Review of Bossk - Star Wars Exclusive action figure

Introduction

My credit card has Yoda on it. My iPhone case looks like Chewbacca's chest. And I have a life size Darth Vader bust in my home. Yes, I'm a Star Wars nerd.

It's amazing the legs this story has. Now with Disney at the helm, we're sure to see new life breathed into it with more movies, and (cross our fingers) maybe even more of a television presence.

One of my favorite characters from the original trilogy is Bossk. Not every alien was well designed - some were downright goofy. But the lizard-like Bossk was just bad ass all the way around, and was an excellent combination of reptile and humanoid.

Sideshow continues to crank out some really amazing sixth scale figures for the license. They've just released their Bossk, a figure I've been anticipating for some time now. Like many of their releases, he comes in two varieties - non-exclusive that's an edition size of 3000, and the exclusive version with an edition size of just 1250. The exclusive includes a second, snarling portrait. Either will run around $160, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
The Sideshow packaging for their Star Wars series was ground breaking when it was first released. Completely collector friendly with magnetic closures on the wrap around lid, other companies went on to copy the best features.

The only reason this one ended up dropping a half star is because the magnets don't seem to be working. I can't get the lid to stay closed, which was a bit of a disappointment. Fortunately, everything else about the box was just as good as always.

Sculpting - ****
The sculpts on both portraits - regular and snarling - are excellent, perhaps even better than the actual movie character. He has a dangerous, deadly look, and either expression is going to look great on the shelf.

The excellent sculpting continues on to the arms, hands feet and legs, where the scales cover the skin. These might look a little silly, since they are so long and extended. But that works with the screen look, where his limbs were a bit cartoony.

The extra hands and feet are sculpted for specific purposes, and all look great. It would be nice to have a few more, but with the extra sculpting that was necessary for the arms and legs, I'm not surprised we only got one extra set of each.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work on the scaly face is terrific, giving the detailed sculpt depth and realism. The eyes have a glossy coat that gives them life, and the teeth and tongue (on the snarling head) look excellent.

I also like the choice of green. To me, it both matches the on screen look fairly well, and it's not a cartoony shade. Green is a tough color - too much, and it looks garish. Thankfully, this shade reminds me of a lizard, but isn't too bright or outlandish.

The only reason the paint lost a half star is because of the arms and legs. The scales and detail here aren't highlighted in the same way. The work isn't as realistic, and ends up a bit more toyish and plastic-ky. That being said, I love the slightly translucent white on the finger and toe nails.  In person, they look amazing.

Articulation - ****
This is the latest version of their Prometheus body, with the inclusion of those new long forearms and legs.

The articulation is very good, including a number of true ball joints. The neck is one of those, and has a reasonable amount of tilt and lean action even with the large collar.

The shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles all work great. The ankles are true ball joints as well, which allows the feet to lay flat on the ground in most poses. That's always a big plus, and helps add a realistic look to deeper stances.

There's the waist and ab-crunch joint as well, and these aren't too restricted by the costume.

You should have no trouble getting good poses out of this body, and it flows fairly well. The long forearms make it tough to call any pose 'natural', but you'll be happy with the way he looks.

None of the joints are loose either, a common problem with earlier Prometheus bodies. Everything is tight and solid, and none of the joints feel fragile.

Accessories - ****
I'm grading this on the exclusive reviewed here, which includes one extra accessory.

While 'one' might not seem like a lot, it makes a huge difference. It's an entire additional portrait of a snarling, angry Bossk. I've already raved about the paint and sculpt in the earlier sections, but here it's worth noting that the extra head really makes a big difference in the Accessories and Value categories as well. I love the snarling look, and I'm going with this one for my display.

There's only six other obvious accessories. There's another set of hands, designed to hold the grenade launcher, along with the very cool launcher itself. The sculpts are great, and the gun can be held in a number of excellent poses.

There's also an extra set of feet, a somewhat unusual addition. These feet have the claw toes at a 90 degree angle, perfect for deep knee bends and other action stances. 

Hands and feet swap easily, and they all have their own pegs. The heads swap pretty easily as well, although the snarling jaw puts a bit more pressure on suit collar.

He also comes with the standard display stand with the Star Wars logo. You won't need it - he stands great on his own - but it's nice to have for consistency.

At first glance, that's it. But upon closer inspection, you'll see some additional extras.

Several of the pieces on his jumpsuit are removable, making them technically accessories. There's a black switch or dial on the pant leg that's removable, as well as all the canisters on his leg bands. There's 22 of those! In addition, there are four of the smaller silver tubes on his belt. 

I'm assuming the larger cylinders on the legs are ammo for the grenade launcher, and including so many is a nice touch. These, along with the other removable extras, really adds to the overall value and realism of the outfit as well.

Outfit - ****
So let's talk about that outfit. he's wearing his flight suit, a suit that's very similar to the X-Wing pilot suit. The collar and wiring hookup around the body appears to be completely removable (it's even velcro'ed to the front of the suit), but I didn't' try to take it off completely.

The wires that run through the assembly are just that - wires. That makes them a bit more sturdy, and you can bend them a bit to get just the right look. Be careful of course - wires can still break.

The cloth and stitching is very high quality, and the tailoring very good considering the unusual physical proportions. The chest piece seems to ride up a bit on him, but you can only bring it down so far, because it's snapped in place along the bottom edge.

The legs of the suit can be pulled down a bit as well, but like the vest they tend to ride back up the funky legs. Still, even at the top position I think they look terrific, and they cover the knee joint nicely.

Fun Factor - ***
While this isn't a 'toy' in the true sense of the word, it is high enough quality that with normal handling and posing, you'll have no issues. Collectors will have plenty of fun finding just the right look for their shelf.

Value - **1/2
The suggested retail on the exclusive is $160, and because it's a Sideshow exclusive, you probably have to pay it. With the extra head sculpt though, he's somewhat similar to the Hot Toys Red Skull from last summer, and that figure was $20 more. You aren't going to feel like this figure was a steal, but it's an average value.

However, the regular edition is only $10 or so less at most retailers, and that's a bit too steep to pay without the second portrait. But why would you when you can still pick up the exclusive from Sideshow?

Things to Watch Out For -
When you're swapping hands, take a little care. The wrist posts are a bit thin and long, and while I didn't have any trouble, you could damage them if you rush it.

Overall - ****
Sideshow has been doing a great job with the Star Wars license over the last 18 months, especially when they've worked on the aliens and troopers. With IG-88, Greedo and Boba Fett, they had a terrific start on the bounty hunters, and this Bossk might be my favorite of the entire series so far. Of course, part of that is my love for the character design, but Sideshow deserves the kudos for this work.

Now all we need is 4-LOM and Zuckuss, and I will be a very happy Star Wars fan. No announcements yet...but I can always dream.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has the regular and the exclusive available for $160 each.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other sixth scale Star Wars reviews include:

- you should check out their IG-88, and excellent companion to this figure.

- The Battle Droid and STAP is cool as well, along with the double pack of Droids.

- other reviews include the Tusken Raider,  the Bepin Luke (from Hot Toys), Sideshow's  Boba Fett, the big Dewback and Trooper, Figrin D'an. the Sargeant Clone Trooper, Yoda, the Gammorean Guard, Admiral Thrawn and his command chair, Lando Calrissian, he Shock Trooper, Darth Vader, the Utapau Trooper, the Imperial Stormtrooper, Captain Antilles,  Ki-Adi-Mundi, Obi-Wan in Clone Armor, Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke, Han Solo,
Commander Praji, Palpatine/Sidous, ANH Obi-Wan, Ilum Padme, Leia and Bespin Luke, the Holo-chess set, Sideshow's Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin Luke, the Endor Troops, Jabba the Hutt and his throne, Bib Fortuna, Jedi Luke, Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, Bespin Han Solo, regular Anakin Skywalker and Kit Fisto.

- I also have guest reviews of the SDCC Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Emperor Palpatine and his throne, and Qui-Gon Jinn.

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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