Owen Lars - TLC - Basic (BD 46)

Owen isn't surprised when his stepbrother Anakin Skywalker arrives at the Lars moisture farm on Tatooine in search of his mother. He wishes, however, that the Lars family had better news to deliver about Shmi to her Jedi son.

It's hard to believe that we had to wait over seven years to get our Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones version of Owen Lars. Before the film, we only knew him to be the surly blood uncle of Luke Skywalker; but quickly we found out he was actually the step-brother of Anakin Skywalker. This directly makes him the “legal” step-uncle to Luke Skywalker. Owen Lars didn't play a major part in Episode II or Episode III but his presence was invaluable to the storyline. As such, an action figure of him was sorely needed in the line. Hasbro has gone out of their way to put a great deal of thought into the design of this action figure because it turned out excellently. Well worth the wait, Owen Lars is a perfect action figure for what he needs to be and comes with just enough bells and whistles to make you smile. If you are a fan of Episode II, you will no doubt love this action figure, and if you aren't, you'll have to at least admit that he offers a great deal of quintessence to the line. From the bottom of his feet to the top of his head, Hasbro gave this figure one heck of a fantastic sculpt and you would have to be more critical than us to not see the mastery put into this figure. We have stated this before, but background characters add trademark, specialty and novelty to an already impressive action figure line and these characters are absolute necessities to give the line its unique personality.

Owen Lars is a solid (weighty) action figure. He has a stocky (not corpulent) frame which is faithful to the film and this has translated very well into the action figure. His sculpted clothing is flawless and the joints are hidden very well. Although Owen only has twelve points of articulation (he comes sans ankle joints), he assuredly doesn't need any more than that. His two hip joints are basically rendered useless since he has a hard plastic skirt that limits almost all movement, but again, this is barely an issue because you don’t need Owen Lars in that many action poses. It is favorable enough however to have these joints in place even if they will not be used just because, after all, he is an action figure! Owen also has a beautifully woven linen cloak and it is one of the most satisfying soft-goods we have seen in a long time. It is constructed nearly identical to the one seen onscreen and it really accentuates this action figure! The sewn detail is breathtaking and every texture (including the dotted pattern), crease, and color is in place. It has a lived in look to it and we give Hasbro "two thumbs up" for this astounding attention to detail. Collectors will be thrilled to know that Hasbro has used a stiffer plastic for Owen's sniper rifle. We don't expect gravity to bend this weapon over time as it is manufactured very well. While clearly not indestructible, we hope this is the direction Hasbro will be taking with all future weapons. It brings forth such a big difference to the figure!

Overall, Owen Lars is surprisingly a fantastic action figure. You may be able to appreciate this character after inspecting the action figure. The head sculpt looks a great deal like the actor and his scale looks befitting next to the Anakin Skywalker and Beru Whitesun action figures. This is important because the interaction of one figure to another is very important for display purposes. If you bought the Disturbance At Lars Homestead Toys R Us exclusive, you have a perfect backdrop to recreate scenes from Episode II (and even Episode III). Once we got wind that this action figure was definitely coming out, fans starting desiring a Cliegg Lars figure - we can only hope that this figure sees the light of day too (and soon)! The Lars family is certainly glowing in the limelight thanks to fan demand and a growing appreciation for all things Episode II! Don't expect this figure to be as ubiquitous as Yarna ‘d’al Gargan or Bail Organa or Breha Organa. While he may be the Attack of The Clones wave peg-warmer, we don't expect them to hang around for long. It has been unfortunate Hasbro history that the last wave before a line look change is made in much smaller numbers and/or sees limited retail distribution. We could be wrong, but we don't expect too many peg warmers with this pulchritudinous Attack Of The Clones wave of figures! (Editor’s Note: This did indeed become the hardest wave to locate in The Legacy Collection blue phase. As a result, HK-47 droid parts are in demand so if you have any extra, you may want to help a fellow fan out and trade them up for something else!)