Luke’s T-16 Skyhopper - POTF2 [R/G] - Vehicles

MODEL: Incom T-16 Skyhopper
TOP SPEED: 1200 KM Per Hour (500 KM Per Hour In Open Air Mode)
AFFILIATION: Rebel Alliance
CREW: 1 Pilot
WEAPONS: Pneumatic Cannon

Luke Skywalker spent a lot of time flying his T-16 skyhopper, a pleasure and utility airspeeder, during his youth on Tatooine. The skyhopper's cockpit is modeled directly after that of the fearsome T-65 X-wing starfighters (they are both manufactured by Incom), which helped Luke during his abrupt transition towards becoming a Rebel pilot capable of handling the high-powered X-wings. Luke's T-16 was a high-end model fitted with a belly-mounted laser cannon and stereoscopic laser sighting device that allowed Skywalker to bullseye womp rats while speeding through Tatooine's Beggar's Canyon at a cool 900 km per hour.

With The Power Of The Force “2” line in full swing and most of the basic core characters released as action figures (as well as some of the primary vehicles), Hasbro in 1997 began expanding its options for vehicles they would bring to collectors. With only a short time under its belt, POTF2 was already at a feverish pitch and Hasbro knew that since they had everyone’s attention they needed to do something unexpected. And they did. Who would have thought that Luke's T-16 Skyhopper would be a viable choice for the vehicle’s line? We sure didn’t. Although clearly seen as a model in Luke’s hand in the film, a more obscured (and full sized) version of it can be seen behind the droid oil bath when C-3PO is thanking the Maker for this fine spa service. We really can only see the back of it, but between the model (maybe that model was intentionally added to the film to give viewers a clear depiction of the full vehicle) and what we CAN actually see, Hasbro was able to tool a fun and exciting new release for The Power Of The Force “2” line and it made most collectors very happy. With a seemingly appropriate scale, a stunning deco and cool features, Luke's T-16 Skyhopper seems like it’s the perfect choice for a toy line.

Kenner is promoting Luke's T-16 Skyhopper as “two vehicles in one” because of its transformation feature. You can actually slide out the cockpit, but it has been tooled in a way to mimic some sort of shuttle. The seat in the cockpit is large enough to accommodate the Luke Skywalker figure from The Power Of The Force “2” as well as many other action figures already released. We like to think of this feature as more of an easy way to get the pilot into the cockpit than another whole vehicle. But that’s just us. Inside the cockpit is beautifully decorated with very nice paint operations as well highlighted by the paper decals that come with the vehicle. But this colorful array brings personality to the vehicle and we think Kenner did a bang-up job making everything work together. The entire vehicle has been given a speckled finish which we imagine shows the years of dirt that has clung to the vehicle. It works and it’s nice to get a vehicle that looks like it was just taken off of the assembly line. Again, Kenner has impressed us here. Even the cockpit “glass” looks incredible. It is crystal clear and you can see the interior of the cockpit through it. Again, it’s an overused word, but we’re thoroughly impressed with this.

Luke's T-16 Skyhopper comes with a removable cannon. It’s a pretty neat feature as you can attach it in an upright “stowed” position on the back of the vehicle when not in use. But this can be simply removed and placed at the underside of Luke's T-16 Skyhopper and can use it for attack, or whatever else you decide, when flying the vehicle around. Aside from bowing of the main “fin” of Luke's T-16 Skyhopper, we’re quite impressed with the dynamics of this vehicle. The wings can be secured in multi-positional ways. And they hold these positions quite well. Things like this add diversity and alternativeness to a vehicle that is seemingly very simply in appearance. This goes to show how much time and effort went into the vehicles design. And we’re impressed that the designers from Hasbro were able to make up their own play features for this vehicle when we don’t see it do anything but just sit there in the film. Sure, we imagine they had access to reference materials we haven’t seen, but still, they had to give it some playability and that requires a great imagination. We’re quite fond of Luke's T-16 Skyhopper in case you couldn’t tell. For us, it’s a required purchase in the modern era of collecting.