2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Saga Legends
Item No.: Asst. A3857 No. A5793
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #SL09
Includes: Rocket pack, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: December 2013
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: Boba Fett is the bounty hunter who successfully tracks down Han Solo. One of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon, Fett tracks Han to Bespin and leaves the planet with the carbonite-frozen Solo in his possession. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
Commentary: This is the Boba Fett that we all were hoping we would get in 1995. When The Power of the Force collection came back, a 5-jointed expertly-sculpted figure is really what we all thought would be a reasonable thing for the relaunch - and Kenner gave us six joints, and for the day pretty good sculpting too. Of course in 2013 everything old is utter garbage to most fans, so it's worth saying that this new version of Boba Fett is pretty good.
So! New sculpt. Boba Fett is the thinnest he's been in years, and feels right at home as a quasi-vintage action figure. The pose isn't quite retro, but it's close. The arms hang at the sides out a bit, and the helmet seems to be more inspired by the unused appearance of the armored bounty hunter from The Clone Wars - note the points on his visor. Normally, Boba Fett has squared-off edges on his visor. It wouldn't surprise me at all if, at some stage of development, this figure was meant to be a "realistic" version of animated Boba Fett. The lighter cloth around his chest armor stands out quite well, and I expect that the grey flight suit will continue to infuriate those who would prefer to see the more blue tinted version used on the movies. Me, I'm fine with the grey. Close enough. The neck is swivel-only, which, again, is good enough. There's no articulation ont he rangefinder.
Deco is good, but light overall - there's not a lot of damage here and a few markings on his backpack were left off. I suppose this was done to keep these at $5.99, but there's part of me that would love to see what $1 more could do for the paint here. The EE-3 gun is completely unpainted and smaller than most other releases, making it unique and visually distinct from the others. It's not a perfect fit in his hands, which for this line I thought was more of a requirement - these should be the best toys Hasbro has done, although I suppose it's not like the original 1979 Boba Fett was fantastic about keeping a grip on his gun either. I've had no problems getting the figure to stand, or shoving him into the new mini Slave I that's all the rage with collectors who are not you. (I like it.)
This is a very different figure from the 2012 Battle Pack Boba Fett, which also has 5 joints. The 2012 figure has a ball-jointed head, a separate piece for the cape, a second smaller blaster, and a more beefy build. The 2013 figure is much skinnier and seems more like the actual actor on-screen. 2012 is also taller, and has a far more intricate paint job. For his vehicle compatibility, I really like the 2013 model. For shelf presence, 2012 wins hands-down. 2012 can also hold his gun more easily, the 2013 figure's hands have index fingers too fat for the trigger guards.
For six bucks, if you see it, you're going to buy it. What I say means nothing, it's a $6 new Boba Fett with probably the best proportions yet. Seeing his gauntlets or backpack with more paint would be wonderful, or perhaps a strange redeco or two - for example, 1979 Kenner colors with a red and yellow gauntlet. I'd buy that. Hasbro did a nice job designing the figure so that his cape and Wookiee scalps don't get in the way, but the gun's lack of true compatibility with the hand is frustrating. It's so close! The other figures are perfect fits, too. Ah well. Go ahead and get one.
Collector's Notes: I got this from Entertainment Earth in early December. I have not seen it in stores yet.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,066: December 23, 2013
2 comments:
Pass
Seems like a return to the barrel-chest that so turned me off in the pre-2000s Fetts. Not for me.
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