008 Action Figure Sat-TOY-Day News, 9th January 2016

Issue 078 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

We’ll figure it out…. We’ll use the Force!

Well this week was meant to be nice and quiet, a relaxing few days after the Xmas and New Year rush - a chance to catch up on reviewing the figures that Father Christmas dropped off on the 25th. And for the majority of the week I managed just that with review after review written and edited.

But then, just as I was getting into the swing of things, Wave 5 of the Star Wars Black Series landed from Kapow Toys - much earlier than the February date we were expected. Three brand new figures arriving on a Friday and just 24hrs to get them photographed, videod, edited and reviewed to make this week's Sat-TOY-Day update.

So I apologise if this issue landed more Sat-TOY-Day night than Sat-TOY-Day morning, but I hope that it was worth the wait as I have included a full reviews of Jango Fett, First Order Flame Trooper AND Han Solo in this week’s newsletter.

Away from Star Wars I am getting there in completing the Game of Thrones archive from Funko, and have expanded the Doctor Who archive this week - read our review of the Dr Who Clara this issue, and next week we will be looking at the brand new Night of the Doctor 8th Doctor.

The Star Wars clear out continues at many stores now that The Force Awakens hype and the Christmas period is behind us.

One store exiting most Star Wars product is Sainsburys and this week their exclusive 5pack of 3.75” figures was reduced down to £23.

This pack, which is repacks of standard release figures but with varied build-a-weapon parts, only hit stores a few weeks before Xmas and at less than £4.60 a figure this isn’t a bad starter for any collector or fan, and is the only place outside the Nerf Falcon (so far) to get Chewbacca.

News wise, it has been reasonably quiet. NECA have showed off a couple of packaging samples and Hasbro have released a couple of promo images from their 3.75” Marvel Infinite range. The biggest news of the week was the reveal by Mattel of their 1/12 Ghostbuster figures from the new Paul Feig film.

Out in stores, the big clearance continues. Have a look at a couple of Store Reports this week where we have found Star Wars and Doctor Who bargains on shelves. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for more bargains and store alerts direct to your social media feed.

So what’s next? Well UK fans are STILL waiting for stocks to land for NECA’s Alien Isolation and Alien vs Predator figures to land. We should also be seeing Star Wars Black Wave 4 by now (we seem to have skipped a wave in the UK). We are also entering the countdown to Toy Fair - UK and US - and that means seeing the big companies gear up to sell their wares for 2016 and beyond to the retailers. As always I will be doing my absolute best to bring you all the news. I haven’t quite figured it all out yet…. I think I will just have to use the Force!

Alien vs Predator

God of War

NECA’s Series 7 of their Alien range is edging ever closer, and this week we were treated to a sneak peak of the card art for the series 7 releases.

Packaging reveals seemed to be the theme this week from NECA. This layout plan of their upcoming Kratos from God of War was shown on Twitter.

Kratos will be an Ultimate release, so the box includes that front flap book design and will come with a variety of accessories and changeable parts.

Featuring the AvP Xeno predominantly, the card back talks about the base plot of AvP across a couple of paragraphs and then ends with the usual “Also Available” checklist with images of the Xeno, Grid Alien and the 1979 Alien Concept.

What is unclear is whether the 1979 Concept figure will have an alternative card design and cardback. We have to assume yes, after all that is exactly what they did with Series 2 when they mixed figures from both Alien and Aliens.

Series 7 is expected in UK stores May 2016

It’s a TRAP The first week of January has seen a large volume of new Star Wars Hasbro product go up for preorder both in the 6” and 3.75” Scales. In the main, the pre-orders have simply confirmed figures we already knew about and gave them an ETA - figures like Ahsoka and Kanan in the 6” scale.

One reveal however came courtesy of a new listing on Dorkside toys for Star Wars 3.75" reveals new figures due in February. The case breakdown included repacks of Kylo Ren, Phasma and Bespin Luke. And it also confirmed it would contain the 5POA 5th Brother Inquisitor from Rebels who we saw back at SDCC. The big news was the inclusion of a Episode 7 Admiral Akbar and Tasu Leech (Kanjiklub gang leader). This new assortment should hit stores in February.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Spider-Man and Black Panther Hasbro’s 3.75” Marvel range, formerly known as infinites, has been in decline for a while now - heavily overshadowed by the 6” Legends scale.

