Tag Archives: Power of the Force II

#3885: Emperor Palpatine

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

EMPEROR PALPATINE

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

Somehow, Palpatine retuned.  Yep, that’s pretty much what I got.  Here’s the deal, guys: I get that Sheev Palpatine is very important to the Star Wars mythos, and all, and there’s no denying that Ian McDiarmid turns in a good performance in the part, but I just can’t get all that excited or invested in him.  I don’t know, maybe he’s just too realistic of a villain.  He’s also not terribly exciting when it comes to toys, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting *so* many of them.  There were five of them in Power of the Force.  Here’s one of those.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Emperor Palpatine was released in the 1998 portion of the Power of the Force Flashback Photo series.  As with all of the others in the set, he represents the official take over of Hasbro on the branding, meaning this is the first Hasbro Palpatine.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation…in theory.  He’s got joints at the neck, shoulders, waist, and hips (a first for him in this line), but the neck is limited by the hood, and the hips are effectively not even there, since they’re completely encased by the robes.  His sculpt’s not drastically different from the other Palpatines, but he’s notably a little more technically advanced, with slightly sharper detailing, and proper layering to his outfit (which actually includes legs, again a first for him).  He’s rather pre-posed, following the same general lead as the Power F/X figure, but there’s a slightly more natural feel to it.  Unfortunately, perhaps the biggest drawback to this new sculpt is that it doesn’t stay standing all that well, something the previous single-card did very well.  His coloring largely follows the same path as the other figures of him, but there’s a little more variety to the colors on his robes.  Otherwise, we’re dealing with the same rather thick paint on the face, and he’s generally not super eye-catching.  But, they’re doing their best with what they’ve got.  Palpatine is packed with a little sampling of his “UNLIMITED POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, in the form of two force lightning effects pieces, which plug into his sleeves.  They work okay, but they certainly don’t help with his issues of stability.  He also gets the flashback photo thing, which shows Palpatine from both Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace.  Spoilers!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t vividly recall getting this one, honestly.  I’d imagine I got him in a batch of others, because that’s about the only way I buy a Palpatine figure.  Like a bunch of the other Flashback Photo figures, he’s been sitting there unopened for about seven years, only being opened just before I wrote this review.  He’s fine.  Probably the best Palpatine from the line, at least talking technically.  I dislike that he can’t stand on his own, but I can at least provide an extra stand to offset that issue.

Shoutout to All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3881: Darth Vader

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

DARTH VADER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

“Darth Vader was known and feared throughout the galaxy as incredibly ruthless and evil, one who used the awesome powers of the dark side of the Force to carry out Emperor Palpatine’s horrific plans. But deep inside Lord Vader lay vestiges of the person he once was: young Anakin Skywalker, discovered on the planet Tatooine by a Jedi Knight who recognized the boy’s special Force talents. Anakin showed much promise and grew to be a great Jedi. Finally, the dark side beckoned him – and Anakin became Darth Vader.”

I’ve circled back a few times with Power Force regarding its initial approach to the characters with minimal changes between the films in the original trilogy.  At the start, they went with the same set-up as the vintage Kenner line, so characters like Vader, Chewbacca, R2, and 3PO each got one sort of averaged out, all encompassing figure.  As the line expanded, however, they clearly realized how limiting that might be, so slightly more diversified, film specific variants made their way in.  1998 kicked off with a rather specifically Return of the Jedi Vader with a fancy removable helmet and the proper inner robe he’d not had before.  At the end of the year, another Vader did something else never done before: a specifically A New Hope Vader.  It held that title for less than a year, but that’s hardly the point.  Let’s jump into to this short span Vader, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darth Vader was released in 1998’s first portion of the “Flashback Photo” Power of the Force II figures.  There was quite an A New Hope focus in this round of figures.  Vader, for his part, with his included lightsaber and slight action pose, was definitely designed to pair off with Obi-Wan from the same set.  The figure is just over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 10 points of articulation.  He sported the same improved articulation as much of the other figures in this particular sub-set.  It does allow him to properly hold his lightsaber with both hands, which is at least pretty nice.  His sculpt was all-new, though it would see re-use a few times down the line later.  It’s…well, it’s something.  After the far improved sculpt we saw on the removable helmet Vader, this one is rather a step back, feeling far more in line with the earlier, puffier Vaders from the line.  The improved mobility is nice, but ultimately limited by how much extra bulk he’s got going on.  There’s at least some rather sharply sculpted texturing, so he’s a general step up from the original Vader in a purely technical sense.  The inner robe, which goes over his shoulder plate, is properly detailed, and even looks like its properly hanging on the armor beneath.  His paint work is also a bit better.  There are some more subtleties, with variations on the finish of the black sections, as well as red lenses on the eyes of the helmet.  Vader is packed with his lightsaber, as well as the Flashback Photo thingy.  It shows Vader proper, and then younger Anakin for the second time.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In a line with a bunch of rather similar Darth Vader figures, this one is notable for the lack of any real distinguishing features.  I guess he’s got some extra articulation?  For me, he falls squarely into “bought it for completion’s sake” territory.  I got him alongside a few of the other Flashback figures because he was there and I was getting the rest.  Luke and Obi-Wan were both figures I regretted waiting so long to actually open, but Vader…Vader’s just sort of meh.  He does nothing to really stand out at all.

Shoutout to All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3877: Luke Skywalker

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

LUKE SKYWALKER

STAR WAR: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

“Bored with the mundane life of a moisture farmer on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker dreamed of being a great pilot. He targeted womp rats while racing his T-16 skyhopper through the steep and narrow walls of Beggar’s Canyon. Many years earlier, Luke’s father also raced over the surface of Tatooine in his podracer. Anakin eventually turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader but was finally redeemed by his son Luke.”

In the whole of the vintage Kenner run of Star Wars 3 3/4-inch figures, we got Luke’s “farmboy” look exactly once.  When Power of the Force II launched in the ’90s, the look got its second go right away.  And then it showed back up in 1998, and just… Kept. Showing. Up.  Between 1998 and 1999, there were no less than five versions of Farmboy Luke available, which is is a lot.  Today’s figure?  Well, he got a new hat.  No, seriously: he got a new hat.  Let’s look a Luke and his new hat.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke Skywalker was released in the initial 1998 “Flashback Photo” assortment of Power of the Force.  The set had a rather “greatest hits” vibe to it, and Luke was right at home with that set-up.  This was the fourth of the five Farmboy Lukes in the ’98-’99 run.  He’s notable for being based on a deleted scene from the original film, which would have introduced Luke earlier than his purchase of the droids.  It’s interesting, because I think this was the first figure of its kind, which is pretty neat.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has a whopping 10 points of articulation.  He starts with the standard 6 and then also gets hinges at the elbows and swivels at the wrists, to say nothing of his neck joint being a ball joint, rather than the standard swivel.  He’s by far the most posable Luke in the line, which is somewhat amusing, given he’s not supposed to be from an action scene.  Though his sculpt looks very similar to the other four Farmboy Lukes, its wholly unique, thanks to how the articulation is implemented.  Honestly, it’s pretty nice.  The proportions aren’t the wacky muscle-bound set-up from earlier in the line, and the head’s an okay likeness.  The articulation’s useful, but also doesn’t ruin the sculpt.  I dig it.  The paint is pretty much what we expect on this sort of figure.  It’s clean, and there’s a little bit of accenting on the boots and bands, which helps the sculpt.  Luke was packed with three scene specific accessories.  He’s got the aforementioned hat, a rifle, and a pair of binoculars.  The hat’s funny, but also unique, and it stays okay on his head.  The rifle gets a surprising amount of painted detailing, and the binoculars can plug onto his belt for storage.  He also gets the Flashback Photo, showing him, and when you pull the tab, a young Anakin.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I owned none of these growing up, but saw them many times.  When I made my first real push to start a complete run, this Luke, along with the Leia from last week, were two of the first figures I snagged….and then I didn’t open them for, like, six years.  Yikes.  Seriously, I opened this figure less than 24 hours before I wrote this review, and that’s honestly ridiculous.  What was I doing?  Other stuff, I guess.  I like this Luke a lot.  He’s very fun.  I wish I’d opened him earlier, but I have now, and that’s pretty cool.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3873: Princess Leia in Ceremonial Dress

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

PRINCESS LEIA in CEREMONIAL DRESS

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

“A strong-willed warrior who fought for the Rebel cause with great courage, Princess Leia Organa was a natural born leader of the Rebel Alliance. The princess always carried herself with a regal air, whether she was taking part in the fiercest of battles or participating in state ceremonies of the highest level. Although she was adopted at a young age into the Royal House of Alderaan, Leia was in fact a true princess, as her birth mother was Queen Amidala of Naboo. I her day, Amidala also proved to be an adventurous spirit an d a great heroine to her people when her planet faced its greatest threat.”

