Review: Star Wars Galactic Heroes: Jabba's Sail Barge
Regret. Those of us who collect toys - or collect anything, for that matter - know the emotion well. Every time we walk into a toy store, there is something we want that we pass up. Usually, it's a question of cost. Often, we hope that it will grow cheaper in time.
Sometimes it does. Other times, it vanishes like smoke, only to reappear on Ebay, demanding inflated costs and exorbitant shipping.
Toy collecting is often a cruel and unforgiving hobby. But sometimes - just sometimes - we are given a second chance.
Last year, there was a "Jabba's Palace" Galactic Heroes set I passed up. If you've been to this site before, you're likely aware that I'm a big fan of this line. At any rate, I saw these going for $25 - $30 and thought, hey, maybe if I hold off it'll go on sale. It didn't. And other collectors weren't so finicky. Before long these no longer appeared on shelves, and I had to face the possibility I'd face life without an adorable, miniature Jabba the Hutt.
Sometimes it does. Other times, it vanishes like smoke, only to reappear on Ebay, demanding inflated costs and exorbitant shipping.
Toy collecting is often a cruel and unforgiving hobby. But sometimes - just sometimes - we are given a second chance.
Last year, there was a "Jabba's Palace" Galactic Heroes set I passed up. If you've been to this site before, you're likely aware that I'm a big fan of this line. At any rate, I saw these going for $25 - $30 and thought, hey, maybe if I hold off it'll go on sale. It didn't. And other collectors weren't so finicky. Before long these no longer appeared on shelves, and I had to face the possibility I'd face life without an adorable, miniature Jabba the Hutt.
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But the fates have smiled upon me. Toys R Us has picked up a pair of exclusive Galactic Heroes sets, one featuring the medal ceremony at the end of episode four, and the other featuring characters from Jabba's sail barge in Return of the Jedi. The medal ceremony set, while certainly a cool idea, seems like a rip off. Sure, you get a few new figures, but overall you're paying for a bunch of guards and two (not three!) tiny medals.
The sail barge set, on the other hand, includes a re-release of Jabba as well as two of the band members, Droopy McCool (hey, I don't name them; I just review them) and Max Rebo. Max comes with his awesome Red Ball Keyboard. In addition, the package folds into a surprisingly cool display. |
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Hasbro produces these along with similar lines of Transformers, GI Joes, Marvel characters, Indiana Jones figures, and who knows what else. This particular pack is exclusive to Toys R Us, but I wouldn't be entirely shocked if similar sets are available elsewhere.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
Okay, we've got seven figures to discuss here. Lets start with the big guy himself, Jabba the Hutt. Jabba looks great, somehow capturing both the bloated, evil monstrosity and the adorable, cuddly aspect of the toys. Frankly, that's a damn impressive balancing act.
The face work is really exceptional: they've added a lot of depth to the nose and mouth. The eyes are glossy and wide, and his tongue is all kinds of awesome. In terms of scale, Jabba's quite a bit larger than the other figures; not to the extent he is in the movies, but close enough for this scale.
There are a few weaker aspects, notably his arms and the areas around the joints. The arms, while not bad, just aren't up to the same standard. The joints aren't disguised that well, so don't expect to miss them. In terms of construction, be aware that, unlike the other figures, Jabba is made from lightweight, hollow plastic. On his own, I'd be giving Jabba an eight. He'd easily be a nine if he weren't hollow.
The face work is really exceptional: they've added a lot of depth to the nose and mouth. The eyes are glossy and wide, and his tongue is all kinds of awesome. In terms of scale, Jabba's quite a bit larger than the other figures; not to the extent he is in the movies, but close enough for this scale.
There are a few weaker aspects, notably his arms and the areas around the joints. The arms, while not bad, just aren't up to the same standard. The joints aren't disguised that well, so don't expect to miss them. In terms of construction, be aware that, unlike the other figures, Jabba is made from lightweight, hollow plastic. On his own, I'd be giving Jabba an eight. He'd easily be a nine if he weren't hollow.
