Zam Wesell - SW [S - P1] - 12 Inch Figures

Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.

Zam Wesell is the dangerous, heavily armed bounty hunter who is mysteriously hired to eliminate Senator Padmé Amidala. Swift to action, Wesell is a refined, unrelenting assassin and an excellent tracker. Her quarry’s almost nonexistent survival rate confirms Wesell’s eminent reputation and unsurpassed marksmanship.

For many, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones failed in the light that there was too much emphasis placed on the mystery of so many of the main characters in the film. While this worked well in the Original Trilogy and heroes in disguises were the greatest thing since sliced bread, it seems the same magic didn’t work as well in the Prequel Trilogy. We became borderline impatient with trying to figure out who was who in these films. Episode II seemed to be the most convoluted. While many think the plot was simple, the unprovoked attacks on Senator Amidala’s life seemed arbitrary at best. More panned out to that plotline than met the eye, but overall you had to be well vested into the film to figure out where everything, and everyone, was going. Enter the bounty hunter Zam Wesell. We discover through self-admission that she is the one responsible for killing Cordé and unsuccessful in trying to kill Padmé. After her second attempt on Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker chase her through the “streets” of Coruscant on a desperate mission to try and isolate the reason(s) she is trying to kill the senator. Through covered faces, dim lighting, changing faces and stealthy hiding, Zam Wesell can only escape for so long. She is captured in the Outlander Nightclub to be questioned. But she meets her untimely death at the hands of Jango Fett via a Kamino saberdart, at the moment of her confession.

Because she's a bounty hunter, Hasbro ensured that Zam Wesell was going to be a primary focus in the toy line. In fact, she was one of the first characters produced in the Hasbro line and released as 2002’s Power Of The Jedi Zam Wesell Sneak Preview figure. Later that year, a more articulated (but not necessarily better) version of her was released in the basic figure line as 2002’s SW [S - P1] Zam Wesell (Bounty Hunter) (’02 #18) figure. And she was also one of the first 12 Inch Figures for the Star Wars “Saga” line as well. The Zam Wesell 12 Inch Figure is pretty good. And it may even be better than that. Hasbro developed a screen accurate costume for her and included all of the important bells and whistles to make her as realistic as possible. Her colorful purple body glove is accented with lots of different ornamentation including chest armor, a textured skirt, and items to hide her true identity like a helmet, scarf, and changeling “mask” that reveals her Clawdite species beautifully. All of these pieces and more are here, and together they make for a fantastic release in the 12 Inch Figures line. With an excellent likeness and plenty of useful articulation, we hope that Zam Wesell gets the proper amount of attention from the collecting community because this truly is a very nice figure. You can display the figure in many believable ways. As a result, we don’t think anyone will have room to complain about how this figure turned out. Aside from some skimpy articulation in the upper body, Hasbro did a fine job here. Hasbro managed to keep her body silhouette thin and athletic, and the recreated all the necessary details which are incredibly impressive.

We wouldn’t go so far as to say the Zam Wesell 12 Inch Figure is perfect. Her head looks a little bit too big (but that’s a hard thing for Hasbro to get perfect sometimes due to the shrinkage allowance Hasbro must give the molds). But Hasbro sculpted an appropriately sized helmet to accommodate her head sculpt, so we think it's a wash here. The soft-goods scarf that allows you to cover up most of her facial features works nicely, and it has a nice drape that hangs just like in the film when not in use. Zam Wesell has a functioning holster that holds the blaster pistol. And then the figure also comes with a long-barreled blaster rifle, which is exquisitely molded and beautifully detailed. Most of Zam Wesell’s parts are in place here. There is very little to be dissatisfied with, and aside from a few wonky issues, we are quite pleased with how well she turned out. For example, Hasbro gave Zam Wesell ball-jointed shoulders, but that is the only articulation in her arms. No swivel elbows or swivel wrists exist, and it makes displaying her with her weapons quite problematic. Thankfully you can get a few natural poses out of the figure thanks to its design. It's not a perfect figure. She does have great lower body movement, which helps to make up for the limitations in her arms. But overall, Hasbro did a nice job on the Zam Wesell 12 Inch Figure. We have to remember that although intended for all, these 12 Inch Figures are toys first and collectibles second. There is a great deal of effort put forth here, and it shows that Hasbro is quite capable of producing fine items in the 12 Inch Figures line.