Luke Skywalker: The Perfect Jedi

I know many would beg to differ.  But then they've probably never laid hands on Legacy Collection Batlle Packs: Battle for Endor Luke Skywalker before!

Why is he perfect?  Well, he captures more than one look of Luke in the Return of the Jedi.  Need him to rescue Han, Chewie, R2 and 3PO from Jabba's Palace?  Well, he's the man.  Need someone to hop on a speeder bike, chase down some Scout Troopers and take 'em out?  He's there again. Need someone to surrender himself to Vader and then persuade ol' Pops to take down the Emperor?  You guessed it, he's your Jedi.

I'd also like to add before I jump into the review that I'm not reviewing the Ewok with glider and the Imperial Officer that comes with this set for good reason:  I won Luke loose on Ebay for about US$4.25 but lost out on the Ewok, which went for crazy money anyway.  I did win the lil' furball's glider, though he cost about twice what I paid for Luke.

Well anyhow, the sets now on clearance at most major department stores here in Singapore for S$29.90, meaning it comes to slightly less than S$10 or US$7.15 per figure in the set.  Neat, huh?  I might just get myself a set for completion's sake.  Then if I do get my hands on a Princess Leia, I could also deck her out in Luke's gear!  What grand plans I always seem to have...

Oh, and one more thing: I'm doing this review because the Rangerlord made me realize that I hadn't done a non-superhero review in a while--and he's right!  So this one's for you, bro. ;)

Enough babbling and dithering on my part.  On to the review!

Like: Great spread of accessories.  You can't argue with a main Star Wars character that come with a G.I. Joe-like quantity of stuff. He's got a blaster, his lightsaber, a helmet, holster, black tunic, rubber 'belt', and of course his camouflage poncho.

But while sometimes Joes' accessories have nothing to do with the character other than to add more firepower, Luke's stuff has meaning as it is added or removed from his person.

Need a Jedi Luke to battle Vader like at the end of RoTJ?  Strip him down and hand him his lightsaber.  Put everything on him and pop him on a speeder bike for that forest chase scene.  Or if you need him on Jabba's skiff hovering about the Great Pit of Carkoon, then put on his black tunic and rubber waist band, had him his 'saber and a blaster and we're all set.

Like: The great brooding likeness of Mark Hamill.  Of the dozens of Luke Skywalker figures this is one of the few that gets it right.  Now maybe a perfect likeness is impossible but a near likeness is not out of the question at all.  Not only did Hasbro get the likeness right, they got a real nice, grim expression on him.  Anyone who's seen the Original Trilogy will remember how grim Luke becomes as the movies go on.  This figure really captures Luke in one of his more determined moments.

Like: The way his belt fits through the camo poncho to fasten it in place.  The belt's nice and tight but yet keeps the poncho it nice and loose without losing its shape.

Like: That despite his lack of hinges in the hips/legs and lack of double-jointed knees, Luke is still a highly poseable figure.  In fact the swivel hips allow him to stand/kneel better when you do find a point of balance.

His head also gives you very good up and down movement on top of the standard left and right motion.  And of course a great range of motion in the head always, always brings an extra dimension of character to a figure's poses.

Dislike: Swivel only hip joints.  While it's great that he's very well articulated, or has many points of articulation, he can only balance in certain basic positions because of the swivels. And when you're looking for a variety in stances, all you have to work with are really either the right or the left leg in front, with the other behind for the necessary balance.

Dislike: It's minor, but it would be great if he came with someplace to clip his lightsaber. but that would also mean they'd have to include a non-ignited 'saber for him.  Great for us fans, but for Hasbro's business.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8.5/10 - It's as dead-on as a likeness as you'll have of Luke Skywalker in 3.75 inch scale plastic. To also capture the sorrowful expression of RotJ Luke who's got the weight of the galaxy on the shoulders is just gravy.

Poseability: 7/10 - He's got a great range of motion but not the best in this scale.
Then again, Jedi from the Original Trilogy were either old men, robots, or Luke Skywalker.  And he knew none of those Younger Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Maul moves, so his articulation is perfect or what he needs to do.

Fun: 9/10 - My first Luke (as an adult) and he's perfect fun in terms of look, articulation, and accessories.  And by gosh he' Luke Skywalker!  He's the hero of the OT, the guy we all wished we were (after we get past the Han Solo, oh that rogueish charm), and he's both a Jedi and an X-Wing pilot!  No Star Wars collection would be complete without him or (spoiler alert!) his father Darth Vader.

Value: 10/10 - For what he retails for in a 3-pack he's still worth his weight in accessories.  But to snag him at clearance or loose like I did (for US$4.25) is just daylight robbery.  And when you think of it, he also comes with a pimped out Ewok who thinks he's a COBRA Air Viper, and the army builder Imperial Officer.  He's so worth it, as I mentioned earlier, I might just have to snag a set for the hell of it. ;)

Overall: 8.63/10 - Luke is like having 3 figures in 1.  Most figures don't have all the extra garb and weapons.  Most figures capture one look with maybe some stuff to supplement that moment of movie magic.  Not Luke.  So unless you're trying to recreate his early but unheroic life on Tatooine, or his piloting days with the Rebel Starfleet (you'll prob need an X-Wing and a Death Star too), then you'll want this figure.  He's Luke come full circle and the Skywalker family name redeemed.