Welcome to our review of the 2014 release of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, from Return of the Jedi. This 6 inch action figure was released as part of Hasbro's Star Wars Black Series and was included in the 5th wave of figures. Wave 5 saw the packaging updated from the phase 1 orange line boxes to the phase 2 blue boxes. The numbering was also rest and Luke was therefore #03 in the new packaging.
Packaging 3/5
The 5th wave of Star Wars Black Series figures in 2014 saw Hasbro update the packaging from the phase 1 orange line boxes to the new phase 2 blue line boxes. The change was pretty much to allow Chewbacca to get a release as the previous box did not give enough window space to show off the figure. These new boxes saw the window carry right through to the top of the box and wrap round.
The box itself remained a matt black with the Star Wars Black Series logo dropping to the base rail under the window along with the character name. The Star Wars Black Series has rarely named a figures specific outfit or movie from which its based - so while we know this as Jedi Knight Luke he was simply titled Luke Skywalker. The character name and the reset numbering was picked out in blue - Luke was #03.
The circular art panel containing a grey lined illustration of the character remained top right but was not cut into the window.
The rear of the box remained pretty much the same with the coloured line now updated to blue. There was a short piece of text under the character name and the rest of the box was made up of a still from the movie - the Throne Room scene - picked out again in grey lined art.
"LUKE GOES TO THE SECOND DEATH STAR TO CONFRONT HIS FATHER, DARTH VADER. DESPITE GIVING IN TO HIS ANGER, LUKE REFUSES TO DESTROY HIS FATHER AND REJECTS EMPEROR PALPATINE'S ATTEMPTS TO TURN LUKE TO THE DARK SIDE"
Like the original packaging, this new box remained susceptible to markings and dings with the matt black being unforgiving to the smallest of defect.
The same blue line runs the length of the backing card which itself is part of an inner tray into which the figure sits. Luke arrives held in place only by the shape of the inner tray. His lightsaber sits to the side with the tip of the blade slotted through the plastic to hold it in place.
Under the saber sits the additional shirt front piece which we will look at shortly.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
Luke, being an early release in the life of the Black Series, has a rudimentary head sculpt which is a passing resemblance to a 1983 Mark Hamill. It is cast in a glossier skin plastic and only the eyes and eyebrows are painted - and both of these are quite basic with thick brown eye brows and large black pupils.
The mop of hair is more accurate, and darker than what we saw on Bespin Luke. Perhaps too dark.
Luke stands 5 and 1/2 inches tall, which makes him taller than Leia and shorter than Han. This is of course accurate and a tick for Hasbro in maintaining the appropriate scale of characters to each other.
Luke's build is quite slim and slight and a little toned back from the bulkier Bespin Luke that came before. The torso and hips are quite straight in that the body is the same width all the way down. While Hamill was not overly muscular the Luke we see fight Vader on the Death Star was certainly stockier around the shoulders and hips/upper legs.
The entire body is cast in black plastic with no paint apps on the body parts at all. The bot pieces are thankfully a slightly glossier black to differentiate them from the trousers. The belt, a separate loose piece, has some silver paint decor on the buckle and the studding. Sadly our review Luke came with a scratch on the buckle straight out of the box.
The clever part of the figure is that Hasbro did remember the original goal of the Black Series with this figure in that they would try and give us the definitive version of a character and would include swap out options for collectors to decide what to display. For Luke this is the chest piece which arrives fastened as per the dual in the Throne Room. There is then a second option which has the lapel folded down with the grey lining exposed - as we see as Luke tries to help Vader back to the Shuttle.
This is achieved by way of a swap out chest section with the two chest pieces cast and then fitted with two plugs which slot into sockets on the chest of the figure. The fit is tight and snug and once installed neither chest piece looks like an individual piece.
Accessories
Luke comes with one accessory, his newly constructed lightsaber. This arrives with the blade fitted to the saber in the packaging, but like the previous sabers the blade piece can be taken out.
The saber hilt is similar to the one packed with the R2-D2 figure but not the same piece. This one is more defined with the clear ringed pieces under the emitter and the slide switch to engage the blade. It is also cast with a loop on the end that can then be hung on Luke's belt.
The saber is cast in a silver/grey plastic with bronze and black paint detail added - and pretty neatly too considering the scale. The blade slots in tightly but my blade did arrive warped from the pack and has proved difficult to straighten even with hot/cold treatments.
If you aren't hanging the saber on the belt then the hilt fits into either hand, or with a bit of tweaking into both hands for a two-handed pose.
Articulation
Luke has 16 points of articulation, standard for the line. The head is ball jointed with a pivot built into the neck so the head rotates fully and looks up and down.
There is a joint built into the torso, just above the waist, which is a ball joint. This allows the torso to rotate, and also then supports ab movement so the figure can lean forward or backward - really useful for some of the dueling lightsaber poses.
Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with full movement. The elbows are sadly only a single joint so bend to 90 degrees only. This does allow two handed saber posing, but doing so is right on the limit of the elbows and as they are pulling back on themselves they can warp and bend the saber hilt over time.
The final arm joint is the pivot wrist and this is really useful if you are trying for force push type posing.
Legs too are ball jointed with full movement at the hips. There is a thigh swivel to allow the legs to be turned in and out. Under this sits double jointed knees with full motion to allow Luke to kneel. The legs end with a robust ratcheted ankle rocker to support a variety of stances.
Luke therefore stands perfectly well in most poses. Just watch out for those hips which can work loose and that then slide the figure into the splits and off the shelf!
Summary
Considering the age of the figure Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is a pretty good stab at giving us a Luke from those scenes in The Emperor's Throne Room. The face is on par with others of the time, and the outfit well executed with the clever chest swap piece - even if it is a little slender.
Articulation is good and the lightsaber accessory works well.
Paint apps are a little lacking, even considering this is a guy in a black outfit. Some shading on the face would have helped and where paint was applied like the belt it needed to be neat and of good quality.
Considering the figure is now 5 years old, Luke does still fit well in a Return of the Jedi Black Series display - but I do wonder if he will get an Archive do-over soon and what this figure might be like with a face print option over that sculpt?
Figure Hacks
So I know this figure is not dressed in the same outfit as Luke at Jabba's palace. But in the absence of a Jabba's Palace Luke this one does the job with the right soft goods aftermarket robe.
My supplier of choice is a brilliant seller on eBay called rickhor409. UK collectors might struggle bringing up his wares, but he does ship worldwide. The best bet might be to use the link above and add any items you are interested in to your watch now list. When you revert back to the UK site they should stay in your list
The brown cloak I purchased is a perfect fit for this Luke and hangs beautifully. Well worth spending the cash if you want to include Luke in your Jabba's Palace display.
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