A Cool Concept With A Mediocre Execution The 12” Power Of The Force Ponda Baba!

The Good: Decent outfit, Good sculpt, Neat play function
The Bad: Very basic coloring, Play function does not work in reality the way it should, Overproduced, Poor balance
The Basics: The Power Of The Force 12" Ponda Baba is a very basic Star Wars doll that has some neat ideas, but a mediocre execution.


My recent vacation to Minnesota netted me several cool new (to my collection) toys, compliments of an awesome comic book shop that was situated in the strip mall opposite the hotel at which I stayed. While some of the figures were instant slam dunks with me that I picked up and knew I was going to buy the moment I saw it – the Hermie Odle figure (reviewed here!) perhaps chief among them! – others took a little arm twisting to convince me to buy. For that, I looked at the 12” Power Of The Force Ponda Baba Star Wars doll. I have a 12” Star Wars bounty hunter doll collection and I had seen Ponda Baba for years (I guess over fifteen years now!), but I had not honestly considered adding Ponda Baba to my collection before now. Given that the local comic shop had Ponda Baba on clearance – mint in box – for a measly $10, my wife managed to talk me into adding the Ponda Baba as a vacation gift to myself!

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, Ponda Baba is a faithful cloth and plastic replica of one of the criminals from the Star Wars Trilogy. Ponda Baba, for those unfamiliar with obscure Star Wars characters, was in a single scene in A New Hope (reviewed here!) where he threatened Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi until he and his alien mouthpiece, Dr. Evazan, drew down on the farmer and Jedi. Ponda Baba is the walrus-faced character who threatens Luke and Obi-Wan saves the young man’s life by slicing off Ponda Baba’s arm!

It is Ponda Baba with a removable arm in plastic and vinyl and cloth costume that is the subject of the Ponda Baba doll.

Basics

Ponda Baba is a criminal who is wanted in a dozen star systems. Ponda Baba is a somewhat simple Star Wars alien who has not been overdone; Sideshow Collectibles, for example, has never bothered to produce a Ponda Baba. The Ponda Baba figure stands 11 7/8" tall. Ponda Baba is dressed in his light brown pants, bright orange jacket and cream-colored shirt.

This toy is a decent sculpt, clearly resembling the walrus-faced alien with big, glossy eyes and a spotted whatever the hell that is that comes out of his mouth. Kenner got the texturing just right on the bottom of Ponda Baba’s head and his hands to make him look like he has hair. The figure is sculpted with such details as the wrinkles on his palms and the cranial plating and nose ribbing. The costume for the character is so well-stiched that it looks appropriately padded and that is very cool.

Ponda Boba’s hair is monotonally colored and the outfit is made in complimentary colors. Hasbro actually got a lot of coloring variation into Ponda Baba’s head and mouth organ. Like the hair, Ponda Baba’s outfit is made of solid colors. Ponda Baba’s pants, boots, shirt and jacket are all colored in monotones. This is a little frustrating given that Ponda Baba’s arm is removable, so Hasbro could have colored the jacket around the amputated arm with burn marks.

Accessories

Ponda Baba comes with a single accessory: a small blaster. The 1 7/8” blaster is solid black and looks almost identical to Han Solo’s blaster pistol. The blaster is molded with cool detailing like a scope, but there is very shallow level of surface detailing on the side of the pistol. Ponda Baba’s blaster fits in either of his hands.

Playability

No one I know plays with the 12" figures, but Ponda Baba would not be great for that. Ponda Baba features only twelve points of articulation, though most are not just simple swivel or hinge joints. Ponda Baba has hinged ball and socket joints at his wrists, shoulders and groin socket. He also bends at the knees and twists at the head and waist. His knees bend enough to allow him sit down realistically and his waist and neck simply turn on swivel joints.

Ponda Baba has somewhat poor balance; he can be maneuvered to stand fairly easily, but he tips over easily as well. Unless posed in an absolute flatfooted position, he requires a bit of manipulation or he falls over. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get Ponda Baba to stand in a stable fashion and he does not come with a stand.

Ponda Boba also has a pretty cool playability function; his right arm detaches from the doll, which is pretty cool (and, I suppose is an extra point of articulation!). Ponda Baba’s orange jacket features a Velcro ring on the sleeve which allows it to be detached and reattached. Unfortunately, the sleeve does not reattach nearly as easily or flawlessly as the arm does.

Collectibility

Ponda Baba is part of the 1998 Power Of The Force Collector Series twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. As a result, Ponda Baba is exceptionally common, and has not at all appreciated in value. This is a poor investment for Star Wars collectors or investors.

Overview

Ponda Baba is a good, but not exceptional Star Wars 12” figure. The removable arm is a cool idea, bit does not work as well as it could. Combined with the balance issue, the cool concept is brought down a bit, making it more average than extraordinary.

For other Star Wars 12" dolls, please check out my reviews of:
Power Of The Jedi Slave Leia
Power Of The Force Dengar
12” Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett

5/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

A Toy Of Two Bounty Hunters: Jango Fett Offers Multiple Looks As A Perfect Figure!

The Good: Awesome accessories, Great sculpt, Decent options
The Bad: None that I can find!
The Basics: A great bounty hubnter toy surprisingly available still in the secondary market, Jango Fett offers great options most 12" dolls in the line do not!


Fans of the Star Wars bounty hunters were awfully happy when the second Star Wars prequel film was released. After all, for all of its faults and problems, the movie had two bounty hunters and while Star Wars Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!) might have stunk in other ways, the bounty hunters were pretty badass. The first of the bounty hunters was Zam Wessel (reviewed here!). The other, more prominent bounty hunter was Jango Fett, the father of the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett!

Jango Fett is the bounty hunter who was working for Darth Tyrannus on Kamino, the one cloned who became the prototype for the Clone Troopers. He had shiny silver Mandalorian armor and a cocky attitude. Yeah, he was cool and he was the most active bounty hunter shown in the Star Wars saga, even more (sad to say) than his son Boba. As a result, he makes for a pretty obvious 12" doll choice. But what is so impressive is just how cool of a 12" figure Hasbro chose to make of this bounty hunter!


Basics

Jango Fett is a human bounty hunter who appears throughout Attack Of The Clones. The figure stands 11 1/2" tall, naturally or twelve inches tall to the top of his helmet antennae and backpack missile when either of those are on. Jango Fett is a man with a buzz-cut haircut, angry glare and scar over one of his eyes. This figure is possibly the 12" doll with the greatest number of options available to the collector as he comes dressed only in his Velcro-laden jumpsuit. Collectors then get to decide exactly which type and level of armament and armor Jango Fett is outfitted with!

The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. Fett is adorned in blue jumpsuit made of cloth. Fett's head is made of a more rubbery plastic and has pretty amazing detailing as far as coloring (he has stubble colored onto his cheeks and chin!) and sculpting goes. With his helmet on, Fett is utterly inscrutable and looks like the best-armored soldier/bounty hunter in the galaxy!

