Action Figure Overview: Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot (Kenner, 1978)

My childhood Luke Skywalker in X-Wing Pilot Uniform from Kenner, 1978

As a young kid, Star Wars was my favorite movie and the Kenner Star Wars Figures were my favorite toys when they first came out.  I can still remember the excitement of picking out my first figures; then having a light saber duel between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker next to the salt & pepper shakers, napkin dispenser, and tabletop jukebox at the Dunk & Dine up the street from the toy store.
Kenner 1978 Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot

I loved those toys!  Apparently, so did a lot of other kids around that time.  Kenner had a huge hit on their hands with Star Wars and it was an obvious decision to add more figures to the line as soon as possible!  The first wave included twelve figures.  Once everyone saw how fast they were selling, Kenner quickly starting working on a second wave which came out in 1978.  The second wave of eight figures included four cantina monsters, three droids, and my personal favorite of the new eight, Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot.

Kenner 1978 Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot action figure

As a kid, I didn't understand that Luke was supposed to be wearing black goggles under his helmet / above his eyes and I thought he had black hair for some reason.  That was fine with me.  I would sometimes pretend that he was one of the other X-Wing pilots so that the original Luke action figure and X-Wing Luke could go on adventures together without being the same character.

X-Wing Pilot Luke wore goggles that looked like black hair to me

As the new movies came out and new figures were released, I didn't play with my original Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, or Han Solo as much because I liked some of the new versions better.  However, my X-Wing Pilot Luke continued being one of my main figures for as long as I played with Star Wars figures.  I could always use him as a different character or have him flying the X-Wing or even the Snow Speeder.  As you can see from my childhood X-Wing Pilot Luke, he's seen a lot of action over the years!

Star Wars wave 2 Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot action figure (Kenner, 1978)

Did you have Star Wars figures as a kid?  If so, who was your favorite figure?  Tell me in the comments below!

Also, If you collect toys, you should know about Toylanta, the best toy show in the Southeastern United States held annually in Georgia.  Visit Toylanta.com for more information.

Comments

  1. Alex Diaz-GranadosFebruary 21, 2020 at 2:44 PM

    Hi.
    Yes, I had Star Wars figures back then, too, although I was 15 when I received my first Kenner toy products (Luke's Landspeeder and the R2-D2 and C-3PO figures) as my birthday present.I slowly made my way through the first wave of 12, plus I acquired the X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and later, the Death Star Playset and Darth Vader's TIE Fighter. Long story short, I eventually had 85% of the figures. vehicles, beasts, and playsets from the Classic Trilogy, but my last years of high school and first years of college coincided with the last batches of Kenner Star Wars toys. I remember my last two purchases were the Imperial Shuttle and the Rebel Transport.

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