The Good: Very cool sculpt, Decent accessories, Good balance
The Bad: Less flexible than later sculpts, Low collectibility
The Basics: A wicked and fun figure, Bossk is unfortunately low on articulation which drives the Power Of The Force figure down some.
There are few characters in the Star Wars action figure line that have sprouted so many stories and peripheral products as the bounty hunters, especially the bevy seen in The Empire Strikes Back. In the case of the lizard-man, Bossk, seen only aboard the Star Destroyer Executor, there are fans who know any number of tales of the creature that have been written and told for years. But on screen, all Bossk does is growl for a moment before the camera pans off it. This, because of the latex costume, actually makes it ideal for a doll, which there was. As well, there have been at least two sculpts of Bossk since Kenner/Hasbro rebooted the Star Wars line in the mid-1990s, including the pretty awesome Executor Meeting Bossk (reviewed here!). The first sculpt was the Power Of The Force Bossk figure and the surprising thing is how well this figure holds up years later, even against the newer sculpts of the same character. This Bossk is well-balanced, has cool accessories and looks good.
For those unfamiliar with Bossk as he appeared aboard the Executor, this is a yellow flightsuit wearing, brown scaled lizard man who growled at imperial officers in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). Bossk can also be seen briefly in the background at Jabba's palace in Return Of The Jedi, but he is most commonly associated with The Empire Strikes Back because he (or she or it, it's a lizard-creature!) has a line and almost three full seconds on screen!
The 4" Bossk figure is rather cool and even if it has been improved upon by subsequent Hasbro Bossks, this one is not a bad toy and is worthy of one's time, attention and money.
Basics
Bossk is a Trandoshan, according the Star Wars lore and the Kenner packaging, seen on the deck of the Executor in the middle of The Empire Strikes Back. The figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his crested head. Bossk is dressed in a muted yellow flight suit with a white breastplate. The outfit is clean, which suggests that despite having a slick, reptilian appearance, Bossk is actually quite clean or good at collecting his bounties. That, or he dressed up to appear before the Imperial forces. The Bossk figure is cast in monotonal brown scales, lacking realistic shading, but with impressive sculpting details. The figure is made entirely of hard plastic.
This toy is a decent sculpt, looking precisely like the bounty hunter. Bossk is fairly bland in his coloring detail, as far as the skin tones go. There is no sense of shading to face, but the fanged teeth and nails on his claws and toes are colored an off-white that makes them look good. The orange and black eyes look just like those of the character in the film! The fingers are molded into bent claws, which look great! Still, the figure has enough detailing to make it worthwhile. The flight suit has pockets molded into the pant legs and the bare arms, head and feet have amazing scaling details. As well, his left leg has a black gizmo that is sticking out from under the flight straps! The silver accents on the shoulders and the chest piece also look good.
Accessories
Bossk, vicious bounty hunter that he is, comes packed with two accessories, both weapons. Bossk comes with a blaster rifle and pistol. Both are unique to Bossk and the blaster rifle is actually a pretty close approximation of the one he is seen with in most of the pictures of him (including the one on the package). The blaster rifle is a 2 5/8" plastic firearm which can be slung over Bossk's shoulder because it has the strap attached to the gun in hard plastic. The gun has great surface details molded on, like the scope above the barrel. Still the gun is a bit out of proportion (it's a little large), cast in a weird metallic gray plastic which is totally inaccurate for the weapon. Ironically, with Kenner's casting the weapons in monotonal plastic, if they had just done it in black, it would have been accurate to the prop!
As well, Bossk also comes with a little blaster pistol. The inch and one-quarter-long choking hazard fits in Bossk's right hand. This is a monolithically molded gray plastic blaster that is simple and not actually in proportion with the rest of the action figure. Still, the surface detailings, like the scope and ribbing on the barrel are pretty cool and this looks wicked in Bossk's hand!
As part of the Power Of The Force toy line, Bossk was put onto at least two cards. The first is the simple hologram card (as pictured in the listing). Later on, the identical figure was released with a Freeze Frame slide.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Bossk is not bad in that regard. The figure is poorly articulated, but he does have incredible balance. Bossk lacks significant articulation to make him a big fighter, but he is accurate for the stiff reptile-man who appeared in the film! In addition to low articulation, Bossk is barely poseable. If the feet are moved even slightly out of a flatfooted position, this figure tips over, especially when he is holding both of his weapons. Still, when the figure is posed flatfooted, he is solid as far as the balance goes! He comes with only six points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and waist. The elbows do not extend, so all arm posing is straight-armed, which is a little disappointing in the case of Bossk because he is always pictured with his elbows bent.
As well, the legs cannot be spread without the figure tipping over. In addition to standing fine when flatfooted, he may be posed in more outlandish poses on playsets because of the holes in the soles of his feet. They may be stuck in pegs on various playsets. With those, he may stand better.
Collectibility
Bossk is part of the Power Of The Force four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was incredibly common. Bossk was overproduced, appearing on at least two different cards as an identical sculpt, but still it seems to be one of the harder Power Of The Force figures to find. Still, Bossk is a poor investment and it may often be found inexpensively and might well be better for fans looking to play than make money eventually off it.
Overview
Bossk is a wicked-looking bounty hunter and the sculpt is not bad, despite the fact that a better version was made later. He is easy to recommend in the Power Of The Force figure, but objectively, the lack of painted details and flexibility to force me to rate it as more average than above average.
For other Power Of The Force figures from The Empire Strikes Back, please check out my reviews of:
Captain Piett
Hoth Luke Skywalker
Yoda
Luke Skywalker In Dagobah Fatigues
4-LOM
Hoth Han Solo
Dengar
Deluxe Hoth Rebel Soldier
Mynock Hunt 3-pack
Deluxe Probe Droid
R2-D2
6.5/10
For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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