From Wookiepedia :
It was at the Yavin Base that Skywalker first became an official member of the Rebel Alliance. He spent much time in the base's flight simulators, showcasing his piloting skills for the Rebellion's leaders. In several simulations he was opposed by an entire starfleet and was killed only twice. Red Leader Garven Dreis, after inspecting Skywalker's simulator results with Vanden Willard, approached him and told him how impressed he was with his abilities. Dreis welcomed him as a member of Red Squadron, gave him his own T-65 X-wing starfighter, and assigned him as Red Five.[34] It was Keyan Farlander who showed Luke the basics of flying an X-wing.
Before Hasbro announces their Star Wars Black 6" lines, I was first introduce to this scale of Star Wars action figures from 3A. 3A has submitted 2 samples of a fully articulated 1/12 scale (6") Boba Fett and Stormtrooper to LucasArt for licence application. These samples from 3A are impressive as they have real cloth gear and have almost the equal amount of articulation of a standard 1/6 (12") action figure. 3A wasn't granted the license eventually.
But 6" Star Wars action figure has already managed to intrigue my interest. Now that Hasbro has released their Black Series of Star Wars 6" action figures, I kinda understand now why 3A wasn't granted the license. Hasbro probably still has a say, I supposed, on having first dip in making and selling Star Wars merchandise.
First wave of the 6" Black Series consist of a Sandtrooper (Orange Pouldron), Luke Pilot, R2-D2 and Darth Maul and it cost S$39.9 each (US$20 retailing in the US).
I've managed to catch a Sandtrooper and Luke Pilot at a retail outlet. Pretty much all I wanted for this initial wave. So I'm a happy camper :)
My first impression and thoughts is, if 3A is to do this, there will have no exposed joints. Of course, the price point could be more but I think I'm willing to pay more to have cloth gear.
Luke is like a 3.75" figure shot with a "grow-big" ray gun. Everything is molded from top to toe. Fully expected hence no surprises. With it being bigger, more details were put into it.
The Good :
Cloth part were sculpted nicely to make it look like natural fabric. A black paint wash was also given to the figure further enhances the details.
The scale doesn't dissapoint. It is a handful and some, and it looks very good on display.
Helmet decals are painted exquisitely. And it fits seamlessly onto Luke's head.
Light Saber blade is detachable form the hilt. So you can actually hang the hilt on the belt. It has come to be expected anyway since 3.75" figures are already having this function.
Depends on how you see it, molded suit is good in a way that when doing posing, there is no additional hassle of worrying if the clothing (if cloth) are naturally clung. Just twist and fitch your figure to any dynamic pose without a care for things falling apart. Adds to the fun factor.
The Not So Good :
Luke headsculpt were sculpted based on ANH movie version. The head wasn't too big, not that small either. I think more details can be sculpted in but Luke just had a smooth (and flat) porcelene face. Eyes were painted in a straight forward, no fuss way. However, it is a toy first and foremost. I can accept such levels.
The exposed joints are unsightly, especially the up-down joint on the neck. But there doesn't seem to have a way around it unless cloth gear are used. And I'm a stickler for articulations hence sacrificing some looks for a good poseable figure, I'm all for it.
A Blaster Pistol is given but there are nowhere on the figure to holster it. Understood it is not part of the X-Wing pilot gear design but I don't think anyone will complain if Hasbro also give us a removable belt with a pistol holster. In that way, we can chose to have it on or off as we desire.
I don't want to outright say "Bad" cos it isn't. Just not good enough.
As you can see there are holes on the connecting joints part. Gives me the feeling that Hasbro just isn't caring enough. The pins are not extending to the edge of the part, Hasbro can actually design a blind hole instead of a through hole. Now Luke felt even more like a robot with those exposed hinge.
Weapons can be molded with a stronger plastic instead of employing the same rubbery material. Understood there are child safety regulations to abide but I don't think a 2yr old toddler will be playing with these figures. Not so prevailing on a short pistol but it looks awkward for a Stormtrooper Blaster rifle which are crooked.
Conclusion is the good outweigh the less desirable. Still a darn good figure to have.
A visual for size comparison.
There are still so many awesome Star Wars character to make into 6" figures (but Hasbro, please make sure to have Chewbacca and Darth Vader to be at least 6.5" - 7").
But hope Hasbro review their pricing for smaller size characters ie R2-D2, Yoda, Jawa, Ewoks and some others. Not fair to price them same as normal humanoid size figures. Maybe S$29.9 or lower?
So far for wave 2, we will see Slave Girl Leia, Greedo, Han Solo (ANH) and Boba Fett (ESB). We have also seen preview from SDCC there are a Luke Bespin and a Stormtrooper in the future. Finally, a Speeder Bike with Biker Scout vehicle/figure set is also on the cards per the grapevine.
Gamorrean Guards, Emperor Royal Guards, Tie Pilot, AT-AT Pilot, Snowtrooper are just some of the few I really look forward to appearing in the 1/12 scale catalogue. But do it slow and steady, rush job is never good job.
I'm almost certain this will boost Hasbro's coffers in a very positive ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment