'Star Wars' Collectibles & Toys Review: 'Star Wars: The Black Series' Archive Luke Skywalker

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Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc. Packaging design ©2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)



When I began to collect Star Wars action figures in 1978, I decided that I would not try to be a "completist" and stick to the small 3.75-inch scale figures that were all the rage when Kenner introduced them early that year. Even at the age of 15, I suspected that I'd never be able to afford every collectible Kenner produced, let alone every collectible made by all of the other licensees that belatedly jumped on board the Star Wars bandwagon in the late 1970s and early '80s. I couldn't afford it all, and even if I could, where would I store it?

Over the years, my collection grew from two action figures (R2-D2 and C-3PO) and one vehicle (Luke's Landspeeder) to several hundred figures and at least 15 vehicles, most of them in the aforementioned 3.75-inch scale collections made by Kenner Toys and its eventual parent company and successor, Hasbro. And as toymaking techniques have evolved - aided largely by computer-assisted design and improved sculpt-and-paint methods - the Star Wars figures of today are better-looking and more "photorealistic" than their 1978 "12-Back" counterparts.

As I've gotten older - an inevitable result of the passage of time - I've cut down on collecting; paying bills and having limited space (for display and storage) have forced me to get only a few new items per year. Consequently, I try to get display-worthy items that I can put on Ikea floating shelves on the limited wall space that is available to me.

Since 2016, I have acquired - either on my own or as gifts from my significant other - quite a few of Hasbro's 6-inch scale Black Series action figures. Most of these were given to me over the past three years as Christmas or birthday presents; the largest batch of the new Black Series six-inch figures that I bought at one time was the 11 figures that I needed to get to go with the 40th Anniversary Darth Vader and Legacy Stand that I received as a Christmas present 15 months ago.  (It was an expensive indulgence: since some of the third-party sellers on Amazon were asking far more than Hasbro's MSRP of $19.99, I think the total bill was in the neighborhood of $300.)

This is what the 40th Anniversary Legacy display stand looks like. Mine is still in storage until I can get my floating shelves set up.  © 2017 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker


 For my birthday this year, my significant other presented me with several presents. Most were "grownup" gifts (new shoes, clothes, and whatnot), but she knows of my fondness for Star Wars collectibles, so she went to Target and got me four action figures and a small replica of the Millennium Falcon from Solo: A Star Wars Story. 
Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc.  ©2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)


My favorite figure of the four  (she also gave me Maz Kanata from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Finn (in First Order Disguise from the same film, and Han Solo from Solo: A Star Wars Story) is 2018's Archive reissue of Luke Skywalker. 

 Luke Skywalker uses the power of the Force and his piloting skills to destroy the Death Star. - Product packaging blurb, Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker

 Per the archivists at Rebelscum.com, Hasbro announced the release of the Archive series of action figures at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, the mecca for science fiction, comic book, and fantasy fans. The Archive figure run, which debuted in January, was "designed to give newer collectors a shot at acquiring the most sought-after previously released figures on blister cards."

This is how Hasbro describes its Black Series Archive collection figure of Luke Skywalker on its website:


 The most epic figures from Star Wars: The Black Series are back with the Black Series Archive collection. These archive figures have the same premium design and detailing as the original issue, so new and old collectors alike can add to their Star Wars collection. Human figures in the Archive collection, like this Luke Skywalker figure, showcase photorealistic detailing for improved facial features. 

  Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an all-new figure in Hasbro's six-inch scale collection. Based on Kenner's 1978 Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) and its various Hasbro reincarnations in the 3.75-inch scale, the six-inch version was introduced in 2013 as part of the first wave of The Black Series collection. Four years later, the same sculpt was repackaged in a 40th Anniversary "Kenner" 20-Back homage to the 1978 Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) blister card that used the same "Star Wars" logo and promotional art as the original.

The third reissue consists of the Luke Skywalker 2013 Black Series figure in a traditional Black Series blister card. It comes with:



  • Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) Action Figure
  • Removable Rebel Alliance Flight Helmet
  • DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol
  • Lightsaber with removable blade
Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc.  ©2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

Kids and fans alike can imagine the biggest battles and missions in the Star Wars saga with figures from Star Wars The Black Series! With exquisite features and decoration, this series embodies the quality and realism that Star Wars devotees love. - From the Hasbro website

My Take


Like most of Hasbro's Black Series action figures, Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker shows how far the beloved toys and collectibles from that galaxy far, far away have come since their belated debut in the spring of '78.  Whereas the original Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) figure was - in all honesty - so generic that you could get two for your Rebel Snowspeeder to represent Luke and his doomed gunner Dak. 

But as I said earlier, later remakes of this fan favorite action figure benefitted from improvements in sculpts and paint jobs, and even the 3.75-inch Power of the Jedi versions bore more of a resemblance to the character played in the movies by Mark Hamill. 

Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker is a larger and therefore more detailed version of the young farm boy from Tatooine who flew an Incom T-65 X-wing fighter against the Death Star under the call sign "Red Five." The sculpt is nicely rendered and gives the figure "photorealistic detailing" that was simply not possible 41 years ago. Gone, for instance, is the generic "Rebel fighter pilot" vibe of the 1978 figure with no weathering or color differentiation in the helmet and flight suit; it has been replaced by a more life-like rendition of a 20-something Luke wearing a Rebel-issue flight suit, complete with flight gauntlets, life support pack, and a removable helmet with details taken from Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope and its two sequels. 

And not only is Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker larger and more detailed, but the new figure has 20 points of articulation, compared to five in the original '78 "20-Back" Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) figure. For fans who plan to take their figure out of its carded blister pack and pose it with other action figures, the additional points of articulation will allow you to get your figure to pose in a more lifelike fashion.  (I don't plan to do so unless Hasbro comes up with a cool display stand along the lines of 2017's 40th Anniversary Legacy Stand, but other fans have different ideas.) 

Photo Credit: Hasbro, Inc.  ©2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

 • Includes: figure and 3 accessories.

• Detailed, 6-inch-scale Luke Skywalker figure from Star Wars: A New Hope
• Improved, photorealistic facial features
• The best of The Black Series figures return to the Black Series Archive 
• Includes 3 character-inspired accessories

The figure comes with three accessories: the flight helmet, a DL-44 Blas-Tech pistol like the one used by Luke's friend Han Solo, and a lightsaber with a removable "laser" blade. 

All in all, Hasbro has done a good job with Star Wars: The Black Series Archive: Luke Skywalker, who was accompanied in this January 2019 wave by three bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back: Bossk, IG-88, and fan favorite Boba Fett.  It's a wonderfully-designed action figure, and it is definitely a nice addition to any Star Wars fan's collection. 

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