Review of Tusken Raider - Star Wars

Introduction

As Disney continues to mine the gold that is the Star Wars Universe, we continue to get sixth scale figures from Hot Toys. There is no end in sight, thanks to plenty of new characters on shows like the Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett, and more shows coming in 2022.

And it isn't just the new characters, as we get updated versions of our more beloved inhabitants. The Tusken Raiders have made a big impact on the small screen, and while Sideshow did a fine job with theirs, it was time for an upgrade.

The Tusken Raider has been shipping for the last couple weeks, and will run you around $250, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
The shoe box style package is pretty standard now, with a cigar band label on the front. It's all collector friendly, and the plastic trays hold everything safe and sound. There's nothing particularly unique here if you're a regular buyer of Hot Toys figures, but it gets the job done.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The portrait is standard Tusken Raider - he could be from any film or show. The detail work on the wrapping is pretty amazing, appearing to be cloth even in macro photos. The textures, edges, and wear is extremely realistic, but will hold up to handling and posing much better than an actual wrapped head. By creating such a realistic appearance with a sculpt, they gave us a perfect look that's also sturdy.

Of course, this is really a sculpt they should nail. Usually when I discuss a portrait, I talk about three things - realism, accuracy, and expression. Since they aren't trying to match an actor, the accuracy becomes much easier. Since there's no visible face, the expression becomes standard. That leaves the realism, and nailing that was the key to the entire look.

My only nit with the sculpted wrappings comes when comparing to the hands and arms. Here they went with actual cloth, quite clean, with smaller strips than on the head. The difference between the two is pretty stark, and does throw things off a bit for me. Even some dirt and staining would have gone a long way to getting a better match.

The hands are properly scaled here, and the poses are useful with the various accessories. There's not a ton of detail work on these extras, but thanks to sharply defined edges and great paint - more on that in a minute - they look fantastic.

Paint - ****
While the sculpting was important, it's really the paint work that sells this figure. The dirty wrappings on the head, the wood grain and details on the weapons, the subtle variations in color that indicate different materials and surfaces - it's all spot on.

If there's one area that could use a little more attention, it's around the 'mouth'. The paint work is a bit broad and plain there, but it's a really minor nit. In hand you'll be impressed by the quality of the paint work, and it's subtle perfection is noteworthy.

Articulation - ***1/2
The figure has all the usual joints, although there's a couple exceptions to the norm.

The ball jointed neck gives you plenty of tilt and lean, and the torso works great. The clothing does not impeded the crunch or tilt of the upper body, making realistic poses much simpler. The shoulders, elbows and wrists work well, and the hips and knees allow for short to deep stances.

On the positive side of exceptions, the hips are ratchet joints - you can hear the clicks as you pose them. This means he can maintain those deeper stances long term, with less chance of toppling.

On the negative side of exceptions, there's the ankles. The one piece boots restrict the ankles, although they are short enough to allow for a smidge of rocker movement.

And you might not realize it at first, but there's a couple wires in the cloak, allowing you to add some dynamic movement to it in certain poses.

Accessories - ***1/2
He doesn't come loaded with extras, but the key items every Raider should have are here.

First, there's six extra hands, in various gripping pairs. They swap easily, and unlike the head, are actually wrapped in material to match the arms. There's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

We know that Tusken Raiders drink from small black melons, and you get one, cracked open and ready for sipping.

There's a pair of binoculars for seeing across the desert, a long rifle with a leather strap, and two different versions of the Gaffi stick. While I posed him with both to show them in some of the photos, in reality he would carry one or the other, depending on which screen look you're going for.

Similarly, there's an extra bandana for his chest. You can remove the unique one and swap this one in, again depending on the look you're trying to recreate.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit looks terrific, although you already know I'm going to have that one nit I mentioned earlier.

The outer cloak is thin and ragged, but could use a little more dirt. In fact, the entire outfit is a bit cleaner than I expected, looking a bit like he just got back from shopping at the Tusken Raider Wearhouse.

The inner robe is slit in back, behind the legs, allowing for greater movement and deeper poses. He's wearing pants of course, and the tailoring and construction on these various layers is excellent. The fit is just about perfect, and there's no baggy areas or sloppiness.

Unlike the head, the arms and hands are actually wrapped material, but it seems quite sturdy. I would take some care though when swapping hands, just to ensure you don't damage anything.

He has a variety of belts and straps, made from the usual thin leather. I'm not sure how these will hold up long term - we've seen varying results in the past - but they look great right out of the box.

Ah, and then we get to the one issue, at least for me. Those one piece boots. I'm really not sure why they went this route, since you could easily hide the seam between and upper and lower boot piece in the sculpted wrappings. Considering the price point of this figure, it's not too much to ask to get a two piece boot.

The color of the boots matches the head wrappings, which contrast with the hands and arms as previously mentioned. But the sculpt doesn't match, being less detailed and less realistic.

Fun Factor - ****
Even with those boots, I found this guy a pleasure to work with. He's easy to pose, and easy to get in realistic, natural stances. You don't have to worry about the costume getting damaged from bends at the various joints, and the included accessories add to any pose you design.

Value - *1/2
Unfortunately, Hot Toys is edging up their prices once again. Long term collectors will remember a few years back, when prices started climbing from $220 to $250 for a regular release. Clearly, sales dipped, because we saw those prices drop back down again into the $220 range, with only special figures with extra accessories or features going for a higher dollar amount.

It looks like they are trying the experiment again, bumping up their prices for a standard figure into the $240 - $250 range, while figures with special features are even higher. Will the market bear this increase this time around? It's hard to imagine it will, considering the quality of work we are seeing fro Asmus, EXO-6, and threezero at a price point closer to $200.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. As I mentioned, the forearms and hands are wrapped cloth, so you'll want to take a little care there, but I found them to be quite sturdy.

Overall - ***1/2
If you are like me, you already own the Sideshow Tusken Raider. It's a solid figure, and if you're even more like me, you questioned whether you really needed to replace him or not.

You do. This figure is an improvement in multiple areas, and shows how far we've come over the last ten years in subtle ways. The sculpt, the paint, the tailoring, even the accessories are all improved.

The big issue is the cost. Sadly, Hot Toys is looking to up their standard pricing, and it's going to be hard for all of us to justify. I know I've canceled three orders in the last month, because it's getting harder to pay $230, $240, or $250 for a character that isn't critical. Smaller companies are getting more of my figure budget, and it will be interesting to see if Hot Toys can get the numbers they need at these higher prices.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
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Related Links -
Check out the Sideshow sixth scale Tusken Raider from a few years back.

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