Han Solo - TBS [SW40] - Six Inch Figures

At Toy Fair 2017, changes are made on figures that Hasbro doesn’t even know about until it’s brought to their attention via sites like ours. So, when Hasbro says they didn’t make any conscious changes to the figures they produce, you can’t hold it against them if that turns out not to be the case. In the instance of Han Solo, they also made some updates, perhaps unwittingly, which has affected the figure in a positive way. Firstly, the hairline looks fantastic. Hasbro really colored within the lines this time and it’s perhaps the best looking Han Solo 6” figure to date. (We still think he looks a whole heck of a lot more like David Duchovny than Harrison Ford, but that’s just us.) But there is a greater enhancement here. Remember the forearms of 2013’s TBS [P1] Han Solo (#08) 6” figure? They were a completely different color than his hands. Well, Hasbro ensured that the color of the interchangeable hands and the forearms match almost perfectly. We’re very happy about this detail because it was an eyesore on the original figure. Other than this “upgrade”, Han Solo is pretty much identical to his previous releases. Now he has been placed on a vintage Kenner inspired card back to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars; something that has 6” collectors ecstatic over, while 3.75” super-articulated collectors wipe away their tears.

Han Solo, based on his appearance in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope has always been one of the standout 6” figures in The Black Series [Phase I]’s second wave. And because the original figure hasn’t been available at retail for years now, it is expected that this 2017 flavor will perform pretty well for the 40th anniversary celebration of Star Wars. The growing affinity for The Black Series 6” line births out of the fact that Hasbro is choosing core Original Trilogy characters. When is the last time you can remember Hasbro starting off a line of figures where the first two waves contained 6” replicas of the original 12 action figures from 1978? It’s rare but yet special occasion to celebrate this four decade history and collectors across the globe are proving to Hasbro that if you give us what we want to see, the market will buy it. As far as Han Solo is concerned, if there is any wonkiness to his likeness, we attribute it to the fact that Hasbro is riding a new learning curve and it’s one that will be perfected over time. They’ve already retooled Princess Leia Organa’s portrait, maybe they’ll update other head sculpts in the future. Besides, this action figure is a fine plastic interpretation of the onscreen character and for the first time ever you’ll be able to attain poses that you never thought would be possible, thanks to the accelerated articulated and intriguing joint system he possesses.

Han Solo comes with 28 points of articulation. But he may be one of the few The Black Series 6” figures that may have more merit for the included accessories rather than anything else. He comes with a removable holster, an interchangeable Stormtrooper belt, an E-11 blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, a removable vest and two interchangeable hand attachments wearing gloves. To date that is the most accessories a figure in The Black Series 6” line has come with, so this generous helping of additions is very nice to see. All of the accessories interact nicely with Han Solo. And thanks to his full array of movement, he is able to utilize the weaponry and gear quite charmingly. As a whole, Han Solo exceeds the expectations we had for this large-sized action figure. He has a decent likeness and his body frame and the details added to it are completely reminiscent of the character from Star Wars. While the plastic used today seems to be extra shiny, Han Solo still has shiny boots when compared to the rest of him, so we’re happy to see that. He is lean and athletic and has a slightly cocky expression on his face. There really isn’t too much more you could wish for, other than the fact that a little bit more time should have been spent on his likeness. And if you love vintage Kenner inspired packaging then you’re in total luck. Han Solo doesn’t look completely natural in this new celebratory packaging, but he doesn’t look half bad either.