I’m finally catching up after some Black Friday purchases and a few birthday presents to myself (I had to – I can’t pass up a deal) Hopefully everyone had a good weekend and or holiday and is ready for some new toys! Here’s my review of the newest (and my first) Black Series Luke Skywalker.
I know quite a bit about Star Wars but not everything, so let me see if I can get this straight. So this blond kid from the middle of nowhere goes off looking for a space wizard one day. He learns to use the Force like his father, but doesn’t stray down the same dark path as his father did during the Clone Wars. Something bad happened there probably. Taking up his father’s lightsaber, he travels across space and becomes the apparent savior of the galaxy (in one timeline, at least)
Okay, time to stop playing dumb. Of course I know Luke Skywalker, and this is a great figure of him. First and foremost, the face is pretty spot on (minus a bit of a messy paint application to the eyes.) The hair is a perfect sandy blond color and the cloth shirt is a great touch to what could have otherwise been a pretty bland figure in terms of overall look and color. At first I thought the shirt was way too big on him. . .but then I remembered it’s actually kind of big on him in the movie, too. Points for accuracy there.
Luke of course includes his lightsaber as well as his macrobinoculars. A new addition to this wave of figures is a small hook on his belt, which allows the lightsaber (with the blade removed, of course) to hang from the belt. It’s a great detail, and the fact that it isn’t a slotted or otherwise tight connection allows the hilt to sway naturally during play or display. I also like the flap on the underside of the macrobinoculars, which double as a place for Luke to hold them as well as clip them to the back of his belt between the pouches.
Although I like this figure a lot, I do have a few minor gripes with it. Collecting sites and comment sections have noted that the Black Series is dropping in quality, something I personally haven’t really noticed insomuch that it’s affecting my enjoyment of new figures in any way. I’m probably biased – I just love getting new toys. I wonder if these details might be what people are talking about (honestly, when I see people start to complain, I skip those comments most of the time even if they are valid.) As I mentioned above, Luke’s eyes look a little weird. The application of his left eyebrow is slightly lower than the right, making some of the blue appear to run a touch above his eyebrow. It isn’t glaringly noticeable but it’s there. Also, this figure has great articulation until it gets down to the ankles, which lack the swivel motions of previous figures. This wouldn’t bug me so much if footwork wasn’t so integral to swordfighting poses. Last and certainly least, I wish the sleeves of his shirt maybe cinched ever so slightly at the end. Luke does get a little lost in his big shirt depending how he’s posed.
So what are your thoughts on the new farmboy Luke figure? Did you get a hold of one in the Black Friday madness like I did? Stay tuned this week for more reviews. And hopefully I can get through Rogue One: Catalyst in time for the movie – I just started last night!
-David
TheEmpiresElite.com 