Figure of the Day: Day 655
2/20/2008 12:33:45 PM - Adam

IG-88 Bounty Hunter
30th Anniversary Collection Vintage Figures
Item No.:
Asst. 87295 No. 87309
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Two blasters, blade, bandolier
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Spring 2007
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: IG-88 was an assassin droid line designed by Holowan Laboratories. The IG-88 line was a derivative of the IG-100 MagnaGuard droids used as bodyguards by General Grievous and the IG Lancer Droids used by Durge during the Clone Wars. IG-88 later became one of the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunters. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Fans have complained-- and rightly so-- that most of the modern IG-88 action figures were mostly based on the 1980s Kenner figure. Well, this one decided to go all-out and be brand new. With tons of points of articulation, the droid has never been more poseable. (Assuming you get one without any bad joints, I was not so lucky.) The figure is probably the single most ambitious sculpt ever seen out of Hasbro, and at $10, it feels about right. The detail is incredible, the paint is awesome, the guns are decorated quite well, and there's even a knife-- a first for IG-88 in this size. The height seems right, the head looks perfect, and there's no doubt that this action figure had more points of articulation than the actual prop from the film. For the most part, this figure approaches perfection without getting there. The problem with making a figure with tons of options is that there are more opportunities for something to not work out. In this case, there's a holster on his back for his blaster. According to Hasbro, some last-minute tooling by the factory caused some problems, and the end result was a non-functional holster. Still, that's a pretty minor problem, but it really is unfortunate when Hasbro gets so frustratingly close to the perfect IG-88. As mentioned above, some of the joints stick-- and at times, no amount of boiling, freezing, or other customizer tricks can help them. I've experienced this on a few figures over the years, especially recently, so I would suggest that if you want to buy the figure to open, try and find a loose one. That way you can check all the joints without any surprises.

Collector's Notes: Released in what is presently the final wave of "vintage" figures, the assortment stuck around in some areas-- although this was one of the more popular figures. A shining example of Hasbro trying to go above and beyond what is expected out of a figure in this scale, it can still be had without too much difficulty. Especially online. A retooled version of this robot will supply the base of the upcoming Lancer Droid figure.



Day 655: February 20, 2008


Galactic Hunter.com
http://www.galactichunter.com/