Sunday, September 18, 2011

"Lando Calrissian" May Escape Bespin, But The "Power Of The Jedi" Figure Shouldn't Escape Your Collection!


The Good: Decent likeness, Interesting pose, Good accessory
The Bad: Limited poseability, Cloth cape looks doofy.
The Basics: Lando looks good, but is stuck in a rather limited pose for the Power Of The Jedi line. And his cape looks ridiculous.


If I were to flatter myself with the belief that the people who make the toys for Star Wars and Star Trek actually read my reviews, I suspect they would be sitting there saying, "Well, we're damned if we do, damned if we don't" on some of the things. So, for example, flexibility of things like robes and skirts on the Star Wars action figures can often reduce playability. But as I sit here considering the Power Of The Jedi Lando Calrissian Bespin Escape action figure, all I can think is that the cloth cape he is garnered with looks ridiculous on an otherwise plastic action figure.

For those unfamiliar with Lando Calrissian as he fled Bespin, this incarnation of Lando was the one who broke Leia and Chewie out of the control of the stormtroopers after Han was frozen in carbonite. Wielding an imperial blaster he tried to help the heroes save Han from the bounty hunter at the end of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). This is one of the most recognizable Lando Calrissian figures and the only outfit Lando wore in The Empire Strikes Back.

The 4" Bespin Lando Calrissian figure is fairly cool, but it is likely it has been improved upon since. At worst, it is a vast improvement on the 1995/6 Power of the Force Lando which looked like Lando on steroids.

Basics

Lando Calrissian is a human businessman, a scoundrel, is the administrator of Bespin mining complex in The Empire Strikes Back. The figure stands 3 5/8" tall to the top of his head, slightly more if his ridiculous collar is upturned. This Lando Calrissian figure is coifed in his bright blue cape and pretty much represents the minority ethnic population of the original Star Wars Trilogy. He is posed so he can hold his blaster with two hands as his legs charge him forward to flee the imperial involvement in Bespin! The figure is made of hard plastic and has a nylon cape that is glued or otherwise fused to the figure.

This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like actor Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando. Lando Calrissian is average in his coloring detail and facial paint job includes his thin mustaches. But the skin tones are monolithic and lack any realistic shading detail. Still, his pants, shirt and even hair and ears are well-detailed and generally well-colored. This is one of the better detailed figures Hasbro ever produced; it is unfortunate that some of the other aspects of Lando cause the figure to fall into more average territory.


Accessories

Lando Calrissian, scoundrel who switches sides that he is, requires few accessories. In fact, the main accessory he comes with is a small blaster. The blaster is a one inch gray choking hazard which fits perfectly into Lando Calrissian's right hand. It does not fit into his right hand, save that Lando's hand can cup the barrel, so he can aim and support his shooting. The blaster looks good in his grip that way.

As part of the Power Of The Jedi toy line, Lando Calrissian comes with a Jedi Force File. This is a tiny fold-out magazine which describes Lando Calrissian, his species, natural enemies and allies and offers ideas for play with the figure. This is a pretty cool idea and appeals to trading card collectors as well.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Lando Calrissian is fair in that regard. The figure is minimally articulated and fact that he is truly posed for one specific pose is bothersome. He comes with only six points of articulation, though none of it is inhibited by his cape. As a result, he has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and waist. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, so Lando can either cup his blaster with his right hand or make a fairly obscene gesture with the same hand. Similarly, if one does not him to look like he is running away from stormtroopers, they are out of luck.

As well, the legs cannot be spread very far because Lando Calrissian will tip over. He cannot flex at the ankles, so he tips easily because there is a very limited window to keep him flatfooted. This lowers playability and poseability.


Collectibility

Lando Calrissian is part of the expanded saga Power Of The Jedi four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was fairly common. Still, the Lando Calrissian was part of the earlier line of the Power Of The Jedi figures and remains one of the harder ones to find. In other words, Lando Calrissian is a good investment as it may often be found selling higher than its original issue price. There was an arguably better Lando Calrissian recently released and that might solve some of the problems of this earlier Lando. This is not the worst Lando, at least.

Overview

Lando Calrissian, often neglected by the toy lines, is presented as a decent sculpt, but a fairly limited and average action figure in the Power Of The Jedi toy line.

For other Power Of The Jedi figures, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Bespin Capture Han Solo
Tatooine Patrol Sandtrooper
Saesee Tiin
Ketwol
FX-7
Bespin Guard

6.5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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