My Dengar figure from SideShow arrived today along with his pal Zuckuss. The extra wait is typical of the UK 1/6 market, but they are here now.
On to what I think of this figure.
I have been waiting, mostly patiently, for someone to release a good interpretation of Dengar the Bounty Hunter from TESB. Up till now this character has been filled in my collection by the Hasbro 12" offering, which, whilst OK after a bit of extra paintwork being done, still leaves a lot to be desired when displayed alongside my other Bounty Hunters (now all SideShow).
Once this Figure was announced I knew it would be in my collection. I bought it via dandyisland.com here in the UK as they then handle all the import etc. It does mean paying a bit more and the extra wait, but I know what I am paying up front with no extra charges on delivery
. As soon as they had it to preorder I preordered.
PackingThe figure itself comes in the now standard SideShow Star Wars packaging. A brown outer packing box, then the black with grey accents Box which has 3 different 3/4 length photos of the figure, one on each of the front, back, and inside the flap. The flap is magnetically held closed and opens to reveal the figure itself behind a clear window, and the previously mentioned photo of the figure.
Now, upon opening this box it seemed to me as though SideShow might have used a slightly thinner cardboard than I had previously seen, and indeed comparing the box to older SideShow Star Wars boxes it does seem very marginally but noticeably thinner!!! Both this box and the one Zuckuss came in also had the seam which closed the box coming apart at the top. It seems as though there might not have been enough glue used to construct the box. Minor things sure but with this being a collector figure I would not expect SideShow to be skimping on packaging as I think they may have been here, especially at the price point.
The figure itself is cocooned in a clear plastic shell along with his weapons, and has a second clear plastic shell beneath with the stand, backpack and spare hands. This is all fine and seems to hold all the parts well for transit as nothing had moved.
The FigureThe figure itself is I think a very, very, good rendition of the movie character, and certainly the best that has been available in this scale to date. The proportions seem good, and the level of detail is good given the source material SideShow had available must have been quite limited. We only see Dengar for a few seconds in TESB and again in very shadowy scenes in Jabba's palace in ROTJ. Other than this we only have a very limited number of promotional stills in which Dengar seems to have switched weapons with 4-LOM!!
The feet seem well done, although the nature of the boots he is wearing make the right boot look more like a left boot from certain angles.
The armour is crisp and well represented, the base colour looks good, and the over all impression is good. Dengars armour in the still photos available does look a bit more worn, and whilst there is some weathering on the figures armour, a little bit more might have been welcome.
The backpack is superb with individual parts and straps all very well done. It attaches to the back of the figure with a magnet and seems to hold well. The other pouches etc are all well done, but i did need to pad out the one on the left hip a little to get the exact look I was after.
The weapons supplied are good. The blaster pistol is excellent, and is a tight fit for the leather holster which is riveted to the leg armour, and has a magnetic retention strap. The MG42 used to represent the Blaster Rifle which appears in TESB is also a very nice piece. It is of course different from the blaster seen in the promo pics as this was MG34 based.
As has been mentioned in other reviews of this figure, the MG42 used in the film seems to have had the butt stock removed, whereas the one supplied here still has the stock attached. It is a small detail, but it would have been nice if SideShow had spotted this.
I think the head sculpt on this figure is very good, the scaring to the right cheek, eyes and the skin tone seem spot on to me.
Some have said a cloth turban instead of the moulded rubber one would have been nice, but I actually like the idea of the moulded one. That said, to me the angle at the front of the turban formed where the wraps overlap is a bit too shallow to be screen accurate. I found it difficult to get the "right" look with it, but found a position for it which I am happy with in the end.
I like the cloth cowl/hood which I think looks very good when positioned well.
Mine arrived with the cowl outside the breast plate, but movie stills seem to show the front tucked under the armour, with the lip on the edge of the neck of the armour visible. This is easily remedied and the cowl looks spot on to my eyes once tucked under the armour.
I think that the basic articulation of the figure is actually pretty good, however many of the joints are limited in their movement by the padded under suit. It would be great if SideShow and other manufacturers could find a way to use these padded under suits, which are essential to the look of the figure, without them limiting the otherwise excellent articulation.
Fortunately I tend to play with a figure until I have a pose with which I am happy, and then I display them and largely leave them alone. If you like to repose figures regularly or to change the pose for photography etc.. then the limit on the movement of this figure created by the under suit and general costuming may be frustrating.
I would also have liked it if the hands were just a little bit softer. They aren't exactly hard to position on accessories, but if they were just a tad softer it would make this easier.
There is the included hexagonal black stand with the Star Wars logo on the bottom of it, which is pretty standard for SideShow, but other extras are limited to the weapons and 3 sets of alternative hands. I suppose an MG34 as seen in the promo pics might have been a nice addition for anyone who wanted to follow that look, but that may be a bit tenuous to include as an extra
.
It is difficult to see what other extras SideShow might have included, but at the price point it might have been nice if they imagined up something else to put in the box.
ConclusionsI love this figure
It closes a hole in my Bounty Hunter collection that I have been looking to fill for a number of years. A reasonably film accurate pose can be achieved even though we only really see him in TESB in one pose for a few seconds at most, and I think he looks great alongside the rest of his Bounty Hunter chums.
It really is nice to have a decent looking Dengar at last, and whilst there are some things I think could have been done differently it is still a great figure and one that any Star Wars Bounty Hunter fan surely ought to have.
A couple of pics with the Hasbro 12" Dengar he replaces for reference.
and a pic with Zuckuss, and with all his TESB Bounty Hunter mates
Thanks for taking the time to read this, And I hope it was useful.
All comments are as always welcome.
#productreview #sideshow #starwars #empirestrikesback #film #bountyhunter #male
I can only describe it as "crispy", and every time I touch it I fear that I will damage it in some way but it does seem to be able to deal with being handled normally though. 
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