Any day that Hot Toys releases an original trilogy Star Wars figure is a good day for me! It's great that with this release, Hot Toys has tackled a character that hasn't been done for years in this scale, and is a massive improvement of course from the old Sideshow Lando figure.
Click the link below to watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can subscribe too and stay tuned for upcoming reviews!
The set doesn't come with too much, but I guess there really isn't all that much to include from The Empire Strikes Back for Lando Calrissian. What has been included is all nicely done to do a great job for essentially a pretty simple figure.
The cardboard Cloud City backdrop is a little tacky though, and the way the flaps fold and connect is not very secure. But at least the weapons, communicator devices, and swap out hands are all well done. The cape is a nice felt material with some good stitching, although it is a pain to attach to the figure and look natural (more on that later).
The figure itself has a fantastic head sculpt. The slight smile is OK, but I actually would've preferred some sort of cheeky smirk. Either way, it has the typical Hot Toys realistic skin tone and fine texturing in the hair. The figure's outfit is beautifully tailored, and my favourite part of the figure. The shirt is a similar material to the cape, and is tucked in nicely and moves/folds in very realistic ways.
The pants are also well tailored, fitting well over the padded body. The belt looks a little plasticky, but from normal viewing distances is OK. The boots are the typical pleather material used for previous Star Wars figures, and still look nice with the outfit.
As mentioned earlier, the cape is a pain to put on the figure. It has movie-accurate straps that go over the shoulders and under the armpits. Just be careful in pulling on the elastic straps to make sure the collar can fit snugly around the neck. There is a small wire in the collar to bend it around the neck once you have the cape oriented the right way.
Eventually you can get it to sit quite naturally. It does tend to balloon out at the rear, but that's mostly hidden on display so just try to make the folds look natural from the front. The gold inner lining is a nice contrast to the baby blue material of the outer cape and shirt. I actually used a light iron to get out some wrinkles out of the box. Using a bit of water spray and the iron helped to tame it a bit.
Once set up, the figure does have a lot of shelf presence, and looks fantastic for such a simple figure. Together with the rest of the Empire Strikes Back rebels, the glaring omission of a Han Solo from the movie is readily apparent. All figures that Hot Toys have released from Episode 5 have been fantastic figures.
I really do hope that Hot Toys announce more Han Solo figures soon, as I would love to have a variant from Empire Strikes Back as well as his Endor outfit from Return of the Jedi. Here's hoping 2022 brings some good news for Star Wars collectors!
Any original Star Wars original trilogy release by Hot Toys is usually a cause for celebration, and this new Princess Leia and Wicket set is no exception! This set is the perfect complement to the previous Endor Luke Skywalker release, with awesome work on Wicket in particular!
Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs-up and subscribe too!
The set comes with a nice array of accessories, as you would expect in this price range. The 2-pack includes the battle damaged Death Star Trooper and Stormtrooper helmets as extra incentive to get the set instead of the individual figures. The weathering is very nice, and the internal details of the Stormtrooper helmet is great like it was one the Luke and Han disguise figures.
The printed bases are a little disappointing in that they aren't a sculpted diorama piece like the Luke figure had. But I guess there's only so much they could use that mold for apart from sand and snow! At least there is some foliage pieces to add around the stands to give that forest effect. The tree stump is perfect to hold the helmets.
The array of hands is pretty standard, but I do like Wicket's hands that use the same sort of tech as the previous Chewbacca hands. The weapons with Leia's pistol and Wicket's spear are also nicely sculpted and painted, although some mixed media on the spear would've been a nice extra touch. There is a bit of mixed media in the helmet, just like there was with Luke. They are essentially very similar helmets, with the main differences being internally where they need to fit around their respective head sculpts.
Leia's general outfit is nicely tailored, with a nice fine material too. Nothing hinders the articulation, but the boots need the usual care around the ankles. Make sure not to pull the pants out of the boots, because getting them back in properly would be an absolute pain in the arse I think!
Removing the white protective plastic around the neck was easy enough, but the rest around her upper chest is difficult. I ended up just leaving it there because I was going to display her in the poncho that covers it anway. They really should make it easier to remove.
Getting the pouch off the belt to slide through the poncho takes a bit of patience to delicate remove it without breaking anything. But once the poncho is one and belt tied nicely, she looks absolutely fantastic. The colour of green is quite movie accurate I think, and the material is nice without being too delicate. The thin edge wire allows a bit of control as to how it flows.
Wicket is definitely the highlight of the set. It would seem to me that Hot Toys has taken the lessons they learnt from the two previous Chewbacca figures, applied them to Wicket, and made a fantastic little representation of the Ewok.
The fur around the face and belly appears to have varying levels of dark wash/weathering between the single figure release and the 2-pack. For me, the amount of dark wash around the face and belly is a nice balance, with subtle effects that look very realistic in hand. I think the face sculpt is great, especially when the fur around the face is fluffed up a little to fill and spill out around the cowl.
The rest of the body had some internal fat suit applied, which I think hinders the articulation at the hips for the legs. But the level of articulation for such a small fat figure is quite nice, with all the range of motion you'd want in the head, arms, and legs.
As a character displayed on the shelf, it looks incredibly realistic, and perhaps a better use of the fur technology developed for Chewbacca. I just hope they decide to make use of it and announce other Ewok characters!
The head sculpt for Leia is a reuse of the Hoth Leia figure, with a slightly darker facial paint app. It's a beautiful sculpt and the realism in the skin texture is the usual high Hot Toys standard. The back of the hair comes off to accomodate the helmet, which does leave a noticeable gap near the braid when the hair is put back on. But in a usual display, it won't be immediately obvious to the average person.
The little hair pieces near the sideburns are an area of concern, so be very careful if you plan on putting the helmet on. For me, I'll never be putting on the helmet, especially when the instructions have a warning that prolonged use of the helmet may cause paint transfer onto the head sculpt.
As an accompanying piece to the Luke Skywalker figure, Hot Toys could not have done a better job! The diorama pieces all look fantastic with each other, and the extra helmet pieces really makes for a great display piece in the collection.
Now I just hope Hot Toys hurries up and announces an Endor Han, or at least a Bespin Han! I have no idea what the hold up is, but hopefully fans get the announcement we've all been waiting on for years now! In the meantime, if you're a Star Wars fan, I can't recommend this set more highly - get out there and add it to your collection now before you regret it!
The announcement of this Deluxe version of the Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker figure was bound to rub many collectors the wrong way, especially those that had already purchased the original MMS429 Luke Skywalker.
But the alternate head sculpts and hair, along with the additional Endor outfit and accessories, made it a pretty easy decision for me to get this Deluxe version too, even though I had the first figure. When they announced the Endor Leia and Wicket figures, it solidified my decision to get this to display the core cast of characters in their Endor outfits, as well as Luke in his classic outfit from the Jabba skiff battle.
Click through below to watch my full review of the new Deluxe version of this Luke Skywalker figure. Also further below is my original review of the first release of this figure. Hope you can check that one out too!
As all Deluxe sets should, this comes with a decent array of accessories. Some I probably won't ever use, such as the deleted scene desert cowl and googles. They're a nice to have, are look to be pretty nice quality, but I just wouldn't have Luke displayed like that in my cabinet.
The sand base is a reuse of the mold used for other figures like the Sandtrooper and Snowtrooper, so is getting a bit boring. It doesn't really suit the Endor environment either. I think the forest flat printed base shown for Leia and Wicket looks much better.
The lightup arm and saber are the same as before, and I never use them, especially for figures like this where it's been reported to be an absolute pain in the arse to swap out. The hands are nice, with a few that are unique to this set. I'll definitely be going with the gloved hand holding the pistol for my display.
The alternate head sculpts are surprisingly good! I didn't think I'd like the slightly open mouthed head sculpt, but in hand I think it looks great! I'll be using that with the windswept hair in his classic Jedi outfit and robe/sash. The paint application is fantastic, and both are obvious improvements over the original head sculpt that seems a little flatter and less detailed. Even the paint app for the hair pieces seems more detailed with better variation.
The pic below shows the new figure on the left, with the original figure on the right. The fat suit they used on the original figure does make it look too bulky in the chest/torso area. The new figure doesn't use a fat suit, and so the proportions are more accurate to his look in the movie. The outfits are essentially identical, although the newer one on mine seems to be tighter around the neck.
The Endor cowl and helmet are nicely done. I was surprised that they used fabric on the top part of the helmet, which adds a nice touch of realism. The cowl is a nice material with a very thin wire along the edge to help with posing.
The stitching around the hood is very good and allows it to fold flat against the back and shoulders for a natural look. The camo colouring is decent, and fits nicely over the original figure to hide the bulky chest.
For both figures, I've used the two new head sculpts, since I find them far better than the original. Sure it's a shame Hot Toys didn't release a two-pack with all of this stuff included. But I think this separate release gives all the options for collectors to buy which look they prefer, or everything!
The new "looking to the side" neutral sculpt looks great especially when setup in his Endor gear. No I have a spare neutral sculpt from the original figure I need to find a use for! With the two figures now all setup, I can't wait to get Leia and Wicket later in 2020!
I absolutely hated The Last Jedi, and it made me angry in so many ways. I was going to pass on all the figures, but since Hot Toys did not release a Leia figure from The Force Awakens to go with Han, Chewie, and Luke, I decided to get their release of Leia from The Last Jedi.
Overall it's a pretty nice figure as expected by Hot Toys. Click the link below to check out by full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe to the channel to stay tuned for upcoming reviews :)
She certainly doesn't get packed with much at all, coming only with a stand, a few hands, blaster gun, and homing device. The gun is essentially the same as that from A New Hope with a few paint app changes. The home device looks too delicate and fiddly to place around her wrist, so I didn't even bother.
As always with fairly simple figures, the most critical aspect is the head sculpt. And again Hot Toys has done a great job. The likeness is pretty good, and the detailed stranding in the hair sculpt proves again why Hot Toys is the top of the game.
I think the sculpt could have been helped with more wrinkling in the face is give it a more realistic aged appearance. Hot Toys does tend to stylise their female figures and make them look younger or sleeker than they really are. But other than that, the head sculpt is great. All the usual paint details, glassy eyes and skin texture are there.
The outfit is not too bad. The material of the outer dark coat is a little stiff and doesn't tend to sit as naturally as I would like. I used a bit of warm water to soften it around the shoulders to get it to sit a little lower, which helped. The material does have a nice sheen to it, and seems quite similar to the cloak of the Emperor Palpatine figure at first glance.
The underlying robe is a very nice soft silky material. Hot Toys does some of the best work with costuming, and the tailoring and pleats are all very nicely done. Overall the complete look is a pretty accurate representation of her outfit in The Last Jedi.
Here are a few pics of the other Princess Leia figures I have in my collection. I'll probably end up getting at least one version of her from each major movie I like. I'll pass on the Bespin Leia outfit, so I'm pretty much just looking out for a new Return of the Jedi figure. Hopefully Hot Toys announces one soon!
Still love these two figures from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. You can't really get much more iconic than these two Princess Leia outfits from the original trilogy!
I'm surprised it's taken so long for Hot Toys, or any other 1/6th scale company, to release a new Grand Moff Tarkin. With huge improvements in the detail and realism of 1/6th scale figures over the past 5-7 years, and the ongoing popularity of Star Wars, it's great that Hot Toys finally stepped up to the plate with their Grand Moff Tarkin.
And what a beautiful figure it is! Click through below to check out my full review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a like and subscribe to the channel! :)
The packaging is the usual style, and the contents don't have too much in the way of accessories. The chair is a decent addition, but it does take a bit of work to manipulate the body to sit in the chair in a natural manner. The articulation does have an ab-crunch, but I found the front of the costume a little restrictive. The hips and legs articulate OK, but it will take a while to get him leaning naturally with at least his thighs and bottom properly in the chair. I want him standing next to Vader, so the chair will stay in the box for me.
The included hands are nicely sculpted and painted as usual for Hot Toys. However, the hands are a little oversized, especially the specially molded left hand used to support the elbow in his iconic chin-to-hand pose. The fingers are too elongated and make it look like he's turning into a werewolf! Luckily most of it can be hidden behind the right elbow.
The costume is fantastic in its tailoring and use of materials. The prototype used a thicker more traditional cotton type weave. The final production costume uses a thin material that has a nice smoother texture. It works really well to give the outfit a natural lay on the body.
