The Good: Wonderful coloring detail, Good accessories, Amazing articulation
The Bad: Cloaks are bulky and look ridiculous.
The Basics: The Vintage Collection Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) takes a deleted Return Of The Jedi scene and gives another rendition of Lando that is worth picking up.
It has been a VERY long time since I had every figure in a toy line to review, but with the Star Wars Vintage Collection “Sandstorm” Wave, I actually got in all five figures! With only two left to review, it’s pretty nice to feel like the blog might be incredibly useful to consumers on this one! The penultimate figure in the line is actually one of the best: the Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) figure!
For those unfamiliar with the Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian, that is not terribly surprising as he was part of one of the deleted scenes from Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!) that was only restored in the deleted scenes for the Blu-Ray release of the Star Wars Saga. The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is Lando Calrissian after he and the other Rebels have destroyed Jabba’s Sail Barge. En route to the Millennium Falcon, the heroes get caught up in a sandstorm. So, Lando is bundled up in robes over his skiff guard outfit in order to be protected from the wind and dirt.
The 4" Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is an entirely new sculpting of Lando Calrissian in his skiff guard outfit!
Basics
The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian figure stands 3 5/8" tall to the top of his cloaked head. He is a mixture of soft plastic elements – the descending part of his leather armor and the holster on his right hip - and cloth components for his Sandstorm cloak.
This toy is an amazing sculpt, looking just like Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian in Return Of The Jedi. As a result, this Lando features his leather armor with the chest piece, shoulder pads and gauntlets along with the wrapped ties that come out from his boots. The figure is exceptionally detailed on the molding front, with every buckle and rivet featured on the toy. Even the facial sculpt and back of the figure have pretty exceptional detailing. Unfortunately, Hasbro made such an impressive figure and then covered it with an awkward cloth poncho and an even uglier soft plastic cloak that makes it look like the figure has been under a heavy mud drip.
What left me slightly unimpressed about this figure is how the coloring details do not match the character. This truly is just a Skiff Guard Lando figure with additional cloaks. As a result, the Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian does not have a dirty face and does not look like he is at all weathered. Outside the uniformed skin tones, the figure looks well-colored, with aspects like the copper or brass ring on his belt being meticulously detailed. Most of the coloring details for the character are hidden beneath the cloak, which is a monotonal tan piece of fabric that looks bulky and ridiculous on him. Also, his pants are remarkably clean and intact for a Lando who wrestled on the sand with the Sarlaacc creature!
Accessories
The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is one of the most accented Lando Calrissian figures ever to hit the market. As such, he comes with six accessories: a plastic hood, Skiff Guard helmet, Tatooine blaster, communicator, a vibro ax and goggles. The hood is a tan plastic molded accessory that is 3 5/8” tall. Intended to look like a wrap around Lando’s head, it is unfortunately not the same color as the poncho Lando comes wearing! Moreover, without the poncho on, the hood looks even more ridiculous, though it looks pretty incongruous on him as it is!
The Skiff Guard helmet is only able to go on the figure without the added hood portion on and it is as clean as the rest of the figure. It fits perfectly atop Lando’s head and has a slightly thicker chinstrap than earlier versions. Even so, the helmet looks great on him and has impressive coloring details like the teeth on the jaw guard.
The Tatooine blaster is similarly well-molded for this figure. The 3/4” gun is gunmetal color and perfectly molded to fit in the holster on Lando’s right hip. It also fits perfectly in Lando’s right hand.
The communicator is a tiny, thin, 1/2” plastic box that fits ideally in his left hand. This accessory is unique to the figure and has pretty amazing levels of surface detailing, from the buttons to the display. The back side of the communicator is detailed with the red light that appears in the deleted scene!
The goggles are 1/2” wide and slide perfectly over the figure’s eyes. They are black with clear lenses and they allow the figure to look very much like he did in the deleted scene!
Finally, the Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) figure features a vibro ax. The 3 1/2” staff features a blade and electro shock capacitor at one end and a blunt end under a control dial. Colored copper and steel silver, the vibro ax fits in either or both of Lando’s hands and matches the shockingly “clean” look of the rest of the figure.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and the Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is good in that regard. First, the figure has great balance. Flatfooted, the Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is absolutely solid, and because of the lower half articulation of the figure, he has decent posing options. The holes in the bottom of his feet allow him to stand tall on any number of playsets in outlandish poses or sit fairly well.
The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian holds up exceptionally well in the articulation department. It has hinged ball and socket joints at the ankles, knees, elbows and shoulders, as well as a ball and socket joint which allows a great range of motion for the head. The wrists, waist and groin socket all have simple swivel joints that provide the figure with more than enough posing options to make the figure worthwhile!
Collectibility
The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is part of the Vintage Collection line that was released in 2012 and it remains one of the harder ones to find at the moment. The Sandstorm Outfit Lando Calrissian is Vintage Collection figure VC89 and given how there doesn’t appear to be anything else Hasbro could possibly do with a Skiff Guard Lando figure, this seems to be the ultimate sculpt. Despite being fairly well available now, this seems like a very safe bet as an investment figure at this time.
Overview
The Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) action figure might be the best skiff Guard Lando, covered up with ridiculous elements. I recommend purchasing this version, stripping it of its cloaks and using it as the ultimate Skiff Guard Lando. Note to Hasbro: You’re done with this character/costume; move along!
For other Vintage Collection figures of characters from Return Of The Jedi, please check out my reviews of:
VC22 Admiral Ackbar
VC65 TIE Fighter Pilot
VC88 Princess Leia (Sandstorm Outfit)
VC90 Colonel Cracken
VC91 Rebel Pilot (Mon Calamari)
9/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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