Bespin Luke Skywalker - The Story So Far - The Empire Strikes Back Costume

[@mathieu4204]

A brand new Bespin Luke and a corn dog? I call that a good day.

[@booyeah6459]

Get a few packs of bubble gum cards and you start rivalling Christmas for best day of the year.

[@art-n-filmsam3844]

@@booyeah6459 "A day long remembered"

[@retroblasting]

You aren't wrong, Mathieu.

[@RandomStuffGarage619]

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.

[@retroblasting]

Wish I had a pic of me with my Falcon

[@scottknudsen6611]

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!

[@retroblasting]

Squid Head - got it - on it.

[@kobrashangar1674]

Any update on the Squid head video 🤔🤣 Thank you for the work put into your channel.

[@Acrocanthosaurus]

"Doesn't Matter To Them." Never forget

[@Barada73]

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.

[@robzilla730]

same here. like the Rebel pilots wore it under their orange flightsuits.

[@retroblasting]

In fact they did. Luke is wearing it under the flight suit when he zips it up on Echo Base before leaving the infirmary.

[@robzilla730]

P.s weren't the "Bespin Fatigues " gray?

[@namelessjedi2242]

Yeah, I wasn’t aware this was in doubt. It just makes sense when you watch the movie.

[@The_Nerd_Alert]

“He looked as surprised on the card back as I d been finding him” lol 😆 I love ❤️ you man!

[@stephenmitchell8111]

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 :)

[@davidlockwood9192]

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!

[@pawlie7694]

This was absolutely fantastic! Rebel Pilot Ground Uniform! I had no idea!!

[@benhopper3363]

Me neither!

[@GhostGL]

Always my favorite Luke, just a cool looking outfit, and he had his own blaster.

[@robertjacques6812]

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

[@halo_odst2616]

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

[@elchichosantana6410]

I always call it Priest Luke.

[@blazr1976]

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.

[@michaelblaine6494]

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🤔

[@richlord4312]

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.

[@nocaster4747]

I think this is my favourite video of yours. Touches on so many things I love about star wars.

[@johnkirk2863]

Love Bespin Luke..something so nostalgic about him

[@turtlebeach_192]

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

[@funnypicturescomics]

OK...Your RAF fighter pilot and Bespin Luke comparison literally blew my mind......Another example of why RetroBlasting knows their stuff!!!

[@daringreene681]

"...go yell at a cloud...," awesome.

[@b.lloydreese2030]

I pronounce AT-AT the same way

[@namelessjedi2242]

That’s because it’s how it’s pronounced.

[@thepulle4722]

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

[@kieronball8962]

Michael, your passion and love for " Bespin Luke " shines bright in this thoroughly entertaining and informative documentary!

[@JayBartlett1975]

Wow what a fantastic video Michael. Thank you

[@kevinthomas4239]

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.

[@lewisr7700]

Michael, all of your videos are good, but this may be your best. Thank you for putting this together.

[@rahdigga6031]

Michael, thank you!!! Just thank you. With immense gratitude, a Star Wars (and Retroblasting) fan.

[@chocolatepowershovel]

Bespin Luke, Hoth Solo, Hoth Luke and Jedi Knight Luke were my absolute Favorites!

[@MrFruitflan]

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!

[@FraDonaghyMusic]

Amazing video. Loved every second. Great work.

[@andyoc]

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.

[@D.Pensak]

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.

[@gavinhall2623]

Could not agree more

[@jasonwilson2763]

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.

[@felixbenvenutty1969]

loved the video, thanks Mike!

[@aashishgadhvi4026]

This is one of my favourite KZbin videos let alone Star Wars toy videos. I keep coming back to it every now and again. Great stuff 👌🏽

[@StarWarsObsessed]

Loved this! Wow! Very good point made about the clothing worn by Han and Luke in The Empire Strikes Back!!!

[@dougjames4972]

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!!!

[@jch417]

Great video. That Luke is also my favorite version. Keep up the great work.

[@HexNottingham]

Dude, your deadpan delivery had me cracking up all through this!

[@OnlyOneKenobi]

My second comment, having now watched full video..... and THIS, was an EXCELLENT video man! Superb!

[@retroblasting]

Much appreciated!

[@PetePuebla]

The walkers were cool. I always wanted one.

[@joefleming2053]

Bravo! I love all your videos, but this one is phenomenal. So informative. I love the detailed history of the fatigues. Thank you!