I do wish the sleeves were just a tad longer so that the wrist joints weren't so obvious in his iconic pose. But it's a pretty minor nit when overall the figure pulls the pose off extremely well. The boots are a nice leather type material, with the ankles being filled out much better than the similar Han Solo boots. The pants fit into the boots nicely, and flare out at the thighs in a nicely tailored way.
The head sculpt is pretty much perfect for me. It does lose a bit of the wrinkling in the final sculpt from the prototype, but the paint application is amazing. The wrinkles are still visible, and the likeness is uncanny. The glassiness in the eyes also accentuates the realism.
Perhaps the only thing I could complain about would be the final colour of the hair. It suffers the same issue as the old Han Solo figure, where the hair should have more grey or silver. Instead, the hair has a slight bronzy colour to it, which makes him look a little younger than he should.
But in the scheme of things, considering the total package with the outfit, accessories, and poseability, this is a fantastic figure from Hot Toys. It's comparatively simple compared to other figures in their Iron Man or DX series, but it's just done so well. For fans of Star Wars, I highly recommend this figure, particularly if you have or plan to get their Darth Vader figure.
There's never been just one iconic costume for Princess Leia, and her style from Hoth is as memorable as any of her other outfits. This new release from Hot Toys does it justice, just as their first figure with her classic Death Star costume.
Click through below to check out my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe to the channel and give the video a like :)
Packaging style is what we've come to expect for Star Wars related figures, so nothing too special to write home about. The cardboard insert looks nice, but Hot Toys continues their trend of using inaccurate photos for their figures (eg. they used the Death Star 2 in the background which was not in The Empire Strikes Back!)
She doesn't come with too many accessories, but what she does come with is nicely detailed. I won't bother using the breathing apparatus or welding goggles. But the blaster is nicely painted in glossy black with the silver tip, and she looks great holding it.
The costume is nicely tailored, with great stitch and patch work throughout. Early reports had people receiving figures with strange coloured dots near the areas of patchwork. Apparently this is ink to guide the factory workers and sewers, but luckily mine was fine.
My first figure arrived with a broken arm and Sideshow sent me a replacement body. It was an absolute pain the arse to push the pants of the new body in the boots. I had to use quite a bit of force and one of the little tools Hot Toys gives with their Iron Man figures. That was the only way to push the pant material into the boots without them looking too bunched. I would not recommending taking those boots off for any reason!
The boots are a nice fake leather type material, with good ankle articulation. The overall body articulation is also decent, but the suit does restrict it a little. But you can still get her into a decent pose to try and replicate her attitude.
The head sculpt has a slight difference to the prototype. I do think the head sculpt is good, but could have been better. From some angles it looks perfect, but from others it looks too thin in the cheeks. Still, it's instantly recognisable and on par with their ANH Leia figure.
Overall, it's awesome that we're getting more original trilogy figures from Hot Toys. I really hope they do a Han Solo and Lando Calrissian from Empire one day! If you're a fan of Star Wars, I'd jump on board and grab this figure while you can!
I've been a huge Star Wars fan since I was a kid growing up in the 80s. Ever since I starting collecting 1/6th scale figures, the dream has always been to get the core Star Wars cast from the original movie. I could've gone back to get some of the older versions, but being spoiled by Hot Toys quality, I decided to wait.
And now that Hot Toys have finally completed the core cast of heroes from A New Hope, I can definitely say that they have made the dream come true! These figures are overall pretty damn fantastic, and this release of Princess Leia tops it off with perhaps the best head sculpt of them all!
Click through below for my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!
The packaging art is the usual classy style, with nice editing on the cardboard insert. Unfortunately they've still gone with the Death Star 2 from Return of the Jedi instead of the first from A New Hope! Minor detail, but something they should've known lol
I got the exclusive version with the backdrop of the scene where she hands over the plans to Artoo. It's a pretty flimsy kind of cardboard, so definitely not the quality of the backdrops we used to get in the DX releases. So if you missed out and just got the regular, I don't think it's a big deal at all.
Accessories-wise she's pretty barebones, with some hands and the two blasters that she used in the movie. The big selling point of course is the head sculpt itself. Initial prototype photos looked amazing, and thankfully they haven't really changed too much for this final production version.