At NYCC in 2015 we found out about a rebranding for the 3.75” scale, and that it would also be called “Legends” in 2016, a move to perhaps follow suit with how Hasbro handle the Black Series over with Star Wars.

This week a couple of new figures popped up online in this new Legends packaging. Spiderman and Black Panther are probably going to be the big new properties of 2016 when they both debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Civil War. There is no other details on these figures, nor a release date or any wave information. But there is no denying that from these promotional shots, they certainly are hitting the looks and articulation that fans want.

Another line on clearance after Xmas is the Doctor Who 3-packs at B&M Bargains.

Originally £12.99 each, these are now down to £9.99 and reported lower in certain stores.

The sets include one for the 4th Doctor, 10th Doctor and 11th Doctor and are presented in the older blue style classic packaging. A bargain at £9.99, 3 figures for less than one of the repacks at Toys R Us.

Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, due in July 2016, is already very hyped up - mainly due to an overwhelming negative response from fans of the franchise. However, for toy fans the movie has prompted a resurgence in Ghostbuster merchandise - both from the new movie, but also retrospective figures from the 1980’s classics.

This week Feig took to Twitter himself to reveal Mattel’s 6” scale Ghostbuster foursome.

Mattel have held the 1/12 licence on Ghostbusters for a number of years now, producing all the original cast and distributing them via their Matty Collector channel.

These new Ghostbusters will scale against the original 4, and have a very similar sculpted style.

The four figures are Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones).

As well as Mattel’s offering, we are also due product from Funko (assuming Pop!) and of course Diamond Select and within Feig’s announcement it was revealed that some 20 figures of varying size and style will be released this year.

For Mattel, I have a feeling that they need to go mass-market and get these figures into Toys R Us and Smyths to make them a success. I have a feeling the collectors may well go with Diamond’s slightly larger 1/10 releases which we assume will be a similar price and likely to include diorama base pieces.

It will be interesting to see which line is standing at the end of 2016.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Review : Clara Oswald, Purple Dress Doctor Who 5.5" Collectors Range Wave/Series : 2015 Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet release Released : November 2015 The majority of the Doctor Who 5 inch figures that we are seeing in the relaunched Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet range are rereleases or repaints, and although that isn't usually ideal for a collectors range the majority of the boxed collectors figures have been well chosen to compliment what we already have. This release, the purple dress, is actually the first true Clara figure we have had in the larger scale. The original figure of Jenna Coleman was actually the "splinter" character Oswin and was part of the Forbidden Planet (UK) / Underground Toys (US) special box set based on the Impossible Girl.

Clara stands at 5 1/4 inch tall, and therefore scales well against the 12th Doctor figures. Sadly, and I have no idea why there was this running change from 5" to 5.5", she is too tall to line up with older figures - for example standing almost the same height as the 11th Doctor figures, and much taller than other comparable companions like Rose or Sarah Jane.

Sculpt is OK, nothing special and nothing compared to higher end figures at 6" or 7" scale. It is a decent enough likeness that you will recognise it as Clara and the body proportions are done well compared to a lot of female characters who are often over exaggerated.

This new figure simply takes the red dress Oswin, removes the belt and repaints the dress blue and the legs to a black. This outfit is therefore not screen accurate, the closest it comes is to dress from Rings of Akhatan or Hide - but lacks the pattern.

Clara arrives in the 2015 style collectors box which is decorated in black (top) through to orange (bottom) vortex design, with cutout window to view the figure and character name dropped into a dark blue panel at the bottom left. The right hand side of the box is a wrap around of the perspex window, while the left hand side is designed like a book spine with the Doctor Who logo, the 5.5" badge in its blue diamond and the character name - again in a blue flash panel. Round the back, and the backdrop turns more to a black star-scape and over this is a full size image of the figure.

