HAN SOLO in Carbonite
Power of the Force Dioramas
Item No.: Asst. 84040 No. 84068
Number: n/a
Includes: Pop-up diorama, melted carbonte block, handcuffs
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: Early 1999
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: As one of a species known to live for atleast one thousand years, Jabba the Hutt had plenty of time to build up his ill-gotten empire. No other crime lord lived in such luxurious, palatial surroundings, where his every need was immediately attended to by members of his court and a large collection of slaves. The repulsive, slug-like Hutt had his fingers in just about every unseemly activity known, from elaborate smuggling operations to his early days on Tatooine when gambling on Podraces was as big as the sport itself. (Taken from the box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: Oh, Han Solo. The mid- to late-1990s were not kind to you. With what I believe to be the worst facial expression on a Han Solo figure ever (and one of the worst of all time, period), this release came with something that made it easy to overlook its flaws. But we'll get to that later, it's flaw o'clock. Han's face is ugly. Freakishly so. What the heck were they thinking? Sure, it's expressive, but not only does it not look like Harrison Ford, I'm not even sure what it's supposed to look like. The figure did add articulation to the mix, which is a good thing-- his arms had a swivel joint so he could be handcuffed easily. Not that this is an ideal pose you'd want for your figure, but hey, it's a nice option to have right? The figure isn't overly tall, and is basically fodder for your junk drawer. It's just an unpleasant figure, especially as the 1997 Han Solo in Carbonite had a better head. Thankfully, this figure came with one of the best extras of all time.

The best extra of all time: Did I mention this figure was boxed with a massive 25-inch wide display environment? A paperboard foldable Jabba's Palace was included, and event hough a Return of the Jedi Jabba the Hutt would not see release until 2004, this provided a great throne for him. There's room for everything here-- well, almost. There's so many aliens available that 25-inches of space isn't enough, but at the time, it was almost plenty. While the figure may be a boring piece of junk, the diorama is one of the few must-buy items in the entire line. If you own figures from Jabba's Palace, and do not own this diorama, do yourself a favor and get it. You can get it for $5-$20 on eBay, and I have to say, as a collector, this set is easily worth paying $25 for. It's just that good.

Collector's Notes: This Han Solo action figure never saw an additional run, but that's for the best. The main reason to track this figure down is for the melted carbonite accessory and the super-cool pop-up diorama, which is one of the finest things Hasbro or Kenner cranked out in the modern line. And the sad thing is, it was almost 10 years ago since we got one of these. A third diorama-- a Rebel Flight Deck-- was scheduled to be released but never saw production, and it's not even known how far along it got in preproduction yet. ( MORE IMAGES )

Day 540: October 28, 2007