Review - Gentle Giant 1/6 Scale Boba Fett Statue

Finally found the time to open up my most recent purchase - 1/6 Scale Boba Fett Statue from Gentle Giant Ltd! Let's take a peek inside! Opening the box, I pulled out the styrofoam box inside and carefully slit the scotch-taped sides. Once those restraints are off, lifting the styrofoam cover reveals Boba carefully wrapped and resting in his 'styrofoam block'(think Han and carbonite). The first thing I noticed after lifting the hefty statue out was a small silver piece lying at the bottom of the styrofoam container. Think something's broken!

My suspicion was proven true as I quickly zoomed in on the jetpack. Yep, that silver piece belonged tp one of the 2 small protrusions(dunno how else to call it) on the jetpack. I believe the culprit should be the moulding of the styrofoam container - the statue had moved to much within it and undue stress was laid on the jetpack. Well, I'll just have to attach the broken piece back. Moving on...

This package from Gentle Giant comes in 3 parts. They are:

• Boba Fett
• Boba's Right Hand with Rifle
• Statue Base

It also comes with a customer response card together with the certificate of authenticity(COA). On the COA is the limited edition number of your statue. For the 1/6 Boba Fett statue, the number released is 6500.

Fixing the statue is easy. The statue fixed onto the base at Fett's right foot. This actually allow the statue to be rotated on the base from this pivot. However, this will only come in handy if you are displaying in an extremely cramped space as the amount of space the statue can rotate on the base safely is very small.

On to the review...

Bottomline

This is a beautifully sculpted statue of everyone's favourite bounty hunter. The pose is better than Kotobukiya's and bring's out this smooth operator's coolness in handling affairs of the Empire. In addition, it has great details and has realistic weathering. It makes Kotobukiya's Boba Fett like a regular patron to the laundryman. This statue looks terrific from every angle! A must-get for all Boba Fett fans!

What's good:

• The pose and sculpt is great.
• The details and weathering is realistic.
• Statue is very stable. No chance for the wind to blow it over when it has such a hefty base.
  
  

What could be better:

• Styrofoam protection for the statue could have been better.
• Paint on the visor(could be unique to my piece).

Review Details

Sculpt & Resemblance

Gentle Giant's(GG) take on Boba Fett is sculpted with a beautiful pose. If this pose is to be reminscient of Fett's role on the skiff barge in Return of the Jedi, this statue would be saying, "Come meet your doom, Jedi!". But if you think comic, puting my Sideshow Luke's side over the end of Fett's fingers would have the statue tickling Luke.

Anyway, for a masked figure, resemblance is not a problem for such a high-end product. The paint scheme is that of Return of the Jedi(ROTJ). Although I'm a Boba Fett fan, I've never really noticed the details on his uniform(thanks to George for Boba's short screen time). Now that I have this statue, I began to see the differences on the uniform compared to the Empire Strikes Back(ESB) version. However, I will not go into listing those differences. Perhaps, in another blog entry next time.

I particularly liked the details on Boba's pants. The stretch patterns follows the pose of the statue. As such the sculpting on both legs are different This is where I find GG's statue better than Kotobukiya's. The later's statue is in a rather neutral pose which makes the stretch patterns on both his legs rather similar.

Paint

I have no complains generally about the paint job on this statue. However, my piece have a slightly botched paint job on the visor. It looks like a part of the first layer of the paint had been removed but the depression not smoothened out before a second coat of paint was applied. As such, a depression on the visor paint is obvious under the reflection of a light source. For such a high-end statue, this defect is a disappointment

In spite of this defect, the shiny paint used for the visor is a welcome as compared to the matte paint used for both the Kotobukiya and Marmit Boba Fetts.

Effort has been put in to weather Boba Fett's uniform. His gloves look worn, his chest armour indicates that this bounty hunter has seen a lot of action. Even his shoulder armour has either blocked off some shots or took a beating in a fall. Insignias are painted to the very detail and they are sharp when looked at closely.

