Road to The Last Jedi: Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

 It's time for another pickup from Force Friday II: Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)! Yes indeed, it inexplicably took Hasbro nearly two years to release a figure of Luke Skywalker based on his appearance in The Force Awakens. I know Luke only had a brief appearance in the film, but how the heck did Hasbro not get this ready sooner? According to Hasbro sources, they didn't get to see Luke in his Jedi Master robes until the film hit theaters. What gives? It seems like Disney is so intent on keeping Star Wars stuff "secret" that it's even affecting their relationships with their licensees. I really hope Hasbro and Disney work something out as it would suck to have to keep waiting upwards of two years to receive action figures of prominent characters revealed in each film. Luke is supposed to play a much larger role in The Last Jedi, so his inclusion here certainly makes sense. I doubt that there was any action figure from a sequel trilogy character more anticipated than Luke Skywalker, so it's kind of cool that it's finally here. How does it fare, though? Find out after the break...

 The Facts:

Height: 5 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Jedi cloak

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars

 The Positives:

* First of all, a big positive is that we finally have an official action figure of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker! That's pretty exciting in and of itself. It's also welcome that this is a pretty good looking figure. Luke's outfit is fairly simple with a mixture of off-white and grayish-tan robes and a simple brown belt, but it's cool. There's something almost jarring with seeing Luke wearing an outfit that seems so much more at home in the Prequels.

*There are actually a lot of different textures on this figure. While the off-white segments are smooth and flat, the grayish-tan parts have a more textured design. Heck, the leather belt even looks pretty solid for such a simple piece.

 * In person, this is an incredible sculpt. I'm not used to seeing Mark Hamill looking like this but Hasbro captured the haunted look of the character perfectly. The paintwork is quite neat and clean, Luke's blue eyes are piercing, and the hair is excellent detailed.

* I love Luke's mechanical right hand. The sculpt is very cool. I cannot wait to see this thing in action more in the film.

* Luke's articulation is a bit bland. It's not terrible, but the plastic robes do inhibit leg motion a bit. Unless he actually had cloth robes I'm not sure what else I should have expected, though. He still feels sturdy and well made and I can't help but pick him up. I'm honestly resisting giving him a lightsaber until we see what he wields in The Last Jedi. We'll see how long I can hold out.

 The Negatives:


* Luke comes with a tannish-gray cloak that fits over his head and shoulders. It seems like a good idea but it just doesn't stay on very well. It also has lots of loose strings hanging off of the inside seams, making the piece feel kind of messy. I usually prefer soft goods to plastic, but this piece just doesn't feel like it has enough structure to it.

* On the left side of his belt Luke is sporting this little slip. I assume it's to hold a lightsaber but A. Luke doesn't come with one and B. It looks pretty flimsy. I really wish Luke had come with anything. A staff, cane, anything, really.

 Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) is a nice looking figure that I guarantee every Star Wars fan alive probably wants, but unfortunately he's kind of dull. I don't know, maybe it's because the robe isn't as dynamic as it should be or because he's lacking a lightsaber or cane of some sort. I don't regret this figure at all, because c'mon: It's a new variant of Luke Skywalker. I just wish that he had some little extra that made him a bit more exciting. My speculation is that he'll have some cool lightsaber or staff revealed during The Last Jedi, and then Hasbro can sell us the figure again. What do you think?




   Looking for more Luke Skywalker reviews? You're in luck! A few months back I reviewed the Funko POP! Luke Skywalker with Landspeeder! I've also reviewed micro versions of Luke from the Galoob Micro Machines Classic Characters (2nd Edition) set and the Hasbro Endor Forest Battle, multiple Black Series Lukes including (Bespin Outfit), (X-Wing Pilot), (Jedi Knight) , (Stormtrooper Disguise), in Hoth Disguise with Wampa, the standard classic Luke Skywalker, and the SDCC Luke with the X-34 Landspeeder. Oh, and the Hero Mashers Luke Skywalker and Luke Skywalker Vs. Darth Vader.

If you're looking for more Black Series Phase III figures, check out the following:
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Baze Malbus
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base)
Captain Phasma
Chewbacca
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Commander Gree
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Director Krennic
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo 
Hera Syndulla
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi)
Lando Calrissian
Luke Skywalker 
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016)
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Princess Leia Organa 
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty