BOBA FETT vs. IG-88
Shadows of the Empire Comic Pack Assortment
Item No.: Asst. 69590 No. 69568
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, rocket pack, cape, IG-88 figure, comic book
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: Summer 1996
Appearances: Shadows of the Empire & The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Boba Fett, infamous bounty hunter and weapons master, vanished from sight after Darth Vader turned over the frozen body of Han Solo. Boba Fett was expected to deliver his bounty to Jabba the Hutt's palace on the planet Tatooine some time ago. Knowing the value of his shipment and the various hunters determined to take it from him, Fett disappeared into the mists of the galaxy's Outer Rim to bide his time. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and Princess Leia search the galaxy for his ship, Slave I, with the hopes of freeing Solo from his carboinite prison, Fearless, clever, and always full of surprises, even the Empire cannot pinpoint this master hunter's whereabouts. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Standing in front of the very column you are presently reading. Oh my God, he's from the future, not the past!

Commentary: People went nuts for Boba Fett when Kenner launched the modern line, hailing the first release as a work of art and this then-new release as its superior sequel. As you can see, it's a repainted and partially retooled version of the late-2005 release, and the first-ever Boba Fett action figure in Empire Strikes Back-specific coloring. Note the bland, all-green rocket pack, green gauntlets, and white hands. Thrilling. Oh, and it's worth noting that Boba Fett's right fist is permanently molded into a circle, so his fingers and thumb are indeed fused together. Sliding the gun in his grip can be a little tricky, and some fans simply snipped them apart-- so be wary of these damaged "custom" figures if you decided to buy this figure out of his original packaging.

The figure seems to have no neck because of the cape clamping around his very small collar, and, as you've noticed, he's a little beefy. He only has 6 points of articulation, and he had a new method of connecting his rocket pack. The vintage 1970s figure was given a permanently attached jetpack, but this one slid on a T-shaped bar on the back, which was kept for all Boba Fett figures through Power of the Jedi... after which Hasbro went back to the old round hold-and-peg design which doesn't hold on nearly as well, nor is it as sturdy. This was a great design that, sadly, went unexploited-- with this unique shaped connector, Hasbro could have made a T-shaped bar in the Slave I on which to hang it, or used the bar on the figure's back to better connect it to other unique original accessories. Oh well. It's still a decent figure, but since it was upgraded as the "300th Edition Boba Fett" in 2000, it doesn't stand out too much. An even better version of the ESB armor is coming in an Evolutions set that's due to ship in just a few weeks.

Collector's Notes: This was a pretty slick set, as it also included the first-ever modern IG-88. Since the armor coloring was different, fans didn't really gripe about being "forced" to buy a second Boba Fett just to get the bounty hunter droid. It set a precedent, for better or worse, that showed fans would indeed rebuy things were similar to what they had to get a new figure-- hence most of the figures we reviewed in the past 30 days. ( MORE IMAGES )

Day 604: December 31, 2007