Han Solo (The Scoundrel) - GOA - Basic

A smuggler and a scoundrel, Han Solo proves that he can also be a hero when he rescues his friends and helps in the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire.

What is the best way for collectors to process a basic figure line that excels in approach, but fails miserably in execution? That’s about where we’re at with the Galaxy Of Adventures line. Typically, anything that focuses on the Original Trilogy should be a win for both Hasbro and collectors. But despite the colorful graphics, the unique packaging and the exclusive pack-in premium (which Hasbro deems is worth about $2.00 additionally), The Galaxy of Adventures line is packed with one repacked simply-articulated and realistically-styled Star Wars action figure. We emphasize “realistically-styled” because the series is animated, and therefore so should the toy line. If Star Wars [Resistance] gets a completely new cast of characters with all-new action figures, then the Galaxy Of Adventures line should minimally get its own brand new animated basic figure line too. Instead, Hasbro thumbs through their extensive catalog and pick what they consider the most appropriate iterations of the characters featured in the line. Some work. Most do not. And the price makes this line anything but attractive. While we appreciate the aesthetics of the tubular packaging, it sadly comes off as a cheap knockoff/stocking stuffer type of gift. And it’s not collector-friendly. Perhaps instead of complaining it would be good to congratulate Hasbro for their focus on the Original Trilogy in this line. But we’d be remiss not to point out that more often than not when Hasbro releases Original Trilogy products to their largest base, it’s rare to see something new.

Han Solo is a slight repaint of 2015’s R Han Solo (SL24) figure. It’s no longer new, but the original release of the figure had collectors scratching their heads. At first glance, you might have believed that this Han Solo’s base figure utilized some of the toolings of earlier Han Solo figures. Perhaps some of the tooling blueprints were reused for the legs, but the ultimate ruling is that the Han Solo (SL24) release is an all-new figure. Hasbro painted the first version of this figure in the Rebels line terribly. Now the figure is strikingly improved, although it doesn’t look nearly as good as a figure that comes with remarkable “photorealistic” deco instead. “Han Solo (Bespin Outfit)” is typically a collector-favorite iteration of this hero. He also feels like a natural fit for any basic figure line. Now Hasbro utilizes him for the Galaxy Of Adventures line, and admittedly he works for what they want to achieve in this line. The head sculpt is about average and the tooling for the rest of the body borders on excellent. But although improved, the real bone to pick here once again is the paint operations. Hasbro took different approaches with this figure’s deco, like the eye, but it’s hard to see these fine differences unless side by side. To Hasbro’s credit, they’ve achieved a way to remove the pinkish hue from his skin tone. He has much more natural “skin color” now. He still comes with a functioning holster to hold his blaster pistol, but as you know, the pistol fits into it very loosely. You can only “place” it in there, as it moves/wobbles around quite a bit if you bump or move the action figure.

The basics of this figure look great however. The brown pants with yellow blood stripe and complementary black leather boots look amazing. And let’s not forget his bleached white shirt underneath his navy blue jacket. Hasbro also colored the belt buckle in a very nice silver shade of paint. As you can see, there is a lot to appreciate here. But the appreciation diminishes every time a figure gets re-released in this day and age. There are too few precious slots that should be reserved for all-new sculpts. It’s one of the biggest detriments to the Star Wars basic figure line. Will the Star Wars mainstream basic figure line be like this from here on out? Why else would Hasbro be reinventing the wheel in this manner? We have all of these characters in different sculpts multiple times. And most have significantly better articulation and paint jobs. Yes, figures need constant releasing for new markets to buy them. But we feel that these figures are re-released on top of each other. It never seems to work in their favor either, as the eventual clearance needs to happen for these figures to sell. Every figure comes with a miniature comic, and we have to admit we find them adorable. The artwork inside of them is fantastic too. It takes readers through a brief journey of what transpires in the film from where the figures are sourced. In The case of Han Solo, the comic focuses on the entrapment of Darth Vader and Boba Fett and the betrayal from his buddy Lando Calrissian. We’re a bit frustrated with this line. Had these figures been all-new animated sculpts, it would have been out out-of-the-park hit.