Yesterday we reviewed TSC 035 Han Solo, which was from 1999, but with a new head sculpt.  The figure was pretty neat in 1999, but lost its luster after the umpteenth repaint/retool of that same base mold.  Other than the new (and improved) Harrison Ford head sculpt, the 2006 releases didn’t really add a whole lot.  It was particularly annoying because an outstanding VOTC Han Solo had been released a couple of years earlier.

Next up in the sequence is TSC 036 Luke Skywalker.  Just like Han, it’s a sculpt that dates back to 1999, seven years prior to this retool.  Also like Han, the only meaningful update to the figure itself is the new head sculpt.  Improvement?  Yes.  Still wonky?  Yes.  And finally, just like Han, it comes after Hasbro had released a better version previously. In another repeat of Han, we got a VOTC Luke Skywalker in 2004.  That one was most assuredly better, although many fans questioned the strange use of a removable soft goods tunic, revealing a topless Luke underneath.

But while the Han figure just seemed like a lazy retool, at least we get some fantastic accessories with this Luke, a few of which are all new, and others that are either improved or just good to have.  They make this a must own, even if the Luke itself leaves something to be desired.

Luke includes most of his relevant Tatooine accessories.  He’s a got a nicely manufactured poncho that drops well over the figure and is nicely colored.  He also has his trusty binoculars, which he used to see the space battle above, and then also to get way too up close and personal with a tusked raider.  And he’s got his Gilligan hat, with sculpted goggles. 

But the star of the set is Obi-Wan’s foot locker.  While perhaps slightly odd that it came with Luke and not with Obi-Wan himself, it’s still one of the great accessories of all time.  The chest has a lid that opens and closes.  Inside the lid, is a nook that holds a removable hilt that was once owned by Anakin Skywalker.  Sculpted into the lid is Obi-Wan’s lightsaber hilt.  It’s also adorned with a medallion of the Jedi Order.  The chest itself has a few little details - call them gifts from Hasbro.  While not removable, it’s still fun to see the training remote, the communicator headset, and even the rebreather.  Even though these are sculpted into the chest, there is actually room for all 3 of those devices, should you have them from other sources and then choose to store them here.

The figure is basically crap, but you probably could find use for it some scenes, since good farm boy Lukes are hard to come by.  The best one seems to be the one from the 2009 TLC Resurgence of the Jedi Battle Pack.  It’s LONG overdue for an update into TVC.  In the meantime, this figure is definitely worthwhile for the accessories.  I’ll give it a 6 because of them, and in spite fo the figure, which has been rendered obsolete.  Don’t sleep on this one because of the included goodies.