Ishi Tib - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

The Ishi Tib characters come from the planet Tibrin, where they live in the cities built atop coral reefs. Ardent freedom lovers, several Ishi Tibs offered their talents in service to the Rebel Alliance.

One character that topped many collectors’ wish lists was Ishi Tib. Keeping in mind that Ishi Tib is the name of the species and not of an individual character, you can imagine that it caused a little bit of confusion when talking about which version fans wanted. (The back story of this confusion surrounding this species name originated because in the Return Of The Jedi novel, there was a character named Ishi Tib, the “birdlizard”.) If you aren’t aware, there is a very prominent Ishi Tib character in Jabba’s palace (named Shasa Tiel) and collectors immediately gravitated towards him because of his amazing appearance and hoped Kenner/Hasbro would make him a priority in the modern. But there was another (actually couple) of Ishi Tib characters that were extremely hard to see in the Rebel briefing meeting on the Home One where they planned the attack on Death Star II. They were Rebel officers and still officially unidentified. Guess which version of Ishi Tib Hasbro decided to go with for The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame line? You got it! They went with one of the barely visible characters from the Home One. Either way, we’re just glad to see this species realized in 3.75” scale. Hasbro can always revisit the Jabba’s palace version (Shasa Tiel) of this character at a later date. For a first attempt, we have to conceded that Hasbro has done a remarkable job on this Ishi Tib action figure. Maybe you can’t recall him from the film and maybe you don’t know much about this species, but there is no denying that this action figure is quite a work of art.

There is something quite exquisite about Ishi Tib’s head sculpt. It is more than evident that the sculptors at Hasbro attempted to capture a stunning likeness to the character in the film. Even though the exact character that this action figure is based on is a very far distance out in the frame, judging by the character Shasa Tiel in Jabba’s palace we’re able to ascertain that this head sculpt is brilliantly accurate. Sometimes called “starfish” on the set of Return Of The Jedi, the Ishi Tib character had a bright green skin tone with streaks of varying color. So does the Hasbro action figure and we applaud them for capturing these nuances. That is what sets apart the Kenner/Hasbro line from so many other toy lines. They really know how to bring sculpts to live with stunning paint applications. Ishi Tib also has a sleepy/droopy eye look about him too and Hasbro excellently captured this personality well too. Ishi Tib comes with a removable outer coat shell (and it is quite a beast to remove – be careful) and blaster rifle, a prop that we imagine wasn’t in the film. Underneath of the coat which hides most of his body is a very well designed action figure. He is wearing a light tan shirt and light gray colored pants. The ensemble is visually appealing and the extra mile Hasbro went to tool fine details like wrinkles, hems and a belt are very much appreciated. All together we have to admit that Ishi Tib is one very nice action figure.

It seems that with very little work Hasbro could easily produce Shasa Tiel. If they reuse this figure’s head and repaint it and design a new body then collector’s would have one mighty fine action figure interpretation of the one who is Jabba’s henchman. And because this character was completely visible in Episode VI, it makes sense that Kenner/Hasbro should get down to business and start producing one immediately. This Ishi Tib was barely visible. If you need proof of how difficult it was to see Ishi Tib in Return Of The Jedi, just looks at the included Freeze Frame pack-in premium. He doesn’t even make it into the group shot. Even if it takes an eternity to get Shasa Tiel, collectors should know that we got a great Ishi Tib action figure in The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame line. It’s a dynamic sculpt that has excellent paint operations and doesn’t possess an awkwardly “buff” sculpt. The hands are a little bit obtrusive and the weapon is laughably large, but overall we think Ishi Tib shines. If you’re an adult collector you likely prefer any creature from Chalmun’s cantina or Jabba’s palace. It makes sense why the Ishi Tib species is a top priority for people like us. There is no end in sight for us when the characters focus from these two proverbial Now let us get this awesome species from the environment we demand: Jabba’s palace.