Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) - LC - Basic (BD19)

Nien Nunb is a B-wing pilot who attends the Rebel Alliance briefing prior to the Battle of Endor. Because of his great skills as a pilot and navigator, he is later given the temporary assignment of co-pilot for the Millennium Falcon during this crucial battle.

How confusing is it when a Hasbro action figure has the potential of being mislabeled (or is indeed mislabeled)? Well, Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) is a little bit of both – how is that for an oxymoron? There was a great deal of controversy that still exists regarding this Nien Nunb figure and while there is still room for debate, we are surprised by the actual degree or level of controversy it continues to cause. Let's forget about the name for a moment. This character (as Hasbro designed it) was indeed seen in two places in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. (He is seen in both the "rendezvous point" Rebel tactical meeting and the Endor celebration scenes.) And if you own the Star Wars Chronicles (Original Trilogy) heirloom book, on the "deleted scene" page for Episode VI, you will see a small thumbnail of a puppeteer animating a Sullustan in a red B-wing pilot uniform. So it is without a doubt that there are multiple confirmations that this character was in the films. (Just check the image below for more proof.) And the other Sullustan (or same Sullustan – we'll get to that in a moment) is seen co-piloting the Millennium Falcon with Lando Calrissian. In fact, we don't see the [more popular] white uniformed Ten Numb ANYWHERE in the film. This is a bit ironic, isn't it? But this issue can be somewhat resolved if you consider that Nien Nunb changed outfits midway through the film (twice) very similarly to what we've seen Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker or Han Solo do throughout the whole Original Trilogy. And if you study the POTF2 Nien Nunb figure, you will see that there aren't many differences between it and this new figure, save for the control panel box on his chest and a few white straps (and Nien Nunb's signature blue vest of course). Still, some say that this figure is too tall to be Nien Nunb and is Ten Numb instead (and they may be right), but we think there is a stronger possibility (read likelihood) that this is Nien Nunb prior to the Battle of Endor.

The issue with this figure seems to stem from more from the name than anything else. And we now seem to have three possible choices of which to name him, but it doesn't mean these options are true. (Nien Nunb, Ten Numb, or "generic" B-wing Pilot are these said choices.) Hasbro (with the approval of Lucasfilm) has named this basic figure Nien Nunb. And to be honest, it fits in canon flawlessly with the rest of the events of the film (but with a little creative thinking). It is more than possible for Nien Nunb to have worn the B-wing outfit at the Rebel briefing, then change to a co-pilot outfit for the Millennium Falcon sequences, then change back to a B-wing outfit before arriving on Endor. It seems like a lot of work for a character to go through, but at the very least, it still is plausible. And at the Endor celebration, the blue vested Nien Nunb is no where to be found. (A little unlikely for someone who had a significant role in blowing up the second Death Star to not show up celebrate with the rest of the Rebel Alliance, no?) Because of this, we have no issue referring to this figure as Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot). In fact, we are very comfortable calling him that name. Hopefully the confusion will dissipate and we hope it doesn't continue to exist, but we are open to why it will. For example, that picture we mentioned earlier that appears in the Star Wars Chronicles book names that 'deleted scene' Sullustan as Ten Numb (in red B-wing pilot gear). Clearly, this reference can make us lose track of Nien Nunb and Ten Numb (pilots) rather easily. But at the same time, it helps to explain that the white outfitted Sullustans weren't utilized for the film. And by default, it seems to make the "white" Ten Numb action figure that we originally got in the Evolutions set (and years before in other collections too) as the true Expanded Universe figure.

Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) will not shake or rattle you because you should know what to expect from this sculpt by now. He is just a rework of the Ten Numb figure in the 2008 TLC Rebel Pilot Legacy Evolutions set. But Hasbro did go out of their way to make him extremely different from the Evolutions figure however. His face paint applications are done in a completely new style and color as well as other facial details like shadowing for example. We love the look of the Sullustan species and if you're a fan of Episode VI, you likely have a fondness for them too. Hasbro went with a very flesh colored tone for this figure's face and we have to say it is quite accurate. We have been perhaps misled all of these years with the very white complexions we have seen on them thus far. But Hasbro got it right for this figure. He has lots of tubing that has been glued this time around to the different holes in the costume. The jumpsuit has been cast in a deep blood red color and looks very sharp. You will find silver details shine against the jumpsuit very strongly and the white straps add additional contrast to the very colorful outfit. He comes with a blaster pistol that stays held in his hand very well. The crinkles and folds on his jumpsuit and expertly crafted and his boots and gloves have been cast in a very shiny black color. Every detail of this figure has been carefully considered and he really came out exceeding many expectations. Give Nien Nunb (B-wing Pilot) a chance, we think you will be able to accept him as Nien Nunb just like we did. And let's hope this opens up the door for the co-pilot version of him as well! He is overdue for an update and if this figure proves successful, then the other may have a better chance of being made.