He is now the last of the Jedi Knights...so the sullen, mature look is appropriate.

What does stand out about the figure are the hands. Many collectors have pointed out that some of the past Jedi Luke figures have had "hand errors" where he has had an ungloved right hand. Again, Luke has no glove, but this was not an oversight on Hasbro's part this time around. The figure represents Luke during the Sarlacc Pit scene when his hand is shot by one of Jabba's guards. Consequently, the top of the right hand is molded with internal "cybernetics" exposed. For those who do not like this idea, I will be experimenting with swapping Endor Luke's gloved hand with Jedi Luke's current one to see if its feasible. Stay tuned for the results...

Jedi Luke comes with an ecclectic mix of accessories that center primarily on the Tatooine/Jabba's Palace scenes.

Jedi Luke includes:

*Removable Tunic Piece
*Deactivated Lightsaber Hilt
*Lightsaber
*Rancor Pit Leg Bone
*Collector's Coin #25

Overall, I love this figure. Super-posability, a kick-your-butt attitude, and great accessories. When I first saw photos of this figure back around Celebration IV, I saw that his softgoods pieces were extremely "poofy" but Hasbro has since reworked it and it looks really good on the figure. Good work, Hasbro! The only complaint I have about the figure is actually one that came from a third-party source. When I gave someone a sneak peek at my review photos, the first comment made about the accessories was "What good is that leg bone without a Rancor?" I have to agree with that sentiment. Are you listening, Hasbro? *hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge* One Rancor with Rancor Keeper Exclusive please. But we'll leave that for the Hasbro Q&A sessions...

Wave 4 is beginning to hit stores, so keep eyes open and ears to the ground.

I give Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight 5 Death Stars.
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