The Good: Impressive coloring detail, Good accessories, Wonderful articulation, Great balance
The Bad: None!
The Basics: The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is a perfect figure worth picking up!
As the Star Wars Vintage Collection continues, there come a few figures that inspire fans to say “Enough is enough!” to Hasbro. Hasbro has made many awesome Star Wars figures over the years, but they have recast many of the heroes ad nauseum. In fact, I suspect the only real reason my wife bought me the Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) action figure during our too-brief visit last Sunday was that she did not actually look closely at what she was getting me. I am unimaginably grateful for her generosity and love for me and, the truth is, I thought it was super sweet of her to buy me some toys while we saw one another on my surprise visit to her work. She’s an incredible woman and I know I am lucky to have her in my life, especially because our home is littered with Hoth Luke Skywalker figures. After all, I have the Power Of The Force Hoth Luke Skywalker (reviewed here!), the Power Of The Force Luke Skywalker and Tauntaun (reviewed here!), and the Original Trilogy Collection Hoth Attack Luke Skywalker (reviewed here!). While I might keep the OTC Luke (it synergizes so nicely with the Wampa creature that came out around the same time!), the others are being replaced with my new, Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) that my amazing wife bought me.
For those unfamiliar with the Luke Skywalker, as he appeared on Hoth, this Luke’s initial look in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). On the frozen planet Hoth, Luke went out on a Tauntaun to investigate a meteorite impact only to get attacked by the snow beast, the Wampa!
The 4" Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) was completely recast from the prior Hoth Luke Skywalker figures and he is the ultimate version of the character.
Basics
The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his hatted head. The figure is obviously human with the general look of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. This figure is cast in entirely soft plastic, but looks and holds up remarkably well. This rendition of the Hoth Luke Skywalker features Luke Skywalker’s head wrapped in a hood and hat to protect him from the cold. This allows the figure to escape most concerns about skin tones as it is the only part of the figure with flesh visible! Luke Skywalker while on Hoth wore a padded vest and leggings and this figure replicates those remarkably well, making the figure look just like the images of him, down to the detailing on the gators on his shins! Also notable to this version of the Hoth Luke Skywalker include the holster for his blaster that looks remarkable and holds his blaster perfectly and the pouches and detailing on Luke’s belt.
Part of what makes the belt look so realistic is the coloring detail. The Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is colored remarkably well, as good as it can be for a character who is wearing so many solid colors. Despite the monotonal skin coloring on the face and portions of the neck, the eyes are expertly colored with blue dots with tiny black pupils! The rest of the figure is appropriately monotonal with highlights. The jacket, sleeves, pants and gators over the boots are solid colors. The detailing on the gators, made to look like wrapped insulation is exceptional. The lips on this figure are uncolored, though that detail is offset well by the incredible detailing on the badge on Luke’s chest which looks amazing!
Accessories
The Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is the Rebel Jedi and comes with his lightsaber, lightsaber hilt, goggle/scarf wrap and a blaster pistol. This version of the Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) features one of the neatest accessories the Vintage Collection has yet concocted with the goggle and scarf wrap. To appropriately bundle Luke up to survive the frozen wasteland of Hoth, there is a 5/8” wide band that includes a descending scarf. This band has green translucent goggles and an opaque scarf and the only way to attach it to the figure is to pop Luke’s head off, put it on and then snap Luke’s head back onto the figure! This accessory fits incredibly well as it was custom-molded for this figure’s head and it perfectly matches the coloring and style of the rest of the figure.
This Luke Skywalker figure predictably features a lightsaber accessory and a lightsaber hilt! The lightsaber is a 2 3/4" cylinder with the attached translucent blue light blade that looks incredible. The base of it features both realistic molding and black accents. It fits just fine into either of Luke Skywalker’s hands and even (bafflingly) includes a tiny peg to fit into the hole in Luke’s belt. This is baffling because the figure includes a hilt without a blade (3/4” long) that is ideal for attaching to the belt.
The Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) also comes with a pretty standard version of Luke Skywalker’s blaster pistol. It is a 3/4" long plastic gun with a single side scope that fits perfectly in the holster on Luke’s right thigh or in his right hand. While it can fit into his left hand, it does not look good there. However, this is a well-detailed accessory, mostly black with gunmetal accents on the barrel.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is exceptional for that. This Hoth Luke Skywalker figure has pretty amazing balance, not tipping over despite being put in very complex poses. In addition, the holes in the bottom of his feet allow him to stand tall on any number of playsets in outlandish poses or attach to pegs on vehicles (I’m still working on getting the new Vintage Collection Tauntaun to see how well he fits that!).
The Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) also has almost lifelike articulation. He has hinged ball and socket joints at the ankles, knees, groin socket, elbows and shoulders, as well as a ball and socket joint which allows a great range of motion for the head! The wrists are the only simple swivel joints, as the bust is on a ball joint as well. This is the best-articulated Hoth Luke Skywalker yet!
Collectibility
The Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is part of the Vintage Collection line that was released in 2012 and he is still making his way through the primary market. Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) is Vintage Collection figure VC95 and is pretty much the ultimate Hoth Luke. Even so, this seems like he would end up, like most Luke Skywalker figures, as a poor investment for fans and collectors, though if he truly is Hasbro’s last word on the figure, it would be nice to see him appreciate in value as Hasbro stops making them!
Overview
The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) action figure is truly a perfect figure that can enhance anyone’s Star Wars figure collection, no matter how many other Lukes they have!
For other Vintage Collection figures of characters from The Empire Strikes Back, please check out my reviews of:
VCP03 Boba Fett
VC01 Dengar
VC05 AT-AT Commander
VC10 4-LOM
VC11 (Twin Pod) Cloud Car Pilot
VC50 Han Solo (Bespin Outfit)
VC61 Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) Mail-In
VC65 TIE Fighter Pilot
10/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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