Rebel. Jedi. Action Figure.
You wouldn’t have blamed Kenner for sticking with the simple sculpts, wild colours, and telescoping lightsabers that helped make the 1978 Star Wars toy line such a huge success. Yet for 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, the company instead re-doubled its efforts and focused on creating the best Star Wars action figures possible.
The Retro Collection Luke Skywalker (Bespin) – based on the vintage figure first released in 1980 – is a perfect example of this action figure evolution in action…
EXT. TATOOINE – LARS HOMESTEAD
The giant twin suns of Tatooine slowly disappear behind a distant dune range. Luke stands watching them for a few moments, then reluctantly enters the domed entrance to the homestead.
It’s with full credit to George Lucas, Mark Hamill, John Williams, and the magic of ILM that a few short lines of screenplay could become one of the most iconic moments in cinema.
Reviewing a figure as classic as the original Kenner Darth Vader (which the Retro Collection Darth Vader basically is) is more or less futile.
After all, this is the action figure equivalent of reviewing A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back. Many of you out there have at least one vintage Darth Vader in your collection and know exactly how you feel about the figure.
More than any other review, this is just a question of my own subjective view. And to set the scene for that we need to go back to the 1980s, to a time when Star Wars meant… Brierleys.
When it comes to reviewing action figures of Luke Skywalker there’s only one place to start – the vintage Kenner Luke Skywalker, first released in 1978’s Early Bird box set alongside Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Chewbacca.
There’s just one small issue – I don’t own the original vintage figure. So instead we’re kicking off toy reviews on Plastic Skywalkers with a look at the next best thing – the Star Wars Retro Collection Luke Skywalker.
Today, May 14 2024, marks the 80th birthday of the maker himself.
George Lucas’ pioneering film work, business savvy, and humanitarian worldview have inspired fans around the world for decades. It’s thanks to his life that I personally found the direction to switch up a boring life, retrain, and find a career that I love.
Many happy returns, Mr Lucas. The Force will be with you always.
There are a lot of Star Wars YouTubers out there. Some are pure scum and villainy, others are nauseatingly uncritical, and most just aren’t very good.
Yet thanks to the quality of (almost) everything else out there, Star Wars fans can thank the maker for the YouTube channel So Uncivilised.