The Good: Great detail, sculpting, balance, rarity, everything!
The Bad: Could use a little more articulation in legs, I suppose.
The Basics: Another genuine winner from Hasbro, the Executor Meeting Dengar bounty hunter figure may be esoteric, but it's perfect for fans of the line!
As Hasbro continues to remake figures with its Star Wars Saga line, they have been creating action figures that will likely stand the test of time out of some of the most obscure, yet well merchandised characters in the Saga. Take, for example Dengar. Dengar was a bounty hunter and by the time the Executor Meeting Dengar, there had already been the Power Of The Force Dengar (reviewed here!), the minimate Dengar, the retro Dengar, and the 12" Dengar. Even the new dolls that look like animated versions of every major characters have a ridiculous little Dengar figure. But the ultimate version for most fans' collections came in the 2004 Saga line of Star Wars toys.
For those unfamiliar with Dengar, it was one of six bounty hunters Darth Vader hired around the midpoint of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!) to find Han Solo. Intended to lay a trap for Han Solo to lure Luke out of his training, Dengar was clearly-wounded human who was bogged down with a heavy backpack who turned on screen. That was enough to get years of merchandising and fanfic created about him!
The 4" Dengar figure is exceptional, with great detailing and balance and an accessory that is actually appropriate and proportional to the figure. In other words, this is a perfect figure.
Basics
The Dengar is a great villain figure for anyone's Star Wars action figure collection as it is a distinctive bounty hunter that fans who collect the toys will instantly recognize and want to include in their collections. This Dengar figure stands 3 7/8" tall and he is dressed in the maroon armor he was seen in in the film. The Dengar figure is cast so that he may stand stiffly. Because the character looked wounded and stiff in the film, toy enthusiasts will be quick to forgive Hasbro for making the action figure less articulated, especially in the knees. Dengar never looked like he was going anywhere fast! The figure is made almost entirely of soft plastic, though the chest does seem to be more solid than the rest of the toy.
This toy is an incredible sculpt, looking precisely like the lackey of the Empire. The Dengar is well-detailed in his coloring detail, even when it comes to the figure's skin tones. On his face, he has a black and red stain that indicates a burn which is a great attention to detail (it is barely visible in the actual film). As well, the eyes are brown with black pupils and Dengar's teeth are exposed as the character is scowling!
The costume is incredibly detailed, from the stained bandages on the character's head to the detailing of the laces on the character's boots. As well, he has both molded and painted details on front armor and wonderful molded details on the figure's gauntlets and belt. Despite this looking very clean in general (this is not the Dengar seen on Tatooine in the film that followed), fans of the bounty hunters will be impressed by the level of detail it has to it.
Accessories
This Dengar figure is appropriately armed, with only the one firearm the character was shown with in the movie. This Dengar is outfitted with a blaster rifle. The blaster rifle is a decent-sized (yet proportional) gun that was cast for this figure alone. Larger than most, it is a three-inch long rifle and it may be held easily in the figure's right hand or in a two-handed grip given how articulated the figure is! The gun is perfectly proportioned and looks exactly like the gun Dengar held in the film, with a good amount of surface details etched in, but monotonally colored (save on the grip which is actually painted silver-gray). Still, it looks perfectly appropriate for the character!
Dengar also comes with the backpack seen weighing him down in the film. On this figure, the backpack may be detached and the 1 1/4" accessory has great molded and colored details. For example, what appears to be a bedroll is colored gray instead of the maroon of the rest of the pack!
The Original Trilogy Collection figures come with stands, including the Dengar. The stand is a two and three-quarter inch long by one and a half inch wide by one-quarter inch tall gunmetal colored plastic stand. It features tabs which allow it to connect with other stands in the set and a peg which fits the hole in either of the Dengar's feet. On the stand, the figure is completely stable and posable. The stands make these figures into display pieces and the Dengar is a worthy one!
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Dengar is good in that regard. The figure is very articulated and he has exceptional balance when off his stand. This Dengar has great articulation, even if he looks sluggish and bulky. Even if the feet are moved out of a flatfooted position, this figure remains standing most of the time. As well, when the figure is posed flatfooted, he is exceptionally stable, and on his base, he is solid! The Dengar figure comes with ten points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints! He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, elbows, wrists, neck, and waist. All fans could truly ask for would be knee joints, but it's not like we saw Dengar's ship to give him something to sit down in.
The elbows do not extend, but the figure's shoulder rotate up and down and given how this is a support character, this is not a serious liability for the figure. Otherwise, the joints are fine, and with its stand it both becomes a decent display and play piece.
Collectibility
The Dengar is part of the 2004 Original Trilogy Collection four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was not very common at all, but largely recast figures that had been previously released by Kenner. Hasbro sought to improve the old figures by having a greater attention to detail, coloring and accessory detail and proportion. As such, this Dengar is a distinct improvement as far as balance, detailing and accessories from the earlier Dengar. Released as Original Trilogy Collection figure #17, this figure is a great toy for fleshing out the full range of Star Wars characters.
Overview
Dengar is an essential bounty hunter from the Star Wars Trilogy and the 2004 recast is arguably the best Hasbro did with the character and is one of the few perfect figures created in the 4" line.
For other 2004 Saga Star Wars figures, please check out my reviews of:
#03 - Hoth Attack Luke Skywalker
#13 - Hoth Rescue Han Solo
#18 - Executor Meeting Bossk
9.5/10
For other figure and toy reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing.
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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