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Next up, we've got Max Rebo, who, in some ways, is intended to be the centerpiece of this set, since his keyboard is exclusive to this pack. I'm only going to consider Max here, though: I'll be looking at the keyboard under extras. Max, the blue elephant-like creature, is fairly effective. In some ways, he should be an awkward character for this style, since, honestly, this is pretty much how he looked in the movie. Nevertheless, he fits in great with the others. |
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The sculpt work here is topnotch, with plenty of warts and folds all over his body. His shorts look hilarious, and the metal ring is a nice touch. There's not much paint on Max: he was just molded in blue, but it's a good color. If I were scoring him on his own, I'd probably go with a seven.
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There are few characters in the Star Wars universe as poorly named as Droopy McCool. I'm going to give the folks who invented him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was an in-joke, never intended to be made public.
Anyway, Droopy is good, with at least one exception. The exception is the paint at the top of his horn: there's a black mark extending onto his hand. To be fair, this is an issue with mine, one I could see in the pack. There were other packs with better Droopy's, but they had issues with the Jabbas. I decided I could live with an imperfect Droopy. |
Other than that, Droopy looks good. A paint wash could have made his sculpted detail stand out better, but he works well as is. The nose, fingernails, and toenails all look good, though, up close, they're a little sloppy. I like the shorts, though I wish they'd have gone with a color different from his the nose/fingernails. Beside the aforementioned paint issues, the horn is a little crooked, but it's still nice. This guy would have gotten a seven.
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The next pair of figures, Leia in her slave outfit and R2 serving drinks, have been available as a 2-pack for a few years now. Unfortunately, it's a 2-pack I purchased, but that's my problem. Leia, in some ways, is one of the best figures here. Both the sculpt and paint work here is impressively intricate on the costuming and hair. I wish they'd gone with some brighter colors on the outfit, and the paint gets a little sloppy at the edge of her dress and around the ears, but I'm really nitpicking here. The far larger issue is the giant ax she's holding, which she never picked up in the movie. I'd have far preferred if they'd just attached a chain and let her hold that. Come to think of it, since I have two now, I might have to consider a custom project.... |
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While I wish they'd left off the ax, it does look good. This is a fantastic figure, at least from an appearance point of view, and she'd get a nine on her own.
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The paint on R2-D2 is much less clean than on most of these figures, but it's only an issue up close. While they could have followed the lines closer, the colors used are spot on: this guy is bright and vibrant.
His drink setup is removable, so I'll have more to say on that in the extras category. If you pop it off, R2 has large empty slots on his legs and a peg hole on the top of his head. So... you'll probably want to display him wearing these. Still, I'm impressed they even bothered making them detachable. Kudos. Of course, this is another of those figures that's weird in this scale, because he isn't really all that exaggerated. The feet are enlarged, but other than that the proportions look about right to me. That's not a complaint, mind you, just an observation. |
I'm impressed that the panels are sculpted in; a nice touch that makes the figure stand out. On his own, R2 would get a seven because of the sloppy paint work. Keep in mind, I'm scoring the figure here, not the accessory.
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Next up, we've got Boba Fett, which is the same sculpt that was included with the pack of Stocking Stuffers I reviewed a while back. I'm photographing them side by side for comparison, with the new Fett on the left. I assume these paint ops were also included with the version sold in two packs, but I never picked him up that way so I can't be sure. It does underline the difference a little paint can make. |
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In particular, the helmet really takes a step up. The brighter colors make him stand out and add a great deal of depth. The dent on his helmet really shows up now. Likewise, the jet pack is now layered and interesting, as is his costume and armor. The laser now has a nice gun-metal finish, which really sells it. I'm not sure why Hasbro decided to phone it in on the Stocking Stuffers - I guess they decided they could get away with it - but the difference is shocking.
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Setting the other one aside for a moment, Fett still has some issues. The paint, while much improved, is sloppy in areas. In addition, I'm still not completely sold on the design. Doing helmeted characters in this style is hard, because it's difficult to convey the intention. With Max, Droopy, and R2, this wasn't a big problem: the characters were already almost in this style, so it works. But Fett was originally realistic, so the effect here only works when he's around other figures. Good thing this is part of a playset. |
On his own, Fett is really right on the line between a seven and eight. I guess I'd push him up to that eight if pressed, but he could really go either way.
