Elis Helrot - TAC - Basic (30 23)

Helrot is a pilot who transports slaves and spices to the planet Kala'uun. Like all Givin, his outer skeleton can be sealed to survive in the vacuum of space. His ship, the Hinthra, is an example of the superior craftsmanship of the Givin species.

Bet you didn’t know that Elis Helrot started off life as a McQuarrie concept, did you? Yup, that’s 100% true. See our reference photo below. Between Wes Craven’s Scream films and the original expressionist Edvard Munch painting "The Scream" from 1893, there has been a lot of cloudiness as to the origins of Elis Helrot’s final look as he appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. But the anguished filled (or that's at least how he appears to us) Elris Helrot was indeed based on original illustrations by Ralph McQuarrie. In 1989, Elis Helrot (whose original proper name was Kull) was determined to be of the Givin species. His species have the capability to hermetically seal their external skeletons and survive in a vacuum. (You have to admit that is pretty cool background information.) Although the Ghost Face in the Scream franchise was based off of the 1893 painting, there is no denying that it has a striking resemblance to Elis Helrot. We'd like to think Craven is indirectly paying homage to Star Wars, but that's probably a leap. Origins aside, Elis Helrot is a character that collectors have been dying to get into their collections for years and Hasbro finally released him in 2007’s 30 (77-07) line to thunderous applause. And the results are marvelous despite the figure having a few issues. Between a great head sculpt, cool costume and an accessory that is also a dream come true for collectors, Elis Helrot is truly a rare treat in the basic figure line.

Elis Helrot is an all-new figure. Outfitted in black Cantina gear, Hasbro also crafted a long scarf that wraps around his neck and falls down his chest to his knees. He’s wearing sandals and interestingly his feet don’t look half as bony as his head and hands do. There is a lot of texture in his clothing and in all honesty, the action figure looks a whole lot cleaner than how the character looks in the films and movie stills. (We think it’s his scarf causing this confusion. It’s just too light! Besides, it's really not that important.) Helrot has a brown belt that wraps around to a functioning holster on his right hip. His gun fits in there snuggly and additionally, his hands have been well designed to hold this weapon. He is very tall and we think it helps drive home the point of how thin and skeletal his frame is. And this character looks right at home as a cantina denizen. We think Hasbro did a great job on his proportions. But where the figure fails "short" is in his legs. They have been sculpted in a way which requires him to be placed in an action stance in order to get him to stand unassisted. If you’re looking to pose him in a non-action oriented stance, it’s just not going to happen with this action figure. His feet and legs are meant to touch the ground in a flush manner only one way….in that aforementioned action pose.

Still, if you’re looking to seat Elis Helrot on a barstool, this is where you’ll have the best time with him. He looks fantastic leaning up against the bar or sitting on a stool and he comes with a glass of the finest Chalmun’s Cantina liquor credits can buy. And he interacts very nicely with wave mate M’iiyoom Onith both with the connecting bar pieces as well as with each other (action figure wise). It’s a bit sad to us when Hasbro creates an incredible sculpt and then messes it up with legs that just aren’t aesthetically pleasing. But thankfully Elis Helrot is a cantina patron that offers versatility to the collector as you can pose him with an environment which significantly helps to diminish his issues. As a whole, collectors are really getting treated to a plethora of Star Wars cantina aliens. They are consistently coming two at no less than two a year and at this rate we should have them all in no time. (By the way, it is indeed one of Hasbro’s goals to complete all of the Chalmun’s Cantina aliens. How exciting is this?) We will absolutely look forward to what the future holds, but we well also enjoy great aliens like Elis Helrot and M’iiyoom Onith despite some issues they may have because when you get down to the nuts and bolts of them, they are really well designed action figures.