After the main characters spend pretty much the whole movie running around in the same basic outfits, at the end of A New Hope, the Rebel’s host a ceremony to give medals to Han and Luke, which serves as a good opportunity for new, cleaned up looks for everybody (well, not Han, I guess, though his shirt is *slightly* different).  The vintage line didn’t tackle any of those looks, but Power of the Force sure did, making sure to give coverage to both Luke and Leia’s unique designs.  Let’s look at Leia today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Princess Leia in Ceremonial Dress was released in the 1998 “Flashback Photo” assortment of Power of the Force.  As I’ve noted before, these figures were released in the lead-up to the proper Episode I tie-in merchandise, and are also the first Star Wars figures to officially be released under the Hasbro banner.  This was Leia’s fourth standard release figure from 1998 alone, making her the most covered main character that year.  Good for her.  That’s a refreshing turn of events.  The figure stands just under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 6 points of articulation…in technicality.  In practice, the shoulders and waist are alright, but the neck is very restricted, and the hips might as well not be there, thanks to that very thick skirt piece.  Also, because of the skirt and the relative lack of movement it allows on the hips, she has a lot of trouble standing, which is why you’ll see mine making use of a Protech stand in most of the photos.  Her color work is generally pretty solid.  There’s a bit of makeup and color on the face, which feels right for the scene they’re referencing, and the application is all rather clean.  In order to capture the sheer material of her outer robe, it’s molded in a slightly transparent plastic, and that’s a neat touch.  Leia is packed with one of the medals she bestows on the two heroes.  This one is presumably for Han, since Luke already had one packed in with his figure.  There’s also the flashback photo, which shows a picture of Leia from the scene, and then transitions to an image of Padme from Episode I.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I vividly remember seeing every single one of these Flashback Photo figures when they were new.  Or nearly new, at least.  They clung to shelves following the hype of the actual Episode I product, and I was always a little put off by them as a kid.  As an adult, though, they’re neat, at least as figures.  Weird tie-in, though.  This Leia is neat enough, though ultimately felt a bit pointless, since this exact same look was done in The Princess Leia Collection the prior year, and I think ultimately a bit.  I suppose this one’s a closer match to the rest of the line stylistically.  She’s not much of a fun toy, but she looks alright, I guess.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3869: R2-D2 with Launching Lightsaber

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

R2-D2 with LAUNCHING LIGHTSABER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (HASBRO)

“Though small and unassuming, the astromech droid R2-D2 has proven to be a pivotal figure throughout the quest for freedom in the galaxy. Whether delivering Princess Leia’s message to Ben Kenobi or accompanying Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing fighter as he delivered the fatal blow to the first Death Star, Artoo’s actions have become legendary within the annals of the Rebel Alliance. But unknown to his compatriots, Artoo already had plenty of time and experience at the center of action. Many decades earlier, he served on board the ship of the young queen from the planet Naboo. Even then, he displayed an unmistakable knack for helping others out of dire circumstances.”

You know, there’s often a lot of contention about the best particular version of a particular character in figure form.  It’s especially true of Star Wars, where all the main characters have dozens of figures at the least.  So, it can be pretty hard to narrow such a thing down.  But that’s best.  What we rarely talk about is worst.  Sure, a lot of that’s subjective, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that today, I’m taking a look at the *worst* R2-D2 action figure ever made.  Well, let’s get to it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

