So great to hear stories of supportive parents. I will never forget the christmas morning I came out and found aa fully assembled and ready to play kenner falcon under the tree. I still have the pic my mom snapped of me and my dad playing with it seconds after I found it.
If this video proves anything it's that a 30 minute deep-dive into a single action figure can be a lot of fun to watch. If there are any other figures you're thinking of doing this for I say go for it!
Wait, “Snow Han” and not “Han Snow-lo”? I’ve always considered Luke’s “Bespin Fatigues” to be a standard Rebel uniform. It just makes sense, because he was a full fledged member of the Rebel Alliance by then.
For real though when I think of Luke, I think of him wearing stuff like this. Not robes. Mostly because this is how he dresses a lot in the novels. This outfit actually contributed to a precedent in the books that Jedi don't have to be these robe wearing monks. The Jedi get a little more tactical. In the novels you see Jedi that just are members of rogue squadron or are members of the military etc. Being a Jedi is like an extra thing you can do instead of a profession. I think if we had never seen this outfit you might have just seen the Jedi stay this monastic order of diplomats. Cool video :)
Fully agree. Always thought of the ROTJ Luke outfit al in black as the "standard" Jedi Kight outfit, Old Ben was wearing robes becasue he was living on a desert planet. When Phantom menace came out and they were all wearing robes it never felt right...oh well head cannon, I guess!
My dad, my brother, and me always called the ROTJ figure "Darth Luke" because of his all back appearance Also as a side note, for Halloween in 4th grade I went as bespin Luke so that's pretty neat
I was all set to go trick or treating in the fall of 1980. I put on my plastic Rebel pilot Luke costume and got ready. However in my excited state I tripped and fell down my grandmothers stairs busting my head open and ruining the plastic Luke half mask. 4 stitches later and I was inconsolable because I missed trick or treat. Luckily my friends came over after their rounds and shared some of their Halloween bounty. This was the both the best and worst Halloween I ever had as a child.
For the first few minutes of Luke’s appearance in Jedi I thought he was undercover as the Emperor,though it soon became clear that wasn’t the case I still call him that(emperor Luke). I also still call (both?) terror dogs in Ghostbusters Gozer despite realizing my mistake before leaving the theater in 1984. I’m 41 still calling that fucker gozer. Not sure how I knew the concept of undercover at age 4🤔
An Outstanding effort through and through. From the specifics covered, the historic details, & your guests comments, your passion and dedication goes beyond a mere ‘excellent job.’ You set the bar higher and higher each time & it’s a pleasure to know you and your channel are of the highest quality. Thank you very much and I look forward to your future efforts.
It’s such a silly debate anyway, with both pronunciations easily able to coexist in-universe, with ‘ay-tee-ay-tee’ being the formal official pronunciation and ‘@-@‘ being an informal pronunciation used by Stormtroopers on the field and such
This was a fantastic video Michael! My mom and dad got me a vintage Bespin Luke for Christmas. Even came with the original (the one with the up close shot) cardback! Out of the few vintage figures I do own, it is my absolute favorite.
Your channel is wonderful. I saw Star Wars in Canberra in 1977. The most amazing, life-changing movie of my life. Saw Empire and Jedi at cinemas when they came out. Thanks for your channel.
you just reminded me and I just remembered that Muppet show when Luke came on, we had to go collect my mom from work and I remember being devastated that I would miss it. well fast forward 40 years and I've just found it on youtube. you literally just reminded me to watch it! thanks man!
Thanks Michael for such a good video and one that gave me a whole new appreciation for this costume and the figures. After watching this I instantly bought the new 40th Anniversary Kenner/Hasbro Bespin Luke you mentioned. I love your work and appreciation for the original Star Wars and all those great toys. These videos definitely take me back to good memories.
Thank you!! Eloquently put! "Heaped upon him by aging failures..." Perfect explanation! It is so good to know that there are others out in the Galaxy who feel the way my family and I do about Luke!! Bespin fatigues Luke was always my go to Luke action figure for all of my Star Wars playtime! Spot on video!!!
DUUUDE awesome video, bespin luke is my total favorite and when i got my vintage collection luke all i wondered for weeks was where did it came from, now i that i´ve found your video i can finally rest in peace.
