A Very Cool, But Not The Ultimate, IG-88 Action Figure Is From The Power Of The Jedi Line!

The Good: Good balance, Good sculpt
The Bad: Serious poesability/flexibility issues, A better sculpt exists
The Basics: From the Power Of The Jedi toy line, IG-88 is cool, but not the very best rendition of the character in action figure form.


Sometimes, my sloth works in the best interest of my loyal readers. In the case of the Power Of The Jedi IG-88 action figure, it certainly benefits my loyal readers. Had I reviewed this figure a decade ago, I might have rated it as a perfect figure. But now, with time, distance and the existence of the exceptional Saga Legends IG-88 (reviewed here!), make it impossible to consider this solidly-above average figure “perfect.” I’m a bit of a fan of IG-88; I have the 12” IG-88 (reviewed here!) in my collection and I think it is pretty cool. But the Power Of The Jedi IG-88 is not all it could be.

For those unfamiliar with IG-88, it is a killer droid seen momentarily in The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!). In the infamous Bounty Hunter Scene, it is a robot puppet that stands near Boba Fett and looks inscrutable.

The 4" IG-88 figure is a decent figure, but it has been improved upon since. That makes the Power Of The Jedi rendition one that is ideal as a background droid, but no longer as a primary IG-88 for fans, collectors or those who want the best possible play experience.

Basics

IG-88 is a pretty badass droid that is thin and tall. For the Power Of The Jedi version, IG-88 stands 4 1/2" tall from his boxy feet to the top of his rounded head. As a droid, IG-88 naturally has no costume to comment about costuming details about, though this was the first IG-88 figure that featured a removable bandolier for its grenades and other ammo.

This version of IG-88 is a pretty incredible sculpt. It looks just like the droid with great surface detailing like canisters and wires that look like they are barely attached to a core robotic frame. This version of IG-88 is colored with a richer sense of depth and shading than prior renditions of the figure. As a result, it is not simply gunmetal in its coloring. Instead, this IG-88 looks like it has a faint coating of rust over parts of the arms, legs and chest. The head is remarkably clean and features bright orange dots for the character’s optical sensors (eyes?). Outside the orange, what stands out most are the canisters molded onto IG-88’s midsection which are clean and appear newer than the rest of the droid. Even so, this is a well-colored, well-detailed droid figure.


Accessories

IG-88, deadly robotic bounty hunter, comes only with his blaster rifle. Monotonally colored, the steel-colored blaster rifle is 2 1/2” long, has a scope molded to the top and fits in either of IG-88’s hands. Unlike prior renditions of the figure, this long gun fits fine in IG-88’s hands without tipping because the mechanical claw of the character is molded closed.

As part of the Power Of The Jedi toy line, IG-88 comes with a Jedi Force File. This is a tiny fold-out magazine which describes IG-88, his origins, 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 IG-88 is decent in that regard. The figure is articulated poorly, though to be fair this is a tough figure to articulate. It comes with seven points of articulation, though it barely stands when its feet are moved well out of flatfooted position. It has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, chest, neck, and center of the head. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, including the shoulders. IG-88 is posed entirely with straight arms and legs, making it virtually impossible to put it in most of the vehicles.

It has holes in either heel to make it stand on the pegs that adorn some of the Star Wars playsets. The subsequent Saga Legends IG-88 had greater poseability, so this is ideal more for background scenes than actual play.

Collectibility

IG-88 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 IG-88 was part of the earlier line of the Power Of The Jedi figures and remains one of the harder ones to find. In other words, IG-88 is a good investment as it may often be found selling higher than its original issue price.

Overview

For those looking to flesh out their collection of droids or bounty hunters action figures, IG-88 is a fair addition to the line, though it is not perfect.

For other Power Of The Jedi figures, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Tessek
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 visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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