Search found 3 matches for Bespin

Updated with Part II. More here. Sorry, picture heavy.



Introduction

My first Star Wars action figure was a Kenner 3.75 in Luke Skywalker in Bespin gear. While I do not have a fetish for this figure like some other people seem to, it strikes me as fitting that I got this Hot Toys set, and that it might very well be the last Hot Toys Star Wars set I end up getting as such -- between the prices and production choices, and my preferences. Be that as it may, it is a great set, and I'm glad I got it. The set comes in two variants, both ostensibly deluxe, DX24 (reviewed here) and DX25 (special, with an additional Luke head in Vader's helmet and an additional Dagobah swamp base). I got the Luke head in Vader's helmet parted out, and you will see it in a couple of the photos; it did not come with the DX24 set.

This is Hot Toys' second take at Bespin Luke (the first was DX07, a combo pack). I do not own the DX07 to offer a comparison, but from what I have seen, DX24/DX25 is a definite upgrade, except for the absence of a battle-damaged outfit (and face).

To give credit (and to give you ideas), in addition to my own, I used backgrounds from Wallpaperflare, Battlefront, ArtStation (Philip Gilbert), and Dioramaworkshop.com (Frank Diorio).



Packaging

The box is both familiar and unusual, when it comes to Hot Toys Star Wars sets. Externally, we get the cigar band, now standard, wrapped around the cover (top photo below). But the cover is not a shoe box cover as usual, but a wraparound slip cover that one slides off the box within (middle photo below). That box is open on one side (the right), from which one pulls out another, coverless box. At the top of this there is yet another colorful image of the product, glued to a thin foam layer (bottom photo below). Removing this, one gets to the figure and its alternative hair sculpt, each in its own indent within a thick black foam layer, surrounded by a thin cardboard covering. Remove that cardboard covering and you can also get to the belt and the alternate hand sculpts. The foam layers are a signature of Hot Toys deluxe sets and I appreciate them -- not because they are deluxe, but because they are infinitely more user friendly than plastic treys with lids. Unfortunately, that is exactly what you will find when you remove the thick foam layer -- a plastic trey with its own plastic lid. Inside are stored the base and base add-on, the stand, the blaster, the lightsaber hilt, the translucent lightsaber blades (normal and in fan-like motion), the alternate lower arm and hand with the LED-lighted lightsaber, three batteries for it, a couple of spare wrist pegs, some spare metal caps for the belt, and the little tool for moving the eyes. There is also an instruction booklet inside. Overall, everything is collector friendly and safe.



Sculpting

The sculpted detail is up to Hot Toys' usual excellent standards, even if plenty of seems to be recycled from their earlier work. This is likely the case with the light-saber hilt, the blaster pistol, and probably some of the hands. The head sculpt seems to be identical to the one they used for their Mandalorian figure. The neater, puffier hair sculpt seems to be identical to the one from their Luke Snowspeeder Pilot set. The messier, sweatier hair sculpt seems to be new. At any rate, the likeness to Mark Hamil appears to be very good, perhaps better than in earlier attempts. I can't tell which of the two hair sculpts works better for me, but once again, both are very good. There is plenty of fine texturing on the skin on the head and hands, without creating an excessively aged effect. The two hair sculpts can be swapped, and are secured to the head with magnets.

As with Mandalorian Luke and other recent releases, the eyeballs are individually movable (which means you can make him cross eyed), to great potential effect. Because of the relativerly small and deep opening, it is not always easy to manipulate them from the inside of the face with the special tool designed for that job; I found it sometimes helps using the "wrong" end of the tool or even just a sturdy toothpick.

Luke stands about 29 cm (11.5 inches) tall.



Paint

The paint application is also up to Hot Toys' usual high standards. Given the separate movable eyeballs, it is no big surprise they managed to paint the eyes perfectly. They are also glossy and realistic. The eyebrows are painted in exquisite detail with individual lashes and look believable. There is plenty of nuance and flecking to the paint on the head and on the hands, giving them an extra realistic appearance. The belt buckle, blaster pistol, and, to a lesser extent, the lightsaber hilt are all weathered, making them look believable as different kings of metal, although they are all plastic. The weaponry is given a darker and duller, more gunmetal look than some of its earlier iterations. The hair is given Hot Toys' usual metallic paint treatment for blonde and light hair. That is less than ideal, but seems to work reasonably well.