You then get a full three paragraphs of bio and the "run you clever boy" quote. Interestingly, on the Toys R Us version which we are reviewing, the Underground Toys logo has been blacked out with an over-sticker. This indicates that the deal in the UK for Toys R Us is probably direct with Character, whilst the Forbidden Planet sets are with their ongoing partnership with Underground Toys.

Once out of the box, Clara is strapped into the usual inner tray with those massively annoying cotton type strands. She comes against the blue clockwork background that has been a theme for all the collectors figures so far, with the exception of Missy who had a red background. Clara comes with no accessories at all, so looks kind of lost in the tray.

There is a lack of texture in the clothing, it would benefit from some additional folds and details like hems and cuffs. The paint applications don't do the sculpt any justice, with thick one tone eye brows, bright red lips and overly heavy handed eye's. here is also a poor quality chalky texture to the skin, which looks rough close up and is already peeling off around the joints. The arms do match the colour of the dress, which is a pleasant surprise considering the dress is done in a rubber finish and quite often where this is used the colour tone's are often mismatched.

The tights are a flat black paint and the same colour continues into the shoes, it wouldn't have taken much to shade the shoes differently and colour the laces or lace holes.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Articulation on Who figures is about 15 points of articulation, but most of the joints are quite basic compared to ball joints and swivel joints we see on other ranges like the Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends. The head is a peg that is meant to rotate to either side, but this movement is locked by the hair. The shoulders have evolved to a swivel and pivot so they do rotate fully round the body but also out to the side to 90 degrees. The bicep swivels are ugly unfortunately, and a weak spot as my lower arm popped out on first twist of this joint. Once rotated they don't line up and look peculiar and to be fair they do nothing to add to the display of the figure. The elbows are a standard joint, and it is here that sadly the chalky paint is flaking badly when the elbow joints are moved.

Under the skirt are hip joints which, like the shoulders, should allow the legs to move into a sitting position, but also out to the side into the splits. However, the rubber dress stops all of this movement and you will be restricted to having Clara stood in a neutral pose. There is a thigh swivel, and this is hidden behind the skirts and will come into play when you do try and stand this figure. Knee joints are done via a peg system, which is quite unsightly either side of Clara's knees. The boots do then swivel at the ankles, and you will need this and the thigh swivel to try and get Clara to stand. Clara can stand on her own, but like the Oswin red dress figure she is very delicate to pose and will fall over with a stiff breeze and with no foot pegs included you will likely have to come up with some form of display where Clara is propped up.

If you stand back and compare Clara to the Oswin figure, then it is clear that Oswin got the better deal in terms of paint applications.

The new Clara's hair is much darker and therefore loses detail. The new Clara's skin is chalkier and the facial features painted in harsher tones than Oswin. Oswin also had that extra decor on the shoes, as well as the belt accessory to break up the outfit.

I feel bad for knocking the return of the 5.5" range, but at ÂŁ15 a figure it will need to raise its game with either better quality or new sculpts if they want it to survive.

Turning out repaints that aren't screen accurate, and with questionable paint applications isn't going to impress collectors or generate sales.

Summing all that up, I am going to score Clara a low 2 out of 5.

She is not all bad, and within the range itself meets the expectations most fans have come to expect with articulation and sculpt.

Also reviewed this week and accessible online via our website are the following figure reviews.

Click the image to go directly to access the review

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Review : Jango Fett (Attack of the Clones) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Figure #15 (Phase 3 Wave 5 / Wave 1 2016) Released : January 2016 Price : ÂŁ22.99 Thank you to Kapow Toys, from whom we purchased this figure for review.

Wave 5 of the Black Series, Phase 3, was a scheduled release for 1st January 2016. The wave contained 4 new figures, and a repack of the highly sought after Captain Phasma. The wave signified the first time in Phase 3 that we got a character who was not from The Force Awakens. And it is that figure we look at here. The source of all Clone-kind, Dad of a fan favourite, and the man prone to lose his head in the presence of Samuel L Jackson.

Jango Fett is #15 in the Phase 3 releases. Even though he is not from The Force Awakens, he arrives in identical Phase 3 packaging which cements Hasbro's plan to now integrate figures from all 7 movies and the Rebels TV show into mixed waves going forward.

