Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,032: Han Solo (Endor, The Retro Collection)

HAN SOLO (Endor, Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6866 No. F7276
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, coat
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: February 2023
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

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Commentary: As a kid, Han Solo (Endor) was a figure that took me a long time to get - you just couldn't stumble over one in the flea markets, antique shows, or garage sales of the late 1980s. I think mine cost me the then-princely sum of $10, and that's about what this 2023 release costs. You lucky devils. While not as crisply sculpted as the 1984 original, and while the skin in the head is a little more ghostly, it's still pretty good.

Luke looks almost like a different sculpt, I think Leia was a different head, and Lando's sufficiently different - but Han? Han looks like someone really worked hard to get the painted facial details right. The sculpt is a little crisper than the other guys in the wave, but you can still see some softness and weirdness, particularly in the vest. It feels like the figure, with his five points of articulation, suffered a little generation loss when being copied for a modern figure - but we've seen worse. The sculpted wrinkles on the shirt and pants are good, but not as deep as the original. They still stand out as being better than most of the retro guys, but weirdly, the right hand was not improved in its design to hold a blaster. Other figures improved this a bit here and there, but not Han. His pose was also altered slightly, as a 1984 original's left hand will rest a bit on his hip when it hangs down. The 2023 version swings by without touching it.

Sadly, some of the figure's original texture is completely gone. Han 1984 had a bit of a feel on his vest and the 2023 one is flat and shiny. The pants and shirt are pretty similar, but the hair definitely lost some sculpted detail in the reissue process. I kind of prefer the new hair color, though, the brown just looks a little bit better.

I would say this is one of the better reissue retro figures, even if he's not perfect. If the face skin was a little less translucent and the right hand was a little better at holding the gun, I'd say this is a winner. The coat is good - it might even be a good replacement for a lost original's, despite not being the same. I guess Hasbro can't (or doesn't want to) perfectly replicate the past, but at least they came close enough that I don't feel a little insulted or hurt by it.

Hasbro, if you're reading - I'd love to see you guys do a "retro remastered" line with slightly better colors, revised sculpts, and improved things like hands that can better grip the accessories. I'd pay. I think others would too, especially if they came on non-weathered cardbacks (make 'em j-hooks if you gotta, or leave out the punched hole completely.) And remember, Return of the Jedi is 40 - that means any kid who was old enough to see this in the theater is also over 40. The nostalgia window is shrinking.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,032: May 25, 2023