The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six - STAR WARS Luke Skywalker
Welcome to our new column entitled The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six. Hasbro recently made a commitment to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that for every classic Kenner figure, there needs a modern counterpart. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done and we’ll figure out where we are step by step.
We’re right in alignment with Hasbro in our vintage Kenner database. There are 21 figures under the STAR WARS banner, 29 figures under THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK banner, 31 figures under the RETURN OF THE JEDI banner, and 15 figures under THE POWER OF THE FORCE banner. (Sy Snootles, Max Rebo, Droopy McCool, and Blue Snaggletooth brings the number to an even 100 figures.)
Read our assessment, and then be sure to add your thoughts into the comments. Let us know if you agree or disagree. If you’re a customizer, show us your custom definitive figure in the comments as well! Who knows? It might give Hasbro some ideas.
STAR WARS Luke Skywalker
Is there a definitive modern counterpart to 1978’s SW Luke Skywalker?
2004’s THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY COLLECTION Luke Skywalker figure is regarded as the closest placeholder.
Has Hasbro added this character’s card art and action figure into THE VINTAGE COLLECTION? And is it definitive?
No. To date, a Luke Skywalker figure that meets this definition is only part of THE “VINTAGE” ORIGINAL TRILOGY COLLECTION line, a precursor to THE VINTAGE COLLECTION.
Does THE VINTAGE COLLECTION release completely satisfy the modern counterpart to 1978’s STAR WARS Luke Skywalker figure?
We’re still waiting for Hasbro to add this figure into THE VINTAGE COLLECTION. It’s still a big hole in our collections. Hasbro released 2011’s TVC Luke Skywalker (Death Star Escape) (VC39). The figure comes close to satisfying the requirement but is scene-specific thanks to the stormtrooper belt and communicator, and the tooling is obsolete by today’s standards.
If Hasbro didn’t release the figure yet, do we have a near-definitive or definitive release of this character that can be added to THE VINTAGE COLLECTION as a straight repack, repaint, or with little retooling to update it?
At this point, an all-new figure from the ground up is the best way to approach this action figure. However, with enough retooling and repainting, the figure from 2009’s LEGACY COLLECTION RESURGENCE OF THE JEDI Battle Packs set would serve as a substitute, but this option is unlikely to satisfy collectors at this point.
What does Hasbro have to do so we can check off “Luke Skywalker” from our Vintage Vs. Modern checklists?
They need to tool an all-new action figure of Luke Skywalker, and offer the figure on multiple card art variations like Kenner did in the 70s and 80s. Hasbro can also use the digital files of the Luke Skywalker figure with a few tweaks from THE BLACK SERIES [PHASE III] X-34 Landspeeder release to build a 3.75-inch version.
The year and years elapsed (through 2021) since we last had this character in classic Kenner-styled packaging (vintage or modern)?
2004’s VOTC Luke Skywalker. 17 years ago.
1978’s SW Luke Skywalker. 43 years ago.
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