Why Can't Hasbro Get Luke Skywalker Right?

My Black Series Imperial Light Cruiser Luke Skywalker figure arrived a few weeks ago… and as I looked at the figure and examined it I was wondering how it can be that in 2023 we get a Luke Skywalker figure from Hasbro that looks even worse than previous efforts. This prompted me to look at all the past versions and to see if any of them are any good. So today I want you to join me for a retrospective of all the Black Series Luke Skywalker figures. And I will rate all of them. A “Luke” will be a figure that actually looks like Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker. A “Luuke” could be a brother or cousin. A “Luuuuuke” however would just be some random dude. And yes, it’s supposed to be fun! So click through for a little show of horrors!

Let me introduce you to Luuuuke

There have been quite a number of Luke Skywalker Black Series figures by Hasbro over the years. And I will list (almost) everyone of them, some minor variations may be missing, but all major editions of him are included.

Maybe Mark Hamill just has one of those faces that are impossible to sulpt, because Hasbro can absolutely knock it out of the park with certain figures. But other characters like Mark’s Luke and even Harrison Ford’s Han seem to cause some real trouble. They rarely, if ever, get them right. But what is even more puzzling… there have been times when Hasbro got pretty close… only to make much worse versions of Luke with following figures which makes you wonder why they apparently always start from scratch with their digital sculpts and don’t use one of the previous versions as the starting point.

And before anyone says “TVC versions look so much better”. No. Just no. They are even worse.

Anyway, to make sure we all know who we are talking about what follows is a series of Mark Hamill portraits from the time between 1977-1983. Stills from the movies and also one promo photo of Mark as Mark from around the Empire Strikes Back era. Just so we all know what Mark actually looks like.

Mark Hamill through the years, please click to enlarge!

And here are the mugshots of all major Black Series Luke Skywalkers…

Click to see the full resolution version (maybe shield your eyes though)

Well… ehm…

I will rate each Luke now, from left to right, then top to bottom!

• X-Wing Luke 1.0: Luuuke – he looks like a deformed potato version of Mark Hamill, and to think people back then thought this is a pretty good Mark Hamill likeness…
• X-Wing Luke photoreal: Luuuke but now with lipstick – they added lipstick
• ROTJ Luke 1.0: Luuke – I venture a guess and say the sculpt is actually better this time but unfortunately this figure was made when Hasbro still used blind Chinese kids to paint the eyes and didn’t use any paint apps at all anywhere on the face
• Bespin Luke 1.0: Luuuke – if there ever was a decent sculpt it was ruined by the blind Chinese kids painting the eyes to the best of their ability
• Bespin Luke photoreal: Luuuke – he could be a brother or cousin of Mark Hamill maybe, if you squint your eyes
• Stormtrooper Disguise Luke: Luke or maybe Luuke – I believe this could actually be the best sculpt yet, ultimately let down by Hasbro’s DEI programme that had them use those blind Chinese kids to paint the eyes
• Wampa Luke 1.0: Luuke – actually this is a pretty good sculpt, but the blind Chinese kids once more ruined it all
• Wampa Luke photoreal: Luke! – With photoreal I think this is the best Luke yet, the first figure to actually look like Mark Hamill as Luke
• Farmboy Luke 1.0: Luuuuke – Wampa Luke proves Hasbro can sculpt a pretty good Mark Hamill… but then they started from scratch apparently for the iconic Farmboy Luke and came up with this pinheaded “thing”
• Farmboy Luke photoreal: Luuuuke – photoreal can’t work miracles if the sculpt is just bad
• Farmboy Landspeeder Luke 1.0: Luuuuuke – drag queen version with hilarious caterpillar eyebrows of someone who is maybe Mark Hamill’s second cousin once removed, unfortunately this won’t be the last drag queen Luke
• Trash Compactor Luke: Luke! – this is unfortunately extremely scene specific and Hasbro didn’t give Luke the best of facial impression, but this is actually a really good likeness of Mark Hamill as Luke, too bad it is a gimmick figure and not any of the major versions
• Medal Ceremony Luke: Luuuke – this constipated distant relative of Mark Hamill has eyes that are too close together and it is probably the wonky photoreal paint apps that give him this eternally constipated look
• Dagobah Luke: Why would Hasbro make a Mackenzie Davis action figure as seen in Terminator Dark Fate for Star Wars??????????????????

We have an action figure of her in Star Wars. Why?

All joking aside, I believe the actual likeness is pretty good, but the unfortunate hairstyle, the way it’s sculpted and mom’s makeup turn this Dagobah Luke into Mackenzie Davis from Terminator Dark Fate. Differently sculpted hair and less makeup could have made this a pretty good Mark Hamill as Luke action figure

• Snowspeeder Luke: Luuke or maybe Luke, depending on how much you squint – unfortunately only yet another extremely scene specific version of Luke is pretty good, but he always wears this balaclava type thingy on his head and can only really be used with his helmet on
• Jabba’s Palace Luke: Luuuke – maybe the sculpt is there, but it gets lost under all the makeup Hasbro insisted upon for some strange reason
• Endor Luke: Luuuuuke – who even is that? Not even a cousin.
• Imperial Light Cruiser Luke: Luuuuke, this is the uncanny valley version of Luke, sculpted by a blind Chinese kid who received a written description (in Brailles, because blind! before you ask…) of what Mark Hamill looks like… or maybe he’s one of those pod people from Invasion of the Body Snatchers… unfortunately removed from his pod two days early. Whatever it is, it is not Mark Hamill though and it is really perplexing how the most recent Black Series Luke Skywalker is one of the comically worst ones thus far, given all the progress the line has made ever since 2013. Even though the photoreal process is the best version yet this is a major letdown. At best this is Mark’s half brother or maybe distant cousin. He actually looks like a Spitting Image muppet version of Luke. You remember that British comedy series? Also, why did they give him Mr Spock’s raised eyebrow? Wrong franchise!

Spitting Image puppets… here you see two grifters you may or may not know, doesn’t matter if you don’t

So, what do you think? What figure you think gets Mark Hamill right and actually looks the most like Luke? And why do you think it is Hasbro fails in various ways again and again and again when it comes to Luke? It’s not that they don’t try…

And yes, I am a fool and pre-ordered the new Return of the Jedi Black Series Luke Skywalker. I am still hoping one of the major Luke versions will get a figure that actually looks like him.

Also… remember, this is meant to be fun. Not a scientific analysis! And it’s not a dig at Hasbro sculptors. They usually do a great job. But Mark Hamill seems to be their nemesis. I mean, WHO looked at Imperial Light Cruiser Luke and proudly said “nailed it!” and who at Lucasfilm greenlit it?

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