R2-D2 with Launching Lightsaber was part of the 1998 “Flashback Photo” assortment of Star Wars: Power of the Force II, officially released after the Hasbro change-over in anticipation of Episode I’s release.  This was R2’s third standard release figure in Power of the Force, and his second in 1998 alone.  In contrast to the other “movie specific” R2s in the line, which were all based on the first movie, this one is specifically a Return of the Jedi R2, based on the scene where he launches Luke’s lightsaber on Jabba’s barge.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and has a whole two points of articulation, which aren’t really useful, what with the permanently extended third leg.  But I’ll get to that.  The sculpt is all new, and it’s…well, it’s something.  Since the whole point of the figure is to launch the lightsaber, the sculpt is sort of worked around the whole launching mechanism.  The third leg is permanently extended, to give him more length to fit the saber, but it has to be extra wide to fit the mechanism, and even still ends up being little longer than it needs to be too.  He’s also still a bit long, and his other legs get stretched to compensate.  It’s all sorts of wonky, and not remotely close to what R2’s supposed to look like.  He’s just…wrong.  The paint work isn’t bad, I suppose.  He’s the second instance of the flat silver on the head dome, which is more accurate, and the weathering isn’t too bad.  R2 is packed with a missile version of Luke’s saber.  Like R2, it’s been notably modified to fit the new set-up, and it’s…well it’s also weird.  It launches alright, though, so I guess there’s that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The thing about getting the whole run of Power of the Force is that it’s the good and the bad.  So, sure, there’s some cool ones, but then there’s this guy.  He’s not great.  The gimmick’s a soft one at best, and it’s not implemented all that well, and the end result is such a mangled take on R2 that it’s just hard to see why.  But, you know, it does at least make him unique.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3861: Oola & Salacious Crumb

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

OOLA & SALACIOUS CRUMB

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

The denizens of Jabba’s palace are just expansive a collection of colorful characters as those in the Mos Eisley Cantina, which makes covering them all in figure form just as tricky a feat.  In the case of Kenner’s ’90s Power of the Force, both locales got “playsets” leading to a need to release figures to populate them.  Some of them are easy enough to slot into your standard retail assortment, but some of them, less so.  Oola, Jabba’s first dancer seen in the film, is dressed in an outfit that’s deliberately meant to be provocative, making it an odd fit for a line of toys ostensibly aimed at kids.  This has made her something of a rarity in the toy world, as it requires more unique solutions than are typically afforded to an admittedly minor character.  Thus far, she’s gotten two figures, the first of which I’ll be taking a look at today, alongside that weird laughing lizard guy, Salacious Crumb!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Oola and Salacious Crumb were part of Kenner’s Power of the Force II, released in 1998 as a fan club-exclusive pairing. This would mark Oola’s first time as a figure, and Salacious’ second time, following a pack-in with the Jabba the Hutt playset in the vintage line. Oola’s the proper figure here, standing just under 3 3/4 inches tall and sporting 6 points of articulation.  She’s pretty standard for the line in terms of motion and build. Her sculpt was all-new and remained unique. Obviously, there’s some similarities between her and fellow Twi’lek dancer Lyn Me, but Oola is notably a lot less pre-posed, and her sculpt is notably a fair bit sharper in its detailing than Lyn Me’s. In particular, there’s quite a lot of attention paid to the mesh netting of her outfit, and also quite a lot of attention paid to the cleavage below it. Yeah, this was definitely for the fan club. There’s a pair of cloth-goods…I guess they’re leg warmers? It’s hard to imagine any portion of this outfit keeping anyone warm, but whatever. They’re nifty enough, though the change from the sculpted outfit to the cloth parts is a little bit jarring.  Not enough to ruin the figure, or anything, but enough to be jarring. The paint work on Oola is pretty solid, honestly. The meshwork is clean, and not too messy or gloppy, and it sells the look well in tandem with the sculpt. Salacious is billed as the second figure, but he’s really more an accessory than anything. He’s a pre-posed figurine, and honestly a bit large for proper scaling, but he at least looks the part. They re-used this same piece for Power of the Jedi, so clearly they liked it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This is a piece you don’t see *quite* as often as others from this line, so it didn’t land in front of me until relatively recently. “Recently” in this case meaning a little over two years ago, but the point still stands. Oola’s an interesting figure, given how rarely she shows up, and this version speaks to my collecting sensibilities. Salacious is more an accessory than anything, but he’s a cool one, and they both look very cool in the Palace display.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3857: Snowtrooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SNOWTROOPER with E-WEB HEAVY REPEATER BLASTER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

