Original Review by Chris 10/12/14

The female Starkiller hero is supposedly the early draft character that would eventually morph into Luke Starkiller before finally settling on Luke Skywalker in the final draft.  In an homage to the early script of Star Wars, the codename for Galen Marek in The Force Unleashed was also Starkiller.  A Galen Marek figure was released in the Vintage Collection, but under the mononymous designation “Starkiller”.  I think this 30th Anniversary Collection figure and that Vintage Collection figure combine to form a bit of Star Wars action figure trivia.  Excluding the nomenclature confusion on the vintage Kenner 4-LOM and Zuckuss figures, I believe these are the only two distinct characters released under the same character name in the history of the line.

Like it’s equally lavender counterpart, the Concept Han Solo, the knees on the Concept Starkiller figure can be engaged and posed despite lacking articulated ankles.  Unfortunately, however, the figure cannot kneel due to that articulation limitation which is a disappointment.  The most recognizable painting of the female Starkiller character features her kneeling in front of the hero group.  This figure cannot achieve that pose, and that is a disappointment.  As if intending to give me an aneurysm, that concept painting with the kneeling female here is reportedly linked to the 1975 second draft of the film titled Adventures of the Starkiller, Episode I: The Star Wars, but by that point, the Luke character was already male.  If those two things are true, who does this character really represent?  Leia Lars?  If you knew me, you’d know that this sort of ambiguity will take years off my life. 

Compounding the disappointment of the ankle-less-ness, is the use of swivel elbows, my old nemesis.  Aside from the popping apart issue that comes with that type of articulation, I don’t find it too limiting in this case.  While the swivel elbows certainly don’t afford the posing options that ball jointed elbows provide, I didn’t find myself unable to achieve the key fighting poses.  Additional complaints include the jarringly mismatched knee joints and the fact that the figure does not interact well with the included sidearm blaster.  It is impossible for the figure’s trigger finger to be placed inside the enclosed trigger guard.  Where the figure swings back into the positive column is with the configurable gear.  It has a removable breathing apparatus even though I’m not sure this is supported in any of the concept drawings.  The calling card McQuarrie headgear is removable so the figure can represent the aforementioned Adventures of the Starkiller, Episode I: The Star Wars painting.  Finally the harness on the figure’s upper body can be removed.  The myriad of display options ensures this partially flawed figure still earns a respectable 7 out of 10.

Updated Review by Bret 10/9/14

Despite Chris’s aneurysm, I did manage, with some difficulty, to get the figure into some form of a kneel.  It’s not as natural as in the painting, but it does kneel.  So I would be inclined to raise the score a point.  Despite all the other flaws Chris mentioned, where it struggles to achieve greatness as an action figure, it does overcome this just by being a great looking toy sourced from the venerable Mr. McQuarrie’s artwork.  8/10.