This toy is an amazing sculpt, with each and every armor panel replicated with painstaking detail and coloring. Instead of being perfectly shiny, the armor has a light dusting of specks to make it look like it has been worn, just like it did in the film! Jango Fett is amazing in his coloring detail, including his stern-looking eyes.

Accessories

Jango Fett, amazingly prepared bounty hunter that he is, comes dressed in a flight jumpsuit made of actual cloth. I've never tried to undress him, but it does appear the costume is designed to be removed. Moreover, the costume comes disassembled so one can keep Jango casual or armor him up. His armor consists of six leg armor pieces a belt with pistol holsters, and a breastplate. As well, there is the famed helmet that we assume Boba Fett would later inherit. The helmet's antenna scope folds down to position over the helmet's eye as necessary for (we assume) targeting.

The detailing on the costume is actually fairly impressive and the figure looks pretty good in that regard. This is because his outfit is accented with plastic accents like a chest piece that has some pretty extraordinary detailing to it. Jango's armor is easily attached using the Velcro patches that are on the fabric and on the armor pieces. This keeps them from falling off and I have never witnessed them loosening over the years!

The first "accessory" then are actually Jango's hands. Jango's hands pop off and there are two sets of hands for either side. This allows Jango to have bracers with the knifelike ridges that slowed him down when falling from the Kamino landing platform in the movie or dart gun bracers that look less impressive but one supposes are more dangerous when playing.

Jango Fett's handguns are little two and three quarter inch silver blasters which fits perfectly in either hand of the figure or the holsters. The guns are wonderfully detailed in shiny silver plastic and while they look like brilliant new guns, they look more or less accurate, adding to the authenticity of the figure!

Fett's helmet comes off, making that an accessory, too. The helmet is detailed with the antenna scoping assembly Fett is seen with in the movie, and it does fold down to be a practical accessory.

The other accessory are Jango's backpacks. This figure comes with two. Essentially, there is the bright silver brand new jetpack or the more worn jetpack with the missile spire behind it. The missile actually launches from a slyly concealed detail on the backpack; one of two identical spikes near the top! The backpacks slide onto the armor easily and lend the figure a quality that is very realistic and detailed.

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is a lot to recommend Jango Fett. First, he is an incredibly articulated action figure. Jango Fett is very posable, with twelve points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints at the knees, groin socket, wrists, elbows, shoulders, waist and neck. The neck is a ball and socket, allowing him side to side and up and down head motion. The shoulder joints and groin are both ball and socket joints, so the hunter's arms and legs move realistically! As well, the joints are all hidden beneath the fabric costume allowing for decent range-of-motion without looking doofy from inconsistencies in any aspect of his costume.

Jango Fett has minor balancing issues stemming from the fact that the boots are removable like everything else. This allows a minor amount of play within his boots and it can take a little bit to get him standing up and stay standing in the desired and balanced pose. Yes, if anything, this Jango Fett is almost too posable!

Collectibility

Jango Fett is part of the Attack Of The Clones twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were being over produced. Jango Fett was incredibly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the Star Wars figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends).

Jango Fett, specifically, was one of the Star Wars figures in the 12" line to hit the clearance bins, largely because he seemed too "doll-like" for many collectors who were in denial about their 12" action figure collection. This is one of the easier 12" figures to find in the secondary market as a result and it is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters or aliens, it is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

It is still astonishing to me that Jango Fett wasn't eaten up right away. All of his options easily make him one of the best 12" Star Wars bounty hunter figures made to date!

For other 12" Star Wars dolls, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Power Of The Force Dengar
Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett
Power Of The Jedi 4-LOM

10/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

He (It?!) May Have A Funny-colored Head, But 4-LOM Is All Right By Me!

The Good: Good detailing, Decent accessory, Good balance, Generally decent articulation
The Bad: Miscolored head, Weird articulation issues
The Basics: I like 4-LOM, but objectively the discolored head (and the way the coin tossed) prevent me from ultimately recommending this bounty hunter toy!


Some years ago, I was looking around my living space and I reviewed a Star Wars 12" Action figure that came with a special book. The figure was Aurra Sing (reviewed here!) and while it has taken me quite a long time to get back around to that whole collection, I am more or less ready to confess my status as an Alpha Geek. Alphas are pretty much required to have a doll collection of some sort. Sure, geeks will describe their collection as "articulated action figures" or "statue-quality display pieces," but let's be honest; they are toys.

I, for my part as a card-carrying Alpha Geek, have an old aquarium that I have set up as a dust-free environment for my collection of twelve-inch collectible dolls of the bounty hunters from the Star Wars films. You don't get much more badass than the bounty hunters and they were easily some of the coolest looking background characters in the Star Wars films, so if one had to have a collection of statue-quality display pieces, er, dolls, why not have something that at least intrigues people when they invade your personal space?

As I resume my reviews of these very different figures, I started with the first one I decided to look up here. It is 4-LOM. 4-LOM, like many of the bounty hunters, was not a speaking part and he (or it) appeared in a single scene in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), which is pretty much known as the bounty hunter scene in that movie. For those not versed in Star Wars lore, that's the very brief scene aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer where Darth Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to capture Han Solo in his attempt to trap Luke Skywalker. There are several bounty hunters standing in a line and 4-LOM is the briefly-seen droid with the bug-like head.

Basics

4-LOM is a robot assassin and bounty hunter that had perhaps three seconds of screentime in The Empire Strikes Back. The figure stands 11 3/4" tall is a dark gray with rust colored highlights on every raised surface and a giant bug head. The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. The head, unlike the main body of the figure, is made of a significantly lighter gray plastic about the same consistency as the average rubber duck bath tub toy. Why this is is a mystery to me; 4-LOM requires no special consideration for bouncing on his head.

This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like the bounty hunter. As well, outside the head with its green eyes (in the film its eyes were a gray color, like the color the head on this figure is) and miscolored plastic, 4-LOM is amazing in its coloring detail. This looks like a worn droid who has been scouring the galaxy searching for bounties!

Accessories

4-LOM, like a good bounty hunter, comes with a firearm. This is an eight inch plastic blaster rifle that fits perfectly in its right hand. The blaster rifle is detailed well as far as containing all of the nooks and crannies the firearm appears to have in the film, but it is a solid-colored black plastic firearm. There is no detailing that makes it look worn or more realistic or "assembled" as 4-LOM's blaster rifle probably would be. It is, however, a fairly faithful replica of what appeared in The Empire Strikes Back!

Playability

Who plays with these twelve-inch figures?! Not I! However, for displaying, there is much to recommend 4-LOM. First, this is a well-articulated action figure. 4-LOM is impressively endowed with eleven points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints as the ankles, knees, groin socket, shoulder, right wrist, torso and neck. The neck is a simple swivel socket, which makes sense for the droid. As a result, it can turn its head left to right, but not front to back as any sort of nodding motion. Similarly, the shoulder joints are not ball and socket joints, so the droid's right arm does little other than rotate to a half-bent waving position.