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And, finally, we come to Luke. Like Droopy, this Luke is a bit of a "sacrifice" I made. Mine has some issues, but I accepted them over other issues with other packs. The problem here is the paint, particularly on his face and left hand. It was applied too thick on the face, and as a result, there are some lumps. The hand has the opposite problem: the black plastic is visible through the skin. |
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The sculpt and design work here is pretty good, and this guy actually may be one of my favorite Lukes. While not an issue with the figure, the geek in me demands I mention that it's inaccurate to show Luke wearing a black glove in this set: he put on the glove AFTER the fight on Jabba's barge as a result of a blaster hit he took while slaughtering Jabba's guards.
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On his own, I'd probably dock THIS Luke down to a six. Most of the packs had one that looked more like an eight, though, so you might have more luck. As a whole, these guys work out to an eight. If you pick this - or any of these multi-packs - up, take some time and make sure you're getting one with the paint ops you want. Maybe you'll get lucky and find one where all the figures are perfect, but I wouldn't count on it. This is a situation where you'll probably have to make some choices. For me, Jabba and Rebo's keyboard took priority. |
Packaging and Extras: +1
Normally, the packaging is shortest part of the review. I make some quip about liking or disliking it, say I'm throwing it away regardless, then move on. This time, things are going to be a mite more complicated. Here's the packaging as it appears on the shelves:
So, yeah. The pictures on the sides are ugly, while the large, open window is awesome. The inside is absolutely fantastic. From the raised platforms to the tentacles to the backdrop, this is some gorgeous work. And it's intended for more than just selling the toy.
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The front and top of the package punches out, leaving you with a removable display for the figures. The downside here is that the toys are individually attached with plastic inserts you'll need to remove. That's going to require an exacto knife and some patience if you don't want to damage this. The bottom also folds out, displaying the complete Sarlacc pit. There's a figure-sized hole in the middle, in case you want to feed it Boba Fett. It's pretty impressive as a diorama, all things considered. My only real complaint is that the sides are blank. I suppose you could slide the whole thing back into the original backing, but then your stuck with the crappy illustrations. I think I actually prefer the cardboard. |
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In addition, there are a few items which I'm counting as accessories. The main one is Max Rebo's "Red Ball Keyboard." According to the packaging, this is exclusive to this set, and, in my humble opinion, it's pretty great.
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The paint lines could be a bit cleaner around the keys: the white bleeds onto the base in some spots. The gold... things... are quite a bit nicer, though, and overall it has a really nice appearance. Drop Max in it, and the setup looks awesome. In addition, this is a solid little piece: to put it in perspective, with Max included, it's got quite a bit more heft than Jabba does. I'm not reviewing it this way, but there's a sense that Max, his keyboard, and Jabba are really the meat of this set, with everyone else feeling more like accessories. When I was in Toys R Us counting the number of other figures I already had, that was a reassuring thought. |
The other accessory (or accessories, depending on how you want to consider them) are R2's harness and hand for serving drinks. Hey, times are tough all around: you can't blame a droid for taking work where he can get it.
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This is a nice looking piece, though only one half has a paint wash. Still, it has a nice, antique appearance on the gold, and the silver extension is certainly fine. I waffled back and forth on the bonus here. Here's the thing, in a playset, some extras are kind of expected - even required. So you really need to look at value. But that's still a nebulous concept here: I still think two packs of these guys should run five or six bucks (Sadly, every retailer on Earth disagrees). |
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I've considered everything from nothing to a +2, so it's no surprise I went with a compromise. I did spend some time justifying, though. Here's how:
I'm going to assume that each of the normal sized figures should run three dollars. There are six normal figures, which takes us up to eighteen bucks. Next, I'm going to count Jabba as two figures, which brings us to twenty four: that's just a touch beneath retail. R2's accessories are needed, so they don't count. But, between Rebo's keyboard and the playset, that pushes the value above what we're paying for. It's not quite enough for a +2, but I'll hand over a bonus point without complaint. If you could press those keys and hear a clip of music, well then, we'd be talking two or three points.
