When I first opened the box I got an “uncanny valley” feeling.  These figures are so lifelike that it borders on creepy when you first look at them.  It’s a known fact that all humans have primordial fear of ventriloquist dummies.  When a 1/6th scale Mark Hamill is staring back at you with an unbelievably lifelike stare, those fears may be tugged upon.  Once your Mr. Marbles episode passes, you quickly realize this hyper-realism is a good thing.  An amazing thing. 

I’m going to start off with the only negative I have to say about this piece, and once again it revolves around fragility.  The metal aspects of the utility belt are hot glued to the soft goods components.  In two places on my sample, that hot glue had failed before I even removed the figures from the packaging.  The hook to hold the lightsaber hilt and the magnet that simulates clasp of holster were loose.  For the second time in as many tries with a Hot Toys product I had to break out the gorilla glue. Also, the jacket and pants fasten with snaps.  I fear the the hold of the snap itself is stronger than the stitching that holds it to the fabric.  I practiced extreme caution when undoing those snaps to ensure they stayed attached to the fabric.

Sadly this fragility prevents me from giving this figure set a perfect score and that is a complete shame because these figures are a monument to Hot Toys’ artful mastery of 1/6th scale realism.  As mentioned in the intro, the realism is off the charts.  From head to toe, I can’t find any complaint with the likeness.  The articulation is exceptional.  With the exception of individually articulated digits, I not sure what else Hoy Toys could have packed into this figure.  It has articulated eye balls!  How insane is that? 

The weather vane could have easily been sold as a separate environment piece.  It is hands down the most impressive accessory I can personally think of at this time.  It stands at twice the height of the figure and can support the weight of the figure unassisted.  This fact almost made me giddy.  The battled damaged figure on the weather vane makes for such a stunning visual display that you will definitely want to give it a premium spot in your collection.

This set includes two distinct figures.  One is the regular Bespin Outfit version of Luke Skywalker and the other is the battle damaged version to represent the scenes during and immediately after the climatic saber duel with Darth Vader.  Under the Bespin jacket is the undershirt Luke wore during his training on Dagobah.  That means between the two figures, the myriad of swappable hands and forearms, and some wardrobe configurations, you can represent Luke Skwalker for the entire second act and almost the entire third act of the Empire Strikes Back.  The exclusive version included the protrait of Luke Skywalker in the severed Darth Vader helmet.  The $299.99 MSRP is steep, but it’s well worth it.  This is a hugely impressive piece.  9 out of 10.

This sample comes to us from site sponsor Big Bad Toy Store.  I intended to link to their product page for this item, but they have since sold out.

Instead, if you are interested in this item, you can click here for the Deluxe Luke Skywalker (Bespin Outfit) on Ebay

9/10 Bantha Skulls