Articulation

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but here it is, again: the Hot Toys body appears to have all the articulation you could possibly want or need -- apart from the point of articulation at the base of the head, since the head and neck are one continuous molded piece. However, Hot Toys' insistence on using padding under the costume does get in the way of the articulation in certain places (especially at the shoulders -- unless of course the shoulders and the garment's cut are at fault). It is possible to do a lot with the figure, but the effort (and worry about damaging something) makes it a frustrating experience. If I can figure out a way to get his outfit off safely, I will remove the padding. But they seem to have taken to stitching the outfits on. We get the usual good articulation at the ankles (aided by the soft boots) and wrists, elbows, knees, waist.



Accessories

Luke comes with all the accessories a Bespin Luke needs, and that is not that many. He has got his outfit and belt, blaster pistol, and light saber. The pistol fits well within the holster (with some initial effort), while the light saber hangs from a hook on the lower side of the belt; it can easily fall out. There are, of course, alternate and spare parts: a total of seven hand sculpts (pair of light saber grips -- which he comes wearing in the box, one right hand gun grip, one left hand fist, a hand with extended index and middle finger, and a couple of hands with outspread fingers), the swappable hair pieces (he comes wearing the sweaty hair in the box), the swappable lower arm with hand and light saber for the LED-lighting effect. It would have been nice to get pairs of all the hands, including some relaxed hands; this feels like cutting corners.

The translucent blue light saber blade and "moving" fan-like effect can be attached to either the regular light saber hilt or to the hilt that is part of the LED-lighting lower arm assembly. Spare parts include a pair of extra wrist pegs and some small metal caps in case any come off the belt. Then there are the two-part base and stand. The two-part base is excellent. The main part is made to resemble the small round portion of the floor of the carbon-freezing chamber on Cloud City, with characteristic bright red lit panels. The additional part can attach to it from the side or stand alone. It features two carbonite pumping (?) stations that resemble futuristic space fire hydrants. The only let down, for me, is the actual stand, which plugs into the round main part of the base. Instead of the usual crotch-grabber stand, this one is designed to grab the body around the waist. I find these more difficult to use and more visible and distracting.



Light Features

There are three light features altogether. Unsurprisingly, given Hot Toys' past record, the light saber has a light up option, which requires using an alternate lower arm, into which one inserts three small batteries (provided), activating the light with a switch. The light travels into and through the translucent light saber blade or motion fan-like effect, which can be plugged into the opening of the light saber hilt attached permanently to the LED lower arm-and-hand assembly. I don't like swapping the lower arms and did not do this for the figure. However, in several photos, you can see the unattached alternate LED arm-and-hand assembly with both the light saber blade and motion effect. The red light blade used for comparison is with a Darth Maul LED arm-and-hand assembly; the second, blue-on-blue lit light saber comparison borrowed an Obi-Wan LED arm-and-hand assembly for the regular blade. As before, the blue-light effect is far more striking than the red.

The other two light features are found in the two-part base. To use them, you need at least one USB C micro cable, and you need to switch each piece on with its individual power switch. Both pieces require power via USB C, but you can use just one cable if you attach the two pieces of the base to each other via the USB C connector that can be made to protrude out of the smaller base piece. Thus, if you power the smaller base piece with your cable, you can power the main base by attaching it to the powered smaller piece. The two cylinders on the smaller piece light up pale blue near the top, while the light panels on the larger, round part of the base light up bright warm red, almost orange. This is movie-accurate and very impressive. I do not know how widespread this problem would be, but on my set, the USB connection between the smaller and larger base pieces is a little tentative. It required some pressing and pushing to have it work and keep it working.