Because the articulation in the arms is limited to the gun-holding wrist, 4-LOM cannot do things like hold the blaster rifle in a two-handed supporting position. I suppose droids do not need to worry about muscle fatigue. The other weird joint is the torso joint. Articulated in the abdomen, 4-LOM cannot turn at the waist, but it can rock a little above the hips. It seems to revert to a straight forward-facing position after moving the upper half in this fashion, though. I suppose this offers a limited bit of flexibility for those who play with the figure.

As it is, for a droid with realistic robot articulation, 4-LOM is remarkably stable. When posed in any sort of flatfooted position, it does not knock over or sway easily. This is important when making a display piece!

Collectibility

4-LOM is part of the Power Of The Jedi twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. 4-LOM was actually fairly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the Star Wars figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends.

In other words, 4-LOM is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters or droids and otherwise, it is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

4-LOM may have only had a few seconds of airtime in one of the greatest movies of all time, but it was enough that geeks who grew up on the Sacred Trilogy know who and what it is. The die-hard collectors will enjoy having something in the larger scale to display of this obscure bounty hunter, but most of us are still annoyed by the weird coloring of the head that makes us with Lucasfilm's representatives had demanded some higher standards for the figure. Ultimately, that lack of attention to an otherwise well-detailed and balanced figure is enough for me to let it fall into the "not recommend" category.

For other 12" Power Of The Jedi Star Wars dolls, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Bossk
Han Solo In Carbonite
IG-88
Slave Leia

5/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Bossk, The Badass Reptilian Bounty Hunter Barely Balances (But Looks Cool!)

The Good: Amazing detailing, Good coloring, Great costume work, Decent accessory
The Bad: Slight balancing issues
The Basics: Easily one of the coolest-looking bounty hunters, the 12" Bossk would have been perfect if only his balance weren't off!


A few days ago, I began cleaning out a display I have. In the process of moving, all of my dolls got knocked over and because I have them sealed in a giant aquarium so I never have to dust them (clever idea, great way to use old aquariums!) I needed to open the display up anyway so I decided I would take a little time, reset the display and review all of the dolls in the display. I reviewed 4-LOM last week and quite some time before that, I reviewed Aurra Sing (reviewed here!). But no, my doll collection is not just those two dolls.

And yes, my collection is a collection of 12" Star Wars Action Figures. They are dolls by all accounts with cloth costumes and one of the best they did was Bossk. Bossk, like many of the bounty hunters, was not a speaking part and he (or it) appeared in a single scene in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), which is pretty much known as the bounty hunter scene in that movie. For those not versed in Star Wars lore, that's the very brief scene aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer where Darth Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to capture Han Solo in his attempt to trap Luke Skywalker. There are several bounty hunters standing in a line and Bossk is the lizard-like creature that growls at an Imperial officer. Common Star Wars lore claims that it is Bossk who is the bounty hunter who appears in the background in Jabba's Palace in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!) as well. Given that it's not a speaking role, there's not much to contradict or corroborate that save that they look identical.

Basics

Bossk is a reptilian bounty hunter that had perhaps ten seconds of screentime in The Empire Strikes Back and less in Return Of The Jedi. The figure stands 12 1/8" tall to the top of the crest ridge on its head. Bossk is a puke yellow color on its head and more of a greenish tone on its arms and feet. The scales on the arms, hands and feet are accented with reddish-brown highlights that add a realistic depth to the skin tones. The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. The head, unlike the main body of the figure, is made of a lightly more elastic (or rubbery) plastic, though the coloring is consistent with the rest of the figure.

This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like the bounty hunter. Bossk is amazing in its coloring detail, including reddish-brown highlights on the back of the figure's head. This looks like a lizard man with real depth and tone to its body.


Accessories

Bossk, modest lizard creature that it is, comes dressed in a flight jumpsuit made of actual cloth. Bossk's outfit is held on with Velcro in the back and truth be told, I've never tried to undress it. The stitching on the costume is actually fairly impressive and the figure looks good. The outfit is accented with plastic accents like a chest piece that has some pretty extraordinary detailing to it. As well, on its ankles, there are little tools or bombs or ammunition that are actually carefully inserted into fabric loops. This is a level of care and detailing that makes this a superlative display piece!

Bossk, like a good bounty hunter, comes with a firearm. This is an five inch plastic blaster rifle that fits perfectly in its right hand. The blaster rifle is detailed well as far as containing all of the nooks and crannies the firearm appears to have in the film, including the strap that allows Bossk to keep the weapon slung over its shoulder! There is no detailing that makes it look worn or more realistic, though, as this is simply solid black plastic. It is a fairly faithful replica of what appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and it looks good in Bossk's claw!

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is much to recommend Bossk. First, this is a well-articulated action figure. Bossk is impressively poseable, despite having only nine points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows and neck. The neck is a simple swivel socket, which is all right. As a result, it can turn its head left to right, but not front to back as any sort of nodding motion. However, the shoulder joints and groin are both ball and socket joints, so the hunter's arms and legs move realistically! As well, the joints are all hidden beneath the fabric costume allowing for decent range-of-motion without looking doofy from inconsistencies in any aspect of the creature or its costume.

There are limits to the arm's range of motion, though. As a result, Bossk cannot do things like hold the blaster rifle in a two-handed supporting position. Bossk cannot turn at the waist, which does limit some of its poseability. More problematic is that Bossk is not incredibly well balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, its claws press down, or the feet rise near the toe claws, which throws the balance off slightly. As a result, it is virtually impossible to get Bossk so stable that he does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. Bossk can be situated such that it does not fall over. Still, it is not the easiest figure to balance completely.

Collectibility

Bossk is part of the Power Of The Jedi twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. Bossk was actually fairly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the Star Wars figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends).

In other words, Bossk is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters or aliens, it is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

Bossk is one of the coolest looking bounty hunters and this is an amazing sculpt of the creature with an impressive costume. If only it had been designed to stand perfectly flatfooted, this would have been a perfect doll.

For other 12" Power Of The Jedi dolls, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Han Solo In Carbonite
IG-88
Slave Leia

9/10

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

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

The Accessory That Sells The Figure: Han Solo In Carbonite Still Underperforms!

The Good: Good costuming, Generally good sculpt
The Bad: Balance issues
The Basics: A great idea, this is an unfortunate execution of one of the coolest Han Solo moments in the Star Wars trilogy; they both literally fall over!


There is something openly weird about Star Wars toy collectors and the people who make and market the merchandise for Star Wars collectors. Take, for example, the makers of the Star Wars toys. They will create a 12" collectible doll of Aurra Sing (reviewed here!) who had literally five seconds or less on screen in The Phantom Menace and will load her up with accessories to make her one of the coolest toys a person could collect. But, when it comes to mainstream characters - even ones who have been done over and over to death - they shy away from doing things without a gimmick.

I mention this as I review the Han Solo In Carbonite 12" doll because those of us who shell out money on these dolls would have been just as happy with the Carbonite block; we didn't need another Han Solo doll. The carbonite block - which was my whole reason for purchasing this figure - is a cheap accessory to a rather generic Han Solo doll.

