Grand Moff Tarkin - POTF2 [R/G] - Basic

HEIGHT: 1.8 Meters
STATUS: Commander of the Death Star
CLASSIFICATION: Human
AFFILIATION: Galactic Empire
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Death Star Superlaser Cannon

When you gaze upon the characters that made it into the vintage Kenner lineup, you can’t help but be perplexed on the many that did not. Characters like the Figrin D’an, Sandtroopers as well as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are all ones we desperately wanted to see. The biggest omission, however, would have to be Grand Moff Tarkin, who essentially was more of a villain than Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Thankfully, Kenner/Hasbro finally made Grand Moff Tarkin a reality in 1997. They were so proud of the figure's release they put a call-out sticker on the bubble to let all collectors know this was the "first ever" Grand Moff Tarkin action figure. An eagerly anticipated release, collectors embraced Grand Moff Tarkin firmly, and he ended up being one of the best selling figures in the entire line. He was so popular in fact that he became a shoo-in for the next phase of the line, which made him even more collectible. Whether we are looking at Grand Moff Tarkin through rose-colored glasses or not, this action figure seems leaps and bounds better than many of the other figures in The Power Of The Force “2” line. With a call-out sticker that boasts “Never before offered in any Kenner collection,” Grand Moff Tarkin is an exciting release.

His skinny and borderline skeletal frame has been perfectly recreated, and the facial features, while perhaps a little too young in appearance, still look excellent. Grand Moff Tarkin’s likeness ranks around good to excellent. The sculptors did a fine job of matching the shape of his head, and the paint operations are also good in that they are neat and clean. Perhaps more detail was needed on the skin, however to bring out his age. The figure has qualities that make Grand Moff Tarkin look about 25 years younger than he did in Episode IV. This isn’t a crime, but it would have been ideal if Kenner/Hasbro were able to knock this figure completely out of the park right from the start. A good jumping-off point, Kenner/Hasbro has already shown that no character they make in the toy line is exempt from being reattempted. So future versions of Grand Moff Tarkin are potentially endless. But let us not get ahead of ourselves because there are too many good things represented in this figure that are worth mentioning. We like the trends we see in the Star Wars action figure line. Great modern updates and first-time offerings have been consistent and nicely executed. We are hopeful the trends will only improve.

Grand Moff Tarkin comes with the standard six points of articulation that most of the other figures in the POTF2 line have also been given. A swivel head is accompanied by two swivel shoulders, a swivel waist, and two swivel hips. This level of articulation harkens back to the vintage Kenner days, so from that point of view, these modern figures have a lot of that charm. But in an era where articulation is key, it seems that Kenner/Hasbro needs to become a little more generous in this area. Swivel articulation can only do so much and, in our opinion, severely limits what an action figure can do. We mentioned that the paint operations on the head sculpt are pretty good. Well, we feel that the coloring and details on the rest of the figure are more impressive. Grand Moff Tarkin has the perfect gray/green military uniform, which we saw in the film. His ranking badge looks too chunky, and the colorful rectangles are not perfectly matching what is onscreen, but it's an "OK" effort. Shipped multiple times throughout the green phase of The Power Of The Force “2” line, Kenner/Hasbro made Grand Moff Tarkin readily available on store shelves. Grand Moff Tarkin is a welcomes first time offering in the modern line. We’re looking forward to seeing what Hasbro can do next with him.