It sure feels like we’ve been paying a lot of attention to
Star Wars figures the last few months: I have a pretty sizable backlog of Black Series figures to examine, and the
list has been growing. It also feels like it’s getting close to time that we
finally talk about The Last Jedi and Solo as movies, now that the climate of
nuclear takes is in remission, aside from those die hards who are still infuriated
by either or both. Those talks are coming, but for now, let’s get some exposure
to another Black Series figure, the
Target exclusive Episode VIII Luke Skywalker.
This version of Old Man Luke has been released before, twice
actually, as a single figure and in a convention exclusive two pack with Rey.
This release comes with a sculpted base designed to resemble the stone steps
Luke uses to traverse the island he’s on, and a replaceable right hand. A metal
right hand, by the way, a nice but ultimately pointless idea. The hand,
clenched into a fist, is a little bit glossy, a little bit shiny, so we are
supposed to realize that it’s metal, you know, because Luke as a robot right
hand. Aside from the base and the hand, Luke comes with no accessories, which
makes in-movie sense, but figures without accessories generally feel incomplete
to me.
Most of Luke’s clothing are soft goods, so you know I like
that. His cloak is great, and it incorporates a hood, so Luke can be posed in
that great hooded Jedi look like Obi-Wan when he first appears in A New Hope or Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon when
they first appear in The Phantom Menace or
Vader when he arrives on Mustafar in Revenge
of the Sith or so many other Jedi appearances. That “let me take down my
hood” pose is like a hallmark Jedi thing, probably taught to them in Jedi
school when they are (LOL) Younglings. The robe is stitched on to the shoulders
of the main garment, so it’s not immediately removable, but it can be. His belt
does have the hook for a lightsaber, but if you’re familiar with The Last Jedi, you know that at this
stage, Luke is not interested in lightsabers.
The base is really nice, and is something that should be
incorporated more into the line. Hasbro has kind of done this with those large
Centerpiece bases that are 3D scenes from a movie that figures can stand on,
and while this is a much stripped down version of that, but it is 100%
effective. Black Series figures are
in dire need of stands or some kind of support pieces, and certainly not every
figure can include something like this. But the base adds display options that
figures in the line don’t always have. This stand has pegs for two figures, a
natural choice for the second being Rey, allowing the figures to recreate
scenes from the movie, which I’ve had a lot of fun doing.
The pegs don’t do the best job of securing figures, but they
work well enough that, if the base is on a flat surface, the figures will
remain generally sturdy. I’ve had this set up on top of a detolf for a while
now, and baring any disruption to the detolf itself, I’ve experienced no issues
of figures toppling over or otherwise coming off their pegs. It would be nice
if the pegs were just a fraction longer, but I have this same complaint with
the Darth Vader Centerpiece display, and this Ach-To base is much better.
Overall, the sculpt of the figure is very nice, and the head
does capture the older, greyed Luke that we see in the movie. It is a wiser,
older, sadder Luke, but the look does invoke thoughts of the older, wiser,
sadder Obi-Wan that we see in A New Hope.
We will talk about this at a later time, but the character arc Luke takes is a
very good one, albeit exceptionally jarring the first few times, and this
headsculpt does a very strong job of capturing the exhaustion and wear of his
experiences. This figure is a representation of a character in a true state of
fatigue and despair, and you can read those elements on its face, and that is
outstanding.
This set is a Target exclusive, but when I purchased it
several months ago, it was being clearanced. By now, in mid-February, it’s been
a minute since I’ve seen any in store, but the set was apparently not in much
demand, so getting it, even on the secondary market, shouldn’t be too difficult
or costly. But, thanks to my wife, I know that something kinda interesting is
happening. Despite the year plus of bitching and crying about the movie and, by
extension, all things New Trilogy, Black
Series pieces of certain characters are going up in price on the
aftermarket, something that contradicts the still endless streams of hate and
complaint. For my collection personally, I’d initially passed on the single,
islandless release of this figure the one time I’d seen it in a store. I
skipped this boxed set more than a few times, because I wasn’t convinced that
the plastic island piece and “special edition” metal hand were worth an extra
$10-12 over the price of a regular Black
Series figure. But at the clearance price of $20, I was totally in for it. It
is a piece I’m happy to have found for that price, but there is not really
anything here that I’d call essential or anything. Arranged in package, this is
not even a scene or displayable piece the way the Han and Leia boxed set is, as
Luke is not posed on the island piece or anything like that. 
So, your mileage may vary, but at a comfortable price, this
is certainly worthwhile. As we get closer to the end of the main, nine episode
Star Wars saga, releases like this start to feel more and more important, like
I have to have them before it’s all over. There is a feeling that I get when I
think about that pending end, and I look at a figure like this, being presented
as a scene from a part of the saga, where my chest feels a little tight and I
get a little sad. But knowing that I can always see this scene brings me a
little measure of comfort.
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