12" Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight

Special thanks to the folks at Sideshow Collectibles for producing a sweet 12-Inch Luke Jedi figure to launch the Star Wars Order of the Jedi line of collectible figures. This is a great figure...awesome articulation...and AWESOME accessories! All we can say is... Sideshow...we can't wait for more!!

When the folks at Sideshow Collectibles announced the license for 12-Inch Star Wars figures...I almost had a heart attack. Personally, I got out of the Star Wars collecting business when Episode one graced the theaters and (my opinion here...it is MY review afterall) Hasbro seemed to saturate the market with substandard toys at inflated prices hopgint to cash in on the Star Wars brand. Ever since then, I have watched the Star Wars toy lines grow and Hasbro has made some decent strides in recovering my confidence. With that said, I have NEVER liked a single 12-Inch figure ever produced from Hasrbo in the Star Wars Universe...they always seemed...well...clunky and OVER dressed. So you can imagine my excitement when Sideshow Collectibles made this announcement. I got this figure in last week and had the chance to snap a MASSIVE amount of shots. While the EXCLUSIVE version AND Regular version are sold out...this is one figure that EVERY Star Wars fan should endeavor to add to their collection. Not just becuase it was the FIRST EVER produced by Sideshow Collectibles, but because it is a downright sweet figure:

"Following his defeat at Cloud City and Darth Vader's stunning revelation, Luke makes his recovery in the care of Leia and the Rebellion's finest medics. His new artificial hand is a sobering reminder of the power of the dark side, and his near brush with death. Resolving to complete his training in the face of these challenges, the young Jedi returns to Dagobah to seek answers from his old master Yoda, but arrives in time to find the ancient Jedi nearing the end of his long life. With his master's passing, Luke becomes the last of the Jedi... but a new hope is kindled when Luke learns of his twin sister, Leia, and the promise they both hold for the return of the Jedi.

Upon Luke's return, the Rebellion launches its final, desperate attack on the Empire, a perilous strike against the new Death Star. Luke and his friends form a covert strike team to disarm the Empire's crucial defenses on the forest moon of Endor. Luke feels the powerful presence of his father, Darth Vader, but rather than sowing doubt and fear, the Sith Lord's proximity only strengthens the young Jedi's determination to confront him one more time. Staking everything on his belief in the innate goodness that must reside somewhere within the Dark Lord, Luke leaves his friends and seeks out Darth Vader, giving himself up to the Empire as a prisoner.

Confronting his father, Luke appeals to the man Vader used to be, the courageous Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker, but it is only when he makes the ultimate sacrifice, refusing to fight Vader in the full knowledge that this will mean his own death, that Luke's appeal reaches the Dark Lord's heart. Turning on his Emperor, Vader saves Luke and destroys the Sith in one action, thereby fulfilling his destiny and securing the future of the Jedi. But it is Luke's resolute belief in Vader and his commitment to the Jedi ideals that have truly saved the galaxy and the soul of Anakin Skywalker."

 

Packaging..........


External: The external shipping container is very small and the figure is snuggled very tightly in the box. Wrapped in a nice bubble bag, the figure is fairly safe, but if your delivery guy tends to drop, stack, or have his way with your box...you may have some dents and dings. The external box is pretty rigir though, so there should be little worry here. Mine arrived in very good shape and the bubble wrap internal packaging of the figure was crisp and clean, with no dents or dings of note!

Internal: The internal packaging is friggin kick butt. The idea to make the box sort of unfold and have the story lines and descriptions on the inside flaps is a fantastic idea. The amount of cardboard is enough to retain the sturdiness of the packaging as well. This is a very stury box and the presentation is exceptional. The graphics on the front, sides, back, and internal are very well done, have excellent color, and depict the true nature of the figure within. Of, course, if you get the REGULAR edition from Sideshow Collectibles, you will not have that little sticker on the front right that says EXCLUSIVE...but hey...who's counting! There is also a nice sheet of paper in between the plastic viewing surfaces that helps protect the packages plastic coating from sticking. Perhaps the best part of the

Unpacking: There is NO TAPE on the packaging for this figure...which is a AWESOME welcome in my opinion. It enables one to be able to take the figure out, play with it (or whatever it is we do with these when they are out of their packaging) and be able to return it to his rightful place in the little bubble and back in his protective box. HA...are you kidding...this sucker NEEDS to be removed for all time...it WANTS to be removed (now I sound like Gandalf talking about the One Ring!!!). The trays containing the figure, stand, and accessories are very well done. Nothing is difficult to remove, and everything stays put when the tray covers are in place. Sideshow Collectibles thought this out very well and made this a great styled packaging, both internal and with the collector in mind.

 

Sculpt/Costume..........

The Overall Sculpt and Figure Costuming: The scupt was done by Mat Falls of Sideshow Collectibles...and boy, did he have his work cut out for him...but all in all, he did a fine job. The facial expression is a little unusual...Luke has his mouth slightly opened and his lips are slightly pursed. There are TONS of critics when it comes to Star Wars...so Matt had a HUGE mountain to overcome...but I think he did a very good job capturing the Some of Anakin and the most popular HERO from the Star Wars universe! The hair is done very neetly and is nearly spot on with Mark Hamill as he appears in Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi. The hands are very well done. The Battle-Damage hand is expecially nice and adds that little extra bit of realism to the figure and the overall presentation of Jedi Luke Skywalker! The boot accessory make it a bit difficult to get Luke into those cool poses...but they are sculpted very well indeed.

