Jabba’s Rancor (With Luke Skywalker) - TLC - Exclusives

The palace of Jabba the Hutt, crime lord of Tatooine, is full of unpleasant surprises – including a trapdoor that sends Luke Skywalker tumbling into a rancor pit. The young Jedi is destined to become the carnivorous creature's next meal unless he finds a way to defeat the beast. Luke battles the rancor, using the bone of a previous victim – and a well-aimed rock – to dispatch the rancor and free himself from the pit.

The Jabba's Rancor (With Luke Skywalker) TARGET exclusive set is remarkable and awe-inspiring. There isn't any other way to state this. Hasbro went all out to create a very movie-accurate beast and include nearly every finite detail of what in the film to exacting standards. While we had an idea or imagined about what this set was going to look like ever since we got 2007's TAC Battle Rancor (With Felucian Rider And Saddle) TARGET exclusive, this year's Rancor brings us something so much more. The newness brought to the table makes this release a worthwhile purchase in and unto itself. While there are some things we like better about the 2007 version, overall, the 2009 The Legacy Collection version is the better product. It's Original Trilogy so it should be better, right? Obviously, absent this time around is the Felucian Rider and the saddle and instead is Luke Skywalker in his signature Jedi Knight gear. And instead of a creature based from The Force Unleashed, this rancor is ripped right out of Return Of The Jedi. The Luke Skywalker figure is a slight repaint of 2007's TAC Luke Skywalker (30 25) figure and was the best choice (to date) to use for this set. He is super-articulated and can hold a bone which is fitting for this release. In addition to his ample articulation, he also has a decent sculpt (although not perfect), all of which is needed for this release and complements this multipack just fine. Not many changes were made to Luke, and not too many are needed until we get a better brand new figure. Luke's hand is still battle-damaged which makes this technically an out of sync release of Luke, but we'll let it slide. But the Rancor, on the other hand, should give collectors very little to complain about because this release has gone through a complete metamorphosis. The Rancor has been retooled and repainted to fit in its environment perfectly at Jabba's palace, and may we just say that the paint applications are stunning. Every detail on the Rancor's skin is simply beautiful, and we are so impressed that Hasbro did not spare any attention to detail when recreating this fan favorite beast. Collectors are going to love it, and it's worth the money!

New to 2009's TLC Rancor monster is a right hand that has been cast in "bendy" material with internal wires to facilitate what the box advertises as its "Rancor Grip" functionality. This newly revised hand has been painted so well to match the rest of the figure's body that we almost don't mind this "action feature." It blends in very well and has an incredibly realistic feel to it. But if we are honest, we like the prepositioned hand on the TAC 2007 Battle Rancor a bit better. Also returning from the previous release is the quasi spring-action in the shoulders. While we wouldn't call this a straight "action feature" per se, the arms definitely 'snap back' into place when articulated. The good news is that this doesn't detract from the overall quality of the piece. The various pieces of the set work in tandem with each other, and this makes a brilliant set. It is such a well sculpted and painted beast, and we are so thrilled to finally have a better-scaled Rancor (and unbelievably painted one too) of this quality. This set has been found in the wild with two very distinct and unique paint applications. The second version has a darker and shinier brown/green paint application, and it is this version which is more exact and authentic to what we saw in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. He appeared dark and slimy in the film, and this darker paint is finished with a very shiny finishing coat of paint or gloss. The 2007 TAC Battle Rancor With Felucian Rider And Saddle had a very flat (or matte paint job to be more specific) and lacked a nice paint job. It is shocking to see how unique the two different applications are on the final products. The Rancor also comes with his signature (left ear) earring and (right hand) wrist shackle with a few links of real metal chain still attached to it. These realistic accents are gravy and add an authenticity that just can't be matched with paint. We are thrilled that Hasbro added them and spared no expense to make the greatest Rancor possible. Back in the 'olden' days of collecting, shackles or earrings would have been simply-painted on the figure, so we count ourselves very fortunate to have the actual "hardware" this time around! Again, this looks extraordinary, and we are very excited with Hasbro's execution here!

Interestingly, the "white" version was supposed to be the original version that was supposed to be 'quickly' changed. Hasbro even claimed that the error "white" Rancor figures should be less common. After all of the units had arrived at TARGET, it was noticeable that the “white” Rancor is indeed the less produced version. While we always have a bit of skepticism in our minds, we tend to believe that the corrected "dark brown" version is the more common one which is really good for collectors. It's the better of the two and should be more widely available. If you are asking us about our recommendation, we say skip the white variant and get the standard release, because it is nearly flawless. The Jabba's Rancor (With Luke Skywalker) set is great and will be a very welcomed addition to any fan's or collector's toy collection. While our preference would have been to omit the "bendy" hand, it is still a solid toy nonetheless. And to be honest, we feel silly even implying that this is a defect of the toy. It is so nice to see Hasbro bring forth a true-to-scale Rancor (and for the second time no less), and we are so grateful! If this “large scale” beast pack proves successful, it could open the door for many other creatures yet to make it into our collections! We hope that you will do your due diligence and at least consider the value and beauty that is this action figure collectible...and purchase one if you see it! And since a huge core group of Star Wars fans still rave about Episode VI being "their" film, we only expect this exclusive to do very well at retail. If Hasbro can get a new Jabba and his throne into production as well as a new tauntaun and wampa, we will be very happy collectors. We love completing our Jabba world dioramas (among others)! In the meantime, there is enough to enjoy here and we will thoroughly enjoy the Rancor. This beast is worthy of every ounce of praise we give it. And that even includes his increase from $39.99 to $49.99! This is a quality toy that is well painted and well sculpted. You have nothing to lose here. (Editors Note: The Jabba’s Rancor (With Luke Skywalker) exclusive ended up going on clearance at the final price of $12.48 at many TARGET locations around January 2010. We don’t know what this will mean for future beasts as exclusives.)