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, Han Solo In Carbonite is a faithful cloth and plastic replica of one of the heroes of the Star Wars Trilogy. Han Solo In Carbonite, the incapacitated version of Han who was frozen by Boba Fett near the end of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!) and thawed by Princess Leia in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!). It's a frightening concept and wonderful execution on screen, but in the toy form, it leaves something to be desired.

Basics

Han Solo is a human Rebel leader who was captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, encased in Carbonite (think of it as a giant block of frozen metal that keeps the occupant in a state of hibernation) and delivered to the gangster Jabba the Hutt. He ended up in my collection of Star Wars dolls because the bounty hunters I had standing around needed at least one bounty to focus on (otherwise, they are just a bunch of aliens with weapons standing around gawking at one another) and because since I first saw The Empire Strikes Back, that image has fascinated and frightened me. So, I got a Slave Leia doll (reviewed here!) and the Han Solo In Carbonite. The figure stands 12" tall to the top of his head. Han Solo In Carbonite is dressed in a cloth outfit which is just a pair of pants and a white shirt with a pretty extreme lapel.

This toy is a fair sculpt, looking mostly like Solo as he appeared in his last scenes in one movie and at the beginning of the next. Han Solo In Carbonite is a bit lacking on the coloring detail; the head is a solid skintone as opposed to having realistic shading on the cheeks and the nose is proportioned a bit too strongly. While the fingers do have fingernails, they are not colored and there is no other coloring to the figure that adds depth or realistic shading. The eyes are also poorly painted and the hair is a very solid looking mass, which is pretty much how all of the men's hair on the dolls ends up looking.

Accessories

Han Solo In Carbonite comes with two accessories. The first is a Cloud City Blaster. The blaster is all right, if pointless for this particular figure. After all, Han doesn't do much shooting after he's frozen! This 3" little cat toy is solid black, made of hard plastic and looks realistically like the firearm from Cloud City. As well, it is springloaded to launch a small missile which acts as a blaster bolt from the gun. It is cute, but not exactly the indispensable accessory.

What is the best possible accessory is the Carbonite block and the problem here is that it was treated too much like an accessory than like an action figure. The Carbonite block is a 14" tall, by 7" wide by 2 inch deep replica of the carbonite block Han Solo was frozen into at the climax of The Empire Strikes Back! It is as faithful a replica as any I have ever seen with wonderful coloring detail on the panels on the sides and even shading detail in the frozen cracks and crevices of the carbonite! And it would be a real boon, if only it were able to stand up properly without falling over. Don't get me wrong; the Carbonite block is pushed over in the movie, but it falls backwards, not forwards. This is poorly balanced and as a result, it falls forward with the most subtle vibrations. That's truly annoying!

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is not much to recommend Han Solo In Carbonite. First, he is not a well-articulated action figure. Han Solo In Carbonite is not terribly poseable. As a result, Han Solo In Carbonite has only five points of articulation. He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, and neck. The neck is a simple swivel socket, which is all right. As a result, Han Solo In Carbonite can turn his head left to right, but not front to back as any sort of nodding motion. However, the shoulder joints and groin are ball and socket joints, which only allow the figure to have some range of motion, though not a lot.

As problematic is that Han Solo In Carbonite is not incredibly well balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, he requires a bit of manipulation or he falls over. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get Han Solo In Carbonite so stable that he does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. Han Solo In Carbonite can be situated such that he does not fall over, but the position hardly looks organic. Moreover, he cannot actually pose into the pose he is stuck in carbonite in!

Collectibility

Han Solo In Carbonite is part of the Power Of The Jedi twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. Still, Han Solo In Carbonite was fairly uncommon, and given the obvious appeal of this Han, he tended to disappear from the shelves as soon as they were taken from the boxes. As a result, this is one of the more solid Star Wars toy investments!

Overview

Han Solo In Carbonite is a surprisingly poor figure and one of the ones I wanted quite a bit, compounding the disappointment with this particular execution. If they ever work out the design flaws in this, I'll try my luck with the next one, but it's easy to recommend against this particular execution of the cool figure.

For other 12" Star Wars figures, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett
Sideshow Boushh
12" Dengar

5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Dengar, The Bounty Hunter That Does Not Stand Tall, Works As A 12" Figure!

The Good: Amazing detailing, Good coloring, Great costume work, Decent accessory
The Bad: Costume to head bandaging details.
The Basics: Grazing on perfection, Dengar is a surprisingly good 12" bounty hunter doll that will impress fans of the Star Wars bounty hunters!


Dolls and bounty hunters, not exactly the most natural pairing in the known universe! Still, the Star Wars toy line makes the attempt at combining the two things with the twelve inch figure line from Hasbro. Sure, most people who collect these probably do not want to call them dolls, but they are. The melding of plastic, fabric and rubber comes together to make dolls that are exquisitely detailed and hard to ignore. One of the best is of the bounty hunter Dengar.

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, Dengar is a faithful cloth and plastic replica of one of the infamous bounty hunters seen briefly in the Trilogy. Dengar, like many of the bounty hunters, was not a speaking part and he appeared in a single scene in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), which is pretty much known as the bounty hunter scene in that movie. For those not versed in Star Wars lore, that's the very brief scene aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer where Darth Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to capture Han Solo in his attempt to trap Luke Skywalker. There are several bounty hunters standing in a line and Dengar is the bandage-wrapped human who is wearing armor but has a visible human face. Common Star Wars lore has it that Dengar appears in the background in Jabba's Palace in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!) as well. After several viewings, it does appear that he is stuck in there, albeit briefly.

Basics

Dengar is a human bounty hunter that had perhaps five seconds of screentime in The Empire Strikes Back and less in Return Of The Jedi. The figure stands 12 1/4" tall to the top of the bandages on his head. Dengar is dressed in cloth clothes which are then augmented by a breastplate and other armor that gives the character an "assembled" look. Unlike the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett, though, Dengar's face is exposed and he is clearly human. The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. The head, unlike the main body of the figure, is made of a slightly more elastic (or rubbery) plastic, though the coloring is consistent with the rest of the figure.

This toy is a pretty incredible sculpt, looking precisely like the bounty hunter. Dengar is amazing in his coloring detail, including faint scars on the character's face. The real mystery, though, is why Hasbro decided to make the bandages that hood the character's head part of the mold. Instead of having a cloth wrap, like a turban I suppose, Dengar's head with bandages are all molded, slightly rubberized plastic. Yes, it would have lowered the flexibility of Dengar's head, but it's not like this was a character with a real active role in the film anyway!

Accessories

Dengar, intergalactic badass, comes dressed in a flight jumpsuit made of actual cloth. Dengar's outfit is held on with Velcro in the front and truth be told, I've never tried to undress him. Most of the cloth outfit is actually covered with the armor pieces. The armor is dark brown and all of it is detailed to show wear for realism. As well, Dengar's shoes are scuffed in front and have a dirty look to the top. This is a level of care and detailing that makes this a superlative display piece!

Dengar's backpack is made of a rubberized plastic and it has detailing that is extraordinary. There are at least six different colored panels that have detailing that makes the pack look heavy and realistic. In other words, the pack is not monolithic in its coloring, which adds to the overall value.

