Luke Skywalker - TLC - Basic (BD 30)

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo subdue a couple of stormtroopers and steal their uniforms. With their faces hidden by the helmets, Luke and Han can now walk through the Imperial battle station and search for a way to escape.

When the 1996 The Power Of The Force Luke Skywalker (In Stormtrooper Disguise) figure was released, obviously none of us knew that we would have to wait thirteen years before we would see this character as a basic figure again (and in super-articulated status no less). But 2009 arrived (much quicker than expected) and we got our near-definitive version of him! It's not like we haven't seen this particular mold before, well almost. Luke Skywalker was first available in 2007's TAC Luke Skywalker/R2-D2 (No. 06) Comic Packs set. But he was terribly colored with a blue wash and the Stormtrooper helmet visor was colored in red. Being far from authentic, Hasbro attempted to patch the wounds of this awful colored debacle and rereleased it without the blue wash, but unfortunately the visor remained red. Hasbro no doubt saw some potential with this figure sculpt and put it on the backburner for a future basic carded figure which eventually became this figure. The long wait paid off as we feel that Hasbro has finally done right by releasing this figure as accurately to the film as possible. Luke Skywalker is an excellent figure and we believe you will agree with us, even if you think it is more of the same. Aside from a hopeful revisit of his head sculpt, we think that we basically have the ideal Luke Skywalker (in Stormtrooper Disguise) figure. Why do Luke’s eyes look so funny on this head sculpt. The shape of the head and face are pretty accurate, but those poorly painted and squinty eyes just ruin an otherwise great portrait. Luke Skywalker (in Stormtrooper disguise) is definitely not a surprise to add to our collections; he was inevitable, (and aside from multiple delays and inaccurate figures in between), it is cool to see him on a basic card after all these years. It may have ben nice to see him part of 2007's 30 (77-07) line as a nod to the vintage 1985 The Power Of The Force line with coins, but that's not how things went down. It's all good.

While he is [merely] a retool of the original VOTC Stormtrooper figure, any [insert Rebel hero name here] figure in disguise is always grandly popular and a guaranteed sell! Collectors love them. Luke's head comes from the 2004 VOTC Luke Skywalker figure. Hasbro went back to the sculpts of the original 12 VOTC modern vintage-styled figures to make many of the figure in The Legacy Collection. We don't mind at all since they are some of the best sculpts we have ever seen. Luke's likeness has gone through its share a slight modifications since it first came out, but not too much is new here except for maybe a blonder hair color. We think that this wasn't the most appropriate head sculpt to use and a different or new one would have been much better and more appropriate for this release. And we also feel that Hasbro saved a ton of costs here, they could have at leat given us a new head. There is just something off about Luke's portrait, but it isn't a deal breaker by any means. On a more positive note, there are some incredible things that bring out this figure and we have to give credit to this figure for these reasons alone. Amazingly, Hasbro was able to give this mold the right proportional height to be shorter than Han Solo. This is a stupendous move and we think it was a fantastic for Hasbro to keep Luke "a little short for a stormtrooper." While this adage may be too overused, it is a concept that we as collectors want to see applied to our action figures: i.e. proper scale. We're not exactly sure how Hasbro did this so subtly and effectively! Another detail that sets Luke apart from Han is the helmet. They each have their unique helmet (that fits pretty well on each corresponding/respective head). The helmets can also be held in their hands very well. This is a bonus! Luke's holster was retooled to better accommodate his stormtrooper blaster, but we think Hasbro has some work to do before we consider this perfected.

Luke's stormtrooper armor is very clean and this is more than acceptable for this figure. Obviously, this version of Luke was inspired from his pre-trash compactor adventure as there are no signs of sludge or filth from the garbage. Luke stands very well and aside from wishing that he came with a commlink accessory, this figure doesn't have too many problems. His disguise had unique features on the armor that set him apart from Han's costume and we really wish Hasbro would have given these differences immortalization in plastic. Yes, the figures are very small, but we also love movie accuracy. Again, this is just something we wished Hasbro would have considered. After all, the wave that this figure partakes in is perhaps one of the most impressive in The Legacy Collection, if not one of the best we have received in years. It was filled with great accessories (cantina table anyone? – Kenobi homestead table anyone?) and a few of them even came with two figures inside instead of one. (We don't expect this trend to continue in the future unfortunately.) By making us wait, Hasbro assuredly and cleverly used reverse psychology on us to ensure strong sales of this figure, or so it seems to us. But it worked, because this figure is still not the easiest to find and has made multiple appearances in case assortments. Save for a new head, there is not much more Hasbro can do to make a better Luke Skywalker [In Stormtrooper Disguise] figure. For those of you who are interested, Hasbro even corrected the 'loose' joints on the stormtrooper body. Luke is very tight, and his armor is extra white (as stated earlier). These are incredible enhancements on an already excellent mold. This figure can hold its place in the figure line and it was such a joy to get him back after all this time. We think you'll find it a joy too.