Luke Skywalker & Ysalamiri - TBS [PP] - Six Inch Figures

Commemorate the first 50 years of Lucasfilm with figures inspired by Star Wars book and comics!

Five years after the destruction of the Death Star, Luke Skywalker fears there is no hope as the remnants of the Imperial fleet are readied for war under the commander of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Star Wars action figures from Heir To The Empire are nothing new. We received characters as early as 1998. Remember when Hasbro released the short-lived Expanded Universe line? That collection of figures when we received two action figures from Heir To The Empire, including Mara Jade and Spacetrooper. They were two of the most popular Star Wars action figures before the turn of the century. Then about a decade later, we got four new action figures from the Star Wars comic thanks to 2007s TAC Luke Skywalker/Mara Jade (No. 10) two-pack and then 2008’s TLC Grand Admiral Thrawn/Talon Karrde (9) two-pack. Collectors warmly welcomed both Comic Packs sets into their collections, but then things died down as far as Heir To The Empire was concerned. It wasn’t until the dreadful 2013 TBS [P1] Mara Jade (#14) figure, a Fans’’ Choice winner until we received another character. The Fans’’ Choice Mara Jade was supposed to be in a different outfit AND part of The Vintage Collection, but both of those promises turned into lies. Maybe it was for the better that Hasbro placed this figure in The Black Series [Phase I] packaging. It was one of their worst efforts to date.

Well, here we are in 2021, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Lucasfilm LTD. And Hasbro decides to “resurrect” characters from the old Expanded Universe comics. My, how the tables have turned. The “untouchable” old Expanded Universe is now an acceptable rich archive of excellent Star Wars stories, after being vilified as “terrible” by new Disney Star Wars “fans” Whatever. The truth always sets us all free. And now everyone is gaining a chance to see what Lucasfilm tried to hide under a bushel as if it never existed. We digress. The Luke Skywalker & Ysalamiri is another excellent addition to Hasbro “comic” focused packs, complete with distinct book-like packaging and bright and colorful interpretations of our favorite Star Wars characters. Hasbro took the Luke Skywalker figure from 2020’s TBS [P3] Luke Skywalker & Yoda (Jedi Training) (D4) figure set. They completely repainted Luke Skywalker so all of the clothing is black. The paint operations of the head sculpt are nearly the same as the original figure. But you will find differences in the hair color. It appears to have a few more highlights for this release.

Luke Skywalker comes with the lightsaber used in Star Wars Episode VI; Return Of The Jedi. It breaks down into hilt and blade. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to hang the hilt when not in use. It seems like they could have included a belt here with a hook, but they decided against that. Also included is a ysalamiri creature. This release is the first Hasbro Hasbro designed this creature in a 6-inch scale. It fits around Luke’s head in an “alright” manner, but it doesn’t appear as if Hasbro created it to interact with the figure as intended. It seems to better fit around Grand Admiral Thrawn’s neck instead. But if you’re familiar with Heir To The Empire, you know that the Grand Admiral Thrawn and the ysalamiri and inextricably linked. As you know, Luke Skywalker has a wealth of movement thanks to a fantastic articulation system. But in all honesty, the figure feels lightly packaged and should come with additional accessories. There is something about this packaging style that makes it feel like the figures inside should come with a ton of accessories, almost in a “Deluxe” fashion. We love this Luke Skywalker figure, but we hope they make the version with the tank top and orange flight suit pants.