Fett Legacy, The - TAC - Evolutions

The Mandalorians are proud people whose lives are based on war. For thousands of years, these skilled fighters have crisscrossed the galaxy on crusades of conquest. They are feared and respected for their unparalleled battle skills and have left a blazing mark upon history. Mandalore the Indomitable is a legendary leader from long ago; Jango Fett “fathers” the clone trooper army; and his “son” Boba Fett uses his Mandalorian skill to become the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy.

It finally happened! Hasbro gave us a Boba Fett action figure with a removable helmet. But as excited as some collector are going to get over the reveal of his face, others will likely lament. Collectors are all about screen authenticity, so while it is cool to see a Boba Fett with a Jango Fett head sculpt, others will wish that it never came to pass. If you recall, this actually isn’t the first time we had gotten some form of Boba Fett with a removable helmet. Do you remember the Titanium series of die cast metal figures? That was actually the very first 3.75" scaled Boba Fett "figure" with a removable helmet. Now we have him in plastic form.) This three-pack of Mandalorians was honestly a long overdue release if you ask us. How long does it take to update the coolest characters from the Star Wars saga? Although a little bit late, Hasbro paid attention to collectors’ desires and produced a stunning set of characters that make up The Fett Legacy. These figures are all made extremely well (plus or minus a few niggling issues with how they were approached), so there is something great to look forward to if Hasbro decides to update these figures in the future to bring us more Mandalorian inspired characters. Hasbro gave us a brilliant set of action figures (again – not free from all issues) that are sure to please. All three figures are super-articulated and have wonderful all-new sculpts. We personally aren't thrilled with Boba Fett’s removable helmet, but it serves some purpose in the Expanded Universe we suppose and some fans out there are going to prefer it (not OT fans we surmise). To give the figures their due credit, Hasbro did go all out to ensure that the most definitive versions of these Mandalorians were included in this set. As a result, we’re thoroughly impressed and it certainly drives home the point that Evolutions is the medium to bring collectors some incredible figures. Interestingly, Boba Fett looks quite a bit different from his father Jango Fett (aren't they clones?). Apparently Hasbro wanted to show some disparity between the two and they each have their unique traits. It works. Each figure in this set possesses uniqueness and diversity. It is truly special to see three disparately different characters from the same lineage interact with one another, even if they’re from completely different timelines in Star Wars.

Many collectors will probably be interested in the Boba Fett figure most of all, regardless of his removable helmet. In short, he looks great and is right now the definitive version (based on his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back) for now. Let’s talk about some of his issues however. Firstly, his cape is way too long and bulky. While accurately crafted, colored and decorated, it just is out of complete scale to what was seen in the film and nearly drags of the floor. That’s how long it is. The removable helmet completely covers his face, but it is a very close and snug fit and at some angles you can see his chin. His head popped off a few times while trying to remove it and this can be aggravating. However, it isn't a setback since it is a feature we don't plan to play around with that much. Because of the tight fit, the outline of the helmet feels “off” in places. You can see this in the photo gallery. His armor’s coloring looks pale and he is missing his trademark insignia on his right breastplate. This is a shame and this is a detail that should never be missed. (Editor's Note: Hasbro corrected the Boba Fett figure in the 2008 The Legacy Collection edition of The Fett Legacy Evolutions set by including the symbol and they also corrected the helmet paint detail too.) Conversely, his face looks too dark thanks to flesh colored paint used to color it. The scratchy battle-damage accents make his armor look even lighter. And Hasbro had to fix his source by placing a sticker over “Return Of The Jedi” on the packaging. Despite this, Boba Fett is standing in front of a Khetanna sail barge background in the packaging. Nonetheless, there is a great deal to be thrilled with as far as this figure is concerned. He has great stature and looks amazing when posed with his helmet on and gun drawn. The extra tools molded to the figure as well as the extra gun in his holster drives home the point that he packs quite an arsenal. And lastly, his backpack is removable. This well designed accessory is his trademark. Hasbro did well with tooling it. We think a revised paint job would do wonders for this figure. (Editor's Note: This figure was given a complete overhaul when released as 2009's LC Boba Fett (BD36) figure. The new paint job is interesting, but not entirely screen accurate, but we recommend that you check it out!)