After wrapping up the first round of “Deluxe” figures, which were admittedly on the goofier, gimmicky toy side of things, Kenner’s later deluxe offerings on Power of the Force were instead more in line with the usual Star Wars toy approach of being more actually film accurate.  So, rather than heavy hitters with made up big accessories, we got characters who actually needed the larger scale set-up.  We got three figures, all kind of themed around the Hoth scenes from Empire.  I’ve already looked at the Probe Droid and the Rebel Trooper, so here’s the last of the the three with the Imperial Snowtrooper!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Snowtrooper with E-Web Heavy Repeater Blaster was added to Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line in 1997.  He was released the same year as the smaller single-card release Snowtrooper, but this one got a different accessory compliment.  The figure stands a little under 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The standard Snowtrooper was one of the more restricted figures in the line, and this version only scales that up further.  He’s got more of a squat to him, and he’s really only meant for interacting with his accessory.  The sculpt is at least internally consistent, so he fits right in with the standard release, making him a solid choice in regards to army building and the like.  His paint work is also pretty similar in its set-up, though I think the weathering’s a little bit heavier on this release versus the single.  That was true of the Rebel Trooper as well, so there’s some consistency there.  As with most of the deluxe figures, its the accessory set-up that *really* makes a difference.  As the name of the figure points out, this guy’s main set-up is the E-Web, a recurring Imperial armament, which is pretty cool.  It’s a sizable piece, and scales well with the figure, and it works well with the figure’s pre-posing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, I remember seeing this figure a lot growing up, but I never had one.  My cousin Patrick did, I know.  He was generally more of a Snowtrooper fan than I was, so it tracks.  This one is more of a “completing the set” purchase than anything.  It’s cool enough and very accurate, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most “meh” of the Deluxe figures in the line.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3853: Boba Fett – Deluxe

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

BOBA FETT with WING-BLAST ROCKET PACK and OVERHEAD CANNON

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“As a result of Luke Skywalker’s daring rescue of Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett was thrust into the Great Pit of Carkoon and presumed to be a victim of the dreaded Sarlacc. Sometimes later, the notorious bounty hunter was spotted on Nar Shaddaa with a menacing-looking weapons pack. Several rumors have been spread concerning his recent escape and present situation, the most prevalent one being that the Hutts have contracted him to capture Han Solo and Princess Leia alive for the death of Jabba.

A weapons master, Boba Fett has a veritable arsenal hidden throughout his Mandalorian armor. His new pack is reported to possess powerful turbo thrusters that provide prolonged atmospheric flight up to 500km per hour. Shielded battlewings open to reveal missile racks loaded with concussion rockets, while heavy-rotating blasters, similar to those mounted on Jabba’s sail barge, respond to optically-activated signals in the helmet. Certainly the deadliest feature of this device/vehicle is the bolstered proton torpedo launcher. It is estimated that this pack was designed and built by Boba Fett himself: besides that fact that not one of its kind has ever been seen before, the type and variety of its weaponry – few other than Fett would dare carry a proton torpedo on his back – suggest that this battle machine be a signature model of the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter.”

