The Good: Collectible value, Neat accessories, Very cool look, Great balance and articulation.
The Bad: Actually . . . none that I can find!
The Basics: What seemed like a potentially ridiculous promotional figure, the Vintage Collection mail-away promotional Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is actually a perfect concept figure!
These days, it takes a lot for me to get excited about a concept figure, especially from the Star Wars toy line. After last year’s retro Boba Fett Mail-Away figure, I was very hesitant to mail away this year for the Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure. Now that mine has arrived, I am actually thrilled by it, enough that I am keeping it in my permanent collection!
As this is a concept figure, it is unsurprising most people would be unfamiliar with the prototype armor version of Boba Fett. When the actor in the Boba Fett costume originally arrived on the set of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), the character was something of an advanced stormtrooper. As a result, the first promotional shots of Boba Fett actually had the character in all-white armor that had minimal detailing.
The latest 4" Mail-Away Vintage Collection Boba Fett presents that white-armored Fett as an action figure for fans and it is very cool. As a result, fans who sent in the six required UPCs and their $6.99 were rewarded with a figure that looks very cool, has great playability and accessories and makes for an intriguing conversation piece.
Basics
The Mail-Away Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure stands 3 5/8" tall to the top of his helmet. This appears to be the Vintage Collection Boba Fett action figure recolored. The sculpt of the Mail-Away Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is, therefore, amazing. The figure is molded with an incredible amount of detailing. This Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure features the molded breastplate cast into the figure which mimics the shape of the actual character's armor. Similarly, the wrists are outfitted with things like the grappling wire launcher or flamethrower. And the legs have pouch pockets molded onto them. The helmet has both the antenna and a dent molded right into the forehead! This figure even has the low-hanging belt holster and the tubes that come off the gloves molded into it! Presumably, those tubes make the character’s flamethrower work!
As cool as the sculpt is the coloring of the Boba Fett (Prototype Armor). The Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure looks a lot like an AT-AT Driver in terms of coloring. He has a gray jumpsuit over which is his white armor. The helmet and breast panel are accented with what appear to be lights or controls nand stand out with their vivid blue and red colors against the white of the armor. On the arms, the figure’s flamethrower and grappling gun are black to offset the white gauntlets. For a figure who is based only on a photo reference, Hasbro went out of their way to create a distinctive and realistic armored bounty hunter!
Accessories
Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is a great bounty hunter and because of that, he only comes with three accessories: his backpack and his blasters. Boba Fett's blaster are two identical 1 1/8" long thin, flat guns unique to this figure. Each gun fits in either of Fett’s hands and one may fit in the holster on the figure’s right thigh at any time. The black plastic weapon is accented by sliver on the barrel and red at the back trigger. Because the guns are so distinct, they fit this otherwise unique figure well.
The backpack is a white version of the standard Boba Fett jetpack. It plugs easily into the hole in the Boba Fett figure’s back. The jetpack is white with a few black accents and small blue dots around key areas that are reminiscent of lights. This version of the jetpack matches the look and feel of the rest of the action figure.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is absolutely perfect in that regard. Flatfooted, Fett can be posed in a ton of poses, even outlandish ones. The Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure easily stands unaided. He does have the holes in his feet (and, I discovered, a 2005 copyright date on the back of his left leg) which allow him to stand on playsets.
The Mail-Away Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is also incredible in the articulation department. This Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) has an awesome only fourteen points of articulation. They are mostly hinged ball and socket joints, which provides an incredible range of motion. This Boba Fett has joints at the ankles, knees, groin socket, elbows, wrists, waist, shoulders and head. There is also articulation of the antenna on the helmet, which swings down over the eye visor in the helmet!
Collectibility
The Mail-Away Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) is part of the Vintage Collection line that was released in 2011 and was only available through the mail-in promotion. The ability to get them at $6.99 + UPCs has since ended and now the secondary market is being flooded with this awesome figure. I suspect the price will continue to rise through 2012, given that this is a really neat figure once one takes it out of the package. Given how it was not especially limited, though, I am betting the value of the mail-away figure tops out around $50.
Overview
The Mail-Away Boba Fett (Prototype Armor) figure is a pretty wonderful investment, as well as a very cool playable figure that is well worth finding on the secondary market. Odds are, you’ll wish you had mailed away for it when it was less expensive!
For other Vintage Collection figures, please check out my reviews of:
VCP03 Boba Fett
VC01 Dengar
VC05 AT-AT Commander
VC10 4-LOM
VC11 (Twin Pod) Cloud Car Pilot
VC22 Admiral Ackbar
VC37 Super Battle Droid
VC41 Commander Gree
VC46 AT-RT Driver
VC48 Weequay Skiff Master
VC49 Fi-Ek Sirch
VC53 Bom Vimdin
VC65 TIE Fighter Pilot
VC82 Daultay Dofine
VC85 Quinlan Vos
VC86 Darth Maul
10/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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