Nien Nunb is a B-wing pilot who attends the Rebel Alliance briefing prior to the Battle of Endor. Because of his great skills as a pilot and navigator, he is later given the temporary assignment of co-pilot for the Millennium Falcon during this crucial battle.
How confusing is it when a Hasbro action figure has
the potential of being mislabeled (or is indeed mislabeled)? Well, Nien
Nunb (B-wing Pilot) is a little bit of both – how is that for an oxymoron?
There was a great deal of controversy that still exists regarding this
Nien Nunb figure and while there is still room for debate, we are surprised
by the actual degree or level of controversy it continues to cause. Let's
forget about the name for a moment. This character (as Hasbro designed it) was indeed seen in two
places in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. (He is seen
in both the "rendezvous point" Rebel tactical meeting and the Endor celebration
scenes.) And if you own the Star Wars Chronicles (Original Trilogy)
heirloom book, on the "deleted scene" page for Episode VI, you
will see a small thumbnail of a puppeteer animating a Sullustan in a red
B-wing pilot uniform. So it is without a doubt that there are multiple
confirmations that this character was in the films. (Just check the image
below for more proof.) And the other Sullustan (or same Sullustan – we'll
get to that in a moment) is seen co-piloting the Millennium Falcon with
Lando Calrissian. In fact, we don't see the [more popular] white uniformed
Ten Numb ANYWHERE in the film. This is a bit ironic, isn't it? But this issue can be somewhat resolved if you consider that Nien Nunb changed outfits midway through
the film (twice) very similarly to what we've seen Princess Leia, Luke
Skywalker or Han Solo do throughout the whole Original Trilogy. And if
you study the POTF2 Nien Nunb figure, you will see that there aren't many
differences between it and this new figure, save for the control panel
box on his chest and a few white straps (and Nien Nunb's signature blue
vest of course). Still, some say that this figure is too tall to be Nien Nunb and is Ten Numb instead (and they may be right), but we think there is a stronger possibility (read likelihood) that this is Nien Nunb prior to the Battle of Endor.
The issue with this
figure seems to stem from more from the name than anything else. And
we now seem to have three possible choices of which to name him, but
it doesn't mean these options are true. (Nien Nunb, Ten Numb, or "generic" B-wing
Pilot are these said choices.) Hasbro (with the approval of Lucasfilm)
has named this basic figure Nien Nunb. And to be honest, it fits in canon
flawlessly with the rest of the events of the film (but with a little
creative thinking). It is more than possible for Nien Nunb to have worn
the B-wing outfit at the Rebel briefing, then change to a co-pilot outfit
for the Millennium Falcon sequences,
then change back to a B-wing outfit before arriving on Endor. It seems
like a lot of work for a character to go through, but at the very least,
it still is plausible. And at the Endor celebration, the blue vested Nien
Nunb is no where to be found. (A little unlikely for someone who had a
significant role in blowing up the second Death Star to not show up celebrate
with the rest of the Rebel Alliance, no?) Because of this, we have no issue
referring to this figure as Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot). In fact, we are very
comfortable calling him that name. Hopefully the confusion will dissipate
and we hope it doesn't continue to exist, but we are open to why it will.
For example, that picture we mentioned earlier that appears in the Star
Wars Chronicles book names that 'deleted scene' Sullustan as Ten Numb
(in red B-wing pilot gear). Clearly, this reference can make us lose track
of Nien Nunb and Ten Numb (pilots) rather easily. But at the same time,
it helps to explain that the white outfitted Sullustans weren't utilized
for the film. And by default, it seems to make the "white" Ten
Numb action figure that we originally got in the Evolutions set (and years
before in other collections too) as the true Expanded Universe figure.
Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) will not shake or rattle you
because you should know what to expect from this sculpt by now. He is just a rework of the Ten Numb figure in the 2008 TLC Rebel Pilot Legacy Evolutions set. But Hasbro
did go out of their way to make him extremely different from the Evolutions figure however. His face paint applications are done in a completely new
style and color as well as other facial details like shadowing for example.
We love the look of the Sullustan species and if you're a fan of Episode
VI, you likely have a fondness for them too. Hasbro went with a very flesh
colored tone for this figure's face and we have to say it is quite accurate.
We have been perhaps misled all of these years with the very white complexions
we have seen on them thus far. But Hasbro got it right for this figure.
He has lots of tubing that has been glued this time around to the different
holes in the costume. The jumpsuit has been cast in a deep blood red color
and looks very sharp. You will find silver details shine against the jumpsuit
very strongly and the white straps add additional contrast to the very
colorful outfit. He comes with a blaster pistol that stays held in his
hand very well. The crinkles and folds on his jumpsuit and expertly crafted
and his boots and gloves have been cast in a very shiny black color. Every
detail of this figure has been carefully considered and he really came
out exceeding many expectations. Give Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) a chance,
we think you will be able to accept him as Nien Nunb just like we did.
And let's hope this opens up the door for the co-pilot version of him as
well! He is overdue for an update and if this figure proves successful,
then the other may have a better chance of being made.
Collector Notes
Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot)
Status: Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) is a rework of the Ten Numb figure from 2008's TLC Rebel Pilot Legacy Evolutions set.
Articulation Count: 23 points (14 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left glove (1), swivel right glove (1), ball-jointed torso (2), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: 3
Accessory Details: removable helmet/life support tube combination, life support tube, blaster pistol
Original Droid Factory/Build A Droid Part: R3-M3 right leg
Date Stamp: 2008
Assortment Number: 93130/87535
UPC: 653569429883
Retail: $7.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.