Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Making One Of The Coolest Characters In The Galaxy Even Cooler: Deluxe Boba Fett!



The Good: Cool accessory, Good balance, Inexpensive enough
The Bad: None that I can find.
The Basics: A perfect figure, the Deluxe Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon figure is a concept figure that makes the inscrutable bounty hunter super powerful.


Concept figures are something that I have very limited interest in, usually. I don't mind the idea of concept figures, that an expanded universe for the characters of any given universe of toys expands the imagination. After all, many settings are fruitful for exploration beyond what a television, book or movie series may create. When toy lines are created for things like Star Trek, Star Wars or comic books, it is natural for fans to want something more than just what they have already seen. In the Star Wars universe, concept figures frequently fared poorly as they were fairly weak concepts executed in a mediocre fashion. But, every once in a while, Kenner used the idea of a concept figure to create something truly extraordinary. The Deluxe Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack And Overhead Cannon is one such figure.

The 4" Deluxe Boba Fett figure is a surprisingly perfect figure and while it might not have any basis in canon Star Wars mythos, it is an awesome toy which has wonderful play options.

Basics

The concept behind the Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon appears to be that Boba Fett, in addition to being a bounty hunter, was occasionally a one-man arsenal who needed to be able to take on an entire army. As a result, Boba Fett is outfitted in this Deluxe figure with a massive backpack with a missile launcher and he looks even more invincible than the inscrutable bounty hunter from The Empire Strikes Back.

The Boba Fett figure that comes with the Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon is a very cool, very basic Boba Fett figure and Boba Fett figures from the time this was created tended to include a slide for the standard jetpack. As a result, this Boba Fett figure is actually very average, but it is attached to an extraordinary accessory.

The detailing on the character's costume is quite good. Boba Fett appears in his Mandalorian armor with his helmet and antennae. Fett painted to have molded and colored details all over, including silver widgets taken out of his green armor where, presumably, he had been shot before. On his wrist is his dart launcher and the helmet has perfect coloring details that make this figure instantly recognizable as Boba Fett.

Boba Fett stands 4" tall to the top of his antenna and he has a slotted peg on his back where his Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon slides on and attaches him to his accessory. He stands up perfectly on his own and when attached to the Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon.

Accessories

The real reason to buy the Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon is for the accessory, as usual Boba Fett figures are more like what appear in the various films. The Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon is a giant board with a flipout arsenal. The chest guard flips down to make it appear that the pack is on in a stable way and there is a pair of wings which flips to the side to allow Boba Fett to fire in multiple directions. The wings have swiveling turrets which allow consumers to play with the idea that this Boba Fett is heavily armed. As well, the Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon has the missile-launching cannon.

The cannon has a 3 1/4" long red missile which can be launched about a foot away from the figure. In play, this can also be useful for knocking down other figures from a distance or exposing blow-away panels on some of the playsets.

Either way, the detailing on the accessory is awesome, making the gunmetal-colored pieces look weathered, like Boba Fett has used this amazing jetpack on numerous missions. As well, the coloring is consistent, so it looks like it fits Boba Fett's general sense of style.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon is exceptional in that regard. The figure is articulated about as much as other Star Wars figures of the time, with only swivel joints at the groin socket, shoulders, waist and neck. This Boba Fett balances well, in part because of the spread-legged stance. This deluxe Boba Fett has holes in both feet to keep him stable on playsets, though I've only found cause to use them with the most extreme poses.

In addition to great balance, the rocketpack has spring-loaded wings which rotate at the touch of a button. These springs seem to wears out more slowly than other Kenner figures and after a decade and a half of use in play scenarios, all of the springs on the wings and cannon still work on mine.

Collectibility

The Boba Fett is part of the Power Of The Force Deluxe four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was exceptionally common. This was a pegwarmer at the time, largely because it was massively overproduced and fans were still not sure about the concept figures. Still, the playability and popularity of Boba Fett makes this a figure that has turned into a decent investment for fans of the Star Wars bounty hunters.

Overview

The Deluxe Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon figure is an awesome figure that allows one to beef up the Star Wars villains with real firepower!

For other Deluxe Star Wars figures and concept toys, please check out my reviews of:
Han Solo With Smuggler Flight Pack
Shadows Of The Empire Swoop Vehicle
Expanded Universe Airspeeder

10/10

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

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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