Han Solo - TBS [P1] - Six Inch Figures (#08)

Han Solo has a final showdown with the bounty hunter Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina.

"Sorry about the mess."

The Black Series 6” line is performing well at retail already and Hasbro has provided quick turnaround with the second wave of figures in this lineup. Admittedly, calling two different scales of figures the same is extremely confusing, but it is what it is and it really doesn’t take away from the quality of the products they’re creating for each. Sure, some figures will be better than others, but overall the larger scaled line is meeting and beginning to exceed expectations. Perhaps we should knock on wood, but aside from a few bugs here and there, The Black Series 6” line seems to not have the same distribution issues as the smaller 3.75” scale. Some stores downright don’t carry the 6” line, but the ones that due clearly get product in, sell through (for the most part) and have a replenishment shipment hot on the heels of the earlier shipment that is sold out/almost sold out at retail. This is all Star Wars collectors ask and it seems to be on track. Let’s hope we don’t have another train wreck. Cautiously optimistic are we and we believe that the character choices on the follow-up waves are strong enough to keep this line going strong. Han Solo, based on his appearance in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is one of the standout 6” figures in The Black Series’ second wave. It’s already been asserted that he looks a bit more like Fox Mulder from The X-Files than the rogue Corellian seen in Episode IV, but all criticisms aside, we still think Hasbro has done him justice…. for the most part.

The growing affinity for The Black Series 6” line births out of the fact that Hasbro is choosing core Original Trilogy collectors. That will change somewhat with wave 3, but let’s face it. When is the last time you can remember Hasbro starting off a line of figures where the first two waves contained just characters, save for one hugely popular villain from Episode I, from the Original Trilogy? It’s rare and yet collectors across the globe are proving to Hasbro that if you give us what we want to see, we’ll buy it. Not all collectors are engaged with this line and it may take a miracle before they become invested in it; but one look at a character like Han Solo shows that Hasbro means business when it comes to The Black Series 6” line. If there is any wonkiness to the likeness of Han Solo’s head sculpt, we attribute it to the fact that Hasbro is riding a new learning curve and it’s one that will be perfected over time. But to discount the ingenious methodologies put forth to make a brilliant larger-scaled Han Solo action figure would be egregious on your part. Han Solo comes with a plethora of accessories and aside from a few issues in the head sculpt, this action figure is one of the greatest plastic interpretations of this character and for the first time ever you’ll be able to attain poses that you never thought would be possible, thanks to the accelerated articulated and intriguing joint system he possesses.

Han Solo comes with 21 points of articulation. But he may be one of the few The Black Series 6” figures that may have more merit for the included accessories rather than anything else. He comes with a removable holster, an interchangeable Stormtrooper belt, an E-11 blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, a removable vest and two interchangeable hand attachments wearing gloves. To date that is the most accessories a figure in The Black Series 6” line has come with, so this generous helping of additions is very nice to see. All of the accessories interact nicely with Han Solo. And thanks to his full array of movement, he is able to utilize the weaponry and gear quite charmingly. As a whole, Han Solo exceeds the expectations we had for this large-sized action figure. He has a decent likeness and his body frame and the details added to it are completely reminiscent of the character from Star Wars. While the plastic used today seems to be extra shiny, Han Solo still has shiny boots when compared to the rest of him, so we’re happy to see that. He is lean and athletic and has a slightly cocky expression on his face. There really isn’t too much more you could wish for, other than the fact that a little bit more time should have been spent on his likeness. But it honestly isn’t that bad at all. Aside from a few "not so great" mismatched colors (his forearm color is too dark compared to his face and hands), the paint job is pretty good overall. The second wave of The Black Series 6” line has given us a new hope that the line has even more potential than we had initially suspected. If Han Solo is any sign of this, then even better things are sure to come from it.