Star Wars: Archive Pilot Luke Skywalker

 

The Archive series is a thing that has been hotly anticipated around here, offering reissued Black Series figures from earlier portions of the line that people such as I had missed the first time. Excellent. The first Wave is comprised of the three other Empire Strikes Back bounty hunters and pilot suit Luke Skywalker, all of which were missed the first time.

This figure looks GREAT. The paint is all super nice and bright, probably obviously, but the flight suit especially. It’s a very strong and bright orange with a very white vest, grey belts and straps, and very glossy black gloves and boots. Just great. Other pilot suited figures, such as the pilot Poe and that other guy from the Force Awakens Waves, generally have more muted oranges, not as bright and clear as Luke here. There are additional details, such as the vials or tubes or whatever they are in the little pockets on the left shoulder. The belts and straps are flexible and move with the legs for posing, meaning that they don’t get in the way or impede motion. The face looks great as well, a beneficiary of the new and improved face paint applications that Hasbro is employing. Other figures have already displayed the new tactic, such as the Rebel Trooper, and probably have been employing it for upwards of a year by now, but the effects are always so much more pronounced and prolific when the face is that of an actual character, and not like, Rebel Trooper number 11 from the background. 

Luke comes with a few accessories, all of which are also nicely painted. A blaster, a lightsaber, and a pilot helmet, all of which are painted. The helmet is especially gorgeous. It’s the same helmet part as comes with Jaina Solo and jacket-wearing Poe from a Target two-pack of ages past. There are designs on the sides of the helmet, and the yellow visor is translucent. The helmet fits pretty snuggly on the head, a common thing for the helmet in general, but the tightness causes a little concern that paint may rub off when removing it. As a side note, this helmet does come with other figures, and appears in the Coffin collection three times now, and this paint ruboff has never happened. But, still, a slight concern. The lightsaber handle is nicely painted and, if the blade is removed, can be hung from a hook on the belt, which is always a good option.

Luke has the standard range of Black Series joints and posability, and feels very solid and firm, again, like the Rebel Trooper. This is a much different Luke figure than theone that comes with the landspeeder. That farmboy Luke is a disappointing figure for its slightness, but this version does a whole lot better in terms of presenting a solid, stable figure. Farmboy Luke is slight on purpose, and to capture the youthful nature of Luke Skywalker when we first meet him; this is a more assured, more grown character.

The Archive line is something very exciting for Black Series collectors who may have missed these early figures or came to the line late, offering a chance to pick up pieces that are now usually pretty expensive. Fellow Wave 1 figure Boba Fett is proof of that, regularly selling for $60-80 still in the box. The second Wave is already known to contain Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul, Yoda, and the Scout Trooper, that figures’ first single card release. So Wave 2 will be four more hard to find figures made easily accessible again. Beyond the second Wave, we don’t know yet, but with Star Wars Celebration starting one week from today, it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll learn some new information then. Also, it really needs to be said, but the Archive figures come on some really beautiful cards, and now when we wander to the toy isle, I hope to see them on the pegs because they look nice and really class the place up a little. They’re just regular card backs with plastic bubbles, but they look like enlarged versions of the cards that 4” figures come on, and that style for larger figures is something that I find generally pleasing. I’m not sure the entire Black Series should switch to this, but it is a nice look, and it’s cool that this line has different packaging that the regular Black Series to differentiate them. For now, we are left to speculate who else with get the Archive rerelease treatment, and certainly this line is not going to release figures that are missing from everyone’s collection. But for those of us who will benefit from second chances, or if you’re interested in newer, better painted versions of characters you may already own, this is an exciting opportunity. One that we’ll watch with great interest.