Dengar, like any bounty hunter worth his salt, comes with a firearm. This is an eight inch plastic blaster rifle that fits perfectly in its right hand. The blaster rifle is detailed well as far as containing all of the nooks and crannies the firearm appears to have in the film, including a different colored butt to the rifle! There is no detailing that makes it look worn or more realistic, though, as this is simply solid gray plastic. Still, it is a fairly faithful replica of what appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and it is different from any other firearm as it has an almost harpoon-like middle section!

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is much to recommend Dengar. First, this is a well-articulated action figure. Dengar is impressively poseable, whatwith his twelve points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, wrist, torso and neck. The neck is a simple swivel socket, which is all right. As a result, Dengar can turn his head left to right, but not front to back as any sort of nodding motion. However, the shoulder joints and groin are both ball and socket joints, so the hunter's arms and legs move realistically! As well, the joints are all hidden beneath the fabric costume allowing for decent range-of-motion without looking doofy from inconsistencies in any aspect of the creature or its costume. As well, with the wrist flexibility, Dengar can take a two-handed grip on his firearm, which makes for realistic posing.

Dengar can turn at the waist, but not all that much. More problematic is that Dengar is not incredibly well balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, he requires a bit of manipulation or the backpack causes him to fall backward. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get Dengar so stable that he does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. Dengar can be situated such that he does not fall over. Still, it is not the easiest figure to balance completely.

Collectibility

Dengar is part of the twelve-inch series that came out concurrent with the Attack Of The Clones line, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. Dengar was actually fairly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the Star Wars figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends).

In other words, Dengar is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters; he is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

Dengar is a surprisingly well-made bounty hunter figure, but the detailing on the head undermines the figure some, robbing it of perfection. With such detailed clothwork and painting on other parts of the figure, that Dengar does not have a cloth-wrapped head for realism undermines him some.

For other 12" Star Wars dolls, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Zam Wesell
IG-88
Greedo

9/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

The Perfect Bounty Hunter? The Perfect Bounty Hunter Doll! IG-88 Rules!

The Good: Amazing detailing, Good coloring, Good balance, Decent accessories
The Bad: None that I can find.
The Basics: A perfect bounty hunter action figure to fit in with the twelve-inch doll line, IG-88 looks great and balances well!


The other day, I figured it's about time I wrote another review about a bounty hunter. With IG-88 the bounty hunter I can't find fault with the 12" figure and it is the best one I have reviewed to date.

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, IG-88 is a faithful plastic replica of one of the infamous bounty hunters seen briefly in the Trilogy. It does not have a cloth outfit because it is a droid which is only briefly seen. IG-88, like many of the bounty hunters, was not a speaking part and he appeared in a single scene in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), which is pretty much known as the bounty hunter scene in that movie. For those not versed in Star Wars lore, that's the very brief scene aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer where Darth Vader hires a group of bounty hunters to capture Han Solo in his attempt to trap Luke Skywalker. There are several bounty hunters standing in a line and IG-88 is the tall, thin robot standing next to Boba Fett when Darth Vader admonishes the bounty hunter with the line "No disintegrations!" I suppose it's enough to grab the imagination of Star Wars bounty hunter fans like myself.

Basics

IG-88 is a robot bounty hunter that had perhaps five seconds of screentime in The Empire Strikes Back. The figure stands 13 3/8" tall to the top of the head unit. IG-88 is a droid augmented by a bandoleer and various tubes in the legs and it comes entirely assembled and ready to go. The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. The top half of the head, unlike the main body of the figure, is made of a slightly more elastic (or rubbery) plastic, though the coloring is consistent with the rest of the figure.

This toy is a pretty incredible sculpt, looking precisely like the bounty hunter. IG-88 is amazing in its coloring detail, including pivoting gun turrets on the front of the face. These tiny guns are present in the actual IG-88 and that Hasbro was that attentive to detail with this sculpt is impressive.

Accessories

IG-88, intergalactic assassin droid, is so confident with its killing abilities that it does not need clothes. It's a robot; what does it need with clothes?! It does come with three essential accessories, though: the weapon's bandoleer, a blaster and a blaster rifle. The bandoleer is a plastic sash with detailing of a few items that look like ammo cartridges or grenades and this level of detail is very cool. Instead of being a solid black plastic sash, the bandoleer is detailed with gray/silver for the details like the buckle and the grenades.

The blaster is a four and a half inch firearm that looks a lot like the guns the stormtroopers use throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. It is sufficiently detailed to look menacing and it fits in either of IG-88's hands.

IG-88, like any bounty hunter worth his salt, comes with a firearm. This is an eight inch plastic blaster rifle that fits perfectly in either of its hands. The blaster rifle is detailed well as far as containing all of the nooks and crannies the firearm appears to have in the film! There is no detailing that makes it look worn or more realistic, though, as this is simply solid gray plastic. Still, it is a fairly faithful replica of what appeared in The Empire Strikes Back and it is different from any other firearm as it has an almost harpoon-like middle section! This is identical to Dengar's blaster rifle, save that it was cast in solid black plastic.


Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is much to recommend IG-88. First, this is a well-articulated action figure. IG-88 is impressively posable, whatwith its eleven points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints at the knees, groin, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and neck. The neck is a ball-and-socket joint, which allows the droid (which is slightly taller than the other bounty hunters) to look down on the other bounty hunters with superiority. As a result, IG-88 can turn its head left to right, as well as front to back in a nodding motion. However, the shoulder joints and groin are both simple swivel joints, so the hunter's arms and legs move only forward/back. As well, with the wrist flexibility, IG-88 can pose in some pretty sophisticated poses with its firearms.

As well, IG-88 is surprisingly well balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, it stands stable and with its guns raised, it is still stable (in fact, the only problem in that instance is that the hand has slight grip issues with the blaster rifle. IG-88 easily stands stable and it does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. IG-88 can be situated such that he does not fall over.

Collectibility

IG-88 is part of the Power Of The Jedi twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. IG-88 was actually fairly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the Star Wars figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends).

In other words, IG-88 is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters; he is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

IG-88 is an astonishingly well-made bounty hunter figure, in fact it might be the perfect bounty hunter between the balance, detailing all the nooks and crannies and badass accessories. Anyone who likes Star Wars bounty hunters will be bound to like this one!

For other 12" Star Wars dolls, please check out my reviews of:
Sideshow 1:6 Scale Boushh
Masterpiece Edition Aurra Sing
Power Of The Jedi 12" Slave Leia

10/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

3 Frames On Screen, A Lifetime In Plastic: The 12" Aurra Sing Endures!

The Good: Surprisingly good sculpt, Interesting facts in the book, Cool accessories and costume
The Bad: Bulky package, Low posability, grip, Book is repetitive
The Basics: For a character that received almost no airtime in The Phantom Menace, the 12"Aurra Sing is a surprisingly neat toy.


