Hasbro Star Wars - The Power of the Force Luke Skywalker (in Stormtrooper Disguise) Review

Disguised as stormtroopers and fighting off a regiment of Imperial troops inside the Death Star, the escaping band of heroes finds refuge in a garbage receptacle. The Rebels realize their problem has changed when the walls begin closing in. - From the action figure's package blurb.

One of the few regrets I have as a collector of Star Wars action figures is the fact that my freshman year at what is now Miami-Dade College coincided with the last production "run" of Star Wars products from a still-independent Kenner Toys. I was paying my own way to college at the time, and even though in-state tuition was comparatively affordable, my financial situation wasn't so secure that I could pay for my tuition and splurge on what one could consider "non-essential" things.

At the time, Kenner was offering its original Power of the Force line of figures and vehicles, and one of the figures I had to take a pass on was the very first Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise action figure, which was the only major A New Hope-specific variant of the Classic Trilogy's Jedi-in-the-making hero to not be included in Kenner's 1978-1980 Star Wars collection. (Odd, too, because the Han-and-Luke in Imperial disguise ploy was a major plot point in A New Hope)

When I found out about the figure's existence - it was mentioned in the "Collect All 96 Figures!" blurb on the back of one of the last figures I bought in 1985 - I was already too much into the college scene and was already packing away my figures and vehicles into boxes. I briefly considered going to various toy stores to find one, but just as quickly I dismissed the idea.

Within a few months, Kenner stopped making Star Wars figures, I put away my collectibles, and Luke in Stormtrooper Disguise was filed away in my ledger of "Would have been nice to have, but...." minutiae.


Time passed, and 10 years later, Kenner Toys was a division of its former archrival Hasbro, and with Star Wars making a huge comeback in popular culture with the publication of the Expanded Universe novels and the approach of its 20th Anniversary, the toymaker revived its Star Wars tie-in collections as The Power of the Force 2 line.

Although The Power of the Force lineup now included figures of characters from the Expanded Universe (Prince Xizor, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Mara Jade), Kenner offered new and improved versions of pre-existing Classic Trilogy figures of the major heroes, villains, and sidekicks.

In 1996, Kenner/Hasbro produced a new figure of Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise as part of two separate "waves" or Collections under the Power of the Force label. Packed in either red or green "bubble-pack" cards, this variant on the former farmboy from Tatooine depicts Luke in the white and black armor of an Imperial stormtrooper.

 Weapons and Accessories:

• Imperial Issue Blaster
• Stormtrooper Helmet
• Freeze Frame (in some of the green carded packages)

Height: 1.72 Meters
Status: Jedi In Training, Rebel Pilot
Classification: Human
Affiliation: Rebel Alliance
Weapon of Choice: Lightsaber, Blaster

Because Hasbro issued this in several versions of the package and mine was given to me loose and without the blaster, I can't say for sure which variant was mine.

Detailing: The detailing on the stormtrooper's white and black armor is nicely done, and Luke's head and face can be concealed by putting on the standard issue Imperial-style helmet that gives stormtroopers their almost droid-like appearance.

The other accessory that comes with Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise is a small replica of an E-11 blaster rifle, which the figure can grip in its right hand.

The Sculpt:   Although 21st Century figures by Hasbro are much better detailed, the sculpt for this Luke Skywalker is not too bad; the hair is done in a more natural-looking dirty blond shade that matches actor Mark Hamill's late 1970s "Tatooine shag," and the mold for the face, while not as good as the one used later for the Swing to Freedom Luke, is much nicer than the one Kenner used for its first Star Wars Luke Skywalker figure back in 1978. One can actually tell that Luke has blue eyes, and even though the expression is somewhat goofy-looking, there's at least some spark of emotion sculpted on the young hero's face.

Articulation Points: This figure, like many in the early Power of the Force 2 collection, boasts only the most basic of movement points, which are listed below:

* Head and neck (to turn Luke's head from side to side)
* Shoulders (to move arms)
* Hips (to move legs)

Overall, it looks nice, but a slightly better (and posed different) version is included in the hard-to-find Toys R Us exclusive Death Star Escape Cinema Scene. from 1997.

Although the figure is nicely done, it's better to keep it in its bubble-pack "card" as a collectible keepsake rather than to take it out of the package to pose for display or, if you are buying this for a kid, pretend Star Wars adventures. The helmet and blaster are small and can easily get lost; without those accessories, the figure simply looks a bit useless.

As with all the Star Wars action figures, Hasbro recommends this toy for children 4 and up since the small parts pose a clear and present choking hazard, especially for children under 3 years.