Grand Moff Tarkin - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (63)

An ambitious, ruthless proponent of military power, Wilhuff Tarkin became a favorite of Emperor Palpatine and rose rapidly through the Imperial ranks.

Grand Moff Tarkin hasn’t been represented all that often in the toy line. There were a fair amount of releases, but he didn’t become a mainstay like Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Maul for obvious reasons. Each successive release was few and far between the next. The first version of Grand Moff Tarkin was 1997’s POTF2 [FF/TKC] Grand Moff Tarkin figure. It was an exciting release for the time, but as technology improved, he began to age at a rate that didn’t comfort collectors. Eight years passed before Hasbro released the second version of him, but it was a version based on Revenge Of The Sith. 2005’s ROTS Tarkin (III 45) figure was then quickly repurposed for the 2006 TAC Governor Tarkin/Stormtrooper (No. 03) Comic Packs set and 2007’s TSC Death Star Briefing Previews exclusive. It wasn’t until the 2012 TVC Grand Moff Tarkin (VC98) figure that we saw Hasbro meant business. Sure, the figure is crying for major help six years later, but we see that help in the form of 2018’s TBS [P3] Grand Moff Tarkin (63) 6” figure. Maybe he isn’t the correct scale for 3.75” super-articulated enthusiasts, but Hasbro now has a template for which they can make an all-new version of him for The Vintage Collection in 2018 and beyond. The Black Series [Phase III] Grand Moff Tarkin (63) figure is incredibly well done. We have difficulty criticizing the figure, but we think the one issue that the figure has is something that Hasbro hasn’t ever been able to capture in any scale: he looks much younger than he is. But if you can overlook this, you will enjoy what Hasbro has offered us here.

Grand Moff Tarkin has a phenomenal head sculpt, as expected. Hasbro was careful to give great attention to detail of his rather geometric face shape. His distinct jawline is perfectly executed. And his “angry” brow reflects the misery and angst he creates in his opponents, most notably the freedom fighters who are against him. The “photorealistic” paint operations look good on him for the most part. But we’re inclined to point out that something is ever so slightly off about it. Perhaps our sample wasn’t given a perfect application. Regardless of how well they were applied, the biggest “issue” here is that Grand Moff Tarkin looks a tad too young for his own good. Again, we’re able to look the other way with this issue. It’s happened in the 3.75” line; it was destined to happen in the 7” line. If Hasbro decided to go a little heavier on the paint operations to age him a bit more, a risk would be that he would look too old, or with too much makeup. We believe that they’ve reached a decent balance with this final production figure. The side view profile of Grand Moff Tarkin is divine. The silhouette it creates is eerily lifelike. His costume is also a perfect balance of gray and green, something that The Vintage Collection release failed miserably trying to achieve. We feel Grand Moff Tarkin’s expression could have been a little more disconcerting, but it is still good regardless. And the color of his hair is not too far from perfection to match Peter Cushing’s onscreen character. Overall, Grand Moff Tarkin has turned out wonderfully and should satisfy 6” collectors around the world.

Accessories are light with Grand Moff Tarkin, but regardless, we technically get a “second” figure here. Hasbro included an IT-O interrogator droid. This droid would have paired much more nicely with their Darth Vader (43) figure, but they saved it for Grand Moff Tarkin instead since he comes with nothing else. What’s interesting is that past 3.75” versions of him came with blaster pistols. They always were a nice addition included with the figures. As we enter a new scale, Hasbro opted for a screen-accurate character, but just an odd addition to getting paired with Grand Moff Tarkin. The IT-O interrogator droid is a nicely detailed figure. It comes with all of the necessary torture devices on it, including the infamous hypodermic needle that was used on Princess Leia Organa. It comes with a removable “invisible” display stand with a ball-joint which fits into a ball-socket cavity on the underside of the droid. This allows the IT-O interrogator droid to pivot with a wonderful range of movement. The paint operations on the droid are nicely executed as well. Most importantly, the shape, size, and the scale of the interrogator droid are perfectly matched for the 6” scale. All in all, Grand Moff Tarkin is a long-awaited and solid addition to The Black Series [Phase III] lineup. He sells first from the case assortment that he’s part of and he also sells out online before the new characters in the case assortment with him from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Hasbro should continue the trend of adding Original Trilogy characters into the lineup, because those are the strongest sellers.