You know, I gotta say, I do love it when Kenner would get real wordy with the bios on the back of their figures.  These days, Star Wars figures are lucky to get maybe two sentences to themselves, but here’s this wacky variant Boba Fett that’s out here getting an entire post-RotJ storyline.  There’s two whole paragraphs!  That’s dope!  Also, it makes my intro easier, because look how many *words* there are.  Anyway, a while back, I looked at three of the four debut “Deluxe” figures from Power of the Force, which marked a rare instance of Kenner pushing their usual “toyetic” approach on Star Wars, but I never rounded out the set.  So, let’s do that now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Boba Fett with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon (which, yes, is his official name) was part of the first year of Deluxe figures from Kenner’s Star Wars: Power of the Force line in 1996.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 6 points of articulation.  Like the other three figures from the first year, Boba is effectively a tweaked version of the Series 1 Boba, but now with a big accessory you can strap onto him.  The core figure is sort of a merging of the standard and Shadows Boba molds, but also with a more neutral stance, which also makes him just the slightest bit taller.  Beyond that, it’s more or less the same figure, with more or less the same design elements.  It’s not terrible, but it’s also a little removed from accurate.  His color work follows the Series 1 set-up, putting him in specifically his Return of the Jedi colors, which, given the way the bio goes, makes a degree of sense.  It was also the look being most pushed by the multi-media side at the time, so that also makes him the most evergreen look, I suppose.  His main change-up is the inclusion of the “Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon,” which replaces his usual, more modest jet-pack.  It’s really big, and it makes him rather unstable, but I guess it’s…like, fun?  Is that allowed?  Are Star Wars figures allowed to be fun?  Eh, I’ll allow it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I was a kid, I wasn’t much of a Fett guy myself, but my cousin Rusty was.  With that in mind, I bought him one of these for his birthday the year they came out, but, unfortunately, someone else had done the same.  He told me I should open it, and it was his birthday, so I did.  And since I’d opened it and it couldn’t be returned for another gift, I ended up keeping it.  Well, just the core figure.  I never had the backpack.  And, honestly, I didn’t have the core figure for long either, as I lost him somewhere along the way.  The one here in the review is the result of quite a hunt.  See, I found the figure and the backpack with ease, but the launcher and the missile seem to be the one thing that goes missing every time. At one point, I even got my hands on a sealed one, and that one was somehow missing the missile and launcher *in the package.*  As you can see, though, I did eventually find a complete one.  He’s goofy and silly, but he’s neat.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3849: Kabe & Muftak

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

KABE & MUFTAK

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE (KENNER)

The ’90s run of Power of the Force has a pretty impressive depth to it, making it the first really notable example of getting a bunch of figures based on all the blin-and-you’ll-miss-them aliens that appear in the original trilogy.  Obviously, it was just sort of the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Hasbro would do as the line expanded, but there are still a number of characters who got their first figures under PotF and haven’t yet gotten a follow-up.  Today’s entry, which focuses on two patrons of the Mos Eisley cantina, is kind of in line with that.  So, let’s look at Kabe and Muftak.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Kabe and Muftak were an online-exclusive Star Wars: Power of the Force release, made available on Hasbro’s direct shop in 1998.

Kabe here is the smaller of the two included figures, putting her somewhere in the area of Jawa sizing in terms of scale. She’s technically the more fortunate of the two figures, having gotten a second figure after this one (though that one was really just a minor repaint of this one).  The figure stands 2 1/2 inches tall and she has 4 points of articulation.  Since she’s got that long robe over the legs, she get no movement there, with movement ending at the waist.  It does at least make her a rather stable figure.  Her sculpt is fine.  It’s a little rough, for sure.  A lot of the Power of the Force figures are somewhat dated looking, but still look finalized, but Kabe is…well, she feels a little bit unfinished.  I think it may be partly to do with the available reference material, or rather the lack of it, since she’s not exactly a highly visible character.  But, it’s at leas rather unique, so I guess there’s that.  The vest is a separate piece, so you can remove it for a bit more customizability, and perhaps give it to another smaller creature?  I do rather like her paint work, which adds quite a bit of accenting, and really helps to offset the more unfinished nature of the sculpt.  Kabe is packed with a sci-fi knife thingy.

Muftak is the one-and-done of the set (though the sculpt was re-used in the Saga Collection line for Foul Moudama, from Clone Wars), so there’s more riding on this one?  Also he’s a lot larger.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  He’s very tall, but not very posable.  But, he’s also a bit pre-posed.  So there’s that.  I do like that one elbow swivel he’s got.  He’s sporting an at the time unique sculpt.  It’s actually quite a nice sculpt.  The fur detailing is solid, showing a better flow than most of the Chewbaccas from the line, and his generally unique look is sold rather well.  He’s also just nice and solid-feeling, and stands really well on his own.  Just a lot of wins there.  The paint’s not bad.  There’s same accenting and shading on the fur, which is perhaps a touch heavy in some spots, but overall works quite well.  Muftak is packed with a larger blaster pistol, which he can rather awkwardly hold in his left hand, if you’re so inclined.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m firmly in the group of people that would probably have no clue these characters even existed were it not for the figures.  And, also the decision to go completist on this line.  The web exclusives can be a bit spotty on ease of access, mostly because so many people ignored them for so long.  They’re not expensive, but they’re rarer to show up.  I snagged these two, loose, from a sizable Star Wars collection traded into All Time a couple of years ago.  Kabe’s nothing much to write home about, but Muftak’s honestly pretty cool.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0026: Princess Leia Organa as Boushh

