Dewback & Sandtrooper - POTF2 [FB/CT] - Action Collection (Exclusive)

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

Dewbacks can survive in some of the worst conditions imaginable on Tatooine. On this hot, arid planet, these large, lizard-like omnivores generally maintain a solitary existence and are able to subsist on the razor moss that grows on the bottom of the planet's rocks. Due to their incredible ability to withstand Tatooine's extreme weather conditions, dewbacks are used as a form of single-person transportation, and have proven to be more reliable than many mechanized vehicles.

Sandtroopers on foot and on dewbacks, scour the Tatooine desert for signs of the escape pod containing C-3PO and R2-D2. The Imperials suspect that the droids have record of the stolen plans to the Death Star.

One of the largest (and best) Action Collection exclusives got released in the middle of summer 2000. When rumors of the Toys R Us exclusive Dewback & Sandtrooper Action Collection set began circulating on the internet, no one anticipated how large Kenner/Hasbro would make it. Would it be a true one-sixth scale beast? Would a 12” Sandtrooper be able to ride it believably? And would the likeness of the best be faithful to the version seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, or the Special Edition? Well, the Dewback & Sandtrooper is indeed LARGE. But it may not be accurate to one-sixth scale. The Sandtrooper pack-in figure is a repaint of the versions we received in the past, this time we get a Sandtrooper Corporal, but it doesn’t look laughably incorrect or wrong either. The pairing of Dewback & Sandtrooper is significantly better than bittersweet, but there is no denying that the Sandtrooper is a tad too big for the Dewback in this release. (We’ll get to the Sandtrooper in detail in a moment.) Perhaps it’s best not to distract you with the Sandtrooper pack-in figure and instead appreciate what Kenner/Hasbro accomplished with the Dewback. We’d encourage you to focus your attention solely on the Dewback because it’s one of the most beautiful things Kenner/Hasbro produced in their long and illustrious career with the Star Wars toy line. Even collectors who don’t collect anything in the Star Wars Action Collection range plopped down their hard-earned money for this set. It was that impressive of a release.

The Dewback comes with a moderate amount of articulation. But the beast looks best on all fours, so you might not utilize most of its articulation. Articulation exists in the four legs (two shoulders and two hips), a “bendy” tail for an infinite amount of movement, and a unique hinge-jointed head. The hinge-joint allows the head to move moderately up and down to help create distinct poses for the creature. The tail is a slight disappointment. It’s hollow, and misshapen out of the box. Some collectors suggested filling it with foam for a more authentic presence. Hasbro based the design of the Dewback on its appearance from the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Special Edition, so this means we have the CGI version of the Dew back in our Action Collection line now. This sourcing may bother Original Trilogy purists, but no one can deny how beautifully this figure turned out. The head sculpt with beady eyes is stunning. But the shape of its body is exquisitely detailed with texture and has the more streamlined look of the CGI versions seen in the Special Edition, rather than the more rotund frame of the puppet/prop used in the original version of Episode IV. Also impressive is the design of its feet and the saddle with reins permanently sculpted to it. Kenner/Hasbro should be delighted with how accurately they capture the spirit and look of the Dewback with this Action Collection release. We should also note that the paint operations are also incredibly gorgeous. Kenner/Hasbro updated the deep green color of the Dewback with its bright yellow underbelly.

There is a disappointing side of the Dewback & Sandtrooper Action Collection set. And it’s the inclusion of the same old Sandtrooper figure from 1997 (but this time with a black pauldron denoting corporal now). It’s great to have all three Sandtrooper typed available to us in the line now. But there are a few issues here. Why didn’t Kenner/Hasbro take the opportunity to fine-tune the Sandtrooper armor to make a more streamlined action figure for this release? Sandtroopers shouldn’t look like the Michelin Man. But these do. You don’t get a blaster for the Sandtrooper in this set, but they did include the standard survival backpack. And Kenner/Hasbro added a lance to help recreate what we saw in the film, so we appreciate their detail to screen-accuracy in this regard. A thinner Sandtrooper probably would have helped with the perspective/scale issues a little as well. Had a thinner-looking Sandtrooper been added here, it may have looked more to scale with the Dewback. Admittedly, if you can overlook the Sandtroopr’s bulky armor issues, the figure does look fantastic riding the Dewback. But in all honesty, it’s time to retire this Sandtrooper/Stormtrooper armor. It’s awful. The Dewback & Sandtrooper Action Collection set will set you back $99.99. it’s a bit difficult for us to state whether this is too much money for what they included here. You do get a super-large beast in this set, but a Sandtrooper isn’t more than $20. So is the Dewback by itself worth $80? You’ll have to decide that for yourself!