Review of Constable Zuvio - Star Wars Black Series
Force Awakens 6" action figure

Introduction

The hype has officially begun - the toys are on the pegs, the cereal boxes are on the shelves, even Spaghetti-O's are getting in on the action. Earlier this week I looked at one of the new Star Wars Black 6" action figures, Poe Dameron, and tonight I'm following that up with a look at another wave 2 figure, Constable Zuvio.

With Poe, we know a little. Not a lot, because Abrams likes to keep a tight lid on things. But we do know a little, and there's been plenty of speculation to go with the little we know. But Zuvio is an alien of a different color. We knew nothing about him until just a few weeks before the toys hit shelves, and we still know almost nothing about his character or any importance he might have.  We don't even know who is playing him on screen! The packaging tells us that he's a 'vigilante law officer', and that he 'keeps order in a frontier trading post'. Yep, not much to go on yet.

He was included in both the first drop (technically wave 2) of the Star Wars Black 6" series, as well as the smaller 3 3/4" figures, making it seem like he's a potentially important character. He has a bit of the old west feel to the outfit and style, mixed in with a traditional Star Wars vibe. But whether he'll be a key player or not remains to be seen. As to who will play him, rumor has Iko Uwais under the make up, but it could also be Ken Leung.

You can pick this guy up as part of the second wave of figures, which has been showing up at Meijer stores in the States, or you can pre-order online. The price will be around $20, depending on the retailer and any early sales they might be having.

Packaging - ****
As I mentioned in the previous review, these boxes are slightly narrower (but the same length) as the earlier Black series releases. The packaging is attractive - I love the character portraits on the front - and it's all collector friendly. That means you can remove everything without damaging the box or trays, and use the box later for storage or sale.

Sculpting - ***1/2
All we have to go on with this character is the basic bio portrait you see on the package - there hasn't been any other leaked images that I know of.  Based on that, this sculpt rocks.

The wide bridge of the nose and wrinkling of the skin match up nicely with the reptilian appearance of the eyes.  Take off that cloth wrapping, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a long forked tongue come slithering out of his mouth. They've done a terrific job with the various textures, especially on the helmet where the damage, age and wear are apparent. Considering the scale, it's solid work.

The costume has plenty of finely detailed wrinkles and folds, and they've hardened up the plastic on the limbs and hands, a very welcome change. This better quality plastic is less likely to wilt and soften, even in hotter climates.

Zuvio is smaller than most of the line, coming in at just under 5 1/2" tall. I'm betting that's about right, scale-wise, particularly if the speculation is right and either Leung or Uwais plays the alien. He stands great on his own, and can easily hold the weapon in one or both hands.

Paint - ***
I waffled around on this a bit, because some of the work here is excellent...and some, not so much.

The figure itself gets the praise, with a lot of attention paid to the wear and weathering.  The rough paint job on the helmet adds to the pitted, scarred look of the sculpt, and they've worn various aspects of the outfit by rubbing off the paint at higher points. Even the cloth wrap around his face has been painted then wiped to give it a dirty, worn look, especially in hand.

My only nit on the figure itself is that one pupil is *slightly* higher on the eye than the other.  It's a very minor nit though, especially in hand.

The bigger issue comes around the weapon, where they went with a basic toy paint style. Colors are broad with little detail, and have that cheap plastic look to them, particularly the lighter brown. Better work on the weapon and I would have happily gone another half star in this category.

Articulation - ***1/2
The articulation improves a bit here over Poe, because the neck actually works as expected. When I covered Poe, I mentioned that I had popped the head off, and the post running down from the ball joint into what should have been a hinge joint was a solid, fused piece. Not so this time - both the ball joint inside the head and the hinge joint near the torso are present and working, allowing for a lot more tilt and lean action.

You also have rotating hinge joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips and wrists, with double pin knees, a cut thigh, and rocker ankles.  The ankles are particularly useful, allowing you to keep both feet flat on the ground even in deep stances.

The long cloak isn't as restrictive as you might think, thanks to the soft rubber material and high cuts along each side. The wrists are a bit restricted by the funky gauntlets, but overall this figure has the sort of articulation and posability that you expect from this line.

Accessories - ***
He comes with two extras, and both of them work extremely well with the figure.

He has a silver pack that looks like it could be some sort of environmental device, or maybe a communication device. This attaches to his back with a post, but includes nifty sculpted rubber straps that slip into slots on either side of his robe to give a more realistic look. The weathered paint looks good, and while the extended 'box' on the side is made from a very soft rubber, overall it looks great on his back.

His second extra is a weapon that appears to be some sort of vibro-axe or vibro-lance. There's a strap to wear it over his shoulder, and a stock...but the stock is turned sideways to the blade itself. It might be a pretty kick ass weapon in the hands of the right fighter...

Fun Factor - ****
This is a very sturdy, well made toy, designed for plenty of play.  All the joints were tight and solid, and I had no fear of breakage or damage. They've hardened up the plastic a bit on the overall bodies, making these better toys in the long run.

Value - **1/2
Twenty bucks remains the norm for 6" collectible action figures, and with the continuing drop in oil prices, it's going to be tough for major companies to justify further price hikes for awhile.  Remember, oil was the major excuse when we saw figure prices sky rocket several years ago, but with the price of a barrel dropping to less than half of it was at its worst, it's not going to be a reason they can continue to cite.

Things to Watch Out For -
You'll want to pick out the best paint work you can, but otherwise you should be good to go. This is a very sturdy toy, designed for plenty of play. Do you're kids a favor, and step up from the 5 points of articulation and small scale of the 3.75" figures with these. The smaller scale works great with vehicles, but these are too much fun to over look.

Overall - ***1/2
I have no idea if this character will be a Jar Jar or a Maul on screen, but in hand he makes a great figure.  He's not my favorite so far of these first two waves - that would be the FO Trooper right now, but I'm still looking for Phasma - but he's certainly up there. The new Star Wars flicks need as many cool aliens as they can get if they hope to capture some of the wonder and fun of the original series. Here's to hoping that Zuvio is one of them.

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

Where to Buy
I picked this guy up at a local Meijer store for $20. Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the set of 6 (all of wave 2) for $135.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just covered another of the wave 2 Star Wars Black 6" figures earlier this week, with my review of Poe Dameron.  Other Star Wars Black Series 6" figure reviews include the Han and Tauntaun, Bossk and Trooper Han Solo, Yoda, the TIE Pilot, and the Sargent Clonetrooper, Luke and Vader, and Chewbacca and Sandtrooper. I've also covered the Biker Scout and Speederbike, the Clonetrooper and Anakin Skywalker. Before that there was Bespin Luke, the Stormtrooper and Obi-Wan, Slave Leia and Boba Fett, Han Solo and Greedo, and Darth Maul and the Sandtrooper, as well as X-Wing Pilot Luke and R2-D2.

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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