During 2020 Star Wars celebrated the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, and as part of that celebration Hasbro released another batch of 6 inch Black Series figures on Vintage style blister cards. While many figures were repacks onto these cards, one new figure was that of Luke Skywalker in his Snowspeeder flight suit. Hasbro went on to repack the same figure in the first wave of the Star Wars Galaxy Collection to ensure collectors had sufficient opportunity to add the figure to whichever collection format they subscribed to.
The Galaxy Series (Phase 4) packaging has the same footprint as the previous phased boxes, but with a slanted side that displays a larger greyscale image of the character. Each movie / TV show has an accent colour assigned which is used as a glow at the base of this artwork and round the rest of the box. For The Empire Strikes Back, the accent colour is a deep blue. Each side panel joins up with the figures either side to create a larger montage.
The blue colour is used as a solid bar on the box front under the window in which the source movie is confirmed. Under this is the character name for the figure, with "Luke Skywalker" on the top line and "Snowspeeder" added below and in brackets.
The blue bar goes round the side and onto the back of the figure where it now confirms the numbering for the figure. Snowspeeder Luke is #02 in the Empire Strikes Back line of figures, following on from Darth Vader at #01. Above this is a repeat of the artwork and a short piece of background text. In this case the text is very specific about Luke's role on Hoth rather than a generic character statement.
"During the Battle of Hoth, Luke Skywalker led the Rebel defense against the Empire's ground forces, including massive AT-AT walkers, giving the Alliance time to evacuate the planet "
The figure slides out via top or base flap and is sat in the usual clear tray - but with the actual box window attached. This allows easier separation of cardboard and plastic for recycling. The backing card is a plain grey which is consistent across all Galaxy Collection releases. This backing piece is crying out for a more bold colour scheme - potentially using the same accent colour as the rest of the packaging.
4.0
The figure is essentially identical to the 40th Anniversary release, with possible minor paint variances from the factory. This Snowspeeder sculpt is much improved on the older X-Wing Luke body, with no obvious re-use of parts. The proportions are much better and the suit is faithful to the one used in Empire with the longer flight jacket, puffy collar and wrapped boots.
The majority of the outfit is cast in orange plastic, with paint work applied on top for the vest, chest unit and strapping as needed. Paint is applied neatly and there are plenty of colours around the outfit with blues and silvers on the buttons and indicators, through to brown on the belt and pouches.
The helmet is a re-use of the original X-Wing Luke and has the same decor applied mainly as decals. These include the Rebel symbols as well as varying squadron markings. The visor is cast in translucent yellow so the eyes can be seen underneath.
Under the helmet is a new Luke sculpt, or rather face. The rest of the head is wrapped in the hood used by Snowspeeder pilots. The likeness is great and the look very solemn for Luke with a very impressive face print application. While I know the hood piece is accurate to the costume, this is not my memory of Luke in this outfit - nor is it the one on the card art. Luke wasn't wearing this hood when he jumped into the Snowspeeder with Dak, nor when he finally arrived on Dagobah. I'd have liked to see a full head sculpt for Luke - either as the main head, or at least as a 2nd version.
4.5
The helmet is cast in a slightly softer plastic, and comes complete with visor and Rebel decals. It was designed for a slightly slimmer head and is a very very tight fit over Snowspeeder Luke's head - to the point it can be difficult to get it on and off and lined up. Luke can carry the helmet under the arm for an alternative look.
Luke comes with his lightsaber, the same one as has been packed with X-Wing Luke and other versions of Original Trilogy Luke. The hilt is cast in black plastic and painted silver. There is both red and gold paint applied over details with black left unpainted around the fins - impressive considering the scale.
The saber blade is hugely improved on the original, being thicker and a brighter blue. It clips into position well and feels more robust, but the end piece that inserts into the hilt remains very fragile and bends very easily.
The saber hilt can fit into either hand, and Luke can also hold it with both hands thanks to the articulation. When not in use it has a loop at the end of the hilt which corresponds to a hook on Luke's belt.
There is no inclusion of a blaster for Luke, nor is there the grappling gun he uses to assault the AT-AT, that comes exclusively with the Snowspeeder itself.
4.0
Luke Skywalker is fully articulated with a total of 19 points of articulation. He includes the newer two part neck joint that dispenses with the ugly pivot on the neck. He also comes with the butterfly shoulders which add more range to the arms for two handed saber posing.
Head : ball joint neck, ball joint neck base
Body : ball joint waist
Arms : ball joint shoulders, butterfly shoulders, single joint rotating elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single joint rotating knees, ankle rockers
The arms on Luke are fully mobile, but the legs are a little held back by the flight straps and coat. There is an issue with the ankle joints and they do not come far enough forward to balance the figure. This can make Luke trickier to pose than some figures and he has a tendency to lean and then fall backwards. You may need a stand to keep him posed on display.
All the joints are tight and work fine, with no issues.
3.5
The Snowspeeder Luke Skywalker is a fantastic looking figure, and for loose collectors and for use in the 6 inch Snowspeeder the two versions are identical and therefore which one to buy is down really to price and availability. The proportions of the figure, paint job and accessories are all well executed including a removable helmet - although this last part is a tight fit.
The "flight cap" is perhaps not screen accurate to Luke and I do wonder if this second version was an opportunity to give this figure the head of Dagobah Luke and some weathering to represent his landing on Dagobah?
The figure articulates and poses well, with the only drawback being the ankle rockers that can impede some stances.
I score the Galaxy Collection Wave 1 version of Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) the same rating as the 40th Anniversary Carded version, a total of 4.0
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 licences - 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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, hasbro, the empire strikes back, luke skywalker, battle of hoth, snowspeeder