Luke Skywalker (In Echo Base Bacta Tank) - POTJ - Deluxe

Experience the thrill of The Empire Strikes Back once again, as a critically injured Luke Skywalker is immersed in a bacta tank to save his life.

There are often products that Hasbro makes that just knock the socks off of collectors. Whether it be a long-awaited character, or some interactive “playset” that incorporates a portion of an environment ripped right out of the film, some items are destined for a standing ovation. It’s just that Hasbro needs to develope and possess the brazenness to release such items. In turn, we need to support thes special releases. It appears that the time had arrived with the Power Of The Jedi line and Hasbro became the bravest at this point. They decided to hunker down and think outside of the box and from their efforts they produced something that collectors likely had no inclination was coming. We’re talking about the bacta tank that saved Luke from hypothermia on Echo Base. Collectors are of the opinion that any toy or figure based on The Empire Strikes Back will be an immediate hit and Hasbro should know this by now. Thankfully it was released as a special Deluxe figure in the Power Of The Jedi line. Luke Skywalker (In Echo Base Bacta Tank) not only gives us most of the environment from the scene in Episode V, it also gives us an action figure that we probably also thought we’d never see made: Luke Skywalker in a diaper. Between the freeze framed exact design of the tank and figure, to the interaction the figure has with its environment, Luke Skywalker (In Echo Base Bacta Tank) is certain to exceed the expectation of all collectors. And we truly hope it does. Hasbro has provided a great deal of plastic here which we’re sure required expensive tooling. And it retails for $9.99. This is a deal.

Let’s start off talking about Luke Skywalker. This all-new sculpt certainly isn’t super-articulated by any mean, but he doesn’t need to be. Too much articulation for a nearly naked man is unnecessary. It would interfere with his musculature and the natural aesthetics of the human form. Hasbro was wise to include extremely basic articulation here, so we’re particularly thankful for his artistically simple design. Luke comes with a swivel head, two swivel shoulders and two swivel hips. The nice feature here is that he can be removed from the bacta tank chamber and can stand independently, without a stand or without assistance. The breathing mask is easily movable and itself has a “blowing tube” attached to it so you can recreate the bubbles Luke made while incubating inside of the bacta tank. Luke Skywalker is frankly very well designed. He has a lean and smaller frame and looks admirably like Mark Hamill did in his scantily clad briefs. You’ll even find the wampa battle-damage as bruises on his face. Clearly, Hasbro ensured that authenticity was a priority here. He can hang in the harness that is attached to the “roof” or “lid” of the bacta tank and it’s quite easy to both remove and replace him from the tank as needed. Perhaps it would have been great to get a swivel waist joint with Luke Skywalker, but we’re not going to squabble over that because we’re happy with the final figure as is. Besides, he comes with holes so you can easily drain the water from him after his submersion in the bacta tank. What’s not to love here?

So what about the bacta tank? Simply put, it’s amazing. And we say it’s amazing knowing well that it isn’t completely perfect. However, Hasbro managed to squeeze in its most important details and by our standards it exceeds our expectations. Hasbro colored the translucent plastic ever so slightly red to mimic what we saw onscreen. And then you have the ability to fill it with water and blow bubbles into the water thanks to the tube that connect to the breathing mask that attaches to Luke Skywalker. Only a light-up feature maybe could have possibly made this release more exciting. The “lid” to the bacta tank is removable and this is how you can easily add or remove Luke Skywalker. Two hoses that attach to the left and right sides of the bacta tank are removable as well. The platform on which the bacta tank sits has also been designed with a special spot to display 2001’s POTJ FX-7 (Medical Droid). We have to nitpick that the circular display base sits too far away from the tank, so it looks like the extension arm on FX-7 (Medical Droid) is stretching to reach the tank but will never make it. But if you look at film stills, you can understand why Hasbro tooled FX-7's stand where they did. Besides, the tubing would interfere anyway. Besides, we’re thrilled that Hasbro made a basic figure interactive with the Deluxe set. What’s more, there is a freestanding console at which you can place 1997’s POTF2 2-1B Medic Droid figure. When you completely set up the diorama, you can’t help but smile. It reminds you of why you collect, and why this is the greatest hobby of them all. Secure Luke Skywalker (In Echo Base Bacta Tank) for your collection. Your collection will be lacking if you don’t.