After so many TFA figures in the red & black box since the 4th September, it feels a bit surreal to now see Jango against that intense red backdrop. And I guess it will take a while to sink in.

Jango arrives packed with helmet off. He has a gun packed ready in his right hand, with another packed to the side alongside the helmet. Starting at the top the head sculpt is a really good likeness for Temuera Morrison, and I suspect we will see this head again in the future within some clone releases. Like so many head sculpts though from this wave, the paint job does it no favors. The skin tone is pretty good, but one tone and therefore doesn't pick up the facial details. The eyebrows and eyes are also too heavy handed, looking more cartoonish. The mouth remains unpainted. The hair is quite basic, and looks to be sculpted too far back around the ears. In the movie Jango had the start of sideburns but this sculpt cuts them too high and therefore Jango looks like he has had a run in with a very dodgy hairdresser.

The helmet is a tight fit, but does sit well once on. I suspect there will be paint rub the more you use it and longer term you may end up wanting to buy two Jango's so you can display both versions.

Being made to be removable, the helmet is larger than Boba's and has a thicker set Aerial. There is still a dent, but it is further back on the top of the helmet. The blue on the helmet is neatly painted onto the silver, and where some have complained it is too bright I think this is due to the camera settings as in hand it is a good match to what you see on screen. The silver of the helmet is dirtied up with some sporadic black dry brushing, but without going too far. My only criticism of the helmet is that is it cast/molded in two halves so you do suffer a seam right across the top and down each side. With helmet on Jango stands 6 1/2 inches high from boots to the top of his aerial - an exact match for the wave 2 Boba Fett, which is good considering they are clones.

Moving down to the body armour now, and it is pleasing to see that there appears to be no re-use of any significant parts from Boba Fett. The shoulder/neck piece is angled differently and the chest piece is slightly wider and with wider gaps between each of the three pieces. Jango comes with shoulder armour panels, which Boba doesn't have, and the wrist pieces are also different with Jango's being more detailed and are even sculpted with a hinge from where the pieces snap over the wrist. All the armour pieces are painted silver and then dirtied up with black drybrushing. The wrist pieces have some additional black and red details, and from the wrists there are sculpted wire pieces that snake up into the upper arm.

Jango wears a pocketed belt from which there are two holsters that are then strapped round either thigh. These holsters will hold both pistols easily. The belt is a separate cast piece and is done so in a dark brown rubber material but then has detail picked up in a darker shade which is almost indistinguishable, but is there. The legs are armoured with thigh, knee and shin panels, all of which are again silver painted and then weathered in black. The boots are a similar finish. Beneath all of this armour is a dark blue/purple flight suit and this is creased and folded to match real cloth behaviour, and is painted in one shade and dry-brushed in a lighter finish.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

There is no torso joint as this would have ruined the look of the armour, but Hasbro have added a waist joint to allow the top of the body to swivel independently from the hips - again a well done for Hasbro here as like the bicep swivel they could have just left it off.

The legs are where articulation dries up a little. The thigh ball joints can move out and to the side, but not enough either way to allow for sitting or crouching because of the belt and holsters. The double jointed knees are hidden really well behind a knee armour plate, and these will let Jango kneel. The feet remain pivoted and can be angled to either side or back and forward to keep the feet flatly planted when posing Jango.

Round the back of the figure the jet pack comes pre-attached, but can be popped off if needed. It connects by means of a central plug, and two pins to keep it level. There match up very neatly to the back of the figure and it sits in place tightly enough, although just a few mm away from the body rather than a snug fit like you get with Boba. The jet pack has three different paint applications from a grey and silver base colour, to some brighter silver panels and then a dark blue trim. Unlike the armour, there is no attempt to weather the jet pack.

Where Jango's articulation, particularly the legs, comes to the forefront is if you invest in a flight stand like THIS ONE. As you can see from the pictures, you can recreate Jango's scenes from Kamino or from the Geonosian arena. Jango will look great in a diorama against the wave 3 Obi Wan, or if Hasbro ever get to him a Mace Windu.

