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Name: IG-88
Collection: The Black Series Archive
Number: N/A
Scale: 6"
Source: The Empire Strikes Back
Availability: January 2019
License: Hasbro
A battered war droid who has become a bounty hunter, IG-88 answers Darth Vader's call to capture the Millennium Falcon after the Battle of Hoth.
Well, we’re not sure if The Black Series Archive IG-88 is a step forward or a step backward. At first glance, it feels like a large step backward. That assessment is not meant to be noncommittal. We’re honestly not so sure what to think about this revisited figure. Right off of the bat we’ve noticed that Hasbro didn’t perfectly match the coloring of the onscreen character all that well with this latest release. Other elements of the assassin droid look to be improved. The first time IG-88 entered the world of The Black Series [Phase II] 6” line, collectors were disappointed with the figure’s smaller stature, thinness, and rubbery-ness. It feels like SOME of that is corrected here, but it still has some "pliability" issues. But let’s not discount what IG-88 positively brings to the line. IG-88 has a greater amount of articulation than suspected. And much of this surprise is all because Hasbro found some pretty impressive ways to make it seamless to the figure. Ultimately, IG-88 succeeds in doing what it needs to do as a 6” action figure. This droid can stand at attention waiting for Darth Vader’s specific orders, or you can position it in action poses while trying to fight off Boba Fett for the bounty he is bringing to Jabba The Hutt. Altogether, IG-88 is both tooled and decorated nicely and should meet the expectations of all who are waiting to add this assassin droid into their collections.
As you know with many figures in Star Wars collecting today (really 2014 and forward) that it appears that Hasbro utilizes one digital file to create the figures across multiple scales and formats. We believe the same holds for IG-88. The most recent 3.75” figure released was 2015’s R Bossk/IG-88 Mission Series (MS11) set. When you compare that figure to The Black Series 6” version, you see many similarities which make us believe that what we’re surmising is true. The Black Series [Phase II] IG-88 (#15) figure is loaded with an inordinate amount of detail and articulation, but both figures share some common ground. As mentioned earlier, IG-88 has a significant amount more articulation than initially realized. With an impressive 25 points of articulation, IG-88 comes with enough articulation to satisfy even the biggest articulation snobs. Although articulation isn’t IG-88’s weak point, the quality of articulation will limit what positions the figure achieves. We have quickly discovered that the biggest omission to IG-88 is the lack of ball-socket (or even ball-jointed hips). The droid’s legs are SO CLOSELY together that it makes posing the figure in any action poses extremely difficult. Because we can’t spread out the legs a bit more to cover more surface area for balance, IG-88 succumbs to falling over more than the average figure. With a little patience, you can get the action figure to stay in some pretty cool action poses, however.
We’re not exactly sure what to think about IG-88’s all-new paint job. This figure and the 2015 figure are day and night, light and dark, and can almost pass for two different characters now. Hasbro did the character justice in the 6” figure line as he is loaded with pearly metallic details the first time around, but we’re not sure what’s up with its bright silver and gold enhancements. You’ll find elements of gold and dark gray over a primarily light silver body, and this color scheme isn’t consistent throughout the figure. The orangey-red “lights” on the head sculpt are there, but they’re hard to see, and the holes in the droid’ head, while accurate, create an aesthetic that looks incorrect. How is that for irony? We’re not sure what to think about the deco on this figure. Does it look bad? No. Is it accurate? Not from what we can tell. As far as The Black Series 6” line goes as a whole, IG-88 doesn’t fit into the cookie cutter approach of the line, and it’s why it feels like it has more issues than the average figure probably. Where the Saga Legends and Mission Series lines thrive on simplicity, well-made The Black Series 6” figures impress with an inordinate amount of detail. We’d agree that not too many shortcuts exist with IG-88. We feel Hasbro went above and beyond as best they could here. But perhaps more could be done with IG-88 now if they started it from scratch with today’s technology.
Status: IG-88 is a repaint of 2015's TBS [P2] IG-88 (#15) figure.
Articulation Count: 25 points (21 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: swivel head (1), swivel left shoulder plate (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), swivel right shoulder plate (1), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), hinge-jointed torso (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), swivel left thigh plate (1), swivel left thigh (1), swivel right thigh plate (1), swivel right thigh (1), hinge-jointed left knee (1), hinge-jointed right knee (1), swivel left ankle (1), hinge-jointed left foot (1), swivel right ankle (1), hinge-jointed right foot (1)
Accessory Count: 4
Accessory Details: E-11 blaster, blaster rifle, vibro ax, bandolier
Date Stamp: N/A
Assortment Number: E4040/E3253
UPC: 630509766543
Retail: $19.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
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