Outfit

Luke's "Bespin" fatigues -- which he was wearing before setting foot on Bespin -- are recreated in loving and exact detail. So much so, they are sewn on the body and do not open, nor are the pockets functional -- unlike those on the old DX07 outfit. Prioritizing the visual over the functional is fine to a point, but the restricted articulation, especially at the shoulders, is a very frustrating issue. As I mentioned above, I'm not certain whether the issue is primarily due to the padding or the actual garment or both. I wish the sleeves were just a little bit longer, although an overly-exposed wrist, annoying as it is for a visibly-jointed action figure, might be screen-accurate.

Speaking of the boots, these are a variation of the boot type recently seen on the Snowspeeder Luke, and, of course, of the boots provided for the previous version of Bespin Luke, DX07. Unlike DX07, however, DX24/25 uses pleather. Hopefully it will not fall apart anytime soon. The boots are still soft enough to not impede ankle articulation.



Source Accuracy

Overall, the set is a very good rendition of Luke's appearance at Bespin. But there are some minor details that are not quite right. The outfit is just a little bit too clean and neat, even for Luke first setting foot in Cloud City -- although I have seen at least one (publicity?) photo where it is indeed this pristine, it was not so onscreen. Moreover, the pants should be a little bit baggier or bunched up above the boots. The belt on the old DX07 set was more screen-accurate accurate in its configuration of boxes or pouches and the surface of its buckle than the one provided with the new DX24/25 sets. The two caps or rivets on the holster's leg strap should be visible at the front (they were at the back on mine out of the box), but luckily the strap can be easily readjusted -- I discovered this after taking the photos, so they do not reflect the correct appearance.



Fun Factor

Apart from my annoyance at the restrictive or difficult articulation at the shoulders, I think Hot Toys produced a very good figure, in most respects a vast improvement on the DX07. Those of us seeking to replicate the climactic end of Luke's duel with Vader, however, would need to modify or swap the outfit, and get a wrist stump. Otherwise, Luke is good to go socializing with his friends or with his father, or whatever else tickles his budding Jedi fancy.



Value

Renditions of a Star Wars protagonist released by Hot Toys in 2023, the sets retailing at (USD) $285 (DX24) or $345 (DX25) would come as no great surprise for anyone who has been around these high end collectibles. Which is not to say that the price feels justified, especially considering how much of this set is made up of items Hot Toys has already designed. The light-features base elements are great, but ultimately non-essential; the fancy box even more so. It is still simply a figure with a gun, a lightsaber, and two swappable hair sculpts. The $60 difference between DX24 and DC25 also seems excessive: the Luke in Vader's helmet head is very neat (and I picked it up parted out), but the Dagobah base, while nice, does not feel particularly exciting. Ultimately, one's feelings about the value of these sets would come down to how important it was to own these versions of the character and how much one is willing to invest in a sixth-scale figure set. All the more so for those who are getting this as an upgrade from an earlier version like DX07. I do not own an earlier version (though I had picked up one of the DX07 outfits parted out), and am glad I got this set, although I cannot say I liked its price.



Things to watch out for

Not a whole lot. It would be easy to misplace the eye adjustment tool, but you could always use a toothpick or something else to achieve the same results. The lightsaber hilt can easily fall off the hook on the belt. It is not impossibly small, but still not too difficult to lose.



Overall

Alongside their Mandalorian Luke, which used the same head sculpt, Hot Toys' Bespin Luke is arguably their best rendition of Mark Hamill in the iconic role as the protagonist of the Star Wars Original Trilogy. And this without even taking into account the critical importance of the sequence and film climax associated with this appearance of the character. To be sure, "Bespin Luke" could have been more easily poseable, even more accurate, and less expensive, but he remains an excellent sixth-scale collectible.



Where to buy

I got mine for $277 (preorder discount) at Timewalker Toys. The reason I preordered is because I expected it to sell out. And it did. Looks like most people went for DX24, because there are still a few DX25s out there:

Big Bad Toy Store still has DX25 for $360 ($4 flat rate shipping).

Cotswold Collectibles still has DX25 for $345.

Sideshow has them on wait list.



I hope this was informative, let me know what you think. If you like it, I will post a few more photos that didn't make it so far and some of the slightly corrected version compared to my reconstituted/kitbashed DX07.



Updated with Part II. More here. Sorry, picture heavy.

