Hasbro
Released July, 2004
Reviewed by Adam Pawlus
Photography by Michael Sullenger
Reviewed on August 11, 2004
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Fans asked for new versions of a 12" Boba Fett constantly, and now Hasbro seems only too happy to deliver. This new version is the third release of the character in this size in the modern line and it has its pros and its cons. Outside the absence of a neck, it may be the best so far.

The figure includes a rifle, and a removable jetpack.

Sculpt/Articulation/Paint

Boba Fett has a lot of parts swiped from the Jango Fett 12" figure from 2002 as well as a lot of new pieces. The gun seems to be recycled, but hey, it's a 12" Fett.

Due to the bulk of the armor and the proprietary hands attached to said armor, this isn't exactly the most posable figure ever. Actually, on the whole, you won't be able to get a lot of poses out of it, but you can have it do enough that you won't be too disappointed with it.

The range of motion for the legs is superb, and the head can look pretty much any way you want. The arms are fairly good, but the wrist articulation is maimed by the way the gloves are stuck to the wrist armor, thus freezing him into a few potential poses. Then again, maybe your sample will be a little more free-moving than ours, but fusing these pieces together seemed like a bad choice given that you just can't get much out of him as a result.

The helmet in and of itself is great, as it looks like the sculpt and deco were all top notch. The rangefinder has a few problems because of how the toy is packaged with clear rubber bands as, at times, it can get a little bent. Still, it's nothing you can't fix with a little bit of work.

While the body suit is more or less right on the money, the armor built on top of it has a few flaws. The bulk of the chestplate and shoulder guards prevents the helmet from rising up a little, or at least having the illusion that it's sitting a little higher. As such, Boba Fett may as well be called No-Neck.

The figure looks right, and in the box is pretty flawless. As Hasbro obviously designed these to stay in the box, it might be best to consider that when considering the purchase of this figure.

Above, three of the four 12" Boba Fett figures. As you can see, this one is much smaller than the original.

Accessories

The set includes one blaster and one backpack.

The jetpack turned out fairly well, but as this is modeled after his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back it's a fairly bland color scheme. The important thing, though, is that Hasbro got it right and for that we shall be happy. It doesn't fire or anything, but it looks good.

The rifle seems to be recycled from previous 12" Fetts, so it probably won't do much to excite customizers or those wanting something different. Oh well, eh?

Packaging

As you can see, a lot of money went into the packaging.

As you can see, the vintage-style replica box is packed inside a much larger box, much like the 40th Anniversary 12" G.I. Joe figures. The front does nothing to take away from the box reproduction, and the back is very much like the smaller OTC and VOTC figures.

The smaller box is quite similar to the original box, but not identical. Obviously, copyrights were changed, but less obviously, the box is smaller than the original by virtue of the fact that the figure is also much smaller. The photos of the 1979 Boba Fett have been replaced by the modern figure but aside from that, it really isn't all that different. There's also an insert underneath the box flap to show other currently available modern figures, which is amusing as most people probably will never see it.

The 12" Vintage figures probably have the best packaging out there today, or at the very least the most ornate. It's hard to fault, and it looks spectacular.

Availability

He's showing up in stores now, but he's also selling out really fast-- you can usually tell where he's been because a couple of Lukes are left behind. Keep looking, though, because he'll be shipping for a while.

Fin

For $30, he seems to be priced about right. A typical 12" figure is $20-$25, and the extra few dollars for the packaging makes sense. Unless, of course, you like to open your toys in which case this is a bit much. The boxes are neat and worth holding on to just because they look cool, though, so if you have the money and like the large figures you might want to get this one. If all you want is a big Boba Fett for your collection, though, this probably isn't the one for you-- there's a lot of competing items out there that might better suit your needs.

Our sample was obtained from Entertainment Earth in July 2004.