Index | Popular | Top rated | Random | Quick Search
Name: Luke Skywalker And Wampa
Collection: The Black Series [Phase II]
Number: N/A
Scale: 6"
Source: The Empire Strikes Back
Availability: June 2015
License: Hasbro
While on patrol, Luke and his tauntaun are attacked by a vicious wampa. The creature hangs Luke upside down in its cave, but Luke uses the Force to escape.
"Steady. Hey, steady, girl. Hey, what's the matter? Do you smell something?"
The Black Series 6” line is all over the map. That is probably in and of itself enough to consider the line a failure for the collectors’ market. Despite claim after claim that the line is performing exceptionally well by folks at Hasbro, you can find most of the line, with very few exceptions, below their standard MSRP. How many The Vintage Collection figures (and even older The Black Series 3.75” figures) can you call out with similar trends? The question is rhetorical. You can’t count that many for sure. When it comes to The Black Series 6” Deluxe line, controversy takes on a whole new meaning. The Speeder Bike With Biker Scout was an admirable effort, but did Hasbro think that Jabba The Hutt packed with NOTHING would sell equally well for a laughable $40? This Deluxe format is unbalanced, and Hasbro once again is all over the map with ideas, quality, and poor character choices that have become more and more predictable as time moves forward. You have to keep something in mind here. This disdain you hear in our voice is fixated upon the truth that adult collectors never asked for a 6” line of figures. Hasbro is going to tell us what collectors want in this day and age. We have been very vocal against the Han Solo And Tauntaun Deluxe set. We have never come across a more inadequate execution for a Star Wars toy. With today’s technology, the Tauntaun should have rocked our world. Instead, we get a hollow piece of garbage with a likeness that might look a tad better than the 12” Action Collection from The Power Of The Force “2” era. Are we the only ones concerned with the future of our Star Wars collectibles? We find it all very frightening.
However, we are equally ready to praise the Luke Skywalker And Wampa set as equally as we have ripped apart the Han Solo And Tauntaun set. We’re pleased to report that the Luke Skywalker And Wampa set meets our stringent standards for assessing it as a quality of a collectors’ item. Well, let us be straightforward with you. The Luke Skywalker figure’s portrait sucks. There is no getting around it. The rest of the figure is well designed and well-articulated, and you probably won’t complain too much about the soft-goods scarf they added to the cap to make it more screen accurate when he is hanging upside down. But between the generic likeness and the sloppy paint operations, you’re probably going to hope that Hasbro tweaks a better figure without Wampa battle-damage for a future release. We feel that this figure’s likeness is totally crappy. Again, Luke Skywalker is just reassurance that The Black Series 6” line is all cookie cutter. Luke Skywalker has the same articulation system as Han Solo. As a result, Luke Skywalker has the same limitations. Despite Luke Skywalker’s setbacks, you’re probably going to forget about them rather quickly. Firstly, Luke Skywalker satiates the need for a figure to complement the Wampa nicely. And secondly, the Wampa is unequivocally the ONLY reason to buy this set. The creature is fantastic and is has superseded our expectations. Suppose Hasbro can get the rest of The Black Series 6” line up to this caliber of quality. In that case, collectors will probably have very little to complain about because this is how a toy company makes incredible action figures. Like the 2004 Star Wars “Saga” Wampa (With Hoth Cave) Ultra figure, the Wampa’s right arm is entirely removable and possesses swivel articulation as a result.
The most important point to make is that the Wampa weighs a ton. We could not believe how heavy the packaged sample was before removing the figures from the box. Unlike the crappy Tauntaun, the Wampa is substantial plastic. The creature is built like a regular humanoid action figure, and because it is bigger, it weighs proportionately we imagine. But the larger size translates into a lot of extra weight. And we’re thankful for that. We were concerned that we were going to receive an empty and hollow Wampa in this set. We couldn’t be happier about being proven wrong about our assumptions. The sculpt of the Wampa is extremely lovely. We have to admit that we’re not crazy about the raspberry sauce awkwardly placed around his mouth and chest. Still, unlike the prototype images we saw, Hasbro has corrected major paint operation issues, and the final deco brings out the detail in the sculpt. The fur is creamy white and borders on being a light yellow in some instances at times in particular light. The claws, horns, and lips are all gray, and if you spend some time looking at the intricacies of the sculpt, we believe you’ll find an incredible action figure as well. The Wampa comes loaded with 26 points of articulation, and much of that movement is ball-jointed and ball-socket articulation. This system of movement allows for a wide range of motion. If we had to complain, the heaviness compromises the rigidity of the articulation points. This approach in design makes the creature feel “jiggly” and “unbalanced” at times. Please know it’s not a deal-breaker and is just something we noticed. Luke Skywalker And Wampa is an impressive set. It’s exceeded our expectations. Hopefully, it will exceed yours too.
Assortment Number: A8725/A7808
UPC: 630509267576
Retail: $39.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
Status: Luke Skywalker is an all-new figure.
Articulation Count: 26 points (16 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-jointed head (2), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left glove (1), swivel right glove (1), ball-jointed waist (2), ball-socket left hip (1), ball-socket right hip (1), swivel left thigh (1), swivel right thigh (1), double hinge-jointed left knee (2), double hinge-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" left ankle (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: 3
Accessory Details: blaster pistol, lightsaber hilt, lightsaber blade
Date Stamp: N/A
Status: Wampa is an all-new figure.
Articulation Count: 27 points (17 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), swivel right shoulder* (1), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), ball-jointed left wrist (2), ball-jointed right wrist (2), swivel upper torso (1), ball-jointed lower torso (2), ball-socket left hip (1), ball-socket right hip (1), swivel left thigh (1), swivel right thigh (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: None
Accessory Details: None (*right arm is removable)
Date Stamp: N/A
The Black Series [Phase II] |
Return to Research Droids Reviews Index
-Click HERE to return to the home page-