Star Wars has been a merchandising phenomenon ever since it released in 1977, and the various companies invested in Lucasfilm are cashing in on that lucrative history ahead of this year’s Star Wars Celebration. Hasbro has already banked heavily on nostalgia this year with a range of retro anniversary figurines for its highly detailed Black Series of action figures, which recreated the original toys from 1977. This deluxe range of figures has featured some of the highest quality articulations of on-screen characters, and it broke new ground last year with a brand new vehicle set featuring a Tie Fighter and Pilot. More recently, the toy manufacturer unveiled a new vehicle set; a staggeringly detailed variant of Rey with her speeder from The Force Awakens, which will be on display at the celebration in Orlando.

Hasbro has now revealed the third vehicle set from the deluxe Black Series which will also be debut at the celebration this weekend. Unlike the Rey figure, however, this one is a throwback to the era of the original trilogy.

The latest vehicle set features Luke Skywalker from A New Hope, replete with his battered X-34 landspeeder and several accessories. These range from a lightsaber hilt which clips to his belt, a slugthrower rifle, macrobinoculars, and a sunhat and goggles worn by actor Mark Hamill in scenes that were deleted from the movie. 

This highly articulated 6-inch figure won’t be arriving in stores until this fall and will cost $59.99, but fans visiting Star Wars Celebration will have the opportunity to see the Luke Skywalker Black Series figure on display among other new toys and merchandise.

Hasbro’s Black Series has faithfully rendered characters from throughout the franchise’s storied history since The Force Awakens released in theatres. The manufacturer was then forced to hold back the variant of its Rey figurine which included a lightsaber in order to protect elements of the story. So any fans hoping to glean information about The Last Jedi from any other toys on display from Hasbro had best look elsewhere.

With this Luke Skywalker figure, however, Hasbro has been allowed some level of autonomy to create a unique bit of movie memorabilia. The hat and goggles that never made it into Star Wars: A New Hope are a small detail, but it’s one that many fans will instantly recognize as incongruous – for better or worse.

Hasbro is not the only company to announce merchandise ahead of this year’s Star Wars Celebration, and they certainly won’t be the last. Hot Wheels have also revealed a range of celebratory Star Wars toys which will also be on show over the weekend. With all of that going on, you might be forgiven for forgetting that we’re due to see our first footage of Star Wars Episode VIII in the coming days.

Star Wars Celebration begins on April 13, and we’ll keep you updated with any news as it occurs.

Next: Why Star Wars Should Avoid a Kylo-Rey Romance

Source: Yahoo Movies

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