Now...one negative that must be mentioned at this point. The HANDS...while they are very well molded and sculpted, and they look very lifelike, they FALL OFF all the time...especially when trying to fit the accessories into the hand. I had the hands fall off no less than 15 times when taking all of the imagery...especially when trying to get BOTH hands on the lightsaber for those sweet sweeping poses. Now, there is a positive outlook on the hands. They are easily interchangeable and make it very easy to switch out the hands to recreate different scenes. But...this new mechanism for removable hands may need to be checked out once more by Sideshow Collectibles. Perhaps making them a bit firmer...or making that little nob that they connect onto a tiny bit larger...that may solve the problem.

 

The Details: Here the figure really shines. The folks at Sideshow Collectibles really made an extra effort to make this figure stand out. They added bendable wire in the tunic as well as in the front of the cloak's hood...making each piece VERY poseable and easily conforming to the figures features. The hood wire is an especially nice touch as you can really make the hood look like a hood on such a small scale. The details on the belt are also a great touch. The belt slip for the Lightsaber is very authentic looking and easily holds the lightsaber without much trouble.

Time for one other drawback to this figure. Because the folks at Sideshow Collectibles went the extra mile in making this figure as highly detailed as possible...they may have taken it a BIT too far. What could I possibly mean...am I kidding...am I nuts. Well...you decide. There is a VERY SMALL piece of metal/wire that is shaped as a clip that is attached to both the end of the extended lightsaber accessory and the end of the lightsaber hilt accessory. This small piece of wire is what enable the lightsaber to hang on the belt clip with such ease. BUT...be EXTREMELY careful with this small piece...it comes off the lightsaber and hilt pretty easily. I dropped that sucker about 10 times and it is very tough to find in shaggy carpet (well...not that shaggy, but still tough to find). It is a very fine yet durable piece of wire...and not something you want to lose.

 

Display Base: This display base is a pretty standard accessory for most 12-Inch figure lines. While I am not a 12-Inch figure EXPERT by any stretch of the imagination, the detail and construction of these Star Wars bases is pretty cool. The METAL mechanism that fits around the waist of the figure works like a pair of tweezers. It slides into the plastic part of the base ensuring a nice snug fit around the figure. the coolest part of the display base is that it comes apart into 3 pieces and is easily stored. Once again, the folks at Sideshow spared no expense in making this figure a butt kickin experience.

 

Paint Application......

The Paint Scheme: The paint application on the 12-Inch Luke figure is pretty darn accurate. If anyone saw the initial press shots (at right), they would have noticed the LIGHTER colored hair on the Luke. This was changed to the darker color, which is a bit more movie accurate. The washes on the hair also reflect the darker richer color of Luke's natural brown. The detail on the face is right up there as well. The eyes are a deep blue with just the right amount of dark highlights around the edges. There may be a bit too much color at the top of the eyelids (give a little too much impression of eye shadow), but the overall effect is very well done. The eyebrow and lip colors are nearly perfect...even though that open mouth is a bit unorthodox. The colors used on the accessories are great...gives the distinct impression that these are the real thing. The burned metal appearance of Luke's Battle-Damaged hand are right on and very movie accurate as well. Overall...a stupendous job of getting the paint right for Luke Skywalker.

 

 

The Accessories......

LOADS...and I mean LOADS: Not including the clothes that come already on the figure (boots, pants, shirt, belt), this sucker is STILL loaded down with great accessories. Not only does the Luke come with 5 different hands (battle damaged, gloved, open, and two closed), but it includes the Bone from Jabba's Dungeon Cave, a lightsaber hilt, an extended lightsaber, his Jedi Robe, his grey vest/tunic, and the EXCLUSIVE Skiff Blaster. The fact that Sideshow Collectibles added all these accessories is a testament to their dedication to this line. The detail on the lightsaber accessories is amazing. these suckers look just like the highly detailed replicas from Master Replicas, but are at a much smaller scale. The skiff blaster is a nice touch...well painted and movie accurate! All in all...the accessories are far and away the highlight of the figure. Even if you don't have the EXCLUSIVE, this is still a very well done figure from the accessories perspective.

 

 

OVERALL..........

The 12-Inch Luke is an absolute hit...Exclusive or no...a must have. For me...it may have put me over the edge and back into the Star Wars frame of mind. Now that I have this one...I may have to get on board and grab up all the rest. Can't wait for the Vader, Fett, Stormtrooper, R2-D2, C-3PO...the list is endless...and hopefully these will be arriving on my doorstep for years to come! While the 12-Inch Luke figure is completely SOLD out, there are many others still available including Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi-Master to Obi-Wan Kenobi! For more on the Star Wars line of 12-Inch figures...be sure to check out Sideshow Collectibles.com!

Keep in mind that it will take a Jedi's strength to keep these figures IN THE BOX...you will want to open them (...I am waving my Jedi fingers at you...), these are the figures you are looking for...these are the figures you have been waiting for!!