When we heard that Hasbro was giving us a 6″ scale Landspeeder, it was hard not to be excited. This is the perfect size vehicle for this scale, as compared to the all-too-large for a display collection TIE Fighter that came out previously. It will fit on the shelf and look good without being an albatross that you have no idea where to let it live in your house.
The packaging is straight-forward for the Black Series, and the figure and vehicle parts are easily removed. Assembly is so easy that even a small kid could do it, nothing tricky, complicated, or prone to breakage. So thumbs up for that, Hasbro.
The included figure is a reissue of “farmboy” Luke with some extra accessories and a new portrait from the single-packed release. In addition to his standard issue blue light saber, Luke gets a desert poncho (in case it rains?), a long-rifle to shoot an over-exuberant Bantha a half a mile away, some droid hunting binoculars, and a Gilligan-esque boonie hat.
The poncho, hat, and gun look fine, but it’s hard to imagine that they’ll be a staple of anyone’s display (or play pattern). It’s not completely clear how Luke is supposed to attach, store, or hold the binoculars. His left hand might be able to hold the binoculars, but I’d be afraid that it would stretch the hand so much that it would be useless for anything else thereafter.
This iteration of the figure sports an identical body, identical tunic, and the same belt we got once before. The boots are are painted a more redish/pinkish brown than the sandy brown of the previous figure. The skin tone is a bit more pinkish, and the hair is a substantially darker shade of brown.
While the head sculpt of the original figure was not particularly well-received, this new one is arguably much worse. His jaw seems much wider for some reason, making me think that Luke just came from the dentist after having his wisdom teeth removed. His eyebrows are thick like caterpillars, and is he wearing lipstick?!
The original figure just looked like he was under the influence of some heavy prescription medication, but the new one looks like he’s more likely to go a cross-dressing bar than than the Mos Eisley cantina. It’s not clear who gave this portrait the green light, but it’s clear that they need a visit to the optometrist. On the bright side, the original one looks less horrible in comparison. Ugh.
On the bright side, NOBODY is picking this set up for the figure. The star of the set is clearly the vehicle (duh). It has lots of weathering, a big dent in the front, and plenty of faux chipped/scorched paint that reminds me of my vintage ESB X-wing with battle damage stickers.
The hood raises up, revealing some engine detail so that Luke can replace the power converters, bad motivators, or add a Dixie horn so he can feel like a badass when he jumps over Beggar’s Canyon when the bridge is out. Yee-hah!
The windshield is easily removable, and that’s good because removing it is mandatory if you actually want want to put figures in the landspeeder. Clearly, prior to being part of the Galactic Empire, Tatooine was part of the British Empire, as the landspeeder is a right-hand drive. Hopefully all the other vehicles on Tatooine are RHD as well; otherwise, he’s going to have a hard time going through the drive-thru at the Anchorhead McDonalds.
So that he doesn’t have to travel unarmed, there is a handy clip that holds the long-rifle as seen in the movie.
There is a small hole on the back deck where one of R2-D2’s noggin protrusions can plug-in, allowing him to hitch a ride without falling off.
Sadly, Obi-Wan is not so lucky. His plastic tunic doesn’t allow him to achieve a comfortable sitting position or wad-up sufficiently to fit in the passenger seat. He’s going to have to walk home. Don’t let the Jawas, Banthas, Sand People, bounty hunters, or Sarlaac get you, Ben. Good luck! 🙁
While this version of the Landspeeder doesn’t have any wheels like it’s 4″ counterpart, it does come with a nice clear plastic stand that plugs into the bottom, allowing it to “hover” over the sandy terrain. You…er, I mean “your kid” won’t be vrooming this thing around on the carpet unless you just remove the stand and slide it around on it’s belly. Probably not a big deal for most adult collectors though.
Overall, it’s exactly what it appears to be on the surface, a weak figure paired with a desirable, fun small vehicle. With a $59.95 MSRP, it’s a bit steep given that it’s a repaint figure and the vehicle is extremely light/hollow. This really should have been in the $40 price range like the prior deluxe sets that included the Wampa and Taun-taun.
So on one hand, I’m glad I got it, as the speeder will look great on my ever-expanding SW BS shelves, but it’s difficult to recommend this at the full retail price. If this isn’t a “must have” for your collection, I’d definitely wait for a sale or clearance. If you fear they’ll be in short supply, grab it while you can and try not to think about what it costs 😉
‘Til all are one, collecting is half the battle!