[tierneygreen]

Amazon delivered my Hyperreal Luke today, and...meh. My thoughts are detailed below. TL;DR: I don't think it's terrible, but eww…that texture. Fix that, Hasbro, or stick with armored characters from now on. Oh, and dainty lightsaber tooling sucks.

The Good

This is the first scale where Hasbro's photo-printed face technique actually doesn't look bizarre to me. The head sculpts are well executed (if redundant). In-hand, the face(s) is/are quite well crafted.

The belt, holster, and gun are nicely done, as well. There's a good amount of detail, and the paint apps give it all a fairly realistic appearance for the scale. The boots also have a nice enough amount of weathering and detail.

Pose-ability is quite good. The endoskeletal joints are firm, but easy to move, and he holds his balance pretty well. However, you’ll still want to use the pegs/holes if you want to pose him on the included base. This is also the first Luke I’ve ever owned that can hold his lightsaber with both hands out in front of him in anything that resembles a natural “dueling” pose. That should count for something. Right?

The Bad

My biggest gripe will likely be echoed by many, and that is the texture/finish of the outfit. I don't know what I was expecting, but…this ain't it. I've brushed mine with a light coating of ultra matte acrylic varnish. Time will tell if that ends up being a bad idea, but for now it's knocked the sheen down a bit and made it not so “icky” to the touch (believe me, folks, out of the box it feels…well…gross). I’ll probably give it a second light coating. Added weathering would have helped this Luke a lot, at least aesthetically. In fact, the only weathering on the fatigues at all looks to be on the back of the jacket. The packaging images were appointed much more detail. Boo!, Hasbro.

My next issue is the lightsaber. I really wish they had engineered a solid “lit” mold, and a separate unlit hilt, like they used to with the 3.75 scale. As it is, the blade is a separate piece that must be inserted into the hilt. Man, does that peg feel precarious. Now that I have the saber together, I’m deathly afraid to try and take it apart again. If Luke tips over and falls any height at all, that peg is snapping right off in the hilt. No doubt in my mind.

The Indifferent

The extra hands are a nice gesture (no pun intended), but the majority of them will never get used. Ever. In fact, why are there fists? Who did Luke ever duke it out with? Is there a deleted scene I’m not aware of in which he punches his way through a squad of Ugnaughts upon landing at Bespin?

The base is the exact one that came with Vader. The two bases can be connected via a clip found underneath either. Again, it’s a nice idea. However, the peg holes are arranged in such a way that trying to pose Luke and Vader dueling just has them poking each other in the eye with their sabers. You won’t want to pose either of them on those bases without using the pegs/holes provided. They will topple if you take a breath.

Conclusion

If this line continues after this, I’ll be surprised. Of course, I had my doubts about the 1/12 line a decade ago, and by all accounts TBS is still going strong. If the Hyperreal line does continue, though, I really hope they stick with troopers and other armored characters for the time being. I could see a Beskar-armored Mando selling pretty well, so long as they get the finish on the armor right. Stormies of any variety should also be strong sellers. I’ve never owned a Stormtrooper I could pose in a crouched position that didn’t look like he needed medical attention. The construct behind the Hyperreal line would/could/should remedy that.

No matter what, Hasbro needs to spend some R&D budget on finding a better solution for emulating fabric. I'd be more than happy to be part of a focus group, or whathaveyou.