The Good: Good sculpt, Good balance, Decent accessories
The Bad: Light on poseability.
The Basics: Tessek may be an obscure alien from Return Of The Jedi, but this is a wonderful sculpt limited mostly by the materials used to make him being inflexible.
In the realm of Star Wars toys, there are surprisingly few characters or aliens that have only been sculpted once since the revitalization of the Hasbro (formerly Kenner) Star Wars toy line that began in 1995. Since then, even several of the obscure appearances of the main characters have been cast multiple times as sculpting and paint detailing has improved. Several of the background aliens, despite their relative insignificance, have found themselves embodied as toys multiple times. So as I pack my collection of Star Wars toys up for sale or the move, it is rare that I find one that is a unique sculpt. Tessek, who appears only in the Power Of The Jedi series of Star Wars figures, is one such figure.
For those unfamiliar with Tessek, this creature is one of the many aliens seen in Jabba's Palace in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!). This creature was originally called "Squidhead" in Kenner's old toy line. The part is one of many background aliens and this one had nothing remotely close to a speaking role. In fact, this character never even had a shot where he was in full frame.
Still, the 4" Tessek figure is pretty cool and it fleshes out the full Star Wars universe wonderfully.
Basics
Tessek is an alien seen in Jabba's palace in Return Of The Jedi. The figure stands 3 1/2" tall to the top of its squid-like head. Tessek is a robed creature that looks like it has a fish for a head and comes from a watery planet. The figure is made of hard plastic and has soft plastic legs and robes made of soft plastic.
This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like the extraterrestrial. Tessek is amazing in his coloring detail and facial paint job includes realistic coloring on the crest, tongue and even the nose ridge. As well, his robes have a breastplate that is well-detailed and well-colored. This is one of the best detailed figures Hasbro ever produced; it is a surprise they did such a good job on a background character like Tessek.
Accessories
Tessek, alien that he is in Jabba's court, 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 Tessek's left hand. As well, it fits into Tessek's holster, which is molded into his left thigh. This is a nice touch and allows Tessek to appear a pacifist without losing his firearm, which would be pretty easy to lose.
As part of the Power Of The Jedi toy line, Tessek comes with a Jedi Force File. This is a tiny fold-out magazine which describes Tessek, 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 Tessek is great in that regard. The figure decently articulated and the elbow articulation on the left arm allows him to aim his blaster in different directions. As well, Tessek is fairly poseable. He comes with seven points of articulation, though much of it is inhibited by his robes. As a result, he has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, waist, and left elbow. The left elbow is a swivel joint, so he cannot extend the arm straight.
As well, the legs and arms cannot be spread or raised very far because of the robes and cloak Tessek wears. While this might lower playability and poseability, it makes for a very stable figure as far as balance goes. This is a virtually untippable biped!
Collectibility
Tessek 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 Tessek was part of a later line of the Power Of The Jedi figures and remains one of the harder ones to find. In other words, Tessek is a good investment as it may often be found selling higher than its original issue price. Because there was only one Tessek (to date) released, this remains a decent figure for those fleshing out the entire Star Wars universe.
Overview
Tessek is a very cool looking alien figure and one that helps flesh out the complete Star Wars universe. Collectors have a lot to get excited about with this figure.
For other Power Of The Jedi figures, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Deluxe Princess Leia with Sail Barge Cannon
Dagobah Darth Vader
Bespin Escape Lando Calrissian
Bespin Capture Han Solo
Tatooine Patrol Sandtrooper
Saesee Tiin
Ketwol
FX-7
Bespin Guard
7/10
For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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