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Flashback Friday Figure Addendum and tagged with , , , , , ,

PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA as BOUSHH

STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE (KENNER)

For our second Flashback Friday Figure Addendum that’s actually back on a Friday, I’m following up on a thing from last week, and doing another Star Wars follow-up.  Heck, it’s even another Shadows of the Empire follow-up, because that’s how I roll…you know, right now specifically.  Anyway, let’s revisit Leia as Boushh!

“After Han Solo was captured by Boba Fett, several attempts were made on Luke Skywalker’s life which threatened the future of the Rebellion. Princess Leia Organa and Chewbacca sought to protect the young Jedi, and traveled to Coruscant to follow up leads surrounding these attempts. They hoped to draw from the extreme intelligence gathering network of the Black Sun, a criminal organization whose operations extended to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Because Coruscant is the homeworld of the Empire- a dangerous place for any member of the Rebel Alliance- Leia disguised herself as the renowned Ubesian bounty hunter Boushh. Boushh’s helmet concealed her entire face while a built-in voxscrambler altered her voice to resemble that of an Ubesian; a false I.D. and code taken from Black Sun completed her disguise and provided a safe level of anonymity. Little did she know that Prince Xizor, Underlord of Black Sun, was behind the murder attempts on Skywalker, and had his sights set on Leia as well.”

Long bio there.  How do you follow that, amirite?  Um, so, yeah, today’s another Star Wars review. Yaaaay.  This time around I’m taking a look at another Princess Leia figure, specifically the one from that time she pretended to be a bounty hunter.  Everybody loves bounty hunters!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Leia in Boushh disguise was released not as part of the main Power of the Force II line, but instead as part of the basic assortment of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (she would later see a re-release on a standard PotF2 green card, though).  She has the notoriety of being the only movie-based figure in the line-up.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  As with the PotF2 Slave Leia figure, this Leia is a bit on the tall side.  This was a recurring issue early into this line; at least they were consistent, right?  Leia sports a unique sculpt. It’s fairly decent for the time, being only slightly pre-posed and generally pretty decently proportioned.  It captures the look from the movie pretty well, and only makes minor stylistic adjustments.  The thermal detonator in her left hand is permanently attached, which removes a little bit of versatility from the figure, but given how integral that piece is to her intro in Jedi, I’m willing to give them a pass.  The head doesn’t exactly look like Carrie Fisher, but it also doesn’t look like a chimpanzee, which puts it ahead of most of the Leias of the time.  The paintwork on Leia is generally pretty solid.  The colors match well enough with what we see on-screen, and the application is all pretty clean.  Leia was packed with a removable helmet and half-cape to complete her Boushh look, as well as the usual staff, which according to the packaging is actually a blaster rifle.  Who knew?  I certainly didn’t.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This wasn’t my first Leia (that was the monkey-faced ANH version), but this figure has the distinction of being my go-to Leia for most of my childhood.  I actually don’t 100% recall where this figure came from.  She was probably a gift, likely for my birthday, but that’s really just me making an educated guess.  Nevertheless, this was my favorite Leia for a good long while, and is the strongest of the ’90s Leia figures.  This figure is pretty much single-handedly responsible for my love of Leia as Boushh.

This review was actually my very first Shadows figure, tempered a bit, I suppose, by the fact that she’s one of the two that pulled double duty between Shadows and the main line.  I don’t remember specifically where mine came from, but I do recall that purple card, so I know she was the Shadows release.  This review stuck to brevity, but not in a bad way.  I think I was honestly pretty on point here.  When I reviewed her, she was the antithesis of Luke, who had his weapon and half-cape, but no helmet, in that she had the helmet, but not the other things.  Thankfully, I was able to locate the missing parts in the mean time, so she’s all complete again.  The cape likes to pop out of place a lot, but she’s otherwise still a very nice figure, and remains my favorite Leia of this era.