Snowspeeder/Dak Ralter - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Vehicles (Exclusive)

Snowspeeder: While stationed on Hoth, the Rebel Alliance modified T-47 airspeeders to become snowspeeders. The snowspeeder was a two-man vessel, with a pilot and a rear-facing tailgunner.

Dak Ralter: An eager young Rebel pilot assigned to Hoth's Echo Base, Dak served as Luke Skywalker's tailgunner during the Battle of Hoth but was killed by Imperial fire that struck the back of the snowspeeder.

Getting Dak Ralter into The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line shows that Hasbro is finally starting to think outside of the box a little more. This approach is beautiful because it gets characters into the toy line that would have no other chance otherwise. If you were a 3.75” collector at the time, Dack Ralter (they misspelled the character’s name in 2010) took a coveted slot in The Vintage Collection line. Released at 2010’s TVC Dack Ralter (VC07), the figure was also released in The Black Series [Phase I] 3.75” line in 2014. (TVC’s AT-RT Driver (VC46) was another candidate but never made it out.) Before The Vintage Collection release, Hasbro released a funky Dak Ralter action figure in 2002’s POTJ Luke Skywalker’s Snowspeeder Walmart exclusive set. Like what Hasbro did for Dak Ralter in 2020, they took a previous Luke Skywalker figure wearing the snowspeeder outfit and converted it into another character, this time as Dak. As you can see, Dak Ralter was a “fixture” in the 3.75” lineup. SO it’s great to see this Rebel Alliance hero available for the first time in the 6” line. As explained, Hasbro took 2020’s TBS [TESB40] Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) figure and developed a new portrait. They also retooled the skirt section of the snow jacket to give Dak Ralter a different belt and remove the lightsaber hilt clip. The latest figure of Dak Ralter is brilliant, and while we don’t feel the likeness is a dead ringer for the actor, collectors are excited to add this character to their 6” shelf.

The Dak Ralter figure comes with an exciting array of accessories. You’d likely believe that Hasbro would only include a blaster or something similar, but keeping in line with thinking outside of the box, they added unique accessories here to interact with the included vehicle, as well as other figures in the 6” line. Remember the crying and whining that the Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) figure didn’t come with an ascension gun? Well, Hasbro included it with Dak Ralter instead. It feels like an abbreviated version of the on-screen weapon, but Hasbro designed it beautifully, and the figure can hold it well with both hands. You can take it from Dak Ralter and give it to Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) instead since that’s the character who utilized it during the Battle of Hoth. Also included with Dak Ralter are two code cylinders. They’re not silver like how we see in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, so we hope we are not misidentifying them. But they look the same, save for their darker color. We’re not sure what you’ll have Dak Ralter do with them. The grasps on the hands are too wide for the figure to hold them tightly, and there isn’t a place we can find on the Snowspeeder to pace them, so we feel they an odd inclusion here. Lastly, Dak Ralter comes with a removable generic Rebel Alliance helmet. Although the helmet is dirty, all that’s on it are two blue Rebel Alliance emblems and a smaller logo on the bottom. The helmet figures the figure well, and we prefer to have the action figure wear the helmet than not wear it.

Sigh. Now it’s time to talk about the Snowspeeder. Well, let’s get it out there. It’s a gorgeous-looking vehicle. It’s in perfect scale to the 6” action figures. It has the right amount of deco to reflect the various dirt and grim its exterior picked up, flying over Hoth’s terrain. There is a removable “battle-damaged” panel. The thick section of the front cannon is removable. The two main cannon sections in the front are removable. It has three retractable landing gear feet that tuck up into the body of the vehicle when flying. The tow cable has its compartment separate from everything else. The ends of the string of the tow cable each have an attachment to them. The rudders/sails on the posterior of the Snowspeeder comes with simple articulation. The cockpit opens up to an extraordinary amount of detail. Each pilot figures into its seat perfectly. Seatbelts lift up and then reattach once you get the pilot situated. Their dashboards are highly details, and they can hold onto the steering columns with relative ease. So what’s the problem then? The quality of the plastic used for the Snowspeeder is of an inferior composite. It has the same bend and gives the wings from 2015’s TBS [P3] First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter. We don’t understand why Hasbro uses this waxy, bendable, and pliable plastic to make a collector-focused item. Maybe it’s not the end of the world for you if you’re a relatively new collector, but we have MULTIPLE vehicles from The Vintage Collection line with significantly higher-quality plastic. The Snowspeeder/Dak Ralter set has an MSRP of $119.99.