The sculpt and paint application is beautifully done. Some figures only have a good likeness from certain angles, whereas this sculpt looks pretty spot on from every angle. The hair is also nicely done, and I'm definitely glad they went with sculpted hair and not rooted hair on this! The buns look great!
Some people have said the facial expression is a little bland. It's a neutral expression for sure, but I think it conveys her natural beauty really nicely. To me, it doesn't have that blank zombie stare like some other Hot Toys female sculpts have had in the past.
The iconic white Death Star outfit has its pros and cons for sure. The overall look for me is great, although the length at the ankles could have been more to reflect the way the movie costume dragged on the floor.
Hot Toys used a very thin material, but luckily it doesn't feel too delicate to touch or move. I think they went with such a sheer material to try and replicate that see-through texture that it had in the movie. But that removes any weight from the costume so it is difficult to get it to hang right on the body.
To prevent the material from ballooning out at the waist and thighs, they actually designed it with some garter belt type straps around her thighs that are then sewn to attach to the outfit itself. I worry that over time that area might get damaged or degrade, so something to watch out for.
The hood is wired, but in the end that is almost its downfall too because it is extremely difficult to get it to lie flat along her back when the hood is down. I haven't bother trying to cover her head with it, so left the wires folded the way they were out of the box. It sat against the back fairly well, but any slight movement will make it start bending away from the body, which ruins a bit of the realism that a nice heavier material would have. The pic below is the best that I could do, so that will be the way it stays!
The boots are nicely done though, with a good leather look to them. The best thing is that they don't have the collapsed ankle issue that plagues the Han Solo figure. I'm not sure if they added extra padding there, or simply that the ankle pegs are not as long to have a gap. Either way, it articulates well without having a bad unrealistic bend in the ankle.
Despite the issues with the costume, overall I think it looks fantastic. As a representation of Princess Leia in her Death Star outfit, this is certainly the best figure ever done for that look. Together with the other figures from the core cast, they all look incredible together. It's taken a while for this setup to finally be possible in my collection. But Hot Toys have definitely made it worth the wait!
Each time I get one of the new Hot Toys Star Wars original trilogy figures, it just brings a sense of joy that only nostalgia for your favourite movies can bring! These figures are simply incredible, and include a great array of accessories. The new Luke Skywalker figure in his Tatooine outfit is now exception.
Perhaps the only negative point for me is that the head sculpt isn't as good as that shown on the front box art! The final production sculpt still seems a bit off, but overall is still a fantastic package by Hot Toys.
Click the link below to check out my full video review :)
Finally got the new Hot Toys Han Solo and Chewbacca 2-pack set from Sideshow Collectibles, and what an incredible set it is!! After getting Obi-wan recently, I didn't think Hot Toys could do much better, but this Chewbacca is hands down my figure of the year!
Here's the link to Part 1 of my video review on this set focusing on the scoundrel himself. A few issues, but overall still an awesome figure.
And here's Part 2 focusing on the walking carpet himself! Words cannot express how amazed I am by this figure!
The box art is the usual style, so nothing to dramatic to talk about here. The cardboard insert art is pretty nice though.
Once you get all the contents out, the set certainly has an impressive array of accessories. If you get the 2-pack, you'll get the heavy blaster and Han's stormtrooper belt as exclusive bonuses that you'll miss out on if you get these two separately. These guys certainly belong together, so I highly recommend buying the two pack!
The head sculpt of Harrison Ford would appear to be the hardest to match in 1/6th scale format. This latest attempt by Hot Toys is still not perfect, but is better than anything that has come before. It's certainly an improvement over the prototype photos.
But again, it's the paint application detail that takes Hot Toys to the next level, with their usual incredible realism. The outfit is also damn nice, until of course you get to the boots and the ankles!
The body uses long ankle pegs, and there is nothing to pad them out, so the boots bend and fold very unnaturally at the ankles. Many collectors have taken the boots off and taped cardboard or foam or bubble wrap around the ankles to pad out the gap when placing the boot back on. It's an essential mod for this figure; you're otherwise left with something that looks like his ankles are broken!
