Walrus Man - Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures

We have come across Star Wars fans throughout the years that have gone so far as mocked Kenner for their interpretations of classic action figures like Hammerhead and Walrus Man. Their inaccurate costumes (and even physical features) in particular are the source of criticism. “Just what were they thinking?!” is a question we often here. But what many collectors forget is that action figure design was a completely different bowl of wax than it is today. It wasn’t so much about screen accuracy (and it certainly wasn’t about super-articulation either for that matter) back then. So when it comes to seeing these figures again in a much larger scale, it’s again about the whole original experience at a grander scale. Likeness and articulation once again take a backseat to everything else. Walrus Man, a name we haven’t heard in a while thanks to the figures brought to us by Hasbro, is a refreshing release to see. And Gentle Giant Ltd. did a fine job at releasing it in this larger scale. He may have flippers, a bright orange leotard and skin tight blue body glove. And his gloves may exactly match the color of his head, but he is Walrus Man, a classic cantina alien and a timeless action figure.

We have to hand it to Gentle Giant sometimes. We had criticized some of their earlier efforts that they should be “correcting” issues the original Kenner figures had without compromising the nostalgic factors of these figures. Let us give you an example of what we mean. The Han Solo [Small Head] Jumbo Vintage Figure was made with one leg shorter than the other. This is something that is actually present in the 1978 Kenner figure, but we expressed we wished we would have seen Gentle Giant ensure that both legs were the same length in the larger scale so he would be able to stand unassisted on a display shelf. That’s very difficult because the digital scans didn’t correct this issue, but in fact magnified it because of larger parts. Well, Gentle Giant painted the hands on Walrus Man the correct way for the first time ever with the Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figure. The green paint (which oddly matches his head color) goes all the way up the length of the glove and doesn’t cut off at the actual wrist like the 1979 vintage figure. We expect there will be collectors out there who would like Gentle Giant to remain consistent with Kenner, even if they’re errors. But we feel oppositely about this.

Conversely, Walrus Man has overspray on his tusks which is often present on the 3.75” Kenner figures. It would have been nice if Gentle Giant Ltd. would have put a better process in place that would have prevented the green color of his head to “leak” onto his white tusks. These are very nitpicky details. But we have expressed time and again that these are expensive and will only have one chance to make an impression on the collecting community. These are not horrible issues, but we would like to see them fully resolved and these expensive collectibles come issue free. There is one other exception we take with the roto-cast vinyl process used to make the Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures. Sadly, the hands and lower legs of Walrus Man are separately sculpted pieces. Obviously this is a much different approach than the original Kenner action figures. The limbs should have been entirely casted as whole pieces. This has caused issues with quality as pieces have broken off when trying to place the weapon in hand or other reasons. If Gentle Giant Ltd. Can just find ways to perfect the process, this will be a very special collectible line that will be long and fondly remembered.