Wow I absolutely loved the video! The way you can tell a story and give information about a topic is incredible! I’ve been watching retroblasting since around January 2014 and let me tell you this is one if not my favorite videos you guys have made. Thanks so much for bringing me and others happiness throughout the years - Mason
Thank you for sharing your childhood memories and giving us such a full detail of Luke from ESB. This was so fun to watch and impacted me making me think of how much I love Empire when I was a kid. Definitely my favorite Star Wars movie and my favorite Luke as well.
Love that you were into West End Games Star Wars RPG! That game did more to cement my fan experience from adolescence into adulthood. Easy to learn, quick to construct a character and very, very fun to play. WEG Star Wars will always hold a special place in my life.
I absolutely LOVE the research and love that you put into these videos. I hope someday you’ll do a video on the WEG Star Wars games stuff. The guys who worked on the books are open to interviews and I’d love to hear what you could bring to the table. Keep up the great work and the passion on the channel :)
Great job love the video I found it very informative as I didn’t know there have been that many variations of Luke Skywalker. Keep up the great work you all do and the amazing content 👍🏻
Hey Michael I wanna compliment you with another great video. Fantastic job !!! And here is a big Luke Bespin fan from Dordrecht the Netherlands . O and i want to say great livestreams on the Saterdays, you and Melinda are great together, love it ... I can't wait for the next livestream and other video's from you . greets from Danny Verone
Great writing and character analysis and interesting deep dive into the costume. I did a Luke Bespin remembrance video just recently but this blows mine away! Love your videos man.
I hope we see more of these "Story So Far" videos. So interesting to see you do a deep dive on the history of certain characters in action figure form.
I love each of these videos. Recently my desire to really focus on the stuff of childhood was spurred by finding the Retro Empire figures at my local Walmart. While not as good as the originals, I sadly do not have any of the originals I had as a child. When I got the set (sadly minus Boba Fett) home, I delighted in taking them carefully out of the package and posing them with their weapons. But once I opened Bespin Luke's package (which I saved for last), I had an crazy unreal feeling. I just felt like I was holding the toy I had when I was 6 or 7. It was very surreal and it brought back great memories. I am now on a quest to try to get as many of the 5 POA original figures as I can. Thanks again to Michael and the folks at Retroblasting for helping bring back these great memories.
Great video! Very entertaining and informative. Bespin fatigues is my favorite Luke as well and is probably my favorite Black Series figure of my 100+ collection.
EXCELLENT VIDEO as always!!! Man..Do I remember that EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Read-Along Book....I think I played that thing 5 times a day. I have it memorized to this day. I remember getting BESPIN LUKE for my birthday (around 1980)...The following school day I placed BESPIN LUKE in the outside pocket of my book bag and I lost him before I got to class...I was crushed...Later that afternoon I got off the school bus crying that I had lost my new Luke.
Great Episode. I agree with this and why he is one of my favorites. 2 cent toys said exactly what I always felt about Luke in this movie. It’s a BIG transition. Everything changed. Keep up the wonderful work.
Ok but how about a video of your personal quest to assemble the perfect Brown Luke costume? Your first attempts, frustrations, etc. That would be a very interesting watch. I'm still trying to get a similar jacket.
I agree that Luke's ESB uniform was modelled on British Battledress. As for the costume version with the Velcro, this seems like an update on British BD since the BD trousers had buttons along the waist which matched up with buttonholes in the waistband of the BD blouse so when moving around in uniform the blouse wouldn't hike up and show the flannel shirt worn under the blouse. In theory this worked, but often enough the buttons would be torn off the trousers when moving around vigorously and more often than not the Tommies would not bother buttoning blouse and trousers together, because it in reality restricted movement and was simply a nuisance to which the regular army could return after the war to please their officers and the RSM. I'm quite sure that the Velcro on this particular ESB costume didn't prove practical either and the high "wading" style were better suited for the filming.
Great video! A lot of cool info on the outfit. I have tons of the West End books, I love the info. It's great they stated Luke's Fatigues were the pilot's ground uniform, I didn't recall that. It never really clicked the "Bespin" outfits were actually worn the majority film. I always went with the "Bespin" description.
Thank you for opening my eyes to Bespin Luke, I never gave him much thought but now thanks to your video, I want my first Luke figure to be any version of Bespin Luke.
