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Ah, the summer of '77 and Star Wars fever was
sweeping through the country. Soon after, kids, including
me, where crazy for Star Wars figures. Ceremonial Luke was
one of the figures that grade school kids would say was coming out
next. The exceptionally bold kids would say they had him,
and he was so special they wouldn't bring him to school.
It's hard to believe, but the only way kids knew what figures were
coming out were the rare TV commercial and the card backs.
Now between collector sites, the Hasbro site, and ToyFare, we all
know way in advance what figures are coming and when.
I think kids were especially interested in him back
then, because in the time between Star Wars and Empire, there was
not a cool Luke to fight the Empire with Han and Chewie.
X-Wing Luke was close, but seemed out of place when not in his
ship. The only other choice was farm boy Luke, and that Luke
didn't seem right flying around the galaxy. Besides, this
was the last outfit we see Luke wear in the first film. Kids
were sure that was what he'd wear in the next one. I believe
there may have even been a young peoples' illustrated story book
where he wore this outfit.
This is the third ceremonial Luke that Hasbro
has given us. The first was a standard carded figure in the
POTF2 line. The second was a similar figure in the Princess
Leia Collection. That one featured a removable cloth jacket.
And finally, this one with multiple points of articulation and
sculpted in the current aesthetic.
Appearance:
I might as well get it out of the way. I
hate the face of this figure. If I hadn't seen a lightsaber
and medal, I wouldn't have known who this was. Wanting a
second opinion, I asked Mrs. Nerd and she agreed it was a terrible
likeness. To me with the nose and hair this figure looks
more like Ron Weasley from Harry Potter than Luke. Even the
hair in the front is done poorly. It looks more like a visor
or hat than hair. The hair is hiding some ears that I'm not
even sure are human. The back of the head fairs much better
with the 70's curl at the back. Mullets were just a few
years away folks. The poor likeness is especially evident on
the card with the illustrated version of Luke right next to it.
Overall, the rest of the figure isn't bad.
There is a fair amount of detail on this figure, down to the
yellow stripe on the paints. As a kid, I always figured Han
loaned him clothes for the ceremony. Except for the yellow
jacket, this outfit looks like something Han would wear.
The holster and belt are an interesting twist.
They are a separate piece similar to the recent pilot leg straps.
The front of the gun fits in a little loop on the leg and belt
float around his waist.
Another small thing that bugs me about this
version of Luke is the sleeves of his jacket. The ribbing
detail that comes over the shoulder stops at the elbows. The
up and down lines continue down to the cuffs, but the ribbing
stops.
As a general note, I think there is an outbreak
of osteoporosis in the Star Wars figure world. Current
figures seem to be running a little shorter to me.
Fun:
Likeness issues aside, Luke has some positives.
He's got a ton of articulation. The ball jointed head used
on the newer figures is one of the best improvements in Star Wars
figures over the last 30 years. Past that, he's got all of
the super-articulated points we've been seeing recently.
Accessories wise, Luke does well. He's got
the standard coin for this year. The medal of honor Leia
presents him with. The sculpting on it is a little soft, but
having seen a real one on display somewhere, that can be forgiven.
He also has Han style blaster. It's a bit generic and smooth
for my taste.
And the accessory most people are upset about,
his lightsaber. Yes, this is his father's lightsaber.
Just the wrong one. It's a black nosed Vader saber.
The strange thing about it is the silver ring painted around the
nose. I'm not even sure that is correct for a Vader saber.
There is peg and a spot for this saber on the gun belt.
However, I contend it's not correct to display Luke with it (wrong
saber or not). It's not evident in the picture on the card,
and to my recollection he didn't wear it for the ceremony.
Overall:
I'm glad Hasbro recognized it was time to redo
this figure. The 30th anniversary is a great time to look
back at this moment in the SW universe. However, I expect
way more in terms of likeness these days. That coupled with
the jacket detailing and incorrect saber knock this figure down on
my list a bit. To be honest, if there were other new figures
on the peg when I got him, I may have passed.
But then again, who else is going to battle the
Empire with Han and Chewie?
Engineernerd Score: 70/100
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