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#starwars #theempirestrikesback #luke #skywalker #bespin #male #fiction #scifi #film #movie #hottoys

STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK LUKE SKYWALKER (BESPIN) 1/6TH SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE

After seeing a vision of his friends in distress, Luke Skywalker is determined to save them despite cutting his training short against Jedi Master Yoda’s wishes. The young Skywalker raced to Cloud City on Bespin where Darth Vader awaited, hoping to capture Luke and bring him to the Emperor…

Continuing to expand its extraordinary collectible series, Hot Toys is pleased to officially introduce the new 1/6th scale collectible figure of Luke Skywalker in his Bespin attire from the DX Series!

The highly-accurate collectible figure is meticulously crafted based on Luke Skywalker’s appearance in the movie. It features a head sculpt with remarkable likeness and separate rolling eyeballs, two styles of interchangeable hair sculptures, finely tailored outfit, a LED light-up lightsaber, an interchangeable lightsaber blade emulating the weapon in motion, a blaster, and a carbon-freezing chamber themed base!

Don’t pass up on the opportunity to add this iconic Luke Skywalker collectible figure to your collection today.
SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT CODEDX24
PRODUCT NAMELUKE SKYWALKER (BESPIN)
HEIGHTAPPROXIMATELY 28 CM TALL
POINTS OF ARTICULATIONS30
SPECIAL FEATURESNEWLY PAINTED HEAD SCULPT WITH SEPARATE ROLLING EYEBALLS FEATURES, INTERCHANGEABLE HAIR SCULPTURES WITH MAGNETIC FEATURES, CARBON-FREEZING CHAMBER THEMED BASE
PRODUCT RELEASE DATEAPPROXIMATELY Q3 – Q4, 2023
ARTISTSHEAD SCULPTED BY N/A.
HEAD PAINTED BY N/A.
HEAD ART DIRECTED BY N/A.
The 1/6th scale Luke Skywalker (Bespin) Collectible Figure specially features:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- One (1) newly painted head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs features
- Movie-accurate facial expression with detailed skin texture
- Newly developed brown hair sculpture with magnetic features
- Body with over 30 points of articulations
- Approximately 28 cm tall
- Seven (7) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of hands for holding lightsaber
- One (1) pair of gestured hand
- One (1) left fist
- One (1) open left hand
- One (1) right hand for blaster pistol holding
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
- One (1) tan colored jacket with pockets
- One (1) pair of tan colored pants
- One (1) brown colored utility belt with blaster holster
- One (1) pair of tan colored boots

Weapons:
- One (1) LED-lighted blue lightsaber (blue light, battery operated)
- One (1) lightsaber hilt
- One (1) blue-colored blade in motion (attachable to the hilt)
- One (1) blaster pistol

Accessory:
- One (1) specially designed carbon-freezing chamber themed base with character name and LED light-up function (orange,white light, battery operated)

Release date: Approximately Q3 – Q4, 2023

*Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Battery included for collectible figure, button cells are required
*** Light up function for collectible base can be operated by USB power.
**** USB connecting cable is not included for product, Micro USB cable is required.
*****Product details could be subjected to change without further notice

& TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
2022 Hot Toys Limited. All Rights Reserved.

















STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK LUKE SKYWALKER(BESPIN) 1/6TH SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE (DELUXE VERSION)


“I can't keep the vision out of my head. They are my friends; I've got to help them.” – Luke Skywalker

In his path to become a Jedi, Luke Skywalker headed to Dagobah in search of the great Jedi Master Yoda. Luke trained hard, failing often but learning much from his wise master. During an exercise, the young Skywalker saw a vision of his friends in pain; Luke cut his training short -- against Yoda's wishes -- to help them in Cloud City on the planet of Bespin where Darth Vader awaited…

To further expand on the renowned DX series, Hot Toys is delighted to officially present a Deluxe Version 1/6th scale collectible figure of Luke Skywalker inspired by his journey from Dagobah to Bespin in order to help Han Solo and Princess Leia from the Empire.

