Hasbro's Power of the Force line's Final Jedi Duel: A Star Wars Collectible

 Under the evil gaze of Emperor Palpatine, the lightsabers of two Jedi Knights - a father and son - clash furiously in a final duel between the light side and dark side of the Force. Slowly, the young Skywalker is lured closer to the rage of the dark side, and Palpatine sits confident of the Rebellion's defeat and the acquisition of a new emissary to fulfill his evil legacy! But the young Jedi's resistance appears to be growing... -Hasbro Star Wars: The Power of the Force Final Jedi Duel

Even as the Battle of Endor is raging in the cold, star-speckled blackness of space -- its explosions visible through the panels of the transaparisteel window of the Emperor's throne room -- a far more climactic and destiny-changing battle is being fought in the dark and austere chamber at the top of the second Death Star's observation power. 

It's the ultimate confrontation in the Classic Star Wars trilogy -- the clash of lightsabers and wills between the Jedi-turned-Sith-Lord Darth Vader and his hastily-trained but powerful son, Luke Skywalker. Watching them eagerly from beneath his hooded cloak with his yellow eyes and evil leer is Palpatine, the scheming Sith Lord who craftily wormed his way from sectoral Senator to the Supreme Chancellorship of the Old Republic and transformed that dying democracy into the militaristic Galactic Empire.

Hasbro's penultimate (sequence-wise, that is) Cinema Scene three-pack, Final Jedi Duel, has everything a Star Wars fan (and collector) looks for in these multi-figure dioramas: an interesting scene, nicely detailed and posed figures, and action...and you can't ask for more dynamic action than this father-and-son, Sith-vs.-Jedi duel.

Final Jedi Duel captures the essence of Return of the Jedi's final lightsaber clash extremely well, considering that Hasbro uses the standard mass-produced 3.75-inch figures and accessories rather than the more expensive sculptures that I've seen at FAO Schwartz and other expensive toy-and-hobby stores. Emperor Palpatine sits in his throne, his deathly-pale hands gripping the arm rests as he watches the furious fight between the armored Vader and the black-clad Skywalker, whose fury at his father's desire to turn Leia -- Luke's twin sister -- to the Dark Side is now pushing the young Jedi to use his anger and aggressive feelings to overwhelm Vader with blows from his green-bladed lightsaber. Indeed, comparing Final Jedi Duel's Vader to the one in 2002 Silver Anniversary two-pack with Obi-Wan, the Dark Lord, while still wielding his red-bladed saber in both hands, looks somewhat overwhelmed and hunched down, while Luke is more upright and dominant.

As in all the mid-1990s-and-beyond Kenner/Hasbro Star Wars figures, more attention has been given to the characters' costumes, weapons, and even facial features. For instance, gone are the wimpy and unconvincing solid-color lightsabers that even had the handles sporting the color of the blade. Instead, the blades are made of translucent plastic attached to silver-and-black lightsaber handles. Also, unlike their Kenner ancestors of the late 1970s and early '80s, figures are posed with the weapons in two-handed grips.

The setting is very nicely replicated as well. The big circular window, with its stark frame and the view of the fleet battle out in space, makes for a highly dramatic backdrop. The Emperor's throne -- its design echoed in Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's office chair in Episode II -- and the gray "Death Star floor" base are done in beautifully detailed plastic, allowing collectors to display their pre-posed figures without worrying if the figures will flop over to the side and fall off the shelves.

While this product is recommended by Hasbro for children ages 6 and up, like all the Cinema Scenes and Scene Packs, I don't think it's suitable for kids younger than 10. Although the figures are the same sturdy 3.75-inch figures that Hasbro sells individually at $4.99 each at major retail stores, Final Jedi Duel is more for showing off as a displayable collectible than a "okay, let's play Star Wars" toy. Considering that Final Jedi Duel is very hard to find -- it has been out of production for a while now, and Internet re-sellers ask an arm and a leg for it when you do find it -- I would get this for either a very mature and appreciative 12-year-old or an adult collector. 

(c) 2012 by Alex Diaz-Granados.  All Rights Reserved.