BB-8/Unkar’s Thug/Jakku Scavenger - TFA - Two-Packs (Desert)

BB-8: BB-8 is the spherical loyal Astromech Droid of the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.

Unkar’s Thug: The strong-armed bullies who work for junk dealer Unkar Plutt help keep his scavenging business running on the remote, lawless world of Jakku.

Jakku Scavenger: Teedo is a small, brutish scavenger that roams Jakku's vast wasteland on his semi-mechanical Luggabeast.

We won’t presume to understand Hasbro’s logic when they put together many of the multipacks that make up The Force Awakens line. Aside from not seeing The Force Awakens in theaters yet because the new toys were released months before the release on the film, we don't know much about the characters either. And because of this, not too much of anything is going to make complete sense until the film is finally seen. But even with that equation in the mix here, we feel comfortable enough criticizing the BB-8/Unkar’s Thug/Jakku Scavenger “Two-Pack” (we use quotes since technically three characters are contained within this set) because it seems like there may have been on huge missed opportunity here. Despite its rather small stature, BB-8 has become an instant hit. And we feel strongly, that much like R2-D2, BB-8 is deserving of its own single-carded release. Hasbro would clearly have to add enough accessories to warrant the $7.99 Build A Weapon MSRP, but we feel that they might have been able to make a basic figure release of BB-8 a noteworthy success. It’s not that we’re not thankful for the droid’s inclusion here, but BB-8 will need more frequent availability than Hasbro is giving it. To be fair, BB-8 will be coming in multiple ways this year, but a basic figure release would have made the most sense.

BB-8 is a very simple action figure. It comes with a double ball-socket head joint, but other than that, it’s just a hollow ball of plastic. However, the detail and the paint operations make up for where the figure lacks in “materials” and weightiness. For what is essentially a hollow piece of plastic, BB-8 looks pretty sweet. It has even been given a flattened surface area near the bottom of the body ball which allow it to stand upright unassisted. Two of the more interesting characters included here however are Unkar’s Thug and the Jakku Scavenger whose name is Teedo. Based on pre-release image still of The Force Awakens, it seems pretty evident that Rey purchases and/or receives BB-8 from Teedo. He comes with a long staff, capture net and projectiles which we are to assume explain how BB-8 was captured by the Jakku Scavenger. Interestingly, Teedo looks a whole lot like the combination of an disrobed Tusken Raider with the stature and similar features to an undressed Jawa. If you look carefully at the action figure you will see what resembles mummified grave clothes with a bandolier. Teedo absolutely resembles the desert scavengers from the Original Trilogy. It’s actually difficult to NOT see the similarities. The head sculpt of Teedo is equally compelling. Hopefully we will learn a great deal more about him when Episode VII is released.

We’re especially interested in learning more about Unkar’s Thug. He may or may not have a big role in The Force Awakens. But either was we find his design and outfit very interesting. He looks like a typical desert pirate or someone you would see within Jabba the Hutt’s retinue, but there is also an air of mystery about him as well. The covered and goggled eyes and the thermal vest also perplex you as they entertain you. Think Garindan meets Luke Skywalker (in his Hoth gear) meets an anonymous hoodlum. That’s about the best combination we can come up with that describe Unkar’s Thug perfectly. The action figure’s color palette is simple, but the colors are clean and the paint operations are neat and clean. We once again just wish that these figures came with more articulation because the sculpts are so wonderfully done. It’s hard to tell in the Two-Packs line which accessories go with each character, but it’s our opinion that the obvious blaster pistol is intended to be the accessories for Unkar’s Thug. With limited articulation, there isn’t much you can do with them, but they look great and accent the figures beautifully. This set will be HOT solely for BB-8. If you see it we suggest not waiting for clearance.