Ahhhhyay. Assoalyal-ee-kool-prah-toh kahn kee boong, loopung chona lee pah! Ho, ho, ho…
The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and gladly offers you the reward of this look at his Star Wars: The Black Series action figure. I picked up quite a lot of swag at SDCC this year, but one of my most anticipated “gets” for the Con was certainly Jabba the Hutt. The Star Wars Black Series line is an absolute dream come true for me, and while it is not perfect, I am having a great time collecting the first ever SW line at my preferred scale. Much like the Marvel Legends Thanos Imperative set, I needed some help from some good people to get it, but there was just no way I was going to let the convention pass without getting the most famous (and infamous) intergalactic gangster slug we have ever known.
Jabba the Hutt is one of those seminal Star Wars characters: there are very few people in the western world that don’t know exactly who he is. His design and scenes in the SW movies are so memorable that he becomes etched in your brain from the first time you meet him. Originally not appearing until Return of the Jedi, the mystery of Jabba haunted Star Wars fans for years before he was revealed to be more disgusting and evil than we could have ever imagined. Well, Hasbro has taken the opportunity to bring him to plastic in way that holds true to his nasty form, and any self-respecting Star Wars collection is incomplete without him.
I know, making such a pivotal character as convention exclusive is kind of a low blow, but the good news is that Jabba himself is also available at the mass market in the regular Black Series line. What makes this figure exclusive is the fact that you get plussed-up packaging, his “fat slug” leaning rail, hookah, and little slime bag/personal yes-man Salacious Crumb in the set as well. For these added features you get the pleasure of fighting into the Hasbro line at the con, or hoping you hit the jackpot on Hasbro Toy Shop, as well as a plussed-up price of about $80.00 (compared to the standard forty bucks). For some, that might seem like a bit much for some (arguably) non-essential bonuses, but I am glad to have this set, for sure.
As with most of the Black Series releases thus far, Gentle Giant did a great job capturing Jabba in plastic. The likeness is spot-on and Hasbro seems to have stepped up a bit in the paint department as he has more applications than normal — they even included his tattoo. So, while paint and sculpt are good, I do have a couple of bones to pick in the overall engineering of the figure. He has about as much articulation as you would expect from a giant slug (mostly in the arms), but he also has a “waist” twist. I wish the latter was more disguised in his corpulent physique because it just looks like a big cut now.
Jabba also has an action feature, and I am not a big fan of that, and for a couple of reasons. First, his mouth moves when you push down on the arms, so it is certainly not very exciting. I mean, it is kind of fun, but if this was even a tribute to the old Kenner figure, it should really be his tail that moves, not his mouth. Second, because his mouth does move, a soft material needed to be used for the head, so Jabba’s dome is covered in a very rubbery plastic. I am sad to say that it kind of reminds me of the old Toy Biz Cave Troll from their Lord of the Rings line, and that is not a good thing if you are familiar with “face rot.” I mean, it does not feel as soft and squishy as the troll’s face, but I am still worried about its durability over time. I would suggest being cautious and not leaving this Hutt anywhere near direct sunlight on your shelf.
As I said, it is really the rail, hookah, and Salacious Crumb that make this set exclusive. To me, having Crumb is absolutely essential since he a unique character, so I am sad he, at least, is not included in the standard release. He is well-sculpted, and like Jabba, his likeness is great. He is articulated at the arms, neck and hips, but he doesn’t really pose outside of a sitting position. That is fine for me, I don’t think we ever saw him any other way, and as long as he can perch on Jabba’s tail, I am good.
The railing is a nice little addition that kind of rounds off the figure for a cohesive display, but its most important function is that is holds the hookah. Jabba is gangster with (apparently) many vices and smoking is one of them. I really dig the hookah, it is well executed and brings a lot of personality and life to Jabba so he not just sitting around waiting to be choked out by Princess Leia. Speaking of which, I hope that this release will finally clear some of the abundant Leia (and Greedo) stock I see at every store I go to. She really does look much better by comparison next to the gross, girthy glob and she helps finish off a complete display.
Finally, the packaging for this Jabba is exclusive to San Diego and while it looks nice closed up, it is the most disappointing part of the release to me. I love the sleek design of the Black Series outer packaging, and this fits in well with that. The “teeth” of Jabba’s palace doors are recreated on the box, so that is a nice touch. What is a let down is the touted “display” area inside that is supposed to recreate the throne room/dais area. It just looks cheap and is not exciting at all, so I don’t think it brings anything to the table. The promised spot to keep last year’s Carbonite block Han Solo is also a big disappointment and as a toy pal noted, it looks more like a place to keep your small order of French fries from you local fast food restaurant. Needless to say, since I did not have the room to bring it home even if I wanted to, the packaging hit the recycling bin before I even left San Diego.
Jabba the Hutt is an essential part of the Star Wars universe, so I am glad to be bringing him to my Black Series collection. The SDCC-exclusive items are good additions, but you do have to pay a premium for them, especially if you have to hit the aftermarket to acquire them. Fear not though, if you are only looking for Jabba himself, he is hitting retailers now. Just to get you primed, we even have Robokillah all lined up to bring you a video review of that release. Take it away, killah!
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