Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,065: Boba Fett (Comic Art Edition, The Vintage Collection)

BOBA FETT (Comic Art Edition - Death, Lies, and Treachery)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F8071
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #278
Includes: Pistol, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $22.99 $20.99
Availability: August 2023
Appearances: Boba Fett: Death, Lies, and Treachery

Bio: Survival in the unforgiving desert of Tatooine requires strict training and discipline for the members of a Tusken tribe. Led by a chieftain, each member of the clan must learn to be useful. (Taken from marketing copy. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I get cranky when figures get marked down between when I ordered them, and when I get them. Boba Fett (Comic Edition) appears to be one of these. Based on the Cam Kennedy art from the various Bar-Kooda/Ry-Kooda comics where Boba Fett fights Herglic whaleians, this figure has no cape but charges you more money than the $12.99 you paid for the mold when it was a Return of the Jedi deco a couple of years ago. I'm a little cranky.

In a scenario where money is no object, it's a pretty good figure - we get a repaint with some extra comic-like black ink on it that, I have to admit, is pretty spiffy. Previous comic figures played mostly with comic-inspired colors, with a few - very few - like Darth Vader from the Comic Packs [FOTD #936] really leaning in to "blue is black" newsprint colors. (I love it. I'd buy a The Black Series Vader in those colors if it was $25 or under.) This Boba Fett might have also better served the large-format figure, especially at $25-$27, mostly so you can really enjoy the shading on his right-hand sides. The belt, chest, helmet, and knee pads have some dark shadows, while the figure has a yellow belt to match his shoulder and knee pads. The gauntlets and helmet match the green chest armor, with a bright blue body that's little more saturated than the Kenner colors. Meanwhile, his jetpack seems to be not entirely unlike the Kenner one with the dark blue on the outside and a core brighter blue color up the middle, except with a green rocket.

Articulation is pretty good for his time, which is unfortunately right before Hasbro gave us newer and better hip joints. You get thigh cuts, but the hips are those bend-and-swivel ones that are pretty hard to pose. The wrists also bend-and-swivel, with rocker ankles and a decent torso joint that fits in with his armor. The helmet pivots nicely, and if it weren't a "last gen" style of articulation you could probably making this a case for the very best version of this character with this deco that could ever exist. It's also available in Marvel and Kenner-inspired colorways, and I wouldn't be shocked to see another one come to pass in the next few months. But for now, you can appreciate the separately-molded hoses on his arms and a look that probably would have been sold as "Night Bounty Boba Fett" were it a recolored Kenner figure in the 1990s. I find myself wishing I lived in the timeline where we got wacky toys of Star Wars at kid toy prices, but serious collectors seem to be buying this figure on-sight and it doesn't seem to be rotting on pegs near me. That's good for the Hasbro and Target bottom line.

It's a great figure for comic fans and I would probably love to get a second one (at a lower price) to try to see if I can get Cam Kennedy to sign if I am ever at a convention where he is also present, but given that he's 78 I'm not hopeful. I dug his art and I like what Hasbro did with this figure, so absolutely get one if you see one for a fair price.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. I was charged $22.99 for my pre-order from December 2022, but in-stock orders seem to be $20.99. Maybe you should wait for exclusives now.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,065: September 19, 2023