Skirmish At Carkoon - SW [S - P3] - Multipacks (Exclusive)

The skiff guards were aboard Jabba the Hutt's sailbarge when the Hutt and his entourage went to the Pit of Carkoon for a macabre party in which the chief entertainment was to be the execution of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca. During the ensuing rescue, some of the skiff guards were unlucky enough to go tumbling into the maw of the ravenous Sarlacc in place of the Rebel heroes.

Man, oh man. If you want to see just how wrong repaints can go, look no further than the Toys R Us exclusive Skirmish At Carkoon multipack. Even with a “new" figure included with the set of four figures and large accessory, we still can’t justify the reason for this item’s release, not can we justify any reason why you need to buy rehashed figures that went on clearance for pennies on the dollar shortly after their release during the waning days of The Power Of The Force "2" era. But that’s what Hasbro did. Poor Toys R Us had no idea how old the items in this set were and ended up choking on it where it finally went on clearance (again) in a new light and a new era. It’s no debate that adult Star Wars collectors love skiff guards and everything to do with Jabba the Hutt. But repacking figures from 1999 plus the inclusion of an inferior kit-bashed figure is just plain wrong, no matter how much of a demand there is. If all of the figures were tweaked and retooled and made more interesting, then maybe. But they certainly should have not been released this way. What adds insult to injury is Hasbro apparently couldn’t be bothered much with this set either because on top of the horrific new paint jobs, every figure, save for Han Solo, has been incorrectly identified on the packaging (not that this matters all that much).

Let’s discuss the “best” part of this multipack: Han Solo. No one can argue that a new Han Solo based on his carbonite free appearance in Return Of The Jedi wasn’t necessary. But the figure in this multipack is only a temporary hold over for now. It’s a kit-bashed figure that utilizes the upper body of 1999’s The Power Of The Force [Flashback/CommTech] Han Solo CommTech figure with the lower left leg from 2001’s POTJ Han Solo (Bespin Capture) figure. For this release the right leg and cod section are all-new sculpts. So for all intents and purposes Han Solo should be considered a new figure here. He also comes with a set of binders which don’t work all that well with the figure. You really need to stretch it out to make it contain both arms. Sadly, Han Solo has a treacherous paint job. His skin tone doesn’t even look human it’s so dark, and the likeness of the 1999 figure looks alright, but just hasn’t held up flawlessly well after half decade. The other decent thing about this set is the large accessory: the Sail Barge Cannon. Repainted and reused from 2001’s POTJ Princess Leia (With Sail Barge Cannon) Deluxe figure, Hasbro felt that it would be a nice fit in the Skirmish At Carkoon multipack. It looks pretty good and holds up well, but it definitely is an odd inclusion for this multipack in our opinion.

Ugh. Now for the skiff guards. Klaatu, Barada and Nikto Skiff Guard are all terrible repaints of Klaatu, Barada and Nikto respectively from 1999’s POTF2 [FB/CT] Jabba’s Skiff Guards Cinema Scenes set. We are completely seriousness about how awful the paint jobs are. Klaatu may have turned out the best, but Barada and Nikto Skiff Guard look like green paint have been dumped on them and left to dry. It’s actually laughable how bad they look. Plus, the same old six points of articulation have obviously been carried forward here too, which make these terribly outdated action figures. If things couldn’t be any worse, they are. Hasbro cast all of their weapons in solid black and rubbery plastic. Not only do they look inauthentic, they can barely keep the materials used. The POTF2 weapons at least looked metallic and were case in rigid plastic materials. Lastly, each figure comes with a clear display stand which we suppose helps to position them in your various dioramas. Overall, the Skirmish At Carkoon is a total bust. Unless you need the Sail Barge Cannon and are desperate for every last “new” action figure Hasbro makes, this is a set that you can easily pass. Then again, you may want this set for posterity, as a memento of just how bad Hasbro can make something. They’ve give us some great stuff in the Star Wars “Saga” line, but this is a joke.