As usual with topics like this, while I knew you would do good work here, this was still much more interesting that I expected. I really enjoyed the back story here about the origin of the costume's design, the details about the possible fate of the original, the specifics about modifications made for the sake of shooting the film, and all of that. It was also interesting to hear a bit of your analysis of Empire. While we largely pick up on the same details and themes, hearing them expressed differently with emphasis on different elements is thought provoking. Also, it was fascinating to hear and see the progression of the figures and statues. It may be annoying for collectors, but the variations within a toy line like Kenner Star Wars makes for interesting reading. The differences here with not-so-Bespin Luke are surprising. I should say, I have a new appreciation for this depiction of Luke now after this video. The black-clad Luke from ROTJ is my preferred Luke. That's the one that stuck with me the most in terms of the movie presentation. I missed the boat on the action figures. Anyway, this video was excellent.
Hearing about your childhood Star Wars experiences is always a kick and reminds me of when my brother and I were kids. I did not have toys at that point but he did, he took great care of them, proudly put them on display, and all of that was fun to watch. Had a feeling that Hambone was in the military surplus biz... ;-)
A brand new Bespin Luke and a corn dog? I call that a good day.
Get a few packs of bubble gum cards and you start rivalling Christmas for best day of the year.
@@booyeah6459 "A day long remembered"
You aren't wrong, Mathieu.
So great to hear stories of supportive parents. I will never forget the christmas morning I came out and found aa fully assembled and ready to play kenner falcon under the tree. I still have the pic my mom snapped of me and my dad playing with it seconds after I found it.
Wish I had a pic of me with my Falcon
"Doesn't Matter To Them."
Never forget
If this video proves anything it's that a 30 minute deep-dive into a single action figure can be a lot of fun to watch. If there are any other figures you're thinking of doing this for I say go for it!
Squid Head - got it - on it.
Any update on the Squid head video 🤔🤣
Thank you for the work put into your channel.
Wait, “Snow Han” and not “Han Snow-lo”?
I’ve always considered Luke’s “Bespin Fatigues” to be a standard Rebel uniform. It just makes sense, because he was a full fledged member of the Rebel Alliance by then.
same here. like the Rebel pilots wore it under their orange flightsuits.
In fact they did. Luke is wearing it under the flight suit when he zips it up on Echo Base before leaving the infirmary.
P.s weren't the "Bespin Fatigues " gray?
Yeah, I wasn’t aware this was in doubt. It just makes sense when you watch the movie.
“He looked as surprised on the card back as I d been finding him” lol 😆 I love ❤️ you man!
For real though when I think of Luke, I think of him wearing stuff like this. Not robes. Mostly because this is how he dresses a lot in the novels. This outfit actually contributed to a precedent in the books that Jedi don't have to be these robe wearing monks. The Jedi get a little more tactical. In the novels you see Jedi that just are members of rogue squadron or are members of the military etc. Being a Jedi is like an extra thing you can do instead of a profession. I think if we had never seen this outfit you might have just seen the Jedi stay this monastic order of diplomats. Cool video :)
Fully agree. Always thought of the ROTJ Luke outfit al in black as the "standard" Jedi Kight outfit, Old Ben was wearing robes becasue he was living on a desert planet. When Phantom menace came out and they were all wearing robes it never felt right...oh well head cannon, I guess!
This was absolutely fantastic! Rebel Pilot Ground Uniform! I had no idea!!
Me neither!
Can I just say I was very happy to come home from a long night at work to a nice fun video about my favorite starwars costume.
Wow what a fantastic video Michael. Thank you
Always my favorite Luke, just a cool looking outfit, and he had his own blaster.
Man this just shows how much more attention and military influence was there before Disney took over and didnt have a clue w what they were doing
I think this is my favourite video of yours. Touches on so many things I love about star wars.
My dad, my brother, and me always called the ROTJ figure "Darth Luke" because of his all back appearance
Also as a side note, for Halloween in 4th grade I went as bespin Luke so that's pretty neat
I always call it Priest Luke.
I was all set to go trick or treating in the fall of 1980. I put on my plastic Rebel pilot Luke costume and got ready. However in my excited state I tripped and fell down my grandmothers stairs busting my head open and ruining the plastic Luke half mask. 4 stitches later and I was inconsolable because I missed trick or treat. Luckily my friends came over after their rounds and shared some of their Halloween bounty. This was the both the best and worst Halloween I ever had as a child.
