A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Hasbro used to bring us incredible world building items for low prices via brick and mortar establishments.  I still remember the day I found out that this Luke Skywalker in Echo Base Bacta Tank was going to be released.  My collecting buddy from the Air Force called me and said:

They’re making Luke in his undies.

I clearly thought he was joking.  Luke in his Bacta Tank diaper was fodder for April Fool’s jokes. Moreover, I couldn’t possibly imagine any toy company making a figure of a grown man in underwear (LJN Wrestling Superstars aside).  It didn’t seem marketable.  He assured me that it wasn’t a joke and that it was announced in ToyFare magazine.  At this point in the conversation, I was envisioning a Luke in a pair of tighty whities as a basic carded figure.  Even as a bonafide Luke-a-phile, I had zero interest in that.  Then my friend clarified that it was a deluxe release and came with the Bacta Tank.  Talk about burying the lead.  Once I knew it was a full environment piece, I was all in.

“Luke Skywalker in Echo Base Bacta Tank” is a bit of a misnomer because it puts Luke at the forefront.  That’s not what this is.  The Luke figure is largely inert.  The only articulation is a pair of swivel shoulders.  In reality, this is a Bacta Tank with a mostly static Luke Skywalker accessory, and that is fine.  I would never want to pose this figure outside of the tank, so a nearly preposed figurine is perfectly acceptable.  This is one of the rare instances when I can endorse a preposed figure.  The Bacta Tank itself is also largely inert, as you might expect, but it has some odd features.  The gray hoses at the top can be partially detached and rotated.  I don’t know if this was an intended play feature, or merely a byproduct of the construction.

The tank cylinder was designed so that it could be filled with a liquid.  Then a thin black hose attaches to the breathing mask and exits via the top of the tank. This is so kids could recreate all the fun of blowing…bubbles.  As I was thinking about the double entendre jokes I could make with that previous sentence, I giggled, but then I got a sad when I realized it would be pushing the boundaries of this family friendly site.  I decided to sooth my disappointment by recollecting all the times that Tobias Fünke blue himself:

I don’t personally know of anyone who engaged this bubble blowing feature, or even filled the tank with water.  To that point, the plastic spacer that holds the figure in place for shipping is useful to keep the figure positioned when the tank in empty (as 99% of us display this item).  In fact, until this review, I’ve never removed the figure from the tank itself.  Notice that I said “99%” display the tank empty.  If you want to see an amazing custom Bacta Tank dioram, check THIS out.

When I first got this back in 2001, I was initially disappointed at the reddish color of the tank. It looked blue to me in the movie (here we go again).  This may be due to the blue light shining down on Luke in the scene.  Later when Luke is recovering on the medical bed and making out with his twin sister, the Bacta Tank room can be seen several times in the background.  The tank is clearly red:

So I will have to take the “L” on that one, but one thing I will not relent on is the fact that the pad for contemporaneously released FX-7 is too far away.  FX-7 uses his extendable arm to attach a device that resembles a restraining bolt to the exterior of the tank.  The platform is too far away for the arm to reach.  But this is compensated for by the fact that the console terminal is included as a separate piece.  I would have been happy if the Bacta Tank was just the central cylinder, but adding the console from the room is very much appreciated.

I sold off the bulk of my collection in 2004 when we were moving to our first house.  I lasted almost a year before I started the expensive process of reacquiring replacements.  This Luke with Bacta Tank was one of the first pieces I replaced.  I absolutely love it because it’s almost unimaginable that it was ever made in the first place.  Hasbro did it.  They really did it.  They made Luke in his undies.  I’m giving this a 7 out of 10 for the tank.  Points are deducted due to the aesthetic loss from the protruding tube, the placement of FX-7’s platform, and the somewhat rudimentary sculpting on the Luke accessory.

Finally, some housekeeping on this already too long review.  I knew a diorama picture would be lacking if it were shot on our standard gray background. It needed more of the environment, so I followed THIS TUTORIAL on the Diorama Workshop website.  I bought the decal sheet and blueprints HERE and HERE. I recommend buying each (less than $20 American combined) if you’re going to attempt this.  Finally, this carded sample came from Across The Galaxy Collectibles at the Dover, NH toy show.  He’s a nice guy, and had some great deals.  There will be more reviews coming up from samples I scored from him at that show.