Wampa/Luke Skywalker (Hoth) - SW [TLJ] - Deluxe

Wampas are powerful furred bipeds that dwell in the snowy wastes of the ice world Hoth. These hulking predators have razor-sharp fangs and claws, yet move with surprising stealth, relying on their white fur for camouflage while hunting prey such as tauntauns.

Poor case assortments and overbearing numbers of the same re-released products prevented the Wampa/Luke Skywalker (Hoth) set from making its way out when originally intended. But thankfully it’s finally released with the Solo: A Star Wars Story product launched in time to interact with other compatible products like The Vintage Collection wave 17. Interestingly, Hasbro decided to keep it in its original Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line look packaging. Perhaps they invested too much time and money into the old packaging and decided it made the most sense to keep it. It is, however, odd to see two different line looks in the same case assortment. Part of the Class A “vehicle” assortment, the Wampa/Luke Skywalker (Hoth) plays on longtime collectors’ nostalgia, while cleverly appealing to new younger fans with a scary monster and a Rebel hero. It’s the perfect Star Wars release. What child of the 80s doesn’t remember growing up screaming “Wampa!” at the top of his lungs, imitating the classic vintage Kenner commercial that left indelible marks on our brains as children? Now, after multiple releases throughout their tenure, Hasbro comes closest to delivering a near-definitive version of the classic Wampa predator and pairs him with a fairly executed version of Luke Skywalker (Hoth). There is a lot of blood here. But that also makes this entire set very cool as well. If you love the Battle of Hoth and everything that encircled it, this is YOUR Star Wars set. With added Force Link 2.0 technology, the Wampa/Luke Skywalker (Hoth) two-pack should bring hours of play to new and old fans alike.

The stunning star of this set is, of course, the Wampa. It goes without saying. We should point out immediately that the Wampa isn’t perfect. But just like us, you’re probably not going to care one bit. The Wampa loses “rating value” because of its simple paint job. The paint operations are clean as a whistle, and they look fantastic. But they’re much too simple for a beast that has complex coloring in its mostly white fur. The sculpting is completely in place here. Hasbro tooled a stunning Wampa beast here. The fur is etched into the sculpt beautifully. He has a slightly open mouth, but he isn’t coming across as roaring. There is blood on his chin hair (beard?) but it doesn’t look like a crime scene. But if you look carefully at the paint operations on its eyes and horns, you’ll notice that Hasbro has played it a little too safe when it comes to this part of the figure’s deco. His nose is also too simple in approach. Again, we love this figure. But it’s evident that Hasbro thought of young kids first when decorating it. It’s impossible not to notice how improved the Wampa’s articulation is when compare to past versions. The Power Of The Force “2” Wampa And Luke Skywalker set contained a Wampa figure that didn’t even have moveable hips. While the Star Wars “Saga” [Phase III] Wampa With Hoth Cave (Hoth Attack) was a great update, it too lacked the needed articulation. The 2018 version is, however, a godsend. He comes with the same removable arm of past versions (which necessitates a swivel right arm for aesthetic reasons), but the other arm is ball-jointed, as are his elbows, knees, and ankles. The paws on its hands are wide and disconcerting. Its feet are large and have adorable “pads” which create the monster’s unique footprints in the snow. Aside from missing a meaty tauntaun bone, the Wampa is a long-awaited release that should satisfy all who have been chomping at the bit for it.

We’re fond of the Luke Skywalker (Hoth) figure included here too. Sure, it isn’t super-articulated in the least, but it has a great likeness and screen-accurate features that show that Hasbro paid attention when configuring how this figure should look when paired with the included Wampa. Luke Skywalker comes with the basic five points of articulation. The detail of his sculpt is impressive. And at some angles, he looks just like Mark Hamill from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. He comes with two accessories, and they include a lightsaber and a blaster pistol. The blaster pistol fits into a functioning holster on his right thigh very, very well. He can also hold it easily thanks to great sculpting that is interactive with accessories. The lightsaber is fully lit. This would have been a perfect example where a rare third accessory would have behooved Hasbro to include with this release. Everyone knows Luke struggles and grapples to secure the lightsaber hilt from the ice inside of the Wampa cave. So why don’t we have a separate hilt accessory to make this completely screen-accurate? Still, he does end up cutting off the Wampa’s right arm with his FULLY LIT lightsaber, so this accessory is equally important. For $19.99 you could do a whole lot worse. Both figures in this set are a blast, and you’re going to have fun playing with them. This is easily the greatest Wampa action figure to date. And while we’d love to see some realistic deco enhancements in the future, we’ll place this version to the front of our collections. For some strange reason, Hasbro felt that repackaging the Rathtar set alongside this release was smart, despite stores swimming in that set or others placing it on clearance. We hope this doesn’t prevent collectors from gaining access to this amazing release.