Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues)

August 20, 2011 | By More


 


If there is one thing that Star Wars collectors can agree on, it’s the Vintage Collection has brought us a number of “definitive” versions of classic characters. Including Bespin fatigues Luke Skywalker.

I’m not sure why I hadn’t got this review finished before now. This Luke is probably one of the best figures I opened last year. Oh well, better late than never.

Appearance:

I really like that they finally got around to making this figure. As a kid, Bespin Luke was probably my favorite of all the Lukes. It doesn’t hurt that the Cloud City duel is probably the most action packed sequence Luke is involved in.

We’ve seen some other Bespin Lukes before. The last one I remember getting is the duel one where he’s been beat around by Darth a bit. While a nice figure for a post battle display, it didn’t really capture the Luke we see roaming the white halls of Bespin.

This figure does capture that look. The jacket is on and buttoned up. He doesn’t have blood coming down his face.

He doesn’t look perfectly clean either. There’s a wash over the main body of the figure that gives it a less than pristine look. I have to say this is a bit part of the high marks I give this guy.

The belt is done pretty well and doesn’t hinder his leg as much as as I thought it would. I love the silver rivets on it. Even the leg strap has them. The holster is a little oversize, but it’s a good trade off between working and sculpted shut. I always thought the belt looked a bit big and bulk on Luke in the film, and  I think this captures that well.

On to the head. I really don’t think there has ever been a Luke figure that has captured Mark Hamil perfectly. This one is no exception. The face is fairly neutral, but there’s just something off.

What is pretty good is the paint on the head. The eyes and eyebrows look good. What I’m impressed with is the portrayal of his mop head. A far cry from the solid yellow of the vintage figure, this Luke has a wash over his hair that makes it pop and gives the blonde color better depth that most figures of that hair color.

This is the way articulation and sculpt should be done together. While being as articulated as any modern figure, Luke here looks at his best with no big bulging joints.

My one small nit revolves around his lightsaber. Ironically, the vintage figure got something right that this one doesn’t. Luke’s lightsaber wasn’t attached to his belt with one of those modern Covertec clips like the prequel Jedi. His hung from a D-ring off of a loop on his belt. Thus, his saber hung below his belt and not attached to it as on this figure.

Fun:

As I said above, Bespin Luke was one of my favorite of the vintage line. He was the figure that would duel Vader, fly an X-wing, and levitate R2 on Dagobah.

He was also one of the few vintage figures to come with two accessories, and this figure comes with three. So an upgrade, once again. He comes with a Han type pistol and a lit and unlit lightsaber.

The pistol is what we have come to expect. It’s nice to see the little flash of silver paint at the end, though.

While I’m sure that the lightsabers are probably reused from Anakin, they have the right amount of detailing. Considering how much trouble it has been in the past, I’m impressed this is a correct Luke saber and both of them match. This saber has a dot of red on it to add detail where the prop has a button. I believe this is correct for an Episode 4 saber, but not his Empire one. I could be wrong, though.

As I said above, this figure has all of the modern articulation. He’d be perfect for any Cloud City diorama. It’s been a long time, coming, but I think this is a worthy successor to my vintage Bespin Luke.

Overall:

If you haven’t guessed by now, I really liked this figure. For 3 3/4″ figures, he’s up in the range of the Hellboy figure. He’s probably one of the best figures in this scale I’ve opened in the past couple years.

I really wish more folks would have had the opportunity to get this version of Luke. Knowing Hasbro, I’m sure it won’t be long before we see version of Luke show up repainted or in a battle pack.

Engineernerd Score: 99/100

 

 

 

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  1. Errex says:

    A really good Luke figure. Mine likes to come apart in half if I push the torso too far, revealing a barbell type of joint there. Rather unusual for Hasbro, I think.