For the first few minutes of Luke’s appearance in Jedi I thought he was undercover as the Emperor,though it soon became clear that wasn’t the case I still call him that(emperor Luke). I also still call (both?) terror dogs in Ghostbusters Gozer despite realizing my mistake before leaving the theater in 1984. I’m 41 still calling that fucker gozer. Not sure how I knew the concept of undercover at age 4🤔
An Outstanding effort through and through. From the specifics covered, the historic details, & your guests comments, your passion and dedication goes beyond a mere ‘excellent job.’ You set the bar higher and higher each time & it’s a pleasure to know you and your channel are of the highest quality. Thank you very much and I look forward to your future efforts.
Could not agree more
Michael, your passion and love for " Bespin Luke " shines bright in this thoroughly entertaining and informative documentary!
Michael, all of your videos are good, but this may be your best. Thank you for putting this together.
Michael, thank you!!! Just thank you. With immense gratitude, a Star Wars (and Retroblasting) fan.
"...go yell at a cloud...," awesome.
I pronounce AT-AT the same way
That’s because it’s how it’s pronounced.
It’s such a silly debate anyway, with both pronunciations easily able to coexist in-universe, with ‘ay-tee-ay-tee’ being the formal official pronunciation and ‘@-@‘ being an informal pronunciation used by Stormtroopers on the field and such
This was a fantastic video Michael!
My mom and dad got me a vintage Bespin Luke for Christmas. Even came with the original (the one with the up close shot) cardback! Out of the few vintage figures I do own, it is my absolute favorite.
loved the video, thanks Mike!
Love Bespin Luke..something so nostalgic about him
Same. I saw the movie but couldn’t find it anywhere. Now, 37 years later, I found it at an antique mall in a beat up miscellaneous action figures bin
This is one of my favourite RUclips videos let alone Star Wars toy videos. I keep coming back to it every now and again. Great stuff 👌🏽
Great video. That Luke is also my favorite version. Keep up the great work.
My second comment, having now watched full video..... and THIS, was an EXCELLENT video man! Superb!
Much appreciated!
Your channel is wonderful.
I saw Star Wars in Canberra in 1977.
The most amazing, life-changing movie of my life.
Saw Empire and Jedi at cinemas when they came out.
Thanks for your channel.
Amazing video. Loved every second. Great work.
you just reminded me and I just remembered that Muppet show when Luke came on, we had to go collect my mom from work and I remember being devastated that I would miss it. well fast forward 40 years and I've just found it on youtube. you literally just reminded me to watch it! thanks man!
Bravo! I love all your videos, but this one is phenomenal. So informative. I love the detailed history of the fatigues. Thank you!
Was waiting for this for weeks and didn’t disappoint! Thanks so much
OK...Your RAF fighter pilot and Bespin Luke comparison literally blew my mind......Another example of why RetroBlasting knows their stuff!!!
Holy cow, just when I thought there was nothing left about the OT I cared to hear, you come up with something incredibly interesting
Thanks
Bespin Luke is my favourite Luke too. Great video, Michael!
You really put a lot of effort making this documentary, I really appreciate you, bespin Luke is also my favorite Luke version.
Loved this! Wow! Very good point made about the clothing worn by Han and Luke in The Empire Strikes Back!!!
Dude, your deadpan delivery had me cracking up all through this!
Actually choked up at the end with your's and Tony's thoughts on Luke in Empire, put into words why exactly it is my favourite SW movie.
Perhaps the finest Retroblasting video to date.. loved the reference to the West End Games books. Well done Michael ;)
Thanks Michael for such a good video and one that gave me a whole new appreciation for this costume and the figures. After watching this I instantly bought the new 40th Anniversary Kenner/Hasbro Bespin Luke you mentioned. I love your work and appreciation for the original Star Wars and all those great toys. These videos definitely take me back to good memories.
Really love this channel 😊
Knew it was going to be good but man you hit it out of the park! Excellent job!
Thank you!! Eloquently put! "Heaped upon him by aging failures..." Perfect explanation! It is so good to know that there are others out in the Galaxy who feel the way my family and I do about Luke!! Bespin fatigues Luke was always my go to Luke action figure for all of my Star Wars playtime! Spot on video!!!