Jango Fett is the next in this set. Just like Boba Fett, Jango Fett also has a painted flesh tone. This makes for a very "plastic/porcelain" looking face and we don't think it is the best method for painting action figures. Another issue plaguing him is that his holsters sit too far away from his body. The spacing that is created between them and his legs is very peculiar and we think Hasbro needed to fine tune this "accessory" before including it with the action figure. He is also missing straps on his legs which is how his holster appeared in the film. (Editor’s Note: Hasbro corrected this issue with the release of 2011’s TVC Jango Fett (VC34) figure.) Still, Jango Fett also has something to offer collectors. He looks stunning when he is completely assembled and his dual blaster pistols look natural and lifelike in his hands. His helmet fits even tighter than Boba Fett's does but it's a snug and not too tight fit. It has a better shape to as it is in perfect scale to Jango Fett’s head. There have been a lot of heated dissensions and arguments over the proper color of Jango's uniform. Reminiscent of the Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) brown coat versus blue coat perpetual debate, it appears that the correct color of Jango's uniform lies somewhere between the blue and purple we have received in action figure form so far. (Editor's Note: Jango Fett has been reissued as 2009's TLC Jango Fett (BD 51), 2009's LC Jango Fett (BD15) and an even "more purple" version was released in 2009's LC Coleman Trebor/Jango Fett (1 of 6) Geonosian Arena Showdown TARGET exclusive set.) If you look at the scenes from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones when Jango Fett is on Geonosis, it’s impossible to argue that his uniform didn’t have a purple hue to it. But on Kamino is certainly looked more blue than purple. Obviously, this is a lighting issue. We’ll have to wait for confirmation from Lucasfilm Ltd. before any of us know for sure what the true color is indeed. Jango Fett also comes with headgear for when he is piloting the Slave I. We would have loved to have seen his other jetpack included here, or even perhaps a flame attachment, but this wasn’t in the plans for this release. Aside from preferring a differently approached head sculpt/portrait, we’re quite fond of this figure and what it offers to collectors. Articulation has come so far in these premium collector-focused sub-lines like Evolutions.

The Mandalore figure is the surprise in The Fett Legacy Evolutions set. The packaging incorrectly identifies the Mandalore as appearing in Knights Of The Old Republic, but technically his first appearance was from Tales Of The Jedi, a very popular comic collection which featured events in Star Wars way before the Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy. The confusion exists because there are two different Mandalores: Mandalore the Indomitable (from Tales Of The Jedi) and Mandalore the Ultimate (from Knights Of The Old Republic). Hasbro got their sourcing incorrect here and as a result the packaging is incorrect. This very ancient looking “creature” is awesomely colored and looks perhaps more like a Marvel superhero than anything else. What is neat about him however is that he retains his Mandalorian look and feel remarkably well. You can see this especially in the face plate. He comes with what we’d consider many old and/or antiquated accessories like a shield, spear and battle axe. Even his shoulder armor is reminiscent of an old knight than a ferocious bounty hunter as we see portrayed in Boba Fett and Jango Fett. Mandalore encapsulates the rich history of the Mandalorians into one action figure and we couldn’t be more thrilled that he is part of the action figure line. The paint job on Mandalore is especially impressive. With premium articulation on all three figures, this set offers collectors quite a bit of newness for their collections. In fact, all three figures are 100% new. If Hasbro can manage to perfect some of the issues affecting Boba Fett and Jango Fett, this could be one of the greatest items they’ve produced for collectors to date. Even the packaging is splendid. We bet you won't be dissatisfied at all with this set, save for maybe a few of the issues we addressed on a couple of the figures, but we do hope than Hasbro will have the time to correct some of the issues in the future. Rest assured, Hasbro will be coming back to these sculpts in the future. A lot of time and money goes into tooling super-articulated action figures and they’re definitely going to try to get the most out of their tooling budget. In the meantime, enjoy what The Fett Legacy offers the modern Star Wars collector. It’s a fun set no matter its issues or problems.