Sculpt: Luke Skywalker--3/5, Chewbacca--4/5, Princess Leia--3/5, R3-A2--4/5, Tauntaun--4/5
The Luke Skywalker figure is simply a re-release of the POTF2 Luke Skywalker that came in the Luke/Tauntaun beastpack. When this figure was originally released, I felt it was a pretty good figure. It wasn't extremely buff-looking and the details are pretty accurate. The figure doesn't quite hold up to today's standards but it's not outrageously outdated in its looks. Sculpt-wise, this figure is exactly the same as before except this one has holes in the bottom of his feet for action figure stands. Oddly, the copyright date still reads "1997", so perhaps this was a change that occurred way back then.

Chewbacca is, of course, the Saga Cloud City Capture Chewbacca figure, who is likewise exactly the same as that figure in terms of sculpting. This isn't a bad thing since CCC Chewbacca is one of the best Chewbacca figures made.

Leia is made up of parts from two different Leia figures: POTJ Bespin Escape Leia and POTF2 Hoth Leia. The body, legs and arms are from Bespin Escape Leia, and the head and vest are from Hoth Leia. It's an interesting kitbash that would have worked well if only the headsculpt weren't so terrible. One look at the headsculpt and you'll realize that it looks nothing like Carrie Fisher. If Hasbro were truly smart, they would have used the headsculpt from POTJ General Leia, which has a better likeness to Carrie Fisher and also has the correct hairstyle.

R3-A2 is made from the AOTC preview figure, R3-T7. Again, sculpt-wise he's exactly the same, which is good. While not the perfect astromech sculpt (the body is too long...in fact all the newer astromech figures share this trait), there isn't much wrong with it and it has plenty of details.

The tauntaun is perhaps the only thing truly new in this set, and even then that's only half true. Sculpt-wise, it is almost exactly the same as the POTF2 tauntaun except this tauntaun has a larger belly. Why does it have a larger belly? For its split-open belly feature of course! But more on that later. The plastic used on this tauntaun is a bit softer making it easier to split open his belly. I should also mention that the tauntaun has been showing up with two different heads. There's the broken-tusk head (shown here) which was Luke's tauntaun, and then there's an unbroken-tusk head which was Han Solo's tauntaun. I guess Hasbro confused themselves--"The set comes with a tauntaun-riding Luke so obviously the set should come with Luke's tauntaun, right?? But no, the belly splits open so it should be Han's tauntaun like in the movie!! That's right too! What to do, what to do?? Let's just give them both! Great idea, you're a genius!!" Okay, so that's not an actual quote from a Hasbro employee, but I imagine that that is what it all boiled down to. Personally, I think they should have just made all of them with Han's tauntaun. Casual fans won't know the difference and the more devoted fans will be pleased. Besides, if people really wanted Luke's tauntaun I bet they can be found on ebay for pretty cheap, unlike the Han/tauntaun beastpack which goes for a lot more. Speaking of Han, this tauntaun nicely compliments Hoth Rescue Han Solo, who has a lightsaber slashing feature. That Han can also ride this tauntaun in a decently convincing manner.

Articulation: Luke Skywalker--3.5/5, Chewbacca--4/5, Princess Leia--3/5, R3-A2--5/5, Tauntaun--3/5
Luke has eight points of articulation: neck, shoulders, waist, hips and knees. That's pretty awesome for 1997, but in these days it's only slightly above average. A modern version of this figure would at least have wrist joints.

Chewbacca has nine points of articulation: ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, bicep-cuts on both arms, wrist-cuts, and hips. This is one of the most well-articulated Chewbacca figures to date with a great neck joint that allows you to actually move his head--something that you couldn't really do with other Chewbacca figures. The incredible arm articulation make many poses possible. The only thing missing is a waist joint and perhaps knee joints.

Leia has eight points: neck, shoulders, bicep-cuts on both arms, waist and hips. Not bad, but wrist joints should have been included on this figure to make it truly poseable. Knee joints would have been cool too.

R3-A2 has seven points: head, legs, 3 "ankle" joints, and retractable third leg. There's not much more you can ask for when it comes to an astromech figure.

The tauntaun has five points: neck, arms and legs. Nothing horribly special, but it is adequate. What would have been impressive would be the inclusion of more leg articulation, a bendy tail, a ball-jointed neck, and maybe a hinged mouth.