Some people have incredible luck. I mean, the kind of luck that makes the the rest of us jealous. You know, like Harrison Ford, working away as a carpenter on the set of Star Wars: A New Hope when Lucas says, "Stand in with this group, we need a Han Solo." Or that annoying story you hear from time to time about someone who never plays the lottery hand picking their numbers once in her lifetime and getting them all and winning hundreds of millions of dollars for the one dollar she played. Man, luck is a fickle chick!

If you look real close in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (reviewed here!) while watching the widescreen version of the film, during the podrace scene, there is a quick shot of a bounty hunter watching the race. How would you know she's a bounty hunter? She just looks like one! Plus, she's armed to the teeth, so much so that in her few frames on screen, one can see she's got a lot of weapons on her. Her name is Aurra Sing and she is the subject of one of the Star Wars twelve-inch collector figure Masterpiece Edition book and toy combo packs.

One might ask why and that's a fair question. After all, she is on screen for less than three seconds and is edited out of the pan and scan version of The Phantom Menace. She has no lines, she barely has a facial expression! Well, the answer is in the book. The irony is that the Aurra Sing Masterpiece Figure came out before her little four and a half inch figure did!

As the book Dawn Of The Bounty Hunters explains, Aurra Sing was put into the movie at the last minute, but she was very popular with fans and with George Lucas. Plus, she was remarkably well-documented. That makes making a figure much, much easier. And besides, if you're a collector of these toys, you've got enough Luke Skywalkers, so why not make Aurra Sing?

First, the book. Dawn Of The Bounty Hunters is an odd shaped (not rectangular, in order to fit in the trapezoidal packaging of the Masterpiece Edition box) hard cover book that is split into three parts. The first part tells who Aurra Sing is, how she got into The Phantom Menace, the process of making up the actress, and the process of making the Masterpiece Series twelve inch figure. The second part, compiled from all of the books and comic books and movies in the Star Wars series, tells the story of Aurra Sing, the character, and then continued on by telling the combined stories of the bounty hunters that follow her legacy in the Star Wars universe. The last part of the book is a simple list of every known piece of merchandise pertaining to the bounty hunters from the Star Wars universe. And it's an impressive list.

The first section is interesting and it is clear the book is well researched. The second portion of the book is intriguing and reads like a summary of a comic book (which, it largely is). It's not Shakespeare, but for those of us who like the bounty hunters in Star Wars, but don't want to collect all of the comics or spend all of our time reading the Star Wars books, it's a nice way to learn the histories and stories of the infrequently seen characters we like. The last part of the book is impressive in that reading through the lists of bounty hunter merchandise may make one realize just how amazing (in a scary way) the insatiable desires of fans can be. It is very conveniently broken down by character, making it easy to find everything you might ever want featuring the bounty hunter of your choice.

As for the figure, the figure is interesting and part of the biggest criticism of it is addressed in the book. In the book, it explains that the antennae Aurra Sing has had to be made bigger for the toy out of safety concerns. I'm not sure I understand that; how many little kids are going to be bought a figure from a "Masterpiece Series?" And let's face it, this one is a doll.

Outside that, the figure looks good, other than her outfit being too clean. She's a bounty hunter! They make a point of saying how the outfit was smeared with dirt in the movie to make it look like she's been around, but the figure was not accorded the same concern. Bummer.

The problem with the Aurra Sing figure is she does not stand up well and her main weapon, the awesome rifle she has, cannot possibly fit in her hands. There is no way for her to hold the rifle with both hands, which also means it loses serious points for posability. Her limbs have great articulation, but her accessories - when held in her hands - often cause her to tip over. Still . . .

Is it worth it? Only if you're a big fan of Star Wars or truly love the bounty hunters from the series. The plus side is, just about anywhere that still has this has it on severe clearance. The book is interesting, but a one-read type of book and the figure is nice, but frustrating if you like to display your dolls as opposed to play with them. But, at the end of the day, she's cool, her figure looks pretty badass and you and your Star Wars fan friends will get a lot of mileage out of her. The rest of us can live without her.

For other 12" Star Wars dolls, please visit my reviews of:
12" Greedo
12" Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett
12" Slave Leia

5.5/10

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

© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

Greedo: Not The Strongest Bounty Hunter, Not The Most Worthwhile 12" Figure!

The Good: Decent outfit
The Bad: Very basic coloring, Hands look goofy, Overproduced
The Basics: The Power Of The Force 12" Greedo is a minor bounty hunter with a pretty problematic execution from Kenner.


When it comes to bounty hunters from the Star Wars franchise, there is arguably less of a loser than Greedo. Greedo is one of only four bounty hunters in the Star Wars cinematic saga that is actually seen doing something (five if you count Aurra Sing actually shooting her rifle), yet he is also pretty easily toasted. In fact, it just now occurs to me that outside Aurra Sing, all of the Star Wars bounty hunters who do more than simply show up get killed. Greedo is so unimpressive and underrated that it was a surprise to me when Hallmark made an exclusive ornament of him back in 2009 (reviewed here!). Less surprising given the variety of Star Wars dolls made by Kenner was that Greedo earned 12" treatment in the 1997 Collector Series Star Wars 12" line.

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, Greedo is a faithful cloth and plastic replica of one of the bounty hunters of the Star Wars Trilogy. Greedo, for those unfamiliar with the obscure Star Wars characters, was in a single scene in A New Hope (reviewed here!) where he confronted Han Solo and ends up killed. Greedo has about a minute's worth of dialogue before dying in a shootout with Han Solo.

Basics

Greedo is a Rodian bounty hunter worked for the gangster Jabba the Hutt. He was a green alien who was gifted to me by my wife who wanted to complete my Star Wars 12" bounty hunter collection. In that regard, he fits the bill, but it is worth noting that the 1997 12" Greedo has too many faults to be considered truly worthwhile, not the least of which is that even coming from an amazing collection that was kept in a climate-controlled (including light) environment, his cloths have faded seriously. The figure stands 13" tall to the top of his head spines. Greedo is dressed in a green and yellow flight suit with his orange felt vest covering his back and chest.

This toy is a decent sculpt, clearly resembling the green alien with the head spines and antennae. The ears on the green snouted alien are pointed and stand out from the creature's head. Kenner got one detail very right by making the black orbs glossy. Greedo's hands feature elongated fingers that end in suction cups, but feature no additional articulation. In fact, the right hand is closed around a small black blaster pistol. The pistol is molded into the hand and is surprisingly boxy. Otherwise, Greedo looks pretty good with his yellow-orange boots and his bubbly green skin on his head. The details on the antenna, other than seeming over-large, is good with contours and etchings that make the appendages actually seem like they might be functional.

Greedo is dressed in a polyester and faux-leather jumpsuit. It is sealed in the front by Velcro. Opening the suit reveals a Greedo that is surprisingly ripped. His green skin is monotonally colored and the outfit is made in complimentary colors. Unfortunately, Greedo's flight suit is covered with an orange vest, which Kenner decided to make out of felt. The felt vest fades ridiculously easy and mine is barely peach now. I've seen them new and they are the appropriate bright orange. But I have not seen any in recent years that have maintained the color they were manufactured with.

Accessories

Greedo comes with no accessories. The blaster he holds is molded into his hand.