Other than those couple of nitpicks though, the figure is pretty nice and an essential part of any Star Wars collection!
Chewbacca is simply an amazing figure. With its full fur suit, I just can't comprehend how they pulled it off! The fur is not overly delicate, and so can be handled normally without too much fear of damage. Even the facial sculpt is great with the tight fur around the mouth etc.
I think you just need to use the little brush that's included to futz with the hair and get it looking as accurate as you want it to the movie scenes. The fur around the chin can perhaps be pulled out a little to fill his face more, and the fur on the arms and legs can be tidied up.
But everything else, from the articulation to the accessories is just superb!
If you're remotely a Star Wars fan, I would highly recommend these figures. They just look sensational next to each other, and complemen their OT Star Wars line perfectly!
I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and I think 2015 and early 2016 will be a great time for 1/6th scale fans. Ever since I started collecting this larger scale, I've always wanted the core cast of the original Star Wars movie, and Hot Toys is now finally going to deliver! And they all look pretty spectacular!
The Stormtroopers have been out for a while now, but I have yet to receive my preorder here in Australia. The exclusive version is now on waitlist, but the regular version is widely available still I think. With the different heights, I'm sure they'll do a Luke/Han in disguise set once they get the core cast out the way. I love the little mouse droid, and the glossy finish on the armour is pure win for me :)
The Shadow Trooper was released not long after the Stormtrooper two-pack, and I was definitely glad to be able to get my hands on one. It's a fantastic figure! Again, the glossy finish adds a really nice premium feel to it, and the subtle weathering is nice too. It's sold out now, so your chances are limited I think unless you pay crazy prices in the aftermarket.
The next set to be released will be Han and Chewbacca, which can be ordered separately or as a combined two-pack. As with the Stormtrooper set, the two-pack is definitely the way to go since it gives additional accessories not provided if you order them separately. With Chewie being a full synthetic fur body, I reckon it will be the figure of the year! If they tweak the Han sculpt to look more like him, it'll be the perfect start to the core hero cast!
Next up is then Darth Vader, which is different to the Sideshow Deluxe figure in that it's the Ep4 costume not the Return of the Jedi costume. It also comes with the nice little Interrogator Droid accessory. I think this time Hot Toys will include a light up feature on the lightsaber, which I actually prefer to do without! I don't like little electronic gimmicks that I rarely use and tend to break! But still, definitely looking forward to posing this with the Obi-wan figure!
Before Obi-wan is released however, it looks like Hot Toys plans to release another trooper with their Spacetrooper. These troops were seen for only a few seconds in the scene where the Millenium Falcon is being brought into the Death Star. The external shot of the Falcon caught in the tractor beam is pretty iconic, but many miss the tiny little troopers in the foreground with their space gear.
Up next is Old Obi-wan, which to me looks absolutely fantastic! The head sculpt and detailing in the costume looks incredible, despite many collectors saying the sculpt is off. It looks like Alec Guiness to me, and the robe seems to fit and flow beautifully. Having this displayed in the cabinet with their Darth Vader will be perfect iconic awesomeness!
Hot Toys has just officially announced the Sandtrooper as well for an early release in 2016. I still think the old Sideshow Deluxe Sandtrooper holds up extremely well to this, and in fact has more accessories I think. Either way, having both side by side will be a great comparison, and will look awesome displayed together.
And finally, some teaser pics were posted recently from Japanese toy magazines showing the Death Star Leia and Tatooine Luke figures that we've all been waiting to see! The Leia figure even looks to have rooted hair for her buns, which hopefully they do well. I don't have too much experience with rooted hair so hopefully it doesn't need to much maintenance! The Luke figure looks nice and simplistic, but it'll all come down to the head sculpt on that one too.
The preorder for Luke and Leia isn't up yet, but hopefully official prototype pictures and preorder details will be up soon. For me, I'm just glad to finally get the chance to have the entire core cast from the original movie at Hot Toys quality! It'll be a day long remembered when they're all home :)
EDIT: I almost forgot about the 1/4 scale figures they're doing too, with ROTJ Boba Fett and ROTS Darth Vader. For me, I just can't afford these much larger figures, and the size and space they need to be displayed well. So I'll stick to the 1/6th scale figures :)