I'm going to assume that each of the normal sized figures should run three dollars. There are six normal figures, which takes us up to eighteen bucks. Next, I'm going to count Jabba as two figures, which brings us to twenty four: that's just a touch beneath retail. R2's accessories are needed, so they don't count. But, between Rebo's keyboard and the playset, that pushes the value above what we're paying for. It's not quite enough for a +2, but I'll hand over a bonus point without complaint. If you could press those keys and hear a clip of music, well then, we'd be talking two or three points.
Play and Display: ----
There's some articulation here, but it's not as good as I'm getting accustomed to. Of the six basic figures, Leia is the only one with no articulation: she's basically just a very small statue. On top of that, she's not balanced well at all; a gust of wind, and she's going over. If you remove his accessories, R2's got nothing, either. But, while passing out drinks, his silver hand can turn back and forth.
Next, there's Luke, who's a little disappointing here. The only point of articulation he's got is on his right wrist, allowing his lightsaber to point in different directions. I think a waist joint, at the very least, would have been nice.
Boba Fett has shoulder joints, but poor balance make their use limited. Once again, he could have benefited from an articulated waist.
Droopy McCool also has shoulder joints, but his sculpt prevents you from getting much use out of them. He's really intended for one pose: at least it's a good one.
Next, there's Luke, who's a little disappointing here. The only point of articulation he's got is on his right wrist, allowing his lightsaber to point in different directions. I think a waist joint, at the very least, would have been nice.
Boba Fett has shoulder joints, but poor balance make their use limited. Once again, he could have benefited from an articulated waist.
Droopy McCool also has shoulder joints, but his sculpt prevents you from getting much use out of them. He's really intended for one pose: at least it's a good one.
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Finally, we reach the best of the group, Max Rebo, who sports three joints. He's got a neck and shoulder joints, which means he can have his fingers on or above his keys. He can also look from side to side, though his ears limit this motion. In addition, when his head's turned to one side, the ear on the other blocks the arm, so it has to be down. Even so, this gives you some options for how he's playing the Red Ball. Jabba has three joints, as well. His neck can turn in any direction, and his arms can move up and down. At his size, this is pretty basic articulation. Finally, if you cut the tape beneath the display, those tentacles can be moved to different poses. |
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The articulation is certainly better than nothing, but, particularly with the balance issues shared by Leia and Fett, there's no way this deserves a bonus.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 9/10
Value in a set like this isn't just subjective; it's also dependent on what figures you already have. I expect some completists who have Jabba's Palace will probably still pick this up for Rebo's keyboard, which, while awesome, isn't worth twenty-five bucks on its own.
Twenty-five dollars is a good chunk of change, but, all things considered, this isn't a worse deal than paying six bucks for a two pack... not that you can get a two pack for less than seven or eight, but I digress. Just be aware that it might not stay at twenty-five: similar sets have spiked to twenty-eight or even twenty-nine in the past. If you're not collecting Galactic Heroes yet and want to start, this is actually a great set to get started with. On its own, it'll make a cool collection. Just be warned that these things are like crack.
If you already have a collection of these guys; well, you'll have to do what I did: figure out how many new figures you're getting and decide if it's worth it. Of course, the ability to mix and match these guys has value of its own.
Twenty-five dollars is a good chunk of change, but, all things considered, this isn't a worse deal than paying six bucks for a two pack... not that you can get a two pack for less than seven or eight, but I digress. Just be aware that it might not stay at twenty-five: similar sets have spiked to twenty-eight or even twenty-nine in the past. If you're not collecting Galactic Heroes yet and want to start, this is actually a great set to get started with. On its own, it'll make a cool collection. Just be warned that these things are like crack.
If you already have a collection of these guys; well, you'll have to do what I did: figure out how many new figures you're getting and decide if it's worth it. Of course, the ability to mix and match these guys has value of its own.
That was one of the most time consuming reviews I've done here. So, in the interest of conserving time, lets keep this short: here's my blog. Now, I think I have one - and only one - picture left.