Playability

No one I know plays with the 12" figures, but Greedo would be average at best for that. Greedo features only ten points of articulation, though they are not just simple hinge joints. Greedo has ball and socket joints at his wrists, shoulders and groin socket. He also bends at the knees and twists at the head and waist. His knees to not bend enough to make him sit down realistically, though.

Greedo is also poorly balanced. Unless posed in an absolute flatfooted position, he requires a bit of manipulation or he falls over. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get Greedo to stand in a stable fashion, but he wobbles more than most and that makes him a tough sell for those using him for display.

Collectibility

Greedo is part of the 1997 Collector Series twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. As a result, Greedo is exceptionally common, and was repackaged at least twice without changes to the sculpt. Even the JC Penny exclusive version of the 12" Greedo is overly common and easily available. This is a poor investment for Star Wars collectors or investors.

Overview

Greedo is a surprisingly lame 12" figure. Despite the costuming, the articulation and balance are pretty low and the fading vest issue is serious enough to keep me from recommending the bounty hunter toy. Besides, Sideshow just came out with their rendition and for the serious collectors, he's the one to get!

For other Star Wars 12" dolls, please check out my reviews of:
Power Of The Jedi Slave Leia
Power Of The Force Zuckuss
Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett

3.5/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

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



| | |

Eye Candy For Geeks: Princess Leia In Slave Outfit - Because Every Bounty Hunter Needs A Bounty!

The Good: Good costuming, Generally good sculpt, Great hair detailing
The Bad: Slight proportion issues, Poor balance
The Basics: One of the iconic Princess Leia figures comes to the 12" scale when Slave Leia makes her popular (and rightfully so) debut!


There are few iconic sex symbols from science fiction and fantasy that have the broad, universal appeal of Princess Leia in the slave outfit following her capture by Jabba The Hutt. Yes, it's Slave Leia, Leia in the metal bikini, the Leia who is effeminate and has boobs. And now, in addition to recast figures which are arguably perfect (read the review of that Slave Leia figure here!) there is a doll of her. I suppose there is a younger generation who hears "babe in a metal bikini" and thinks "Cordelia" and there IS a figure of Cordelia in her metal bikini, but I suspect it will be a long time (if ever) before she takes the instantly recognizable status that Princess Leia had once she was captured by Jabba and dressed in that iconic outfit.

Like most of the dolls in the 12" Star Wars action figure line, Slave Leia is a faithful cloth and plastic replica of one of the heroes of the Star Wars Trilogy. Unlike the Sideshow Boushh doll (reviewed here!) the Hasbro Slave Leia is not an immaculate rendering of the character. Slave Leia, as Princess Leia Organa was known after she was captured attempting to infiltrate Jabba's palace and outfitted in a scanty metal bikini, was essentially in two scenes of Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!): in Jabba's Palace and on Jabba's sail barge. I suppose one does not need to run around long in a metal bikini and loincloth-like skirt in order to make an impression.

Basics

Slave Leia is a human Rebel leader who was captured by the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. She ended up in my collection of Star Wars dolls because the bounty hunters I had standing around needed at least one bounty to focus on (otherwise, they are just a bunch of aliens with weapons standing around gawking at one another). The figure stands 11 1/2" tall to the top of her topknot. Slave Leia is dressed in a cloth skirt with plastic bikini bottoms on front and back. Her chest is covered (barely) with a bikini top held on with elastic cords. In other words, this is a doll with a lot of skin showing.

This toy is a pretty incredible sculpt, very much like the imprisoned Princess Leia. Slave Leia has amazing coloring detail, like slightly pink cheeks and earrings that are actually attached to the doll's ears. While the fingers do have fingernails, they are not colored and there is no other coloring to the figure that adds depth or realistic shading. There are, however, detailed plastic elements like the bracelet that the character was outfitted with as well as the bicep bracelet on her left arm. Similarly, Leia has hair that has been meticulously braided and put up through a headpiece that is surprisingly ornate and detailed. In other words, wherever the doll lacks coloring specificity, there seems to be a strong attention to accenting details through accouterments attached to the figure as opposed to molded or painted on.

Accessories

Slave Leia, intergalactic object of lust and desire for men (and women so inclined) of all ages, comes with no accessories to speak of, save the chain that is around her neck. Sure, when you look like this, little is expected outside the outfit, so it's not like anything else is needed and it's not like Leia did anything in the movie, save lounge around and strangle Jabba with the chain. The chain is a real chain and is attached to Leia's neck by a collar and that looks decent as far as the detailing goes.

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is not much to recommend Slave Leia. First, she is not a well-articulated action figure. Slave Leia is so close to naked that the manufacturers seem to have been faced with the question of making her poseable (with lots of exposed joints) or less mobile and good-looking. They opted for the latter. As a result, Slave Leia has only five points of articulation. She has joints at the groin socket (somewhat hidden by her skirt), shoulders, and neck. The neck is a simple swivel socket, which is all right. As a result, Slave Leia can turn his head left to right, but not front to back as any sort of nodding motion. As well, the shoulder joints and groin are simple joints, which only allow the figure to scissor kick her legs or raise her arms up and down.

As problematic is that Slave Leia is not incredibly well balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, she requires a bit of manipulation or she falls over. It is difficult, but not impossible, to get Slave Leia so stable that she does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. Slave Leia can be situated such that she does not fall over. Still, she is not the easiest figure to balance completely.

Collectibility

Slave Leia is part of the Power Of The Jedi twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were largely being mass produced. Still, Slave Leia was fairly uncommon, and given the obvious appeal of this particular Leia, she tended to disappear from the shelves as soon as they were taken from the boxes. As a result, this is one of the more solid Star Wars toy investments!

Overview

Slave Leia is a decent figure, less the balancing and posability issues, but she certainly does her job, which is to stand there in her outfit with her chain and make alien bounty hunters gawk at her. One suspects most households with science fiction geeks in them will find the alien bounty hunters will not be alone in this.

For other Star Wars dolls, please check out my takes on:
Zam Wesell
Zuckuss
Boba Fett

6.5/10

For other toy or doll reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Clearance Rack Special: Zam Wesell's 12" Figure Is A Tough Sell For Bounty Hunter Fans!

The Good: Decent detailing, Good coloring, Good costume work, Decent accessory
The Bad: Does not stand well, Face accessory issues, Proportion issues, Arms!
The Basics: A tough sell, even for fans of the Star Wars bounty hunters, Zam Wesell is poorly-proportioned, excellently detailed and cannot stand well.


When one considers the great bounty hunters of the Star Wars saga, most fans focus on the ones from The Empire Strikes Back. In a single scene of that classic film, six bounty hunters are shown standing (one growls) with Darth Vader lecturing to them and those six are written about in the books, are some of the most popular cards in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game and have a popularity in the toy lines that make them coveted above some of the heroes of the saga. But honestly, what do these bounty hunters do? Five of them stand around in the movie. One finds Han Solo. The others are window dressing. Still, they are all more popular than Zam Wesell.