[@TreborPaulson]

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

[@scottmcclary594]

FINALLY, someone else remembers the mall circus world toy store and corndog shop... god I miss those corndogs!

[@richy12377]

Was waiting for this for weeks and didn’t disappoint! Thanks so much

[@brianomdahl8377]

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.

[@gorlami9020]

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!

[@LocalMoonie]

I think my favorite thing about this video is at 12:55 he just looks so cool wearing those fatigues, I honestly can't really place why but I think he fills those clothes well.

[@jasonotoole1822]

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.

[@neildelaguila5575]

You really put a lot of effort making this documentary, I really appreciate you, bespin Luke is also my favorite Luke version.

[@josephcolton2614]

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.

[@tsdechter1993]

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.

[@cronocomics]

I am amazed of how many details you remember of your childhood relationship with Star Wars. I have just blurred memories.

[@ComicFiction]

Great look into the costume and the toys. Thanks for the info and the laughs. Still my favorite Luke look as well.

[@riadm2959]

Knew it was going to be good but man you hit it out of the park! Excellent job!

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

Fantastic video. I still can not believe there is so many variations with the kenner bespin Luke.

[@vintagetoykid9682]

Bespin Luke is my favourite Luke too. Great video, Michael!

[@diegovegasanmartin3110]

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.

[@Gojirawars03]

Here I am being the resident weirdo. His celebration garb from the end of A New Hope is my personal favorite look for him, followed by Jedi Luke. Bespin Luke would definitely be third place, though.

[@retroblasting]

Yeah, the outfit where he does all the hardest work would be a deterrent for most people. Probably more enticing to wear the outfit where you're just handed a medal.

[@tonytonedef3496]

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!

[@ryanjrubio]

Absolute CHAMPION deep dive. My favorite Luke costume, as well. Bravo, well done!

[@therealthirst8099]

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.

[@AL-ws5yi]

Thanks for sharing your love of Bespin Luke.

[@Avenging_Archer]

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.

[@cousinishalfbionicle1236]

Retroblasting you are amazing, always learning something new with your videos

[@grahamclews1571]

Perhaps the finest Retroblasting video to date.. loved the reference to the West End Games books. Well done Michael ;)

[@paulcarden8119]

Great video Michael , you are spot on about the P37 blouse !!!!

[@adranaries9074]

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.

[@mbowsher76]

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.

[@DCFixxer]

I had those Read-Along Books! Got to show them in elementary school and was so proud, lol!

[@andrewgrant2990]

Wow- thanks for this awesome & informative video! Top quality as always!

[@BananaMana69]

You're so cool dude. That shot at 12:52. So cool.

[@chr1spa77ett]

Really love this channel 😊

[@masonwatson8465]

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

[@BlaineHuffmancom]

Cool that you found Luke in the Nashville Hickory Hollow Mall. Sadly that mall slowly deteriorated in the early-mid 2000s and is now mostly abandoned. Half of it was converted into a library and local Nashville State Community College.

[@jerryziegner]

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.

[@Austroid]

Luke's Yavin outfit was always one of my favorites. That yellow jacket makes him pop amongst all the muted colors the Rebels wear.

[@OpenMawProductions]

"You'll find I'm full of surprises!"

[@Saturn-gv9ru]

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.

[@kibblewibble1]

I remember seeing Empire in the theater as one of my first solid memories. I was 4. I remember 3 things, the sense of dread of not being allowed to go until I ate my corn, the fact that the Falcon never shot its main guns at the tie fighters, and the total difference of the looks of each character from New Hope. I don't even remember seeing the first one before, but I remember how different they looked. It still is one of my all-time favorite movies.

[@Darthjardius]

I costumed as Bespin Luke for "Empire Strikes Back Special Edition" in 1997. Using photos and Hasbro's 12 inch Bespin Luke as a template, we made the costume from a similar‐looking jacket and pants from a military surplus store with added hand made pockets to the jacket and pants. I recreated the belt and holster in leather using supplies and rivets from Tandy leather to go with a military surplus holster for my repainted POTF2 blaster. The saber I used was the Icons Skywalker Lightsaber. I also wore that costume to San Diego Comic-Con in the 90's. As much as I love Jedi Luke, there is a special place in my heart for Bespin Luke's costume.

[@noelcox9027]

Such a great video. It made think of why I love Star Wars so much.

