The Little Differences - Ultimate Sailbarge, Jedi Knight & Endor Luke Skywalker V2 & Endor Rebel Troopers

This weeks "Little Differences" segment will start with converting the brand new (and near perfect) Vintage line Jedi Luke figure into his other iconic looks in ROTJ. This first part of this article is a bit of a rehash from a past one I wrote, however I really think it is worth revisiting. If you like to have the most updated figures with previous gear/outfits this is "geared" for you. If you want a trip on the "way back machine" you can see my previous article here. I have to tip my hat off to Hasbro, they finally reached a point where they are really hitting home runs with every figure they make, including main characters which they always seemed to struggle with previously. The Vintage line has been outstanding, keep it up Hasbro!

I will be showing you a few easy mods to satisfy your collection until Hasbro does. They confirmed in 2012 we will see a new Jabba Palace Jedi Luke but do you really want to wait that long? Per my previous article, the Jedi Luke I use to like the most was the Battle of Endor Battle Pack version. Underneath his Camo poncho he had a soft goods Jedi tunic that was a huget improvement from the TAC version. These soft good robes will be crucial to easily modify the new Luke, all you have to do is a simple swap. Next, you need to find a pair of extra hands that match Luke's flesh tone if you really want to get accurate. Remember, Luke only donned the black Michael Jackson like glove after it was shot on Jabba's Sail Barge. (I found a perfect set of hands to use, unfortunately I forgot which figure they came from...) Once you have an adequate pair of hands you will need do the old boil and pop trick to swap them out. Here are two shots of my Jedi Lukes in two different scenes (Note: I bought and modified several Lukes to have them in my specific displays.)

Next up is the Endor Luke, you will be using that leftover Camo Poncho from the figure you "borrowed" the robes from. This is also a quick swap, the helmet does not sit on the new head sculpt perfect but it does not look horrible either. It's also worth noting that this Luke can ride the dated Speederbike perfectly!

Speaking of Endor, these next mods will help you increase the variety of your Endor Rebel Strike Team! Like Luke, the new Rebel Commando is a really well executed figure, his gear and articulation are truly top notch! The only issue that I have with this figure is that he is a beardo! Hasbro really seems to be obsessed with facial hair on their recent Rebel Troopers. This makes army building with them a little less attractive. (I would have bought so many more of this trooper if he was clean shaven.) That said, it is pretty easy to swap heads but this figures neck is not as standard as say the Hoth Rebel Trooper. The neck of this figure lurches forward a bit, so finding the right head to fit properly is a lot more tricky when compared to other figures. Most of the more generic Star Wars heads will require some dremmeling to fit properly on this figure.

I really love retiring older figures so when this new and superior version was released, I knew it was time for my Saga era Endor Rebels to be discharged! I decided to experiment with some of their gear and swap the jacket on the new Vintage Endor Commando to see if it would work. It did, the Saga version jacket fit on the new Rebel fairly well, even the backpack hole lined up! The only downside to this swap is that the jacket limits the figures shoulder articulation. Since I display my figure and not play with them it did not bother me at all. Take a look to see some of the variations I created with different heads and gear:

To continue the experiment further with customizing my Endor troops, I wanted to use the Dressellian Major Panno .I bought several of these lumpy headed aliens to create a squad. (I do expect Hasbro to release a "Pruneface" variant to lead them one day. Until that happens I thought it would be fun to diversify the E.T. squad by using the trusty boil and pop method, I swapped some of his parts with the Vintage Rebel Commando. I used that figures legs and belt harness with the upper half of Major Panno to create a unique looking Dressellian . Major Panno was also a very well done figure, he was so well done that the new Rebel Commando actually used his legs but the Rebel Commando does have a new wider pelvis. The only complaint I had with Panno was that is was very hard to find one that was not crossed eyed. Take a look at this E.T.'s eyes,  would you trust him with a gun?

As you can see the "Little Differences" can make a big difference to your figures! Until next time!