To sum up the sculpt and paint, I am really impressed. The sculpt captures everything it needs to and looks stunning. The paint is pretty nice too. As I said earlier, the head sculpt has not been maximised, but the rest of the armour is painted neatly and dirtied up nicely. I found just one smear of silver paint onto the inner flight suit (factory error), everything else is crisp and with no real bleed from the end of one colour to another.

Articulation on the figure starts with a ball jointed head. The head can look fully left and right, and also up and down, and this works with helmet on or off. It does however mean there is an ugly looking joint if you have Jango looking too far to either side without the helmet. And round the back of the head the skin tone joint goes too far into the neck piece.

Not including the helmet, Jango's accessories are his dual pistols.

These are a a bit soft in the sculpt and predominantly silver in colour, although if you look closely there is a varying shade on the stock. My issue with the guns is a real pet hate with a lot of recent figures and that is when they are packed being held by the figure then they almost always bend and come out misshapen. This is evident on Jango more than most as you will find the right hand gun that he is holding in the pack is bent, while the other is quite straight.

I really like Jango. I think he is particularly good looking and a striking figure on display. The head paint is lacking, but the majority of fans will display him with helmet on. Articulation is good, in fact it is more than good considering Hasbro have improved on the usual articulation by adding bicep and waist swivels to make up for where other usual articulation can't be used effectively.

Jango is an armoured figure in essence, and therefore you would assume this would have a bearing on his articulation. Not to start with, as the shoulder armour slides neatly into the torso when moved, so Jango can get his arms out into a shooting position or rotate them above his head if needed. Jango has a bicep swivel, which is something I haven't seen before on a Black Series figure.

The reason for this addition seems to be because the bend and rotate elbow is restricted by the wiring I mentioned earlier. Adding the bicep swivel still allows the movement, and is a nice touch (well done Hasbro) rather than simply letting the elbow rotation be lost. Both wrists are on a pivoted peg, and can be swiveled and moved up and down if needed.

I score Jango a 4 out of 5

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Review : Flametrooper (The Force Awakens) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Figure #16 (Phase 3 Wave 5 / Wave 1 2016) Released : January 2016 Price : ÂŁ22.99

The helmet is cast in gloss white, and there is an indication in certain lights that it is a different shade/material to the rest of the armour. Nothing hugely noticeable unless you have very bright spotlights on the figure.

Thank you to Kapow Toys, from whom we purchased this figure for review.

The vision strip is painted black, as are the lower lines of the helmet. Just above these are some gray linings around and a couple of these on mine are smudged and not as crisp.

From the moment the First Order Flametrooper exploded onto the screen in the trailer I wanted one. When Disney revealed their Elite range of 7" figures I nearly went all in just so I could have this figure on display. Thankfully I restrained myself, and just a few months later my patience is rewarded with the Hasbro 6" version of this First Order specialist trooper.

You would be forgiven for expecting that you would find reused parts on the Flametrooper carried over from the earlier First Order Stormtrooper. I was certainly expecting some, but to my surprise I can't identify any directly re-used elements. The chest plate is similar to the standard trooper, but with a variation in the panel design and a wider bulkier look around the neck area. Under this is a lower abdomen panel, and this is again a different piece almost a girdle with a separate piece further up that tucks in behind the chest plate. The arms start with shoulder pads and go down to wrapped panels on the biceps and then into wrist guards and the armoured hands.

The Flametrooper is part of Wave 5 of the Phase 3 red packaging, or wave 1 2016 as per the Hasbro codes on his shipping case. He is number 16 in the 3rd Phase, and comes in the black and red Phase 3 packaging.

Slid out of the tray, the Flametrooper comes "disassembled" for want of a better word. The figure itself is packed in the centre of the tray with the gun to his right and the backpack to his left. Before we assemble, let's have a close look at the actual body of the figure.

The sculpt, like most of Hasbro's armoured Imperial / First Order troops is really good. The helmet, which is a brand new design for this trooper and kind of an amalgamation between normal First Order trooper and the Snowtrooper is smooth and well proportioned with only the smallest hint of a seam running over the crown. The eye slit is neat and straight across the helmet. And it is just a shame that the lines and the breathing valves are a bit untidy and not as crisp as perhaps I would have liked them.

