Offworld Jawa - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (96)

Ships traveling to and from Tatooine have resulted in some Jawas leaving their desert home-world. Those that do arrive on new planets continue their old habits in their new surroundings, but their obsessive need for technology still drives them.

Offworld Jawa? What is the Maker’s name could that mean? It looks like The Mandalorian television series will be introducing familiar characters into the mix with the hopes of grabbing the attention of original Star Wars fans while engaging new audiences with new content and exciting storylines. While we don’t know much about the premise of The Mandalorian television series, we do know that the Sequel Trilogy is tied to it. But not only will we see elements of the Sequel Trilogy worked into the show, but we’ll also see elements of the Original Trilogy as well. Part of the first wave of 6” figures that make up Triple Force Friday, Hasbro introduces the Star Wars collecting community to the Offworld Jawa, a character that almost mirrors the character from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope save for its red eyes. And unlike the Original Trilogy version of The Black Series [Phase III] Jawa (61) figure, this new version enters the line with a totally different approach. And the new approach looks better to us.

The Offworld Jawa looks fantastic. Hasbro gave the figure a complete soft-goods outer robe, and it’s gorgeous. It has the right amount of “bunching,” and its drape is natural and flowing. The soft-goods materials used to create the outer robe are fine and move easily as you need. The ends are held together with the bandolier that goes over the figure’s chest, but thanks to the large opening of the robe you still can maximize the figure’s movement as needed. The color palette of the Offworld Jawa is interesting. It has relative Original Trilogy familiarity, but it also presents the species in a completely different light as well. The darker colors give it a mystery that we’ve never felt before looking at this character. The red eyes, in particular, give the Offworld Jawa an “evil” demeanor. We’re not sure if that’s intentional or not, but it works in some bizarre way. With parts both old and new here, the Offworld Jawa interacts well with the Jawas already received in The Black Series 6” line while providing some diversity if you want to include them together in displays.

The first wave of The Black Series [Phase III] figures for Triple Force Friday all have a “First Issue” counterpart in a white box. The last time we’ve seen a gimmick like this was during the The Legacy Collection/The Clone Wars [Blue] product launch in August 2008. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since Hasbro last utilized a “First Issue” type of promotion to help generate chasing “limited edition” collectibles. We’re not fond of this type of promotion in the current era of Star Wars collecting. A novelty like this had its place in the Star Wars toy line years ago, but it comes across as paltry in 2019. But that’s our opinion. If you like the different-colored packaging, the more power to you. One thing we DO NOT like, especially with the “First Issue” boxes, is that the side of the box with the number is still red. Side by side with the standard or regular edition, you cannot tell the figures apart. We’re not sure why Hasbro did this. No matter your opinion on the packaging, you’re going to love the Offworld Jawa. Buy multiples of them!

This sample has been provided to us by Entertainment Earth.