Zam Wesell (Bounty Hunter) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #18)

In early 2002, Hasbro released four Sneak Preview action figures as one of the final products under the Power Of The Jedi line look of Star Wars toys. They produced these characters to support and tease Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. One figure was Zam Wesell, a commissioned bounty hunter working with Jango Fett, who was paid to terminate Senator Amidala. It was a decent-looking action figure for its time. Well proportioned with a mystique only masked bounty hunters possess, the figure quickly garnered interest from collectors and created intrigue for Episode II. But all of the Sneak Preview action figures effectively whet Star Wars collectors’ appetites everywhere. The Sneak Preview version didn’t address that the character was a changeling, but collectors quickly learned this from the Star Wars “Saga” version. The Clawdite bounty hunter came with a mask to cover the human likeness and show the Clawdite species. Zam Wesell has beautiful and feminine features as a human, but they’re only a façade for the character’s “ugliness” of the Clawdite species. The character’s beauty is only skin deep, and the “ugliness” went “all the way through.” The Zam Wesell (Bounty Hunter) action figure from the Star Wars “Saga” line is a disappointment in many ways when compared to the 2002 POTJ Zam Wesell Sneak Preview version. But the Star Wars “Saga” version offers a few unique traits that may interest collectors a little more in the long run.

Before Episode II was even released, the Zam Wesell (Bounty Hunter) action figure revealed some interesting “secrets” or “spoilers” about the character. Did the character wear a mask in the film? Does the bounty hunter lose an arm? These are just some of the initial questions we had. The answers became crystal clear when the movie was released, and we learned Zam Wesell is a changeling who tries to attack Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Outlander Nightclub. The character, unfortunately, loses an arm in the scuffle. We have to be forthright here. Some of the aesthetics of this action figure aren’t half bad. Zam Wesell has decent and attractively feminine features. Aside from any wonkiness that the sculpt inherently possesses, the costume looks good. What’s more impressive is the fit of the Clawdite “mask” or whatever you want to call it. Hasbro didn’t intend this accessory to be a mask, but another species the character morphs into, as seen in the film. The Clawdite accessory looks die-cut and lines up perfectly with the perimeter of the figure’s face. Also, the front of it tucks down into the neck. No matter how poor the figure, the fact that Hasbro designed this figure with incredible integration with its accessories impresses us. Sadly, the rest of the action figure does not impress us.

Hasbro opted to give Zam Wesell (Bounty Hunter) an exaggerated action-oriented pose. This decision hurts the figure in the long run because there isn’t enough articulation to counteract what Hasbro did to the sculpt. While there are some pretty aesthetically pleasing aspects to this action figure, the ultimate integrity of the sculpt is devastatingly compromised, and you’re left feeling like you have an inferior action figure, which you are. The magnetic arm removal gimmick is annoying. And most of the figure feels unnecessary in the grand scheme of what an action figure should provide or offer to your collection. Zam Wesell doesn’t come with the long rifle that the Sneak Preview figure did and instead comes with a much smaller blaster pistol that fits snuggly into a functioning holster. Collectors would have appreciated both guns. At the same time, we urge Hasbro to make notes and not create poses that aren’t desirable to collectors. Some of the features and aesthetics border on looking nice, but the figure doesn’t cut it for us. It’s far from being a good action figure, and you can forget it is the definitive representation of the bounty hunter. Zam Wesell has a long way to go in the Hasbro Star Wars line, but this version isn’t without merit.