Review of Boba Fett Delue Sixth Scale Action Figure
Book of Boba Fett

Introduction

Star Wars on television has always been hit or miss. Let's not forget that when Lucas tried it, we got the Holiday Special. Most would agree the Mandolorian series is the high point, with both the new Obi-Wan series and The Book of Boba Fett falling somewhere in between.

One thing we did get from the new shows is several new looks for Fett, from his time after crawling out of the Sarlacc pit to retrieving his armor. Hot Toys jumped on this appearance, and produced not one but two figures. You could get the armored Fett by himself for around $285, or you could get a deluxe two pack, which we'll be checking out tonight.

This two pack came in at around $500, depending on the retailer. It started shipping here in the States in the last few weeks.

Packaging - ***1/2
The usual collector friendly box has several plastic trays holding both figures and the assortment of extras. While there's really nothing unique or special here, it does do a good job of keeping everything safe, and you can easily remove everything and put it back without issue.

There's a small piece of plastic wrap around the neck of the Fett sculpted head, put there to avoid bleed from the cloak. You can remove it or leave it, since you can pose the figure with it hidden if you wish.

Sculpting - ****
This one of the most realistic, life-like sculpts from Hot Toys in some time. They really nailed every aspect of this portrait.

Of course, there's also the work on the armor, and we'll get to that in a minute. But first let's look at the head of Fett, where the skin texture and detail is amazing. Of course, not having hair is actually a benefit to creating a realistic look even in macro photos. Sculpted hair, no matter how good, can be the quickest way to identify a toy. But the work being done on skin textures is pretty amazing, and without the hair, they were able to create one of their most life-like portraits in some time.

The expression helps as well, with a lot of personality and life in the eyes. The slight squint, combined with the stoic expression, matches the character nicely. Add in a very, very accurate portrait, and you have some great work.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the scarring as well. Fett has seen some hard times by this point, and while things will get better for him once he gets his bacta tank, right now he's looking pretty rough. They've matched it nicely, with very realistic scars and damage.

This portrait can be used on either figure. But there's also the helmet you can use with the armored version, and the sculpting on all the plastic armor pieces looks terrific.  This is his armor and helmet at its worst, before it gets some TLC and a repaint, and the wear and tear are obvious. But this is also its charm, setting it apart from the multitude of Fett's in your display.

Paint - ****
The paint work on both figures is also outstanding.

All that sculpted detail, all that scarring, it's supported by a subtle, amazing paint job. They've created a variation in tone and color that matches the on screen appearance extremely well, and adds to the realism of the overall look. It's these subtle things that makes the difference.

The glassy eyes are also worth noting. These are some of the most realistic we've seen, and the natural catch lights are quite impressive. There's no bleed, no slop of any kind, making the eyes as realistic as I've seen. Other key features for a life-like portrait are here as well, like the lighter line of skin around the lips, and the subtle eyebrow shading.

The work on the armor is equally amazing. Again, this is a very beat up, very damaged set of duds. The wear and tear is extreme, and it's captured by the paint work.

Articulation - ***1/2
The two bodies have all the articulation you expect, and the costumes aren't too restrictive.

Of course, the neck works a little better on the head, rather than the helmet, but both have surprisingly good tilt and lean. The torso is a bit restricted by the armor and thick clothing, making the twist, turn, and lean in the upper body a bit more difficult, but the shoulders, elbows and wrists can take natural arm poses, and you can lift the arms up at least chest high.

The hips, knees, and ankles aren't as restricted as you might expect, thanks to the billowy pants. The two piece boot design also allows the ankles plenty of mobility, including good rocker movement.

Accessories - ****
As I mentioned, you're getting two complete figures here, and they are both fully dressed inside the package. You can swap the portrait between them if you like, but that's really the only piece they need to share.

There are seven extra hands to go with the pair of relaxed hands they both come wearing. They swap easily, and there's a couple extra wrists pegs just in case. While most of the hands are unique, they wisely included two right hand gun grips, knowing you might want to have both figures holding a weapon.

