Living the Star Wars Action Figure Dream

I’m old enough that I saw all three of the original Star Wars trilogy movies in the theater. We didn’t have a lot of money, but my sci-fi-loving mom made sure that we saw them all. And my sister and I each had one action figure. I had a little R2-D2, and she had a C-3PO. R2’s head clicked as you turned it around. That was about all he did, but I loved him.

Much more recently, I’ve been really pleased to see so many action figures for the new Star Wars movies (even though I’m not a big fan of them), and for other movies and franchises out there. But since my only childhood action figure was R2-D2, I have a soft spot in my heart for figures from that series.

Hasbro has now released a new series of amazing Star Wars action figures, called The Black Series. Some are about six inches tall (though R2 is a bit shorter, of course), and there are also some in the 3.75 inch tall variety. They come in many of your favorite original trilogy characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Slave Leia, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and Greedo. There are also some from the newer trilogy, such as Darth Maul, Anakin Skywalker, and Padmé Amidala.

The characters are very detailed and well done, large enough to play with on a decent scale. Each character comes with accessories, such as lightsabers and/or blasters, and in the case of R2, all of his tools that come out of his panels.

Each figure comes attractively packaged in a black box with a description of the character and a well known quotation on the back. I got my hands on two of the larger series figures, X-Wing Fighter Luke (at least that’s what I call him) and R2-D2. Luke’s quotation is, “It’ll be just like Beggar’s Canyon back home.” A classic for sure. R2’s quote is, naturally, “Beep BEYoop whyEET bip beep boop!”

Fully articulated, the X-Wing Fighter Luke comes with a helmet, a blaster, and a lightsaber. He even has a trigger finger positioned perfectly for the blaster. It is obvious that Hasbro paid a lot of attention to detail with this series. The plastic is ever-so-slightly flexible, to allow for easy off and on of the helmet, and to make sure the lightsaber doesn’t break.

R2-D2 has a third leg that can be used or stowed, and wheels on the bottom of all three of his feet. He has panels that open or come off, and accessories such as Luke’s lightsaber (from Return of the Jedi, obviously), tools, and scanners. He is also as articulated as can be possible for this kind of droid.

While the whole set might cost more than people can afford, picking one (or two, or three) of your favorite characters are an affordable choice. These are high quality, detailed, and great for play or display. I recommend them to any Star Wars lover.

The Black Series Star Wars action figures vary in price, but most of the six inch variety are all around $20, with the 3.75 inch models around $10.

I received samples of action figures for review purposes.