Han Solo - POTF2 [FB/CT] - Basic

Inside Mos Eisley's cantina, Han Solo just negotiated a lucrative deal to transport two men to Alderaan – enough to pay off his debt to crimelord Jabba the Hutt. But it's too late: bounty hunter Greedo has come to collect – though all the Rodian gets is a shot to the chest from Solo's blaster.

Hasbro has ushered in a new way of making action figures with The Power Of The Force “2” [FlashBack/CommTech] line. There is still room to grow of course, but these Star Wars characters are looking better than ever thanks to concentrated likenesses, excellent paint operations and what we deem as “trial” articulation – articulation that is not yet perfected, but Hasbro is looking to be a little more adventurous with what they include with figures now. Take Han Solo for example. We finally have a Han Solo that would fit into any scene in Chalmun’s Cantina now thanks to this upgraded figure. Not only can Han Solo sit perfectly, Hasbro gave him hinge-jointed knees and swivel thighs so that collectors can attain the greatest array of movement possible. He is a little too stiff in the upper body, but you’ll be so impressed with what he can do below the belt that you probably won’t care. (OK, we are well aware that didn’t come out the way we intended it.) Anyway, Han Solo is truly an exciting update to all past versions. A new athletically streamlined body has been tooled as well as an all-new head sculpt. If Hasbro could just tweak those bulky hands and increase articulation, we think that we’ll be all set.

Despite Han Solo being an all-new sculpt, we’re perhaps neglecting the most exciting aspect of this new figure. Hasbro tooled a functioning holster and blaster which fit together beautifully. It is perhaps the REASON to purchase this figure. Not only does the gun fit like hand in a perfectly sized glove, it doesn’t look too bulky for the figure either. It looks so realistic and we’re impressed with how this was tooled. As you know, his upper body is a bit frustrating, but the gun does fit into his left hand very well too. And with the updated lower body articulation, you can pose Han Solo in a variety of ways, most of which look screen accurate and natural. The other included accessory is the removable vest. This is another nice feature because you can remove the vest (with a little determination we must add) and have a completely different take on Han Solo (like changing out of Stormtrooper armor from the icky trash compactor for example). Obviously there is more play value here than may first meet the eye. But we love what Hasbro has done with this figure and it will undoubtedly become a mainstay in the line. Between the ability to sit like he is at a table in the cantina to the functioning holster, the CommTech Han Solo is a figure you shouldn’t be without.

Han Solo nicely complements wave mater Greedo, as both have been designed to share that unforgettable scene in Chalmun’s cantina. But keep in mind that this is really a universal take on Han Solo and will be the perfect take for nearly every scene in the film, save for some obvious outfit changes like on the Death Star and at the ceremony on Yavin IV. So Han Solo is going to look grand next to the new Luke Skywalker, as well as the Stormtrooper and even R2-D2 (With "Holographic" Princess Leia). He is a pretty universal action figure without question. It’s not the “end all” Han Solo action figure as in the word “definitive”. But you just have to compare it to previous versions just to see how far Hasbro has come along making these action figures. Han Solo also comes with a CommTech chip which many collectors are digging. We admit that they are neat little pack-in premiums, but they do take up extra space that some collectors may find they do not have. We would have love to have seen Hasbro update a new Chewbacca (based on Episode IV) to go along with this Han Solo figure, but there will be more in the future. You can’t bet on it. For now however, collectors have themselves a pretty awesome version of Han Solo. Let’s see how long he hold out.