Retroblasting you are amazing, always learning something new with your videos
DUUUDE awesome video, bespin luke is my total favorite and when i got my vintage collection luke all i wondered for weeks was where did it came from, now i that i´ve found your video i can finally rest in peace.
Great video. I haven't gotten a chance to watch the whole thing, but I like what I have seen so far. I really hope you do more of these in the future.
Great look into the costume and the toys. Thanks for the info and the laughs. Still my favorite Luke look as well.
Wow- thanks for this awesome & informative video! Top quality as always!
Absolute CHAMPION deep dive. My favorite Luke costume, as well. Bravo, well done!
Excellent Mike. I had never thought of a lot of what you had mentioned but you cleared it up for me. Thanks.
Wow I absolutely loved the video! The way you can tell a story and give information about a topic is incredible! I’ve been watching retroblasting since around January 2014 and let me tell you this is one if not my favorite videos you guys have made. Thanks so much for bringing me and others happiness throughout the years - Mason
Fantastic video. I still can not believe there is so many variations with the kenner bespin Luke.
Bespin Luke, Hoth Solo, Hoth Luke and Jedi Knight Luke were my absolute Favorites!
Thank you for sharing your childhood memories and giving us such a full detail of Luke from ESB. This was so fun to watch and impacted me making me think of how much I love Empire when I was a kid. Definitely my favorite Star Wars movie and my favorite Luke as well.
Great video Michael , you are spot on about the P37 blouse !!!!
Such a great video. It made think of why I love Star Wars so much.
Love that you were into West End Games Star Wars RPG!
That game did more to cement my fan experience from adolescence into adulthood.
Easy to learn, quick to construct a character and very, very fun to play. WEG Star Wars will always hold a special place in my life.
I absolutely LOVE the research and love that you put into these videos. I hope someday you’ll do a video on the WEG Star Wars games stuff. The guys who worked on the books are open to interviews and I’d love to hear what you could bring to the table. Keep up the great work and the passion on the channel :)
Video gives me warm nostalgic butterflies in my stomach. Would love to see Mike’s brother in more videos, that was a great visual gag!
This is brilliant , love this video, filled with behind the scenes info, facts, and comic relief !
Great job love the video I found it very informative as I didn’t know there have been that many variations of Luke Skywalker. Keep up the great work you all do and the amazing content 👍🏻
Hey Michael I wanna compliment you with another great video. Fantastic job !!! And here is a big Luke Bespin fan from Dordrecht the Netherlands . O and i want to say great livestreams on the Saterdays, you and Melinda are great together, love it ... I can't wait for the next livestream and other video's from you . greets from Danny Verone
Great writing and character analysis and interesting deep dive into the costume. I did a Luke Bespin remembrance video just recently but this blows mine away! Love your videos man.
I hope we see more of these "Story So Far" videos. So interesting to see you do a deep dive on the history of certain characters in action figure form.
Thanks for sharing your love of Bespin Luke.
Fantastic story and video Mike A++++++++++
This video is amazing. Thank you so much for your dedication and the research you conducted to make this video possible.
I took a shot every time you said "fatigues" and now I can't see my face when I look up.
Great video, thank you!
I love each of these videos. Recently my desire to really focus on the stuff of childhood was spurred by finding the Retro Empire figures at my local Walmart. While not as good as the originals, I sadly do not have any of the originals I had as a child. When I got the set (sadly minus Boba Fett) home, I delighted in taking them carefully out of the package and posing them with their weapons. But once I opened Bespin Luke's package (which I saved for last), I had an crazy unreal feeling. I just felt like I was holding the toy I had when I was 6 or 7. It was very surreal and it brought back great memories. I am now on a quest to try to get as many of the 5 POA original figures as I can. Thanks again to Michael and the folks at Retroblasting for helping bring back these great memories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! Great detail as usual!! I too obsessed over that Luke.
The walkers were cool. I always wanted one.
VERY thorough! Thanks, Michael.
Incredible detail was put into this video. Much appreciated. And, Luke's fatigues used in Empire was in my opinion, that was his best look.
Every single video you always make me laugh! Thank you
Great video! Very entertaining and informative. Bespin fatigues is my favorite Luke as well and is probably my favorite Black Series figure of my 100+ collection.
