Sculpt--4.5/5
The sculpting on this figure is simply phenomenal. All the details on this figure are so crisp and sharp that it's almost like owning the original sculpt. Great micro-textures abound like the felt-looking wristbands to the wooly-looking scarf. The cross-hatched patterns in the outfit are very sharp and well defined, and the folds and wrinkles in the outfit look very realistic and natural. I also love how the holster looks, even though it's non-functional.

The proportions of this figure are also much better than past Hoth Luke figures. The shoulders aren't as broad and the chest isn't as big, making for a more realistic and believable look to the figure. The headsculpt is also excellent with a pretty good likeness to a torn-up Mark Hamill. The posing of the arms is a bit of a problem for me; the right arm is totally straight which is perfect for recreating the scene when Luke is reaching for his lightsaber, but it looks slightly awkward in other situations. Clever articulation could have solved the problem, but I could see how that would have ruined the great sculpting. The height of the this Luke figure is also questionable; he is as tall as General Rieekan and almost as tall as Hoth Han Solo and that simply isn't right. You will soon see that this whole Hoth wave (which includes R-3PO and the Hoth Rebel Trooper) in general has some wonky figure heights, and ironically Luke is one of the taller figures in the wave.

Articulation--4/5
Luke has six points of articulation: hinge-and-swivel neck, ball-jointed shoulders, waist, and hips. Not as many points as I hoped for, but at least they added the hinged neck joint and gave us ball-jointed shoulders. The articulation is perfect for having Luke reach for his lightsaber while he's hanging upside down, but he tends to look a bit stiff in other poses due to his rather straight arms and legs. The neck joint is a blessing but it also makes Luke's neck look strange since there is a noticeable gap where it is hinged and this really could have been avoided if you ask me. Good articulation all around, but there is definite room for improvement.

Features--NA/5
This was a real disappointment. I really wanted to see the magnet-in-the-palm feature on this figure--I mean, jeez if any figure should have that feature, this one is it! Hasbro shouldn't have over-used the magnet feature on figures that didn't really need it, and should've saved the feature for figures like this.

Accessories--3/5
You get the ice cave base, Luke's lightsaber with removable blade, and goggles. The goggles suck bigtime and are the same goggles that came with the Power of the Jedi Mechanic Chewy figure except these are molded in clear green plastic. The goggles are totally incorrect and are just way too big for Luke's head. I really wish they could have made a new sculpt or just not include them at all. The lightsaber is another poor area of this set. The hilt is appears to be the one that came with the POTJ Ben Kenobi figure, but they hollowed out the end so a lightsaber blade can fit in it. The hilt also has a huge peg sticking out of it so you can attach it to a belt, but there's just one thing wrong--there is no hole on Luke's belt!! Hasbro, if you're not going to make use of the peg then just use a different lightsaber sculpt!!! Why go through all this trouble? Added to this stupidity is the fact that the hilt just looks terrible. Left over plastic at the seamline is still there and the lightsaber blade does not fit into the hilt as good as it should.

The one good accessory in this set is the ice cave base which is made of transluscent plastic and looks, well, icy. There are two holes for Luke's feet to go in so you can use the base as a stand or when you flip the base upside down, Luke will hang from the holes. The base also connects to the Wampa's ice cave base and forms the ceiling of the cave so you can recreate the Wampa attack scene from The Empire Strikes Back. The base is a great example of Hasbro doing something right.

Paint--4/5
Excellent job on the paint. Luke's bloody wounds on his face look pretty accurate. They also did a great job on Luke's little badges which have tiny red and blue squares and dots. Luke's silver belt buckle and the silver buttons on his belt also look good, but they forgot to paint the silver buttons on the back side of the belt. Luke's boots are the sloppiest part of the paint job, and the white straps and such tend to bleed onto the rest of the boot.

Overall--4/5
This is a very cool figure and is a must buy if you plan on getting the new Wampa figure. On its own, this set is still very cool and is the most accurate rendition of Luke in his Hoth gear. Some of the accessories are a bit lame and not including a magnet feature was a travesty, but in the end it's still one of my favorite figures in my collection.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com

Special Thanks to Cloud City Collectables and AllTroops.com for helping me get this figure!