Accessories

Well, there's not much accessories for this statue except for the rifle and the base. The design of the rifle is different that that for the ESB version on the Kotobukiya and Marmit. The ESB rifles have a simple and slim cylindrical barrel whereas the GG rifle have a thicker barrel with lines running along it. The GG rifle's sniping scope is also located much further back and is directly above the trigger. Bottomline is this is a totally different rifle. Another detail I will have to look at when I re-watch Boba in ROTJ.

The base that comes with this statue is heavy! I believe it accounts for nearly half of the entire package. It has a shiny black surface with a hole to fit Boba's right foot onto it. The base also doubles as a plaque which states everything the COA. With the statue all set up, those words on the base can not be seen unless you are resting it on a glass shelf which allows you to peek under to remind yourself of your Limited Edition Number.

Another 'accessory' that I would like to mention is the braid of wookie hair that Boba slings over his right shoulder. This statue actually has a soft braid of hair made of threads and not a moulded and stiff like the Kotobukiya. This aspect is similar to the Marmit but it is better in proportion. It makes Marmit's braid of hair more like that of Barbie's than a wookie!

Incoming - Parcel 1: Gentle Giant 1/6 Scale Boba Fett Statue

My wife informed me 3 days ago that a parcel had arrived! Well, well... I went to my study to find it and my mind screamed, "My first Gentle Giant artpiece had arrived!" Needless to say, I was most thrilled as I had only got this from eBay as the deal was better than what I could get locally. Imagine, it was still a better deal after the shipping charges! Think: very good lobang(deal)!

Well, what I got was a 1/6 scale Boba Fett from Return of the Jedi(ROTJ). Although, the Empire Strikes Back paint scheme for Boba Fett's armour will always be my favourite, Mr Quiet Bounty Hunter's other paint scheme came a close second because... it's Boba Fett!!!!!

Opening the package, I saw the box wraped in plastic with paper padding both sides of it. After lifting out the box, I spent a while marveling at the box design. The first thing that I noticed was that the box is in super-mint condition! I'm not someone who bothers too much about toys' boxes but this box caught my attention with its straight edges and lack of creases on its surface. Good seller!

The front and sides of the box art shows the actual statue on the skiff barge that took Luke and gang to the Pit of Carkoon in ROTJ. Seeing the picture, I wondered if the Boba did had this pose in the movie. Must go and re-watch that segment again! The back of the box had some bio data on Boba. His rifle also looks different from the rifles of the Kotobukiya and Marmit Boba figures that I have. And check out what the bottom of the last picture says... the Royal Guard is coming soon!

I forgot to mention that the box was heavy!

Well, I'll do a review of the statue in a day or two. Stay tuned!

Showcase - My Tribute To The Fetts

Here's my tribute to 2 of my favourite characters in Starwars - Jango and Boba Fett. To the uninitiated, Jango was the father of Boba. The former was an acomplished bounty hunter in the galaxies. After his demise at the hands of Jedi Master Mace Windu in Episode II, Boba picked up where he left off and continued his dad's legacy in a re-sprayed green version of Jango's armour.

Well, what's missing from this picture is the porsche of a ship that both piloted - the Slave 1. This ship may look like a futuristic iron but it sure is damn cool. Check out the firefight between Slave 1 and Obi's Jedi Starfighter in Episode II! The destructive power of seismic charges was so beautifully rendered that it became one of the highlights of Episode II for me.

Sadly, both father and son fall prey to the "coolest-guys-in-starwars-have-little-screen-time-and-die-fast" syndrome. The other character who is also my favourite, Darth Maul, comes to mind at this point. Man, Lucas should have axed more scenes of Jar Jar and let Maul showed his horned head and tatooed face more! The only fella who had evaded this curse was Darth Vader.

I've got those titaniums for Slave 1(both Jango and Boba version) too and I may update the tribute to these cool guys with their porsche next time. In the meantime, enjoy the pic and check with the description below if you are not too sure which toy is what.

1. Electronic 12" Jango Fett
2. Ultimate Villain 12" Jango Fett
3. Carbonite Block
4. Marmit 12" Boba Fett
5. Kotobukiya Boba Fett
6. Vinyl 10" Jango Fett
7. Unleashed Jango and Boba Fett
8. Galoob Bespin Boba Fett Playset
9. Riddell Boba Fett Helmet
10. "Special" Boba Fett

Review - Takara 12" Batman

I've always been a fan of movie-Batman. Although many felt that the original Batman movies could be better and scorn poured on the Batman-with-nipples design, it was always a joy for me to see an actor suited up as the Dark Knight in action!