Not a flex just saying he’s my favorite out of a lot of them lol
You're so cool dude. That shot at 12:52. So cool.
Outstanding Sunday morning watch!!
EXCELLENT VIDEO as always!!! Man..Do I remember that EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Read-Along Book....I think I played that thing 5 times a day. I have it memorized to this day. I remember getting BESPIN LUKE for my birthday (around 1980)...The following school day I placed BESPIN LUKE in the outside pocket of my book bag and I lost him before I got to class...I was crushed...Later that afternoon I got off the school bus crying that I had lost my new Luke.
Great Episode. I agree with this and why he is one of my favorites.
2 cent toys said exactly what I always felt about Luke in this movie. It’s a BIG transition. Everything changed. Keep up the wonderful work.
Best single figure/character retrospective I’ve seen!
Great video.. Really enjoyed watching.. Thx for sharing.. 👍😎👍
This is a fantastic video
Ok but how about a video of your personal quest to assemble the perfect Brown Luke costume? Your first attempts, frustrations, etc. That would be a very interesting watch. I'm still trying to get a similar jacket.
This was really really good Michael.
I agree that Luke's ESB uniform was modelled on British Battledress. As for the costume version with the Velcro, this seems like an update on British BD since the BD trousers had buttons along the waist which matched up with buttonholes in the waistband of the BD blouse so when moving around in uniform the blouse wouldn't hike up and show the flannel shirt worn under the blouse. In theory this worked, but often enough the buttons would be torn off the trousers when moving around vigorously and more often than not the Tommies would not bother buttoning blouse and trousers together, because it in reality restricted movement and was simply a nuisance to which the regular army could return after the war to please their officers and the RSM.
I'm quite sure that the Velcro on this particular ESB costume didn't prove practical either and the high "wading" style were better suited for the filming.
1:07 Have you ever seen the Star Wars read along book videos that someone added with Kenner and Hasbro action figures? Pretty cool.
Your videos make me want to start collecting good Star Wars toys again.
Great video! A lot of cool info on the outfit. I have tons of the West End books, I love the info. It's great they stated Luke's Fatigues were the pilot's ground uniform, I didn't recall that. It never really clicked the "Bespin" outfits were actually worn the majority film. I always went with the "Bespin" description.
this was a great vid, really liked the costume stuff
This was freakin awesome work, thank you!
Bespin Luke is the sh*t. That is all 😎
Being born in 1995, I love hearing these kinds of stories. Great video, always looking forward to more!
Thank you for opening my eyes to Bespin Luke, I never gave him much thought but now thanks to your video, I want my first Luke figure to be any version of Bespin Luke.
As usual with topics like this, while I knew you would do good work here, this was still much more interesting that I expected. I really enjoyed the back story here about the origin of the costume's design, the details about the possible fate of the original, the specifics about modifications made for the sake of shooting the film, and all of that. It was also interesting to hear a bit of your analysis of Empire. While we largely pick up on the same details and themes, hearing them expressed differently with emphasis on different elements is thought provoking. Also, it was fascinating to hear and see the progression of the figures and statues.
It may be annoying for collectors, but the variations within a toy line like Kenner Star Wars makes for interesting reading. The differences here with not-so-Bespin Luke are surprising. I should say, I have a new appreciation for this depiction of Luke now after this video. The black-clad Luke from ROTJ is my preferred Luke. That's the one that stuck with me the most in terms of the movie presentation. I missed the boat on the action figures. Anyway, this video was excellent.
FINALLY, someone else remembers the mall circus world toy store and corndog shop... god I miss those corndogs!
I had those Read-Along Books! Got to show them in elementary school and was so proud, lol!
Really enjoyed this video. Thanks mate
You’re so talented Bro . Great vidz
I really like Bespin Luke. Great video!
Hearing about your childhood Star Wars experiences is always a kick and reminds me of when my brother and I were kids. I did not have toys at that point but he did, he took great care of them, proudly put them on display, and all of that was fun to watch.
Had a feeling that Hambone was in the military surplus biz... ;-)
I am amazed of how many details you remember of your childhood relationship with Star Wars. I have just blurred memories.
Awesome video, my favorite Luke as well
This is a great video! Very interesting, I had no idea!