Speaking of weapons, there's two hand blasters, one for each figure, and these fit neatly in a holster already on each. Perfect for the robed figure, there's also a rifle and Gaffi stick. These can fit neatly in the gripping hands of course, but they are also intended to be worn on his back. However, this wasn't going to work for me with either one. The thin strings on the Gaffi stick just scream 'break me', and the strap on the rifle doesn't fit properly around his torso. There's a snap on it down near the stock, and I popped this open trying to get it in place, and found re-snapping it quite the problem.

The armored Fett also has his rocket pack, which attaches tightly to the back of the suit with a magnet. The pack has several attachments. The rocket can be inserted in the top, or you can add a translucent plastic piece between the rocket and pack to make it appear as though it is launching. You can also add two fire effects to the bottom, perfect for flying poses. I've added all the pieces to the pack in one photo so you can see them, although that's not a likely way you'll use them.

Other goodies include a battered Stormtrooper helmet, two different holographic images that can be attached to the left gauntlet, a large flame effect that can be attached to the right gauntlet, and a second knee pad, designed for use with two 'knee rockets'.

If all of that isn't enough, there's two rocky display stands. Rather than just give you two identical bases, these two sculpts are completely different, which I wasn't expecting. There is only one crotch support rod, and one larger, bendable flight support rod though, so if you want to use both bases, one of the figures will have to be suspended in the air.

Outfit - ***1/2
Each figure comes fully dressed, right out of the box.

The armored version looks great, with a well tailored, tight outfit. The materials are generally high quality, and as I've already said, the armor paint and sculpt look terrific. The two piece boot design looks good and is very functional, allowing great ankle articulation and better posing.

The robed version is missing the armor, but still has most of the same other bits underneath, including the belt. Again, the tailoring is excellent, and the robe hangs very naturally around his shoulders. The thin material isn't too bunched up, and doesn't get in the way of posing.

In general, I don't think there's a lot more sixth scale manufacturers can do with costuming. When they are at the top of their game, like this, we see excellent tailoring of properly scaled materials to create a very realistic appearance. I don't think paying $500 for a figure versus $200 is going to get you a lot more in this category.

However, one area where I'd like to see improvement is in the holsters. These still look a bit cheap and toy-like, although I will say it's nice to see the magnetic closure on the strap work this well.

Fun Factor - ****
With lots of posing potential and a ton of excellent accessories, you will find yourself returning to repose these guys over and over. These are exactly the sort of figures that are fun for collectors, and you will spend lots of time - the fun kind, not the frustrating kind - finding just the right look for your display.

Value - **1/2
Regular readers know this is an average value score, which means it won't hurt or help my personal overall. You're getting what you're paying for.

But how can that be at $500? Well, that's $250 each, and I have to say that with the quality of the costuming and accessories, you're getting $250 each out of them. Unfortunately, I don't expect this to be true moving forward. We are seeing every release get priced at $275 - $300 now, and they simply aren't giving you the same level of value. Collectors are going to get much more particular about what they buy - and that means companies pricing in this range will have to get much more particular about what they produce.

Things to Watch Out For -
I already mentioned my issues with the strap on the rifle, which you might have better luck with. I'd also be really careful with the tiny strings on the Gaffi stick, as they look awfully thin to me.

Getting the small plastic piece out of the left gauntlet, so you an then attach the holograms, can also be tricky. I had to use something to pry it out, but be very careful you don't scratch it when doing so.

Finally, I'd pay special attention to the hoses hooked to the right gauntlet. While I didn't have any trouble with them, I could see you damaging them when swapping hands or putting the fire effect in place. Don't squeeze in the wrong spot.

Overall - ****
With the current pricing model for Hot Toys (and now InArt) figures, most of us have to be far more particular about our purchases. I know I'm cutting back, and I've recently cancelled a number of items. This set was one I considered letting go, but I'm very glad I didn't.

While it's not cheap, both figures are excellent additions. As a big Fett fan, I'm particularly glad to have the robed version on the shelf, but the armored version stands out enough to make it well worth it to me.

I did not order the version with the throne - I really would like to have the throne, but it's not worth almost $400 to me, particularly since the figure isn't adding a whole lot to my collection now that I have this two pack. However, if you skipped this two pack, the throne release might be just what you need.

And if someone is wondering what I might like for Christmas...

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

Where to Buy 
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- or you can hsearch ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is not the first time Hot Toys has done Fett, of course, and you should check out the previous Deluxe version, as well as their Quarter Scale release.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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