Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,124: Han Solo (Star Wars Rebels Saga Legends)

HAN SOLO Bespin Jacket
Star Wars Rebels Saga Legends
Item No.: Asst. A3857 No. B0686
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #SL24
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: March 2015
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Due to the changeover to multilingual packaging, there is no bio nor is there space for a bio.  Viva globalism.

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: Over the next few months we're going to get a lot of new figures, including more updates of Han Solo.  It's largely very good, and serves as a nice update of the original Kenner figure minus the articulation you've come to expect.  You get 5 joints and a pretty good sculpt that balances nicely between things like standing unassisted, and sitting.  The likeness is OK and the coloring is pretty good.  The jacket looks nice, the pants have the right striping, and despite living in an era of limited deco the figure has turned out pretty dang nice.  Han has no problems holding his gun, which fits snuggly in the holster.   In short, this is a good toy figure that looks good on your desk.  Even the hair looks decent, which isn't too common.

Interaction with vehicles is also surprisingly good. I tested this Han Solo figure in the 3 major Millennium Falcon toys of the modern era, and he fits just fine in the 1995 POTF2, 2004 OTC, or 2007 Legacy versions.  Yes, even the big one - he fits in the chair just fine and his gun holster doesn't get in the way. That takes some doing!  Nice job, Hasbro.  With good wrinkles in the jackets, boots that seem fairly realistic in terms of how they're settling on the figure, and a decent expression, it's a perfectly good Han Solo toy.  I dare say it's one of the best in recent memory and easily one of my favorites to futz with, but if you need ankle and knee joints this is a giant step back.   For a good desk figure, get this one.  For a good figure for your vehicles, get this one.  I like what Hasbro did here in the era of rising price points, because this is a pretty great figure for $6.  It's arguably not much worse than what we got for $5-$6 in the 1990s in terms of articulation... and it's much better in terms of sculpt and engineering.  Get one if you can for $6-$10, but if the secondary market prices are high it's arguably not worth a premium.   (Although if you told me I'd have to pay $20 to order it from overseas, and there was no hope of a local purchase option, I'd buy it with a smile.  If it were $10 at a local store, I'd be furious.)

Collector's Notes: I got this from Entertainment Earth.  I saw this wave at a Toys R Us last Friday.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,124: March 17, 2015