Wampa And Luke Skywalker - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Creatures

HEIGHT: Over 2 Meters (Average)
HOMEWORLD: Hoth
CHARACTERISTICS: Carnivorous, Cave-Dwelling Creatures Capable of Surviving Extreme Cold Weather.

When Kenner announced that they’d be producing an assortment of Creatures for The Power Of The Force “2” line, collectors began ginning from ear to ear. The line was loaded with some great moments in the Creature arena. A first time offered Bantha And Tusken Raider was the highlight of the line, but the modern updates to the Tauntauns and the Special Edition Creatures were also warmly welcomed. Not all of the modern updates were perfect however. The Rancor And Luke Skywalker set felt like it was a few steps backwards to the vintage Kenner version, and now we’re conflicted with how to judge the Wampa And Luke Skywalker set. It’s one of the those releases that feels right and much as it does wrong. And dare we say that the reason to buy this two-pack is for the pack-in figure and not the featured Creature instead? In short, the Wampa is a “mess” and the Luke Skywalker figure is a pretty amazing update. Our attentions are immediately focused on this pretty incredible battle-damaged Luke Skywalker figure.

The Wampa is disappointing for many reasons. First, the appearance is based on the newly added scenes from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition. This second Star Wars film never looked so disjointed from one scene to the next with different-looking creatures depending upon what part of the film you’re watching. Completely different than the vintage Kenner Wampa action figure, the modern version comes with less articulation and a below average sculpt. The Wampa only comes with three points of articulation. Two swivel shoulders are joined by a swivel waist. The waist also contains an action feature so we can recreate some swinging action. But because there is no “ball-jointed” movement in the shoulders, this addition to the figure is quite moot. As a bonus however, the Wampa comes with an easily removable right arm to recreate the footage that exists in both the original and Special Edition versions of Episode V. But aside from that feature, the Wampa is a huge letdown. There isn’t any leg or head movement. It’s basically a statue.

Believe it or not, Luke Skywalker is a pleasant surprise. Although seemingly based on tooling of previous Luke Skywalker (In Hoth Outfit) sculpts in The Power Of The Force “2” line, this version is actually all-new. The proportions are dramatically more streamlined with this version, and he includes battle-damage to his face from the harsh swipe by the Wampa. The face sculpt in particular is quite impressive. For the first time in a long while we have an action figure that resembles actor Mark Hamill. That’s not an easy feat, but we think Kenner mastered that quite well here. They even package him upside down to mimic the way he was stowed in the Wampa’s lair as a future meal. And obviously because it's warranted, Luke Skywalker comes with an extra articulation point—a swivel scarf—so you can obey the laws of gravity when you hang him upside down in your own collection. Luke Skywalker comes packed with a lit lightsaber, too, to make the severing of the Wampa’s arm all the more easier. Imperfect in many ways, we have to tell you that Luke Skywalker is the reason to secure this set.