Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony

June 14, 2009 | By More


Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure Review

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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Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure Review

Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure Review

Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure ReviewStar Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure ReviewStar Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®, yavin®, Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony®, Action Figure Review

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