Biggs Darklighter - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

Tatooine native and childhood buddy of Luke Skywalker, Biggs Darklighter holds off quickly advancing TIE fighters in the Death Star trench.

The Star Wars collecting community has finally received Biggs Darklighter in the basic figure line. After banging out most of the main characters and even more collector favorites beforehand, Hasbro is really starting to listen to the collecting community to design characters that have special places in our hearts. As Luke Skywalker’s best friend, Biggs Darklighter may be one of the most important Rebel heroes in the entire Star Wars saga. His untimely death may make some believe that his role was of a lesser importance, but diehard Star Wars fans know that Biggs is irreplaceable in the Star Wars story. Deleted scenes exist of him in a completely different outfit back home on Tatooine, but the final cut of film only shows him in X-wing pilot gear, so that is what this action figure has been based. The Power Of The Force “2” line is pretty standard. Most action figures in this lineup have six points of articulation, a few weapons (some of which aren’t screen accurate at all) and with the Freeze Frame facet of the lineup in particular scale and proportions have greatly improved. Biggs Darkilighter is a recipient of this improved style and looks pretty good overall.

The most notable feature of Biggs Darklighter is his mustache. It is very characteristic of him and Hasbro ensured that they made it a standout feature on the action figure as well. Another important detail is Biggs’ complex helmet. There is quite a bit of detail in his helmet including a precise checkerboard pattern. All of the insignias and details are perfectly in place and aligned. The helmet is sadly not removable, which for us is a bare necessity in the Star Wars line. Although a little bit too “bulky” in the upper torso, Biggs Darklighter has a much leaner frame than his ancestors in the line. He is posed in a forward-walking manner which we find a bit distracting, but he has a great center of gravity and can stand up unassisted quite easily. He is wearing shiny black boots and gloves as well. They complement the duller but colorful flight suit that all X-wing pilots wear. The chest box detail on his “flight bib” looks perfect and Hasbro even tooled a tube that actually hangs from it into his bib. Hasbro has clearly amped up the level of detail and authenticity they’re including with Star Wars basic figures now. We’re thrilled over the progress.

Biggs Darklighter come with two weapons: a blaster pistol and a blaster rifle. Of course, we didn’t see him utilize either in the film, but how exciting would an action figure be without weapons included with it? Of course, they probably could have tooled a removable helmet, as that would have made most kids and collectors the happiest. Aside from the current head sculpt (helmet) looking too small and the lack of premium articulation, we have to admit that Biggs Darklighter doesn’t look half that bad. Hasbro of course succeeds to a greater extent with alien characters than they do with human characters, but for the most part we think that they’ve done an admirable job with Biggs Darklighter. (There is always room for growth of course.) Part of the Freeze Frame phase of The Power Of The Force “2” line, Biggs Darklighter comes with one as the figure’s pack-in premium. Although not universally lauded, we love this addition to the basic figure line. These are accurately scaled slides that will work in a real projector. And since the Star Wars saga is comprised of films, we think the stills are a marvelous addition to the brand. We will get better Biggs Darklighter action figures in the future, but this is a nice jumping off point.