Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 03/01/2012 12:53 PM

You probably already own most of this figure.  The legs and arms are from the VC23 - Luke Skywalker (Endor Capture) figure. That figure was brilliant and this one is as well.  The super articulation of the predecessor was off the charts with not only 14 points of articulation, but with the upgraded ball joints at the hips and wrists.  Because of the tooling reuse, that articulation is present in the Lightsaber Construction version.  This allows you to strike almost any lightsaber fighting pose you desire.  I say “almost” because on this version, the flare of the sculpted tabard limits the range of motion at the shoulders in some cases.  In particular, you can’t achieve the over head chop Luke employs to exact his hand for a hand justice. 

What’s different in this release is the upper torso which includes a sculpted Jedi tabard.  This is an exponentially better approach to these costume items. Previous attempts to make these soft goods items were noble, but simply didn’t work well at this scale.  The sculpting looks much nicer and giving these garments a subtle shading difference really adds an element of depth.  The lower portion of the tabard is incorporated in the sash (more on the sash later) and is part soft goods and part sculpted.  This is a best of both worlds solution as it strikes the right balance between aesthetics while not compromising the range of motion of the ball jointed hips.  The fact that the sash is here at all it commendable.  This could have simply had a sculpted utility belt to match the exact scene, but having the belt removable with the sash underneath allows us to use this figure in Jabba’s palace displays.  It also gives Hasbro the flexibility to release the correct figure on the vintage Jedi Knight card down the road. 

The head is also new.  I’m reluctant to say whether or not the new or old head is better.  The hair color on this release is definitely more accurate to Mr. Hamill’s appearance in Episode VI, but I feel the Endor Capture release had a more accurate face sculpt.  The hair part on this head appears to be on the wrong side, but with a rich history of flipped negatives in the saga (the ones that were actually filmed anyway), I’m reluctant to etch that in stone.  Unless there was a sudden wardrobe change between the cave and the entrance to Jabba’s palace, the inclusion of a robe instead of a cloak is wrong.  However, the brown of the robe is a step in the right direction in terms of matching the actual color of the costume prop.  The brown is still too light, but is better than the incorrect black we’ve received on previous releases.  You can check a faithful facsimile of the costume at Museum Replicas so you can make your own judgement call.  Lastly the boots have some sort of intentional wash or distressing on them.  I assume this is to represent sand, but as I can’t say definitively, it means that whatever this was supposed to represent, it wasn’t executed to perfection.  If you go mental from losing figure accessories, put the tool in a safe place immediately.  Merely dropping it onto a plush carpet could cause a Bermuda Triangle scenario.

The negatives are so inconsequential to me, I won’t even consider deducting a point.  A perfect 10 out of 10.  I look forward to inevitable Endor release.

Updated Review:  Bret - 8/29/2018 07:05 AM

There’s really not much to add to Chris’s review.  This is an outstanding figure in almost every facet, and the negatives adhere to the true definition of nitpicks.  I thought I had another negative Chris left out, which was that there was no peg hole for the saber hilt.  In fact, the saber hilt itself doesn’t have a peg, even if Luke’s belt had a hole for it.  But if you take the figure to be specific to this one deleted scene only, he never actually carries the hilt on his belt.  He gets it working, and then gives it to R2-D2 for safe keeping until he would need it for that rampage thing.

While digging through my bins to find all the accessories for this figure, I thought I had the wrong hilt.  It’s different from the lit saber.  It’s slightly smaller, and painted differently.  That aside, what I realized as I was inspecting it was that Hasbro added the detail of the open hilt so that Luke can repair it.  It shows the exposed circuitry on which Luke uses the included tool.  As for the tool, I was shocked that I found the thing.  I was convinced that I had lost it, but there it is, in the gallery.  It was a good day.

This Luke figure is tremendous, from the sculpt, to the top-of-the-line super-articulation, to the face.  My biggest complaint is the overly large robe, but it is what it is.  In fact, as Chris actually pointed out, it shouldn’t even be a cloak, so there’s that.  Otherwise, I find this figure nearly perfect.  I’m going to pretend to be Chris for a minute and tell you that if you don’t have this figure, you’re a terrible person.

Verdict: No Action 

It is basically the definitive version of Jedi Luke - pre Taym Dren-Garen.  He was widely available, and therefore not exactly rare today.  He can be had on eBay for a moderately low premium, which is amazing considering the quality of such a figure, especially since it works as a Sail Barge Murder Spree Luke (at least in the beginning of the Battle of the Pit of Carkoon).  Get 1…or 4.  The only downside is that he’s got a full robe instead of a cloak.  Maybe Hasbro can figure out how to get this figure re-released in some kind of multi-pack, say with a Taym Dren-garen.  That might also be an opportunity to give us an ultimate version of this Luke.  He could include a proper cloak, the blaster he Force-stole in the palace, hand cuffs, and 3 switch-out hands:  normal, blasted, and gloved.  Maybe even throw in the shmata and goggles from the TLC Sandstorm Luke.  Is that too much to ask for?  Of course it is.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.