Boba Fett’s Slave I - SOTE - Vehicles

Technical Information
Model: Sublight Patrol and Attack Craft
Crew: One
Passengers: Six (Prisoners)
Cargo Capacity: 40 Metric Tons
Weapons: Two Twin Mounted Blaster Cannons, Concussion Missle Tube Launcher, ion Cannon, Tractor Beam Projector, Two Proton Torpedo Launchers

Everyone in the galaxy knows that a good bounty hunter must have a good ship. For Boba Fett, the most notorious and fearsome hunter, that ship is the Slave I, a Kuat Systems Engineering, limited-production high-speed Firespray-class craft.

Fett has customized the outdated starship, stripping it down to bare essentials and intricately rebuilding it to be one of the fastest vehicles in the galaxy. Slave I has tremendous sublight speed and Class One hyperdrive capabilities. Often, Fett will maneuver his ship to arrive at a destination seconds before the target of his hunt arrives.

The magnetically polarized hull allows it to pick up electronic signals and pulses in a large range; it also hides the ship from sensor scans. Reinforced plating and contact ray shielding protect the Slave I from enemy attacks, while a variety of weapons provide lethal firepower.

The ship's impressive weaponry includes twin blaster cannons, an ion cannon, a concussion missile tube launcher, and a tractor beam projector. Two proton torpedo launchers send out homing beacons and S-thread trackers mounted on dummy torpedos. Combined with its telemetry systems and signal devices, these trackers allow Fett to pursue his prey at all times.

The cargo hold of the Slave I has been converted to a top-security holding area, with shielded force cages and concealed weaponry. It was in this hold that Fett put the carbonite block containing Han Solo, after the hunter tracked him down for Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt.

Electronically linked to his ship by circuitry inside his helmet, Boba Fett sees the Slave I as an extension of his power. And for those who have been on the wrong side of the hunter, the power of the Slave I and its owner is a terrifying thing.

The Shadows Of The Empire line brought us some fantastic new characters, but it also provided Star Wars collectors the chance to get updated versions of figures and vehicles originally released in the vintage Kenner line. Although packaged in a Shadows Of The Empire box, Boba Fett's Slave I made its debut in the Kenner/Hasbro line based on the multimedia event, and not necessarily its appearance from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. In this case, it didn’t matter. The vehicle is identical in either source. But Star Wars collectors and fans were desperate to see Boba Fett's Slave I get a revised new look for the modern line. And that’s what the Shadows Of The Empire line brought to them. Boba Fett's Slave I is a recast of the original vintage Kenner Slave I (Boba Fett’s Spaceship) with completely new deco and decals. With a new 1996 date stamp at the bottom of the vehicle (underneath the handle), Boba Fett's Slave I is a nicely done and fresh take on this classic Star Wars vehicle. It doesn’t break much ground from the original vintage Kenner release, but the updated paint operations and decal sheet breathe new life into it. We haven’t see the Slave I look this good until now.

A big part of the Shadows Of The Empire story is Boba Fett transporting the frozen in carbonite Han Solo to Jabba The Hutt’s palace. To accomplish this from a toy perspective, it means you have to have the vehicle that frozen Han Solo was transported in as part of the toy line. Whether in Shadows Of The Empire packaging or not, Boba Fett's Slave I was destined to become a strong seller for Kenner/Hasbro because of the ties it has to the world’s most-favorite bounty hunter in addition to its connections to The Empire Strikes Back. We do appreciate that Kenner/Hasbro updated Boba Fett's Slave I to be more relevant in the modern line, the vehicle still lacks in a major way, and that’s because of its small size. Boba Fett's Slave I is a much larger vehicle. And Kenner/Hasbro can make a bigger vehicle if they’re so inclined. But we also have to give credit where credit is due. The brand new paint operations (in addition to the base color scheme) of Boba Fett's Slave I are fantastic. It’s hard to believe how simply painted the vintage Kenner release is when you compare it against the Shadows Of The Empire version. Kenner/Hasbro has come very far with making this vehicle looks as realistic as possible.

Boba Fett's Slave I comes with all of the features of the original vehicle. Keep in mind that the vehicle is a recast of the original, so there are going to be some differences in how some details turned out. Boba Fett's Slave I comes with a removable side door. Our sample doesn’t stay in place too well, but we’re sure your mileage will vary depending upon your sample. The vehicle also comes with rotating cannons and a lowering cockpit. There is a lever that moves back and forth which brings the cockpit chair up and down. Instead of a semi-transparent black cockpit canopy, this version is obvious. It looks great this way. There is also an extension ramp which you can use to recreate Boba Fett and company walking up it to stow away the frozen Han Solo in carbonite. And speaking of Han Solo, we get a recast of the Han Solo (in carbonite) accessory cast in a dark gray plastic (with all-new decals) to complete Boba Fett's Slave I. Overall this release is pretty great. It’s not a far departure from the 1981 vehicle, but there is a great deal of newness too. The figure from the Boba Fett Vs. IG-88 Comic Packs set interacts perfectly with this vehicle too. See our gallery for how well this figure works with this vehicle.