Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter - TVC - Vehicles

2011’s Star Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Death Star Trench Run Toys R Us exclusive wasn’t the perfect collection of parts, but it did bring collectors the best version of the X-Wing Fighter for the 3.75” action figure line at the time. Hasbro utilized an older “larger-sized” vehicle from the 2002 Star Wars “Saga” line, added a significantly revised fuselage with new storage areas, a tethered dashboard, and retractable landing gear with a door for the compartment. Hasbro also repainted the vehicle in beautiful and screen-accurate colors, making it the most relevant X-Wing Fighter in the Star Wars toy line’s rich decades-long history. Just a few short years later, Hasbro reused this revised X-Wing Fighter to produce the 2013 The Vintage Collection X-wing Fighter which was a Toys R Us exclusive, which was based on Biggs Darklighter’s vehicle from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. At the time, The Vintage Collection basic figure line had unceremoniously been canceled, but Hasbro transitioned TVC into TBS [P1] and produced the first wave of figures about the same time as the Toys R Us exclusive. One of the figures in the first wave of The Black Series [Phase I] line was Biggs Darklighter (#04). Collectors became instantly thrilled to have a figure and a vehicle they could pair together to help complete one of the most unforgettable scenes in the Star Wars saga. Fast-forward to slightly more than half a decade later, Hasbro reinvents the 2013 release for a fresh new 2019 version for the reignited The Vintage Collection line, and it’s now called Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter. They also released 2019’s TVC Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) (VC158) so you have someone to pilot it too!

While we’re not crazy about the packaging, it’s nice to see Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter out again in the Star Wars line. For us, the vehicle should have always been part of The Vintage Collection experience. But, now it is. Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter may not bring a ton of newness to the line (it’s nothing more than a repaint), but it’s a standard vehicle that the toy line should never forsake. Relegated to a “fan channel” exclusive, Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter should be easy to locate for you to purchase for your collection, that is, if you’re willing to shell out the exorbitant $99.99 for it. Please don’t wait for clearance. This vehicle needs our support so that Hasbro can do all-new tooling for Original Trilogy items. There is some newness in terms of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter’s deco. This year’s model looks better than ever, and it’s a must-have update for your collection. Let’s run through some of the paint job changes. On the vehicle’s dorsal side, the yellows and grays are significantly more vibrant than on the 2011 version. The colors pop and stand out on the light-colored plastic used to cast the fighter. Hasbro also captured many of the fine details they missed for the Death Star Trench Run exclusive. It’s like they caught everything they missed for this round. The underside of the vehicle also has significantly upgraded deco too. Panels on the 2019 version received yellow and bronze colors that they missed on the 2011 release. And the engines (and areas around them) are darker to recreate the exhaust that collects on these vehicles. Overall, the 2019 update has heavily upgraded paint operations.

While the vehicle is well-made and painted gorgeously, frankly, we’re disappointed with the packaging of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter. The diorama featured on the main sides of the box is an admirable effort of recreating the moments before the Battle of Yavin, but overall the artwork feels dark and a tad dreary. As you inspect what action figures Hasbro used to complete the scene, we’ve once again got salt poured into our wound because we still don’t have a definitive version of Princess Leia Organa in her beautiful A New Hope costume. Why they’re not getting to this figure is beyond our comprehension, but it’s one of the most frustrating things experienced for a collector of The Vintage Collection. The same goes for farmboy Luke Skywalker and quite a few others. What’s most jarring about the artwork, however, is the name pill for the product. Hasbro was correct to use all capital letters, but the font they used is too thick and varies greatly from the one they used in the vintage classic Kenner era. We understand why Hasbro opted for a more scenic background for this vehicle’s packaging. 2013’s TVC X-Wing Fighter borrowed the artistic stylings of the original vehicle from 1978, complete with red background. Hasbro wanted to change things up, so we give them credit for that. Still, there have been alternate images applied to the classic Kenner X-Wing Fighter boxes, and Hasbro could have directly replicated them for this release. So, we’re a bit disappointed that they left the reservation for this one. Aside from an MSRP that’s admittedly much too high and seeing a vehicle again that we have multiples of at this point, Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter is welcomed to the 2019 flavor of The Vintage Collection, and we’re happy to see it available once again.

2019's TVC Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter shares significant tooling with the following Hasbro Star Wars releases:

• 1998's POTF2 [FF/TKC] Luke Skywalker's Red Five X-wing Fighter (A New Hope)
• 2002's SW [S - P1] Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter (The Empire Strikes Back)
• 2004's SW [S - P3] Red Leader's X-wing Fighter (Death Star Trench Run) (A New Hope)
• 2006's TSC Luke Skywalker's X-wing (The Empire Strikes Back)
• 2009's LC Wedge Antilles' X-wing Starfighter (Expanded Universe/Legends)
• 2011's SW [SOTDS] Death Star Trench Run (A New Hope)
• 2013's TVC X-Wing Fighter (A New Hope)