[@dwaynec7542]

Best single figure/character retrospective I’ve seen!

[@LuisHernandez-hw7dj]

Same here Michael. I saw the original movies in the same order as you AND read the Empire book (which I have) before ROTJ. I found a Bespin brown hair Luke during a family vacation trip to Mexico in 1985. My favorite memory was putting him in the swamp of my Dagobah playset.

[@johnr7279]

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... ;-)

[@SaturnCanuck]

Excellent Mike. I had never thought of a lot of what you had mentioned but you cleared it up for me. Thanks.

[@No1.OriginalTrilogyStarWarsFan]

Fantastic story and video Mike A++++++++++

[@michaelharrington75]

I noticed that too as a kid. That Luke normally wore the same outfit the rebels wore in different environments, and Han never committed to being a rebel soldier. Luke considered himself a common soldier of the rebellion, although he was so much more.

[@FADE_FROM_VIEW]

Your search for Bespin Luke mirrored my own for Jedi Luke In 1983 to 1984. He was almost impossible to find in any variation around that time here in New Zealand. Ironically I found a Bespin Luke, but declined to purchase it as I was confused by the yellow lightsaber. I later was able to locate the much desired Jedi Luke figure near the end of the run. I later was able to locate the much desired Jedi Luke figure near the end of the run. One of the children I played with as a kid was the child of one of my mother’s colleagues. She was the only girl I knew who had Star Wars figures, including Bespin Luke, Whom she later gifted to me… Still have him!

[@DanBriggs3000]

A kid on a toy quest who finds their quarry......a very strong and satisfying feeling. Your corn dog was well earned, sir.

[@funnypicturescomics]

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.

[@MikeAshkewe]

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 :)

[@martok2112]

Star Wars fan 1: It's Eight-Ee Eight-Ee! Star Wars fan 2: It's At At! Star Wars fan 1: EIGHT-EE EIGHT-EE! Star Wars fan 2: AT AT! Star Wars fan 1: You're not a real Star Wars fan! Star Wars fan 2: MOM!!!!! Mom: Just call them "Walkers" and knock it off!

[@midnightrider3784]

Your videos make me want to start collecting good Star Wars toys again.

[@arthurlindsey2017]

At the 21:43 mark of ESB, the scene wherein Luke is getting dressed before the battle of Hoth, you can see that underneath his orange "Flight Suit" he is wearing the "Ground Uniform", aka: Bespin Fatigues.

[@O.G.Trashboat]

Bespin Luke was my favorite from the original Star Wars line. OMG i remember that read along book for Empire Strikes Back. I use to listen to and scroll through the book for hours at a time since there was no internet at the fime

[@alexisnunez2877]

I have always loved this outfit since elementary and I was born in 91 so I was obsessing over this outfit in 2000 to 2001 you are not alone I will cosplay this soon and I will honor you!!

[@jokerzwild00]

I never thought I could become so invested in one single Luke costume. Thank you RB.

[@gjb301]

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.

[@djnary2896]

The cardback shown at 4:48 is the one I got when I received my Bespin Luke for my 7th birthday in March 1981. I didn't know there was a version of the cardback before that. (Frankly, I like the one I had better. It's a more iconic "hero" shot of Hamill as Luke.)

[@MrWolf12000]

This was freakin awesome work, thank you! Bespin Luke is the sh*t. That is all 😎

[@jeremysmatana2592]

I was 10 when Empire came out, and did see it in the theaters (first a drive-in of all things!), and like you, shared an unnatural attraction to that outfit. I borrowed a brown suede jacket of my mom's, that, while a tad too caramel, happened to be a similar cut with pockets on the front and cobbled together a fairly lame impression of it for Halloween that year. A year or so later, I found a replica of the jacket being sold in one of those cut-out ads in the back of a trade magazine (horror or sci-fi; I can't remember which magazine it was), and I went absolutely nuts begging my mom to buy it for me. Alas, she would not, on the basis that I would "grow out of it" too soon.

[@keithhomesley1946]

This is brilliant , love this video, filled with behind the scenes info, facts, and comic relief !

[@J-S.P]

19:01 - I was waiting for you to say something like "and an Echo Base Bacta on a pair tree!" lol

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Great detail as usual!! I too obsessed over that Luke.

[@zarnistastudios]

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.

[@SquirtleSquad7]

Being born in 1995, I love hearing these kinds of stories. Great video, always looking forward to more!