There is a black belt, again different to the FO Trooper, and on this is simply one white pouch to the left hand side. The code piece is wider and bulkier and then down from this the legs start off with thigh panels, of which the right one has a thigh strap. If you spin them round they also separate into two panels just before the buttocks. Each knee panel is different, with similarities to the New Hope Sandtroopers. The thighs armour is thicker again and the boots/shoes are also bulkier.

All the armour pieces are cast in white gloss plastic and these all sit over a plain black under-suit. To that end there is hardly any paint applications on the figure itself. But where the black meets the white the lines are in the main crisp and neat.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

The articulation is fairly similar to that of the First Order trooper.

The neck is a ball joint and the helmet on the Flametrooper sits higher and allows a wider range of movement and if you want you can spin this fully round the body.

Shoulder articulation is the standard ball joint, with the shoulder withdrawing into the torso and therefore you can get the arms of the Flametrooper out to the side and up above his head.

Elbows are a pivot that also spins, and this is crucial a little later when you hook him up with his flamethrower that has to be held two handed. The torso joint is hidden away under the chest plate, but still allows the torso to almost fully rotate vs the leg position.

Once gun is in hand, then the backpack slots into corresponding holes on the reverse of the trooper. The backpack is not as tight a fit as I would like, but it stays on and once in place you take the flexible hose and bring it round to attach to the socket on the grip of the gun.

With everything assembled you can then tweak the arms into a firing position. The articulation and design of the gun will satisfy most people in getting the relevant poses out of the figure.

Legs are jointed at the hips on another ball joint. You can use these to sit the Flametrooper down, and that means that in conjunction with the double jointed knees you can achieve that wide legged firing stance we see on the film.

The ankles are the only weak spot as they are quite loose, that means that my Flametrooper has already taken two shelf dives.

With such a bulky and relatively heavy figure the ankles have to be robust enough to hold his weight and stand him firmly - sadly this is an ongoing issue across all the First Order troopers to date.

So time to assemble the weapon. And even though there aren't any instructions, it isn't hard at all to work out. My advice is to get the gun into the hands first.

The right hand holds the grip and this slots in reasonably easily.

The left hand, which holds underneath the barrel, is a bit tougher and I had to prize the fingers out and open and then let them close back up on the gun. Thankfully they are flexible enough to do this.

So to sum this one up, the Flametrooper is a great figure and I think will be a fan favourite and sought after even if he is packed two per case in the wave 5 assortment. The negatives are a few clumsy paint apps on the helmet, the left hand grip on the gun and the ankles being a tad too weak for the weight and bulk of the figure. I score the Flametrooper a 4 out of 5 and I look forward to probably adding a 2nd at some point to bolster my First Order forces even further.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

Review : Han Solo (The Force Awakens) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Figure #18 (Phase 3 Wave 5 / Wave 1 2016) Released : January 2016 Price : ÂŁ22.99 Thank you to Kapow Toys, from whom we purchased this figure for review.

Wrapping up wave 5 of the Phase 3 Black Series is Han Solo, as seen in The Force Awakens. After Chewie, Han is the 2nd figure of the original characters and is number 18 in the Phase 3 Black & Red boxed releases.

The Nerf-Leather jacket (yes, checkout the TFA Visual Guide) is sculpted as a separate piece and then added over the torso. It is nicely done, and includes visible panels within the jacket as well as button holes and those three capsules of whatever that sit on the left breast. The arms carry on the leather look of the jacket.

In those early factory figures, there was a huge variance in colour between jacket and arms.

Thankfully this has been rectified to a greater degree on the release figure, but you can still see a difference up close - more so in "glossiness" rather than colour. The end of the sleeves are meant to be the shirt sleeves popping out, and that is achieves with a cream paint adding to the very end of the sleeves.

The original promotional images of this Han release looked particularly stunning. Yet some early figures that sneaked out of the factory (or likely were rejected through quality control) were particularly poor. The actual release comes in somewhere in between and although not a bad figure, it just doesn't sit right for me. Let's have a good look at Han and see what's what.