Zam Wesell, for those who aren't uber geeks, is the first of two bounty hunters seen in Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Wesell sets a droid drone off to try to kill Senator Amidala, which sparks a pointless race around Coruscant with Anakin and Obi-Wan chasing her on speeders. Eventually, Wesell meets an untimely end, wherein it is proven she is not the human she appears to be, but rather a lizard-like creature who can change appearance some. The point here, though, is that Zam Wesell does something (something important, as a matter of fact) in the Star Wars saga and yet she gets no respect even among bounty hunter enthusiasts who consider her pretty low on the bounty hunter totem pole (possibly the lowest, in fact). It is almost a surprise that Hasbro bothered to make a 12" figure of her. It is not surprising that she quickly landed on the clearance racks and has almost no value in the secondary market now.

Basics

Zam Wesell is a reptilian bounty hunter who appears as well as a human female who appears in first fifteen minutes of Attack Of The Clones. The figure stands 11 1/8" tall. Zam Wesell is a woman with a butch haircut, angry glare and one suspects that the sculptor for this figure had some serious issues with women. I seem to recall Wesell being a brunette in the film, but under her helmet on this figure, she has close-cropped blonde hair. The figure is made of hard plastic and after four or more years out of its packaging, it shows no fading or wear from light or air sources. Wesell is adorned in a royal purple outfit made of cloth, though oddly her arms are not costumed, they are inflexible molded plastic. Wesell's head is disproportionately large compared to her waist and the rest of her body, a factor which is disturbing because in Attack Of The Clones she seemed to have a disproportionately small head. With her helmet on, Wesell looks utterly ridiculous and with it off, she looks like a parody of an angry diesel Vulcan (it turns out she has pointed ears, making me wonder if they simply reused the head from some other figure).

This toy is a weird combination in the sculpt department. The proportions are off and the arms and hands are incongruent with the rest of the figure. However, the detailing is excellent. Wesell's costume is accented by a plastic breastplate that is realistically colored (it appears to have a fair amount of wear and the breathing tubes and belt detailing are amazing) and other accouterments, like something like a communicator attached to her left thigh. Even the problematic gloves are molded with all sorts of surface details that are pretty incredible as far as precision and realism go. Zam Wesell is amazing in her coloring detail, including rough on her human cheeks.

Accessories

Zam Wesell, crafty lizard creature that she is, comes dressed in a flight jumpsuit made of actual cloth. That is, for the legs, and chest portion of the jumpsuit it is a thin cloth outfit. Zam Wesell's stitched on over a purple plastic body. I've never tried to undress her, but it does appear the costume is not designed to be removed. The detailing on the costume is actually fairly impressive and the figure looks pretty good in that regard. This is because her outfit is accented with plastic accents like a chest piece that has some pretty extraordinary detailing to it. As well, there is a plastic half-skirt or cape that covers her butt, made of plastic as well that adds a look that makes it look like leather, which is what the costume in the film was adorned with. She had a belt with a holster for her sidearm.

Zam Wesell's handgun is a little one and a quarter inch choking hazard which fits loosely in either hand of the figure. The gun is wonderfully detailed in black and silver plastic and while it looks like a ridiculous little gun, it does look like the one in the movie. It does, however, appear a little bit smaller in her hands, making it appear a little silly looking.

Wesell's helmet comes off, making that an accessory, too. The helmet is detailed with the binocular assembly Wesell is seen with in the movie, but that does not fold down to be a practical accessory. What the helmet does have is the cloth veil that allows one to obscure Wesell's face and this is one of the two better looks for the figure.

The other decent look comes with the chameleon face accessory. Wesell's natural face is a lizard face and the 12" figure comes with a piece that slides over the doll's head like a mask to allow the person displaying (or playing) with the figure to make Zam into all the lizardwoman she actually is. Unfortunately, while the sculptors were attentive to the figure's hairline to mold the mask around that properly, the back of the head and neck are still exposed as human and the figure looks pretty ridiculous with the mask on as a half-reptile, partially human thing. Sadly, the helmet's veil will not fit around the face with the natural mask on.

Zam Wesell, like a good bounty hunter, comes with a cool firearm, too. In this case, it is the ridiculous blaster rifle Wesell is seen shooting long range with in the movie. This is an nine and three-quarter inch plastic blaster rifle that fits awkwardly into either of her hands. In fact, the detailing thwarts a proper hold. The trigger prevents her from holding the blaster rifle in either hand. One can almost (but not quite) arrange the rifle for a two handed grip (not in any firing-type position) and ultimately, I ended up posing my Zam Wesell with the rifle like a walking stick for support held in only one of her hands. The blaster rifle is detailed well as far as containing all of the nooks and crannies the firearm appears to have in the film! There is no detailing that makes it look worn, but it does have three colors to it and a firing hole, which is pretty incredible detailing. It is a faithful replica of what appeared in Attack Of The Clones and it looks good in Zam Wesell's hand.

Playability

I don't know who plays with these twelve-inch figures. As far as displaying, though, there is not much to recommend Zam Wesell. First, she is a poorly-articulated action figure. Zam Wesell is not very posable, with only eight points of articulation. This bounty hunter has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, waist and neck. The neck is a limited ball and socket, allowing her side to side and up and down head motion. The shoulder joints and groin are both ball and socket joints, so the hunter's arms and legs move realistically! As well, the joints are all hidden beneath the fabric costume allowing for decent range-of-motion without looking doofy from inconsistencies in any aspect of the creature or her costume. That would be entirely true were it not for the arms which are both plastic and molded in one pose, severely limiting playability.

Zam Wesell cannot do things like hold the blaster rifle in a decent two-handed supporting position. Even more problematic is that Zam Wesell is poorly balanced. When posed in a flatfooted position, she wobbles. Any positioning of the legs in a knees-bent position makes the figure tip over. As a result, it is virtually impossible to get Zam Wesell so stable that she does not wobble or shake at all from vibrations near one's display. Zam Wesell can be situated such that she does not fall over, but it is all boring, display poses she is relegated to.

Collectibility

Zam Wesell is part of the Attack Of The Clones twelve-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that were released during a time that they were being over produced. Zam Wesell was incredibly common, which tended to devalue the figure quite a bit (though most of the "Star Wars" figures have taken a hit from overproduction and the sheer number of them that have not been taken out of their packaging on the hopes that someday they might be an investment that pays dividends).

Zam Wesell, specifically, was one of the first Star Wars figures in the 12" line to hit the clearance bins and they generally remained there. This is one of the easiest 12" figures to find in the secondary market as a result and it is only truly worth something to people who have a fetish for bounty hunters or aliens, it is not going to be a gold mine for anyone's collection.

Overview

Zam Wesell is hardly up to the standards of the other 12" Star Wars bounty hunters and for those collecting and displaying them, despite being shorter than some of the other bounty hunters, she is one that is easy to relegate to the back row.

For other Star Wars doll reviews, please check out my takes on:
Sideshow Collectibles Princess Leia As Boushh
12" Power Of The Force Zuckuss
12" Original Trilogy Collection Boba Fett

3.5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing of them.

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


| | |