Luke Skywalker - OTC - Large Size Action Figures

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars trilogy that changed the universe forever, with The Original Trilogy Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest recreations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the original trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the original trilogy.

For most collectors, everything changed in 2004. The breaking news that the Star Wars Original Trilogy on DVD was set for September of that year. Hasbro was not prepared for the sharp left turn in their planning schedule they’d have to make to get a line out to store shelves that supported the Star Wars Original Trilogy on DVD. Miraculously, they compiled a basic figure line that was comprised of Hasbro’s greatest hits from years past, and many were repainted. From The Power Of The Force “2” line, to the Power Of The Jedi line, to the Star Wars “Saga” line, Hasbro developed a motley crew of action figures that evenly represented the most famous characters from all three Original Trilogy films. But the highlights of The Original Trilogy Collection figures were the all-new premium collector-focused figures, (both in 3.75” scale and 12” scale) packaged in vintage-Kenner inspired packaging. These new releases won the hearts of collectors from across the globe. Twelve action figures with premium features, four from each Original Trilogy film, were released as the The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection and went over hugely with the collecting community. But four less-popular Large Size Action Figures were also given The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection treatment as well and they are some of Hasbro’s finest work in the 12 Inch Figures line.

It's unknown if the four figures planned for the Large Size Action Figures line were somewhere already in development for the Hasbro Star Wars toy line. But Hasbro was timely in getting them ready for The Original Trilogy Collection’s soft launch of August 2004, a month before the DVD releases. Luke Skywalker was one of the four figures chosen for this line. Upgraded from all previous versions from Collector Series or Action Collection lines from previous years, Hasbro enhanced the articulation system of the Luke Skywalker Large Size Action Figure allowing for a wider range of movement, better center of gravity, and properly-fitted soft-goods apparel. Unfortunately, the portrait of Luke Skywalker is a little less enthralling. Although it appears that Hasbro designed a faithful head sculpt of the classic Star Wars hero, the paint operations give Luke Skywalker an oddly feminine "dummy" appearance, especially thanks to the colorful lips. The head sculpt looks better at some angles than others, but it’s important to note that it feels like Hasbro FINALLY matched the appropriate color of Mark Hamill’s hair color with this release. Previous versions are either too yellow or too orange. It looks like the 2004 Luke Skywalker is “just right.” But there’s so much more to appreciate here. Hasbro didn’t stop at a better body buck and soft-goods.

Collectors will fully appreciate the direct homage-paying to the original 1978 vintage Kenner Large Size Action Figure Hasbro made here. For The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection Luke Skywalker Large Size Action Figure, Hasbro ensured that the same accessories that came with the 1978 figure are present here for the 2004 version over a quarter of a century later, but better. Hasbro included a lightsaber which breaks down into hilt and blade. They’ve also included the infamous grappling hook Luke Skywalker utilized to swing across the Death Star chasm in the movie. As far as Luke’s costume, Hasbro developed a tunic that stays closed thanks to a well-fitted belt accessory. There's also a place on it to hang his lightsaber hilt. Luke also comes with fitted pants, a left boot, and a right boot (that mimic the wraps on the costume) to complete the classic look of the character. Luke Skywalker poses nicely. It’s not a perfect figure, but it’s remarkable how far Hasbro has come with this scale of figures. The earliest figures are dreadful in comparison to this one. Take, for instance, the articulated fingers. This articulation feature is a rarely implemented feature for this line. It’s nice to see it become commonplace now. Of course, the packaging is the reason to buy this line. A direct replica of the original 1978 figure’s packaging, Hasbro added new images of the modern figure to replace the ones that featured the 1978 version.