Surprise!  It’s another Saturday review that no one will read.  Mr. Nomadscout thinks I’m crazy for “wasting” this content on the weekend because…no one will read it.  Truth be told, the purpose of these “throwback” reviews is not for engagement or traffic. It’s to build out our reference library in our galleries.  The way things are set up here, we have to publish our reviews to the front page.  So my options are: (1) publish it on a past date, in which case it’s assured no one will read it; (2) publish it on a weekday which will kill our normal engagement; or (3) post it on a weekend.  I like this option. Plus it keeps you on your toes.  You never know when one of these will pop up, so you have to check Bantha Skull on the weekend days, and we get one of those sweet, sweet clicks that mattered ten years ago.  Mwuh hah hah!  Anyway, if you’re reading this on the date of publication:

Can we bring that back?  I want to bring that back. 

I did one of these POTF2 reviews two weekends ago for the Luke with Blast Shield Helmet figure because I needed to document how well that helmet interacted with the new VC344 - Luke Skywalker release.  In the comments, Han Soli wrote:

BTW this would be a fun review sub-series showcasing all of the Lukes that have accessories pairing with VC344.

I thought to myself, “wizard idea,” but then reality sank in.  I think that series would consist of three or four figures.  We have the aforementioned Luke with blast shield helmet.  There’s TSC036 - Luke Skywalker with the poncho, floppy hat, macrobinoculars, and chest from Ben’s hut.  That sucker is a cornucopia of accessories, but we’ve already reviewed it.  If you’re pushing the concept, you could include the TAC 30-18 - Luke Skywalker release because of the moisture vaporator, but Luke doesn’t personally “interact” with it.  On camera, anyway.  I don’t know what he does in his spare time, but this is a family-friendly site.  Regardless, it too has already been reviewed.  So the series concludes with this Luke Skywalker with T-16 model.  Did I forget any?  I probably forgot something.  Let me know in the comments.

Update:  As pointed out in the comments by Wompa_Stompa, the Flashback Luke comes with the long rifle.

The primary reason you might want to pick up this particular figure is for the T-16 model.  It’s the toy Luke was playing with while 3PO was taking his bubble bath, and R2 was plotting to arouse Luke with images of his attractive sister.  You can actually see part of a full sized T-16 in the background as this scene is going down:

(click for the full sized image)

That’s weird, right?  I feel like that’s weird.  That’s Luke’s T-16 in the background presumably.  The one he bullseyes womprats with.  That’s like getting your first car as a teenager, and then sitting in the driveway playing with a Matchbox of that same car.  The weirdness aside, you will need this T-16 model accessory if you want to set up this scene.

But that’s not the end of the accessories that help you recreate the goings on in the Lars garage.  Luke also comes with a small wrench-like tool.  It goes unheralded on the package, but I think it’s safe to assume that this is what Luke utilizes to remove the carbon scoring from R2.  I actually think this is neater than the T-16.  It’s such a deep cut accessory for Hasbro to give us, yet they did.  I can’t wait to lose it in a few weeks.  Like the aforementioned TSC036, this Luke release doesn’t come with a lightsaber, which makes it trivia question fodder.  The CommTech line also released the only (I think) Darth Vader that didn’t come with a lightsaber.  I guess that was CommTech’s thing.  [Editor’s Note:  Fun fact, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Outlander Club) doesn’t come with a lightsaber either; there’s a hilt sculpted to his tunic.]

This Luke serves as a signpost along the way to super articulation.  It includes hinged knees, and swivel elbows.  The utility of these joints is absolutely terrible by today’s standards, but the little added articulation was noteworthy in 1999.  Articulation standards seem to rock back and forth over time.  There would be less articulated figures that postdate this release. It’s a reminder of why we must always stay vigilant against any backsliding in the quality of articulation. Mr. Nomadscout and I will pounce like rabid spider monkeys on anyone who suggests a lesser articulated parallel for the sake of “more”.  It’s a trap, but that’s fodder for a standalone article.

For the accessories, and the attempt to increase the articulation, I think this figure deservers a 4 out of 10.  But that also reminds me that our scoring system doesn’t work across the entire thirty year history of the modern line.  There aren’t enough “stops” from one to ten to differentiate figures separated by decades.  I gave the recent Dedra Meero a 5 score.  It is really only one point better than this Luke?  Probably not.  The easiest solution would be to start using fractional scores, but I say that lacks imagination.  I hereby propose a 27 point scoring system!  It’s natural and intuitive.

I really wish I still had a CommTech Reader so I could play this chip.  I’m dying to find out if Luke makes spaceship noises when he’s playing with his T-16 toy.  [Editor’s Note:  I busted out the trusty Commtech reader, and sadly, he does not make spaceship noises.  He does say, “Pew pew, David Tyree, pew pew”].  Rest assured that I made them for him as I was photographing this.

Things I forgot to put in the review. but remembered the next day:

• The T-16 model has more paint applications than the recently re-released Aurra Sing