The highly-accurate Luke Skywalker collectible figure is skillfully crafted based on his appearance in the movie. It features a head sculpt with great likeness and separate rolling eyeballs, two styles of interchangeable hair sculptures, finely tailored outfit, a LED light-up lightsaber, an interchangeable lightsaber blade emulating the weapon in motion, a blaster, and a carbon-freezing chamber themed base!

This Deluxe Version exclusively includes the vision of Luke seeing himself as Darth Vader and a Dagobah themed base!

Your Star Wars collection will surely be enhanced with this Luke Skywalker collectible figure inspired by one of the most memorable moments from the great film!
SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT CODEDX25
PRODUCT NAMELUKE SKYWALKER(BESPIN)
HEIGHTAPPROXIMATELY 28 CM TALL
POINTS OF ARTICULATIONS30
SPECIAL FEATURESLUKE’S SEVERED HEAD IN VADER HELMET, DAGOBAH SWAMP DIORAMA THEMED BASE, HEAD SCULPT WITH SEPARATE ROLLING EYEBALLS FEATURES, INTERCHANGEABLE HAIR SCULPTURES WITH MAGNETIC FEATURES
PRODUCT RELEASE DATEAPPROXIMATELY Q3 – Q4, 2023
ARTISTSHEAD SCULPTED BY N/A.
HEAD PAINTED BY N/A.
HEAD ART DIRECTED BY N/A.
The 1/6th scale Luke Skywalker (Bespin) Collectible Figure (Deluxe Version) specially features:
- Authentic and detailed likeness of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- One (1) newly painted head sculpt with separate rolling eyeballs features
- Movie-accurate facial expression with detailed skin texture
- Newly developed brown hair sculpture with magnetic features
- Body with over 30 points of articulations
- Approximately 28 cm tall
- Seven (7) pieces of interchangeable hands including:
- One (1) pair of hands for holding lightsaber
- One (1) pair of gestured hand
- One (1) left fist
- One (1) open left hand
- One (1) right hand for blaster pistol holding
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
- One (1) tan colored jacket with pockets
- One (1) pair of tan colored pants
- One (1) brown colored utility belt with blaster holster
- One (1) pair of tan colored boots

Weapons:
- One (1) LED-lighted blue lightsaber (blue light, battery operated)
- One (1) lightsaber hilt
- One (1) blue-colored blade in motion (attachable to the hilt)
- One (1) blaster pistol

Accessories:
- One (1) Luke’s severed head in Vader helmet***
- One (1) Dagobah swamp diorama themed base***
- One (1) Dagobah themed interchangeable graphic card***
- One (1) specially designed carbon-freezing chamber themed base with character name and LED light-up function (orange,white light, battery operated)

***Exclusive to Deluxe Version

Release date: Approximately Q3 – Q4, 2023

*Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different
**Battery included for collectible figure, button cells are required
*** Light up function for collectible base can be operated by USB power.
**** USB connecting cable is not included for product, Micro USB cable is required.
*****Product details could be subjected to change without further notice

& TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
2022 Hot Toys Limited. All Rights Reserved.





















#newproduct #HotToys #StarWars #TheEmpireStrikesBack #Bespin #LukeSkywalker #male #movie #Sci-Fi

Updated with Part II: Kitbash Potential in Post 17 below.

For my previous Star Wars sixth-scale review, see HERE.



Introduction
Hot Toys is apparently determined to milk its Star Wars license for all it's got, reprising different (often slightly different) versions of the same characters over an over, and bringing us renditions of their on-screen appearance from various insignificant or indeed deleted scenes (case in point, sandstorm Luke). This is not quite the same thing with their Bespin Leia, but this is the third (fourth if you count what I consider the non-canonical Sequel Trilogy) iteration of her character produced by Hot Toys (and there is another on its way) while many others still await their first rendition, and it depicts a relatively unimportant, if distinctive appearance of the character in The Empire Strikes Back. I've always had a thing for this look, and I have to confess I was seduced by the serene beauty of the product in the promotional images; so I bought it after having decided that I would not... And it turned out to be more or less as I expected, given previous experience: not bad at all, but not overwhelmingly great either.



