Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] - Unleashed

Even though his mission is simply to slow down the Imperial forces marching towards Echo Base, Luke Skywalker has the heart and soul of a Jedi Knight. He will never run from battle, even when huge AT-AT walkers threaten to crush him into the snow, even when waves of faceless stormtroopers march straight toward him. This may not have been his battle when he was a farmboy on Tatooine, but it is his fight now. The fire of freedom burns in his soul as brightly as the lightsaber he grips in his hands. He raises the ancient Jedi weapon, looking small and powerless against such overwhelming forces. But the courage and hope he carries within him give Luke the strength of an army and the power of a Jedi Knight. Engulfed in the huge footprint of a passing AT-AT, Luke stands defiant and unyielding, ready to fight until he can fight no more, ready to do battle to win peace and justice for an entire galaxy.

You know a Hasbro product succeeds greatly if the first thing you think about after looking at it is something drawn and colored by Ralph McQuarrie. That perfectly sums up how we feel about the stunning Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] Unleashed figure. It is without question on of the highlights in the entire Unleashed line. As fans of The Empire Strikes Back know all too well, the Battle of Hoth and all of the events surrounding it are some of our most favorite memories in the entire Star Wars saga. The Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] Unleashed really isn’t screen accurate at all if we’re honest. Perhaps it is based a few moments before (or after) Luke ascends up to the belly of the AT-AT and utilizes his lightsaber to cut open the bottom hatch and place a bomb inside of it. Or maybe it’s from a totally different “off screen” moment that just didn’t make it into the film or a deleted scene altogether. Who know and who cares? All you need to know is that this is one of the most clever and brilliantly designed figures of the entire Unleashed banner. Luke is fully outfitted in his snowspeeder pilot gear just as he appeared in the Battle of Hoth, but this time he is outside of his snowspeeder and has a fully lit lightsaber up and ready for land battle. He is standing on top of a frozen tundra terrain and in it you can see evidence of tracks from some gear or vehicle that was once there but no longer. This display is unbelievably impressive.

Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] has been cast in an action pose as if he is lunging forward to meet his target. Hasbro sculpted a beautiful figure of Luke Skywalker. The likeness and proportions are almost perfect for us. The sculpt of the snowspeeder pilot gear is simply stunning. And it is our assertion that Hasbro has mastered every detail of the snowspeeder pilot outfit perfectly, save for maybe the lack of mismatched pants with the jacket. (In case you don’t know, Luke Skywalker’s orange flight suit top and bottoms didn’t match exactly in the film.) Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] also comes with a holstered blaster pistol and an ammunition belt around his left calf. There is a beautiful wash finalizing the figure which gives it a natural dirty appearance. It certainly doesn’t appear as if he has been sitting in the mud, but there is enough dirt to make it clear that he has been outside fighting the Empire. Also of note, Hasbro included correctly colored tan/gray thermal gloves instead of the generic black X-wing pilot gloves. Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot]’s helmet is astounding. Hasbro has decorated it perfectly. The Rebel insignias are on the top of the helmet and the stripes have been applied very cleanly and straight. You should also know that Hasbro made Luke’s goggle articulated. You can actually push them up into the helmet to reveal his face. We find this especially impressive.

It may have made more sense if Hasbro sculpted Luke’s arms hanging down at his sides. But that would only be required if this was intended to be a screen accurate piece. We just don’t like when lightsabers make up half the height of figures. We always prefer to display lightsabers down instead of up, it’s just our preference. Thankfully, Hasbro has made the hilts of all Unleashed lightsabers separate from the blades and the same is true with Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot]. He looks just as good without the lightsaber blade as he does with it. We have to say that we’re quite impressed with the level of engineering that goes into these pieces. While only a few parts, these exquisite sculpts need to fit together like a puzzle and that takes time, energy and expert tooling to make it happen so flawlessly. Just the fact that Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] has one foot higher than the other should create an “architectural nightmare” for this figure, yet it assembles beautifully together and appears seamless. For fans of Hoth, this is an Unleashed figure not to be without. It would be great if at some point in Hasbro’s career they design a Snowtrooper Can you imagine how incredible it would look next to this figure? But even if they don’t, Luke Skywalker [Snowspeeder Pilot] is a triumph in so many ways. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest moments we have as collectors, and it will be for you as well…. guaranteed.

As a bonus feature to this review, we have provided the original artwork created for this Star Wars: Unleashed figure. Click the thumbnail to the left to see the amazing illustration.