Having said that, it was a thrill to know that Takara was to release a 12" Batman figure! The initial promo shots sure dehydrated me on several occasions due to too much drooling. Takara is also the makers of the Cool Girl(CG) and I had the joy of owning some of the excellent figures. So I was pretty sure that the quality of this Batman figure would be up to the mark!

On to the review...

Bottomline

Takara's take on the 12" Batman is beautiful figure - it's probably the best Batman 12" figure I've come across.

What's good:

• Headsculpt of Batman with cowl & unmasked version. Both are dead on in terms of accuracy. Batman's scowl is so cool.
• Proportions are just about right.
• Figure is very stable and does not require a stand.

Some Nitpicks:

• 1 glaring loose thread on the cape.

What could be better:

• The rubber material of the suit tends to attract tiny dust particles that can be hard to brush away.
• The chest looks weathered due to it being the same material as the rest of the suit.
• The joint line at the neck is obvious in close-up pics.
• Accessories area in the box could be more collector friendly - easy to open without putting a knife to it!

Review Details

Packaging

Takara's Batman comes in a similar type of box as its CG Jin Roh counterparts. When opened the left flap contains a plastic box to hold the accessories with the figure on the right. One problem with this design is that the plastic holding the accessories will probably need to be cut for the accessories to be reached. Definitely not collector-friendly. Learn from Sideshow!

Artwork on the box is acceptable but not something that will make you go, "Cooooool....!".

Headsculpt/Resemblance

One of the biggest plus point to this figure is the headsculpt for the Batman with cowl as well as the unmasked version included. They are very good! This makes the figure look great however you look at it. Batman's scowl and the stare of the eyes are very cool. I'll let the pics do the talking here.

Quality of Product

Takara's Batman is decked out in a rubber suit. Everything from the chest, torso, legs, arms and the bat insignia are in the same rubbery material. The exception is the gauntlet, cowl and neck piece. The gauntlet looks like plastic but it feels like rubber to the touch. It's darker and more shiny than the rest of the suit. The claws on the gauntlets are bendable and confirm it's rubber nature.

The cowl and the neck piece is again made of a different rubber material. It has a matte surface and not as sticky to the touch than the suit. Before I got the actual product, I had noticed that the rubber suit looked rather weathered largely due to the rubber material used from pictures on the Internet. I was hoping for a more smooth and clean chest armour that will look great in photos. On receiving the actual figure, this aspect was confirmed.

One problem of the material used for the bat suit is that dust particles stick to it easily and these little buggers can't be brushed off with ease. You probably have to pick off the bigger pieces using your fingernails. It would have been better that at least the bat insignia was done using the same material as the cowl. For that matter, I would have preferred the entire chest and torso to have that different material.

Batman's huge cape is a one layer cloth with the front edge sewn about 4mm under the cape. I would say that it's pretty accurate and posing Batman with cape fully hanging down is reminscent of the scene in Batman Begins where Batman was standing on the parapet of a skyscraper at night. In reality, with such a big cape, Batman is going to have a lot of laundry days! Posing Batman with the cape is absolutely beautiful! No complains there.

However, I did have a loose thread on my piece but it may be unique to my figure.

Takara's Batman is a highend piece for its price. The entire body is encased in a rubber suit and the details are good.

Stability

This Batman is very stable. It possesses the CG type of feet which is, to me, heavy duty and designed to handle the many poses a collector can think of. I left Batman on my desk as I am using the computer in a room with a slight wind and it never toppled. Ok, it swayed a little but that's it. It's impressive by my standards considering the many Hasbro Starwars 12" figures I have that topples just because the figure does have have good balance. Stability points to a strong joint build in the figure and a good overall weight distribution. Full marks in this department!

Articulation

Batman has the usual CG articulation. However, the rubber batsuit may hinder movement of the arms above the shoulder level a little which can be expected.

Batman's head is jointed at the neck to the neck piece. This allow Batman to turn the head without the neck piece moving. This is a practical design although the joint-line is obvious in photos.