Han Solo (Echo Base [Echo Base Outfit]) - TVC - Basic (VC03)

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

Hasbro possesses the uncanny ability to find obscure costume variations on our most beloved Star Wars characters and translating them into unique, one-off action figures. Finding brief and obscure costume changing moments in the Star Wars saga helps keep the basic figure line fresh and new. We love diversity this brings to our collections. While we wait and wait and wait for the latest and greatest Han Solo action figures, it’s nice that Hasbro pacifies Star Wars collectors with an all-new take on Han Solo from The Empire Strikes Back to hold us over until the “more important” figures get released. Squeezing in a few of the “holdover” choices while they get to work on the other main characters in their main outfits is a great way to keep the line fluid and streamlined. If you recall, the 30 (77-07) line gave us an interesting and scene-specific version of Han Solo with the Han Solo With Torture Rack (30 38) figure. Sadly, this version of Han Solo figure comes with fly-away hair, an expression full of pain on his face, and an un-tucked shirt. No matter how you feel about the figure, it’s not a good template for a definitive Han Solo (Bespin Outfit) modern figure update. But behold, Hasbro’s clever toymakers found a way to take some of the 2007 figure’s part along with other figure’s parts and new additions and create Han Solo (Echo Base). It provides collectors with a version of Han Solo that worked on the Millennium Falcon during the “mechanic” scene. Chewbacca attempts to start up the engine which causes a small explosion and a lot of smoke and Han screams “Turn it off! Turn it off!” It’s the only scene in The Empire Strikes Back where we see Han Solo wearing the “Bespin Outfit” while wearing the “Hoth Outfit” parka as outerwear. The mixed outfit gives us an “all-new” version of Han Solo that not too many collectors noticed from Episode V. And we’re thankful that the figure is part of The Vintage Collection basic figure line now.

Han Solo (Echo Base) is a retool of the 2008 TLC Han Solo (BD 1) figure and borrows parts from other figures too. While this sculpt of Han Solo is not one of our most favorites incarnations of Han Solo by any means, it’s reinvention into The Vintage Collection brings about a new appreciation of it for us. It is important to note that the 2008 The Legacy Collection figure also has its roots in the 2006 VTSC Han Solo (In Trench Coat) figure. Ha makes great use of their library of parts. Not too much changed from the basic frame of the 2006 figure to this new one. But between the new paint jobs on the figure and belt, the newly added outer coat shell, the arms from 2007’s TAC Han Solo With Torture Rack (30 38) figure and the newly tooled welding accessories, Han Solo (Echo Base) brings more newness to the table than it doesn’t. The figure is the textbook definition of a kit-bashed action figure. All of the various parts work extremely well together and provide a new version of Han Solo with great stature, albeit with a slightly awkward slant when standing. For us, Han Solo looks fantastic and is an impressive visage in the line. We must always remember that Hasbro constantly must find ways to contain costs throughout the various Star Wars lines. And this Han Solo (Echo Base) figure does this for them, and it’s a great way to fulfill the need. What’s great about this approach is that Hasbro made this figure look like an all-new release like it’s a completely brand new action figure. We don’t think of a better way that Hasbro could have used so many older parts of the previously released action figure to make something so incredible. Specifically, if you look at Han Solo’s coat, Hasbro designed it beautifully. So, even though Hasbro comprised much of this Han Solo (Echo Base) figure of “old” parts, the detail and work and time they put into the new parts is not something that collectors can ignore. Hasbro went above and beyond here. We should be rejoicing about it.

This action figure also brings up a debate that will never go away. It will likely stir up more controversy on the age-old brown versus blue debate. In this case, Hasbro cast Han Solo’s coat in a rich chocolate brown color. But they also added quite a few other elements of color to help give it a textured look and feel. Also, the lining of the coat shell is white. Frankly, the coat appears to be different than previous colors of his coat released in the past. The coat looks fantastic on the figure. And the sloppy and unkempt aesthetic of the open parka gives the action figure personality we’ve come to love. Again, we are privileged that Hasbro considered this detail to give us the Han Solo (Echo Base) figure. It almost seems like a running joke at this point that the color of his coat changes so often, but it keeps things in the line invigorated. Despite the exact shade of color, the excellence in the accessory’s sculpting forces the rather generic sculpting of Han Solo to look exceptional. When fully outfitted wearing the jacket and the welding accessories in-hand, Han Solo (Echo Base) looks spectacular, and we have to say that the figure may rank high as one of your most favorite figures from the first wave of The Vintage Collection. Han Solo (Echo Base) also has a brand new head sculpt. The excellent likeness to Harrison Ford is impressive. When they re-released the figure in 2019, they utilized “photorealistic” technology, and now this figure looks better than it ever did. We have to keep in mind that we didn’t get to see Han Solo’s face while wearing this outfit all that well, so it may be the safest bet to give him the simplest expression on his face. We feel the figure’s legs are too thin and spindly. But because of the way Hasbro executed The Vintage Collection figure, the legs don’t stand out negatively to us. The three-quarter length of the coat covers up this issue nicely. It’s important to note that Han Solo (Echo Base) is the very first The Vintage Collection figure that has no “true vintage” counterpart. How is that for an oxymoron or an anachronism for that matter?

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Han Solo (Echo Base [Echo Base Outfit]) (VC03) figure in March 2019 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) "photorealistic" deco, (2) completely new outfit deco which includes lighter colors, (3) refreshed 2019 packaging with different graphics (4) revised name

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is July 3, 2010. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on March 28, 2019 after Hasbro reissued the figure.