Review : Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master (The Last Jedi) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 12 (Phase 3) Released : Sept 2017
£24.99
Pros : fills a long standing itch to have a "old" Luke on display. Head sculpt is pretty decent. Cons : plain paint job and the cloak is frustrating
One figure conspicuous in his absence from The Force Awakens releases in 2015/6 was Luke Skywalker. Granted he only turned up at the end of the movie and didn't have any lines, but fans were unanimous across the globe in asking "when were we getting an Episode 7 Luke Skywalker?"
As it turns out we have had to wait for the Episode 8 figures as Luke is part of the first wave of figures for The Last Jedi.
The Luke figure is number 46 in the line and will fill in for both his appearance at the end of The Force Awakens and his initial appearance in The Last Jedi. The packaging remains the same Phase 3 design with a tweaked logo that is now brighter white.
The artwork of Luke is particularly solemn and captures the aged and weathered look Luke rocks in the new movies.
The character name on the packaging is confirmed as "Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)" and this may very well differentiate him from any future releases from The Last Jedi or indeed Episode 9.
The rear of the box talks about "tragedy destroyed his attempt to rebuild the Jedi Knights" and how the "Resistance needs his help". As usual this gives nothing away we didn't already know or had seen in the trailer.
Luke is packed into the inner tray that then sits inside the gloss red backing card. When unpacking Luke make sure you are a little careful removing him as the cape is sat in a second tray behind the first to keep it splayed in the box.
It seems Mark Hamill has a face that is difficult to replicate in 6" scale. This older version does a decent enough job, but it is still off in a few areas. The paint job doesn't help as they've gone with a plain flesh tone and no variation that might capture the weather-beaten look and the lines of this "older" Luke face.
The hair is well sculpted and looks windswept. And while the face didn't get any paint variations, the hair has a grey base coat and a lighter dry brush over the top to add some depth and texture.
The other piece of note is the mechanical right hand which is sculpted to match the skeletal look. But like the costume the lack of anything beyond a grey base coat means the detail on the hand is lost - a dark wash and a metallic dry-brush would have really made this pop.
The Jedi Robes that Luke is wearing are quite plain and are two tone with a cream look overall and beige sections around the chest and down into the skirt area. A simple brown belt with silver buckle surrounds the middle and to the side of this on the left is a hook where a light saber or similar weapon would sit - there is nothing included in the pack to make use of this hook and may indicate a "Rey-esque" re-release after the movie launches with a plot sensitive accessory pack in.
The skirt section is split at either side to access the legs and the legs are a simple beige colour, with the exact same colour carrying into the boots which are a wrapped type affair - hearkening back to the ones Luke wore on Tatooine at the start of the Original Trilogy.
None of the outfit is washed, dry-brushed or weathered in anyway. This means it is all too bright and not representative of a guy who has been living on an island as a hermit for 14 odd years.
Articulation is good up top, but restricted in the legs thanks to the skirt section. The head is a ball joint and not only does it rotate, but it can also look down so much as the beard can touch Luke's chest.
The arms are pretty standard with the ball jointed shoulders which can extend out and rotate above the head. The elbows are a single rotating joint, but unlike Rey and Kylo from the same range they only bend to 90 degrees and not any further. The wrists are a rotating joint with a pivot and both can bend to 90 degrees if you wish.
There is a ball joint hidden in the waist, and this is quite manoeuvrable and lets Luke lean forward and backward. The legs sit under the robes so they are restricted from any massive range of movement. They still have a ball jointed hip, thigh swivel and double-jointed knees. But with the cloak in the way all we can really do with this is to go with some wider stances. The ankle rockers are also quite weak, and Luke is annoyingly unstable and tends to fall forward all to easily.
So on to the elephant in the room and that cloak.
Now first up it is a very nice material, similar to what has been used on the recent Vader release. It flows really nicely and doesn't float or stick out un-necessarily. The colouring is perhaps a touch light, it could do with being a few shades darker and a touch "grubbier".
The main issue is how difficult this is to get on the figure. While it looks great packed in the box with the figure, it will slip off as you unpack him and then there is a an uphill struggle if you want to pose Luke in his cloak. The cloak is essentially a triangle of material with the hood stitched in. It is missing any shoulder sections which would have allowed it to be draped easier. Instead, you have to kind of hang the hood on the head and let everything else drape as best you can.
The best I could achieve was to tuck the sides of the cloak under the arms and then play around with the hood. This look still is not perfect as the shoulders remain uncovered and the hood has to be rolled up to either side rather otherwise the hood sits too high.
A better designed cloak would have obviously been a better option, and I suppose we will see what the "deluxe" version of this is like when the Exclusive comes out with its Ahch-To diorama (Target). The other option would have to followed suit with the 3.75" version and go with a rubberised cloak. When you see how Kylo Ren's cloak looks vs this one, the rubber might have been a better option?
After waiting so long for "old man" Luke Skywalker I cannot help feel short-changed by this release. While the head sculpt is not bad, the figure is too bland and clean overall. The hook with nothing to hang on it really bothers me as I am convinced we will have to double-dip on this figure in 2018, The cloak is poorly designed and while Rey looks awesome in her Jedi training Gear - the Jedi Master looks a little awkward.
I am going to score Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) a slightly flat 3 out of 5.
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