Features--3/5
The only feature in the set is the split-open belly feature on the tauntaun. It's an oft requested feature and is perhaps one of the only reasons to buy this set as it's the only truly new thing. The feature is incredibly simple; there is a slit in the belly of the tauntaun. That's it. You have to pry open the belly and stuff whatever or whoever you want inside. The plastic used for the tauntaun's body is soft, but I think it could be a little bit softer.

Accessories--3/5
You get a standard Imperial blaster rifle, Chewbacca's bowcaster, Luke's lightsaber, Luke's blaster pistol, tauntaun reins, tauntaun guts and four action figure stands. You've most likely seen all of these accessories before. Luke's lightsaber and blaster pistol are the same ones that came with the Luke/tauntaun beastpack. Unfortunately that means the blaster pistol is huge and out of scale. The Imperial blaster rifle is the same one that came with Bespin Escape Leia--it's even the same color. Chewy's bowcaster is the one that came in the 25th Anniversary Han and Chewy 2-pack and is one of the best toy versions in terms of detail. The tauntaun reins are the same from the POTF2 beastpacks and the tauntaun guts were first seen with the Saga Acklay beast except this time they are molded in a clear, slightly yellow-colored, rubbery plastic. These guts really feel like guts! They are soft and a little sticky, kind of like those sticky hands you get out of gumball machines. Anyway, they look great coming out of the tauntaun and were a great idea to include. The action figure stands are also a welcome addition and are useful for any figures that have trouble standing on their own.

Paint: Luke Skywalker--2.5/5, Chewbacca--4/5, Princess Leia--2/5, R3-A2--3.5/5, Tauntaun--3.5/5
Luke is painted almost exactly like the original release of the figure, except for one major difference--this Luke has no eyebrows! At first I couldn't quite figure out why this Luke looked so...so weird! He kept reminding me of Robocop without his helmet on. It wasn't until I put him side by side with the original figure that I noticed the difference. Other than that, they're practically the same. There is also a slight difference in some of the colors used in his outfit, but it's not that noticeable.

Chewbacca's paint job is just as good as it was on CCC Chewbacca, except now he's got an added paint app that simulates snowflakes. It's not as convincing as it could be...it just looks like someone splattered white paint all over him. Leia's paint job is perhaps the worst of the bunch. Actually, it's not so much her paint job, it's the choice of colored plastic used for her headsculpt. The skin tone is totally wrong and it looks like Leia has a really deep tan. Amazingly, Hasbro even painted her hands a darker skin tone to match her face; I guess if you're gonna do something wrong you might as well be consistent about it.

R3-A2 is painted decently, but the coverage of the orange paint isn't consistent in many places and in some places the orange is very light and fuzzy. On the plus side, the silver parts of the paint job look nice and pretty clean. The tauntuan's paint job looks markedly different from the original POTF2 tauntaun. This tauntaun is predominantly dark gray in color and the yellowish parts of the fur are less pronounced. The POTF2 version also had a paint app to simulate snowflakes, but this one does not. The saddle on this tauntuan is also a darker brown and the gear at the back of the saddle is a different color. In the end, I prefer the paint job of the original version over this new tauntaun.

Packaging--2/5
The packaging is the same as the other 4-packs we've seen and still look and feel incredibly cheap to me. These packages aren't the most beautiful things Hasbro has come up with, but are decently sturdy and allow a good look at all the pieces of the set. I'm primarily an opener so in the end it won't bother me much, but MIB collectors may not find them aesthetically pleasing.

Overall--3/5
This is the kind of set many older collectors can do without. There isn't enough new items to make the set worthwhile for everyone, but if the prospect of getting a tauntaun with a split-open belly tickles your fancy, you may find the $20 price tag to be fair. Astromech fans will no doubt want the set to add R3-A2 to their collection, and new collectors may find the set to be a nice way to get some decent figures and a tauntaun at a fairly reasonable price. It bugs me that Hasbro made two versions fo the tauntaun, but variation hunters may be loving that. I personally got the set for R3-A2 and if I had been able to find a set with Han's tauntaun that would have been my second reason for owning the set since I never got the POTF2 Han/tauntaun beastpack. If those things weren't a factor, I most likely would not have bought the set. So basically, I guess I'm trying to say that it all depends on your own personal tastes. If there's something in the set you want and don't mind the $20 price tag, then you can head on over to your local Toys R Us or order a set from Amazon.com.