Packaging - 3/4 stars
I don't expect to be wowed by the packaging, so this is not terribly important to me, as long as it is practical and safe. And this is, conforming to the traditional boxing standard of (post Rogue One) Star Wars sixth-scale action figures by Hot Toys. We get a rectangular box in two shades of black with a fine photo of the product, and a cigar band with the character's name and "inset" photo running along the bottom of the lid. Inside is a nice (but in my opinion unnecessary) title card with a color image of the product, and below it a clear plastic trey with its clear plastic lid, within which the figure and its "accessories" are cradled safely. Beneath that, there is a cardboard card with the backdrop piece attached through a couple of clear plastic tabs. Everything is collector-friendly and safe. I would have preferred foam, but that would have been a departure from precedent (they did provide foam for their Deluxe Indiana Jones figure, and possibly others I don't know or forget).



Sculpting - 4/4 stars
As usual, Hot Toys does top of the line work, and even their failures are usually more successful than the alternatives. Leia's face is sculpted with great attention to fine details (look at the hair strands and braids), and there are no technical imperfections; the seam line of the mold is perhaps just a little too apparent, while technically handled correctly. The figure stands about 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) tall, which is just a little too tall for a sixth-scale version of actress Carrie Fisher.



Paint - 4/4 stars
Hot Toys' paint application tends to be fairly flawless, and this set is no exception even if, apart from the head, there is little room for complexity. The eyes are clear and glossy, the lips appropriately so, the skin has subtle variation making it appear realistic, the shoes are given an appropriate slightly metallic color, in short everything appears to be good. I don't know whether it is lighting or professional photography (or editing), but I get the feeling that the promotional images were just a bit more attractive than the product we get; then again, I like it better in hand than in my own photos.



Articulation - 4/4 stars
It used to be that Hot Toys bodies were held up as an example of near perfect action figure articulation. Yet, it seems like in recent years every time we have reviewed a Hot Toys set, we have been writing something along the lines of "the underlying body has all the articulation that you might want, but the outfit restricts it significantly in several places." For once this is not the case, and Leia can pose with virtually unhindered freedom ... in an outfit in which we see her do remarkably little onscreen. She can (be posed to) walk, sit, cross her legs, do splits!, and raise her hands up in the air like she don't care. The joints are just the right combination of tight and loose to allow all this and to make it possible to stand the figure in most of these poses. This is excellent; and this is how it should be every time for this price and from this company.



Accessories - 2/4 stars
As so often in recent reviews, this is where Hot Toys products often come up short. There is nothing here I would really call an accessory proper. Admittedly, we do not see Leia in this apparel handling, wielding, using anything at all, so Hot Toys has a perfect excuse to not provide any accessories. For this price, however (more on that later), they ought to. Leia comes with two sets of interchangeable hands (these are spare parts, not accessories), a pair of extra wrist pegs (likewise), an action figure base/stand, and a backdrop display. They certainly could have given us a gun for the grip hand (Kenner and Hasbro did), or a glass or anything film-related. The action figure stand and base are standard Death Star (?) floor type that we have seen with so many other figures; there is a printed card with what is apparently Cloud City flooring on it that you can put on top of the base, securing it in place by inserting the stand part. The backdrop is by far the most impressive and specific "accessory." It is a rectangular plastic-covered styrofoam piece with an indented section at the bottom that is lined with magnets that allow it to attach to the back of the base (and I do like this solution). The surface that remains showing is molded to look like a textured Art-Deco wall panel from Cloud City. Even if I don't care for the look (though it is screen accurate), this is a great idea. But like other such backdrops, it is far too narrow to be useful. I know the idea is that it covers only as much ground as the base, and then you can put your fancy Hot Toys figures together side by side, etc., but the effect is underwhelming. For what it is worth, they could have fitted a wider backdrop without changing the dimensions of the set's box. I almost forgot... there is also the now usual but unnecessary (at least with this set) instruction leaflet (not shown).



