Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) — Star Wars The Black Series 6-Inch Figure #01

Overview

The Star Wars The Black Series launched in 2013 as Hasbro’s answer to collectors who wanted more from the 3.75-inch scale — more detail, more articulation, more presence on a shelf. The first figure they put in that new 6-inch format was Luke Skywalker in his Rebel X-Wing pilot gear, and the choice was deliberate. Luke in his orange flight suit is one of the most recognisable images in Star Wars. If the Black Series was going to make a first impression, it needed a figure that could carry the weight of that moment.

Figure #01 did exactly that. The ribbed flight suit, the removable helmet, and the compact DL-44 blaster announced what the 6-inch Black Series was going to be — a collector line that took the source material seriously. Every figure that followed, across twelve years and hundreds of releases, traces its lineage back to this one. For collectors building a complete Phase 1 Black Series run or a historical overview of the line, BS01 is the unavoidable starting point.

Accessories

Luke includes two accessories: a DL-44 blaster pistol and a removable X-Wing helmet. Neither is elaborate, but both are well-executed for a 2013 Black Series release.

The DL-44 is a compact, cleanly detailed sculpt. The proportions are accurate to the film prop and the figure holds it naturally in the right hand without the wrist drooping — a genuine concern with early Black Series figures that didn’t always get the hand grip engineering right.

The removable helmet is the more interesting piece. It fits snugly over the head sculpt without distorting the likeness, and the translucent yellow visor adds authentic depth. The Rebel insignia and striped deco on the helmet are cleanly applied. The removable design creates two distinct display configurations — helmet on for cockpit scenes, helmet off for ground-level or ceremony reads — which gives this figure more versatility than its accessory count suggests.

Sculpt and Articulation

The portrait predates Photo Real face printing, which Hasbro wouldn’t introduce to the Black Series until 2019. The Mark Hamill likeness relies entirely on traditional sculpting and paint application. At display distance it reads well — the proportions are right and the expression is appropriately neutral. Up close, compared to any post-2019 Black Series figure, the limitations of the era show. The eyes in particular lack the depth that Photo Real technology later delivered.

The flight suit sculpt is more impressive and holds up better against the line’s subsequent output. The ribbed texture on the sleeves, the layered chest box with its accurate button detail, and the harness straps all have genuine depth rather than being painted-on approximations. Hasbro understood that the suit was the character here and gave it the attention it deserved.

Articulation is solid for 2013. The figure features a ball-jointed head and neck, hinged shoulders and elbows, a torso ball joint, double-jointed knees, and rocker ankles. The torso joint is particularly useful — it allows a cockpit-ready hunched pose that most figures of this era couldn’t achieve convincingly. The shoulder range is adequate for a two-handed blaster pose. There are no butterfly shoulders or the deeper elbow bend that later Black Series engineering introduced, but for the display poses this figure was designed to support, the articulation is more than sufficient.

Display

Luke in his X-Wing gear is one of the most versatile figures in the Original Trilogy category for display purposes. The bright orange suit works as a natural colour anchor in any Rebel-themed arrangement, providing contrast against the greys and blacks that dominate Imperial figures.

The most natural context is a Battle of Yavin display — Luke alongside R2-D2, Wedge Antilles, and Biggs Darklighter for a Red Squadron lineup. The Black Series has produced figures for each of these characters across various waves, making a complete Yavin pilot arrangement achievable. The helmeted configuration is essential here; the unhelmeted look is better suited to a Rebel base or briefing room arrangement with Princess Leia and Han Solo.

He also works in a Phase 1 Black Series historical display — figure #01 through #14, the full Orange Wave — which is a popular collecting format for those documenting the evolution of the line from its 2013 origins. In that context, BS01 Luke reads as a period piece, and the slightly dated face printing becomes contextually appropriate rather than a flaw.

Collector Notes

Two documented packaging variations exist. The Gun Placement variation has the DL-44 positioned differently within the blister tray — no change to the figure or accessories, and minimal premium at secondary market. The First Day Issue is an European-exclusive release from the line’s launch with distinct packaging markings. It was sold only in European markets at launch and carries a modest premium among carded collectors who prioritise packaging variants.

Loose complete copies of the standard release trade at low values on the secondary market — this was a high-production first wave with wide retail distribution. Carded examples in genuinely good condition are more desirable, particularly First Day Issue copies with undamaged packaging. The UPC is 653569864868 and the Amazon ASIN is B00CFELU3A.

Verdict

If you want the best-looking Black Series Luke Skywalker in X-Wing gear for a modern display, buy the 40th Anniversary version (2017) or the Archive Collection repack instead — both bring Photo Real portrait technology and updated engineering that this figure predates.

Buy the 2013 Orange Wave release if you’re completing a Phase 1 Black Series collection, building a historical overview of the line from its origins, or want the figure with genuine collector provenance. As the first figure Hasbro produced in the 6-inch Black Series format, #01 carries a significance that no later release can replicate. It belongs in any serious collection of the line.