2021 was the 50th Anniversary of Lucasfilm, and to celebrate a number of special Star Wars action figure wave were released by Hasbro. One of the most innovative was the Star Wars Publishing Wave with four figures taken from various Star Wars printed books and graphic novels, packed into a closed book-style packaging with cover art directly from the publication.
From the 1991 Timothy Zahn classic, Heir to the Empire came a new Luke Skywalker figure in the black vest seen on the 1995 issue 1 comic book cover. The box also featured artwork from the comic on the side panes, and inside the Velcro secured front cover.
The rear of the box is very text-heavy and headed by the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary timeline.
"Commemorate the first 50 years of Lucasfilm with figures inspired by Star Wars books and comics!"
The Luke figure is a variant, repainted from the Dagobah Luke released in 2020 on a Vintage Card and as a two-pack with Yoda. This in itself is fine as the back vest and trousers we see on the comic cover are quite plain and non-descript.
Dagobah Luke has one of the strongest likenesses in the Black Series to a 1980's Mark Hammill, and therefore this translates to the Heir to the Empire version and like the outfit, it is a good choice vs the comic cover as opposed to say the Bespin or ROTJ head sculpt with the unkempt hair and slightly harrowed look.
Luke comes with his lightsaber, and this is also accurate to the novel by utilising the ROTJ hilt and green blade from Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. This saber has always looked the part with plenty of detail on the hilt and coloured with black and bronze on the controls and the emitter. There are some questions on longevity as the emitter piece has a tendency to bend and snap, and the blade has such a slim peg where it connects to the hilt.
The figure has a total articulation count of 19 and features the more recent additions of butterfly shoulder joints and the two-part neck joint which removes the need for the visible pivot. Luke can hold the saber in either hand and with both hands getting very close to recreating the cover artwork.
The leg joints allow for Luke to kneel, or sit, as well as letting Luke get into action poses with his saber. The joints are all secure and tight and Luke stands and displays very well. It is probably just a shame that we got no additional hand for force gestures.
The release also brings with it a bonus new piece for the Black Series, a Ysalmiri creature as introduced in Heir to the Empire and as employed by Thrawn to block Force users like Joruus C'baoth, and then Luke Skywalker.
The Ysalmir is a non-articulated single cast piece and has been cast and shaped to fit most humanoid bodies in the Black Series - but almost certainly designed for direct use with the existing Grand Admiral Thrawn figure.
The Heir to the Empire Luke Skywalker is a nice variant of an existing figure that lines up to a much-loved Legends story, and brings with it a new bonus creature for the line to allow for a small but perfectly formed Heir to the Empire display with Luke facing off against a Ysalmir wielding Grand Admiral Thrawn.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...