Han Solo - TAC - Basic (30 11)

A scoundrel through and through, Han Solo nonetheless adheres to a deep sense of right and wrong. He couldn't leave his new friends behind to what he felt was certain death. Though some might call his arrival at the Battle of Yavin late, he prefers to say that he was "just in time."

When Hasbro creates a definitive base mold for a Star Wars character, they likely are going to capitalize on that mold to amortize tooling costs to bring new and refreshed versions of those characters into the basic figure line. 2004’s VOTC Han Solo figure was exceptional and thankfully Hasbro has decided to recycle its parts multiple times to bring new versions of Han Solo action figures to us. And since Han Solo doesn’t change outfits that much in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, creating scene-specific versions of him is certainly the way to go. One unique look of Han Solo can be found in the Millennium Falcon versus Imperial TIE Fighters scene as they escape the clutches of the Death Star. Han Solo can be found wearing “gunner gloves” as well as a communications headset so that he could interact with Luke as they tried to defeat the Empire in this capacity. Surprisingly, this version of Han Solo is anything but a straight repack of the 2004 VOTC Han Solo figure and there are enough new parts that should persuade anyone to see this version of Han Solo as a “new enough” figure.

Han Solo’s head, arms and lower legs are all-new, but the rest of him has been recycled from the 2004 VOTC Han Solo sculpt. And his belt has been slightly modified to hold the communications pack. The headset can not be removed from his head without breakage. This is a good thing actually. We prefer not having to worry about losing a small accessory like this and we think Hasbro can design small accessories like this closer to scale if they can make it part of the action figure and not a separate piece. His outfit appears to be painted a little bit cleaner and brighter than the 2004 figure and we think overall has a slightly better paint job. What may be hard for some to swallow is the inclusion of swivel elbows, especially since we got ball-jointed elbows on the VOTC figure. We have to side with those that are disappointed by Hasbro’s move here. Why head in a backwards direction? Ball-jointed elbows should have definitely been included here for sure. And despite our preference for ball-jointed elbows, Hasbro did a fair job at ensuring that the swivel joints weren’t cut at too sharp of an angle and gives Han Solo and overall more natural look. (Thank the Maker!)

Han Solo (as seen in Episode IV) will likely be a consistent release in the basic figure line. And if that’s the case then Hasbro needs to find new ways to make him fresh for the line. Little scene-specific details like the headset (on this figure) or other incarnations and variances of this character in the film are going to have to be necessary inclusions for basic figures. When Hasbro changes things up it’s always a good thing. And as an action figure, Han Solo functions beautifully. He can be seated, he can stand very well and he has the option of being posed in a variety of ways. Flexibility, functionality and diversity are all characteristics we want in our action figures, especially for repeat characters (wearing similar outfits). Han Solo was a wonderful addition to the 30 (77-07) line and part of a great celebratory collection of figures commemorating 30 years of Star Wars. While not perfect, he is gladly welcomed nonetheless and it makes us eager for more action figures that brings main characters with a twist to our collections. Han Solo definitely is a twist on a “regular” take of Han Solo, but that’s what we love about him!