Luke Skywalker - POTF2 [FB/CT] - Basic

A long time ago....
A new Star Wars movie will premier in movie theaters next Summer. It is Episode I of the Star Wars saga and the first movie in a new trilogy that goes back in time a full generation to tell the story of Luke Skywalker's father Anakin. We will see how Anakin became a great Jedi Knight but then turned to the dark side to become Darth Vader.

Bored with the mundane life of a moisture farmer on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker dreamed of being a great pilot. He targeted womp rats while racing his T-16 skyhopper through the steep and narrow walls of Beggar's Canyon. Many years earlier, Luke's father also raced over the surface of Tatooine in his podracer. Anakin evntually turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader but was finally redeemed by his son Luke.

One of the most exciting and fertile grounds for awesome Star Wars figures are the various deleted scenes from films. Sadly, Hasbro doesn’t delve into this areas of the “Expanded Universe” often enough, but when they do they make some pretty incredible action figures. Luke Skywalker from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope has been done to death in the basic figure line already, but Hasbro decided he was due for another couple of updates for The Power Of The Force “2” [FlashBack/CommTech] phase of the line. For the FlashBack phase of the line, Hasbro went for the Expanded Universe version of Luke Skywalker. Let’s face the music. It is simply the accessories that are going to make any “farm boy” Luke Skywalker be based from the films or from the cutting room floor. For this figure, Hasbro added accessories that are both screen accurate from the final version of the film, as well as accessories that are from abandoned scenes that just didn’t make it into the film at all. It is to our shock and surprise that they made the FlashBack Luke Skywalker better than we ever expected. And you might be surprised that it ironically isn’t because of the accessories. The actual figure is well done too.

The POTF2 FlashBack Luke Skywalker figure has often been called “floppy hat” Luke, but he is so much more than that. Yes, there is no doubt about it. The floppy hat and macrobinoculars are based on the ill-fated scene where Luke is witnessing the Star Destroyer attack the Tantive IV in outer space. But Hasbro also included the long barreled blaster rifle he used to “hunt” the Tusken Raiders from atop the hills next to his landpseeder. All of the accessories combined make for a very interesting version of Luke Skywalker. Plus, the added dirt on Luke’s outfit and skin is just too perfect for words. He looks like a real farmer searching for every last drop of water on the deserted arid landscape. The floppy hat (complete with permanent goggles) is cast from a rubbery material and fits over Luke’s head quite nicely. You can have him wear it high or low on his brow and create a few different personalities alone just with this accessory. The macrobinoculars are a lovely design too and Luke is able to hold them in his hand or on his newly tooled belt. We’re quite impressed with the multiple options Kenner/Hasbro gave to this accessory. Although his hands are tooled too “wide open,” it is possible for Luke Skywalker to hold the skinny blaster rifle. But keep in mind this functions more like a prop for the scene than an actual useful accessory.

Luke might as well be considered an all-new figure, but there is no denying that he is based on quite a few older parts. For example, this torso has been reused from the Luke Skywalker figure from 1997’s The Power Of The Force "2" [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] Purchase Of The Droids Cinema Scenes set. We say reused because Hasbro retooled it slightly to allow for a ball-socket neck post, a very nice enhancement to this FlashBack version. The legs have been repositioned a bit from 1998’s The Power Of The Force "2" [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] Luke Skywalker (the one with the blast shield helmet) figure too. New hinge-jointed arms and a new head have been retooled and they give the figure a great deal of movement. We’re especially impressed with the swivel wrists which make holding his macrobinoculars so incredibly realistic. Because his arms bend enough to bring the accessory to his head and the wrists allow you to angle them so that he can maintain a firm grasp while holding them. The paint operations are also very impressive. Luke Skywalker has dirt on his face and all over his clothes. There is even extra accumulation of dirt around the bottoms of his sleeves. We think this is one of the nicest Luke Skywalker figures in years. It’s not perfect, but this figure is heading in the correct direction.