Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Surprisingly Cool Small Slave I Toy: The Action Fleet Slave I Is Enduringly Worthwhile!


The Good: Good sculpt, Great balance, Good detailing, Great collectible value
The Bad: Odd hole issue
The Basics: One of the most basic Star Wars toys, Galoob’s MicroMachines Action Fleet Slave I is very cool, but has an odd hole without purpose.


As I edit through my collection of Star Wars toys, there are some I am really working to figure out if I will keep or not. With the Action Fleet Star Wars toys by Galoob, most are easy for me to say I am going to keep. With the Slave I Action Fleet toy, I was surprised that it is one I actually have to think about. It is, objectively, better than the Imperial AT-AT Action Fleet toy (reviewed here!), but it has a ridiculous hole in the top side near one of its fins that it utterly without purpose and makes me wonder what Galoob was thinking.

Fans of the Star Wars Trilogy will easily recall the latter portion of The Empire Strikes Back (click here for my film review!) where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and taken by Boba Fett from Cloud City. His frozen body is taken from Bespin in the ship, Slave I.

The MicroMachines Action Fleet Slave I is the weathered bounty hunter’s ship with a small base. It is remarkably cool and deserves a prominent place in anyone’s bounty hunter or Star Wars vehicle collection!

Basics

The MicroMachines Action Fleet Slave I was released by Galoob and it is a basic toy. Cast only in plastic, the Slave I is 2 5/8“ tall, 5 3/4“ long and 5 5/8“ wide. The sculpt has a strange hole on the topside that looks like it might fit the stand, but it does not actually fit or hold the ship on the stand in that way.

The MicroMachines Action Fleet Slave I looks incredible. It is cast detailed with such fine work as the side flaps on the spine guns. The paint job is absolutely incredible. From the Empire Strikes Back version is rust and olive green colored and looks like it has been in a space battle or two. The bottom is monochromatic gray.

Accessories

The MicroMachines Action Fleet SLAVE I comes with three mini-figures and the base accessory. The Slave I comes with Han Solo, the carbonite block, and Boba Fett. The Slave I Boba Fett is detailed and colored and molded exactly like it is supposed to. Boba Fett is molded with a gun in his right hand. The Han Solo minifigure has Solo in his white shirt and gray pants from his final appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. Both figures are articulated at the waist (to allow sitting) and at the arms for movement that moves both arms and both legs in unison. The legs are molded to a base each that allows them to fit into the base. Either figure can fit in Slave I’s cockpit.

The carbonite block is a monotonal gray plastic “coffin” that vaguely resembles a thick version of the Carbonite block. It opens like a little coffin would and holds the Han Solo mini-figure.

The base is a black plastic stand that attaches (with a peg on the stand portion that fits into a hole on the underside of Slave I) to the ship and raises it 2 3/4” above the surface upon which the toy is placed. Intended for display, the base holds both mini-figures (not the carbonite block) and has the silver Star Wars Action Fleet logo on the front. The Slave I fits perfectly into the base.

Playability

The MicroMachines Action Fleet has pretty limited playability, though it is designed to look excellent on the stand. Cockpit is clear plastic and opens to hold either Han Solo or Boba Fett.

The gun ports on the spine rotate, as do the side fins.

Twisting the spine guns opens a storage area on the underside of the spine on Slave I. The storage area easily accommodates the carbonite block. This is a pretty cool playable trait.

Collectibility

The MicroMachines Action Fleet is part of a now-defunct line of die-cast vehicle toys that Galoob produced. The Slave I remains one of the most popular and sought after in the line, even though it was later recolored when Attack Of The Clones was released.

The Slave I toy’s price continues to rise. Finding it at an obscure toy or collectible’s store may net a decent deal, but unless one finds it that way, it is not a great investment piece.

Overview

Fans of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars bounty hunters, and Slave I will find this to be a less expensive Slave I toy than most and detailed enough to make a good, if not flawless, desk ornament.

For other Star Wars Slave I merchandise, please check out my reviews of:
Attack Of The Clones Jango Fett’s Slave I toy
Shadows Of The Empire Slave I toy
2011 Slave I ornament

7.5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page!

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

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