Outfit - 3/4 stars
The outfit/appearance recreated in this set is probably the one I liked best, although I do not consider it as iconic as the white-dress-and-hair-buns of A New Hope. It is a strange combination of complex and simple, and was apparently inspired by a variety of traditional Indian dress, with a long-sleeved tunic worn over pants and with an open sleeveless cloak with a quilted yoke at its top. (For once the Hot Toys pants are not too tight and allow for the excellent articulation mentioned above.) I said I like it, though to be honest I do not actually find it very exciting... maybe it was Leia's hair I actually liked? Anyway, Hot Toys did a very good job recreating the outfit, but not a perfect one. The quilted yoke has more pronounced bends here than onscreen, and it should have been worn more open at the neck (the promotional images for the set have it right, but because it is sewn onto the tunic, you cannot correct this by just futzing with it). Looking at set photos from the film, it looks as if the tunic for the action figure was made just a little short -- or it may have something to do with the disparity between Carrie Fisher's height and body type and the sixth-scale version. The bottom of the cloak has a thin metal wire running though it, helping to keep the pleats in place (not very successfully if you look higher up, but then again they were not supposed to be actual pleats). Theoretically, you could adjust this for posing, but without a wire running down the side edges, it is not very easy to make effective use of it (to be honest I didn't really try, as I didn't want to compromise the pleating further). While the wire is generally a good idea, it does get in the way of the cloak draping naturally (of course the cloth might not drape very well in this scale anyway). The intricate embroidery design on the cloak appears to be accurately reproduced but ironed-on (no, I did not really expect them to embroider it). It does appear more vivid and starkly apparent and contrasting with the background of the garment than it does in the film, which does reduce the realism a bit.



Fun Factor - 2/4
I'm divided on this one; this is not a particularly fun Leia in the film, and the absence of other specifically Empire Strikes Back iterations of the characters from the Hot Toys line (Vader, Luke, and Boba Fett don't really count in relation to this set) doesn't help; neither does the absence of any real, if imaginative accessories. That said, with a bit of patience (will they give us a better, Empire Han down the line?) and/or creativity you could get this Leia figure its playmates, create come scenes (the excellent articulation helps), and even manage some kitbashing (more on that in a follow up). Ultimately, you know what comes with this set and can make a reasonably accurate guess as to its appeal and possibilities.



Value - 1/4 stars
Retailing at about $204 (USD), this is noticeably less expensive than many other Hot Toys sets these days. Apparently Hot Toys has taken note of the limitations of the set and priced it accordingly -- within the framework of the prices it has worked so hard to inflate over the last several years. But is the price really justifiable? Hard to tell. But there are reasons to think it might have been lower: yet another rendition of a character already produced, and a less iconic or relevant one; a probable partial recycling of a head sculpt; a recycling and more limited choice of hand sculpts; the complete absence of any real accessory; the recycling of the action figure base and stand (with just a printed card offered as a more specific option); the absence of natural relevant counterparts in the line of figures limiting the fun factor... and so on. Yes, there is the elaborately decorated outfit -- but the pattern is printed and ironed on, and the wire is ultimately a questionable choice; yes, there is the nice backdrop -- but it is narrow, limited, and styrofoam (which is actually impressive, in a way). Although the set is perfectly good for what it is, it could have been so much better -- or it could have featured another, unproduced, perhaps more exciting iteration or character.



Things to watch out for
Nothing I can think of beyond the usual basic precautions (is this because they simply didn't include enough to be careful about?).



Overall - 2.8/4 stars
Like I suggested before, I knew what I was getting, so this was not really disappointing to me. There is a lot here was done right, in fact better than usual, and there were also some things that could have been done better. It is a nicely done set, but certainly not a perfect or very exciting one. I suppose its appeal would depend on a collector's interest in completeness, the character, the actress, or the specific look and setting. But I also imagine that, faced with Hot Toys pricing in general, the casual collector would reserve his or her money for things that they really want or need, and this is one of the more marginal and more limited options out there, so it might suffer by comparison with others.



Where to buy?
(some of these might still be on Preorder)

Alter Ego Comics for $204
Big Bad Toy Store for $205
Cotswold Collectibles for $200
Timewalker Toys for $204



I hope this has been useful. As always, what do you think?

#starwars #empirestrikesback #esb #bespin #leia #cloudcity #hottoys #productreview #female #scifi #fantasy