Han stands a smidge over 6", putting him perfectly in scale considering Harrison Ford is just under 6ft 1. Facially, this is one of those odd figures that looks great from one angle, and hideous from another. In the main, and if you look beyond the paint, it is a good sculpt and captures the extra years that Harrison was carrying in the Force Awakens. If anything, and a common problem, it is the paint applications that have let down a decent sculpt. The eyes are neat enough, but after that there is no other paint on the head. Just a subtle darker skin tone wash into those features would have drawn them out and a tad of colour on the lips would have brought out that mouth which can be both smiling, smirking and mad all at the same time. The hair doesn't help as it is more brown and the brown paint doesn't come far enough down the fringe, leaving bits of the hair skin coloured. There is flecks of grey in the hair, but not enough and they needed to be much more heavy handed with the gray to capture the older Solo.

The hands are standard enough, and having seen some very nicely detailed hands recently on some Game of Thrones figures I kind of wanted to see an older hand sculpted with some visible veins and callouses.

Under the jacket is the collared shirt, decorated in an off white.

Again the folds of the cloth are well done and you can see the buttons and buttonholes clearly. Down to the belt and this is very similar (if not the same) as the belt that came with the original Han Solo from A New Hope. This one is much better painted, with a weathered leather look and a grimier metal finish to the belt buckle and rivet fasteners front and back.

The belt connects to the holster and this is strapped again to the thigh of the right leg. The trousers are plain and tuck into the boots at knee height. The boots themselves are really nice, with a reptilian texture to them (think crocodile skin). The trousers are finished in a mute brown, with the boots a very similar shade but gloss finish.

Aside from the head, the sculpt is one to be applauded and the rest of the paint from the neck down is well done and I am perfectly happy. I have a niggle that the figure looks a little bow legged, and the legs are almost a little long too which throws off the look.

Issue 08 : Saturday 9th January, 2016

As figures go, and particularly if you compare him to his younger wave 2 version, Han is a great figure. Yes, his head sculpt could have done with a touch more paint - and yes the joints do feel a bit loose. I think my feeling of him looking off is just one of posing, and I had that with the original W2 Han also - once I hit a "Han Solo" pose I will be more than happy.

Articulation is standard fare for the Phase 3 figures. The head is jointed on a ball and can be spun fully round, and then look up and down - down almost so his chin touches the chest.

Unfortunately, from certain angles, the head joint is pretty ugly so I would avoid turning Han's head too far to either side.

The shoulders, ball joints as usual, allow a full range of movement to the arms. As they go up they retract back into the jacket, but as the arms raise it does reveal the white shirt underneath. This is a shame as it does make a firing Han look unsightly, or rather that he has a ripped jacket. All it would have needed was the brown of the jacket painted on that part of the shirt underneath - but hey ho.

I never give half scores, and on a figure like Han that means I have to make a decision on a score which is more than a three out of five, but not necessarily a four. Having now lined up Han with Chewie (sorry it's the original one at this point) and played around with him on display I am going to give the benefit of the doubt and give Han a 4 out of 5, but only just...

There is a torso joint and although that puts a visible joint into a white shirt, it does mean you get some variety in the poses for the upper body. Offsetting the torso to either side of the leg position just gives a bit more of a dynamic look.

I hope that perhaps, and as we have seen on other repacks, that a future release of the figure can upgrade the head paint (think Rey). I also predict right now to see this figure again with a cold weather jacket from the Starkiller Base scenes of TFA.

The hips feel a tad loose, but nothing overly concerning at the moment. The have a full range of movement, not blocked by the jacket tails or the belt & holster.

The knees are the usual double joint affair, and we finish up with the ankle rockers that are my pet hate on recent figures. Again, like so many others, these ankle joints feel too loose and on Han mean he often over balances too easily if his arms are out and therefore the weight isn't directly over the ankles.

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Another pet hate of mine recently is this idea of packing the guns already in the figures hands. Like Jango in the same wave, Han comes with his blaster in his right hand. And like Jango before him it came out of the packet horribly bent. So much that even hot water has yet to straighten it sufficiently.

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