Captain Piett - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

Following Admiral Ozzel's fatal mistake during the assault on Hoth, Darth Vader promoted Captain Piett to the station of Admiral. Piett remained in command of Vader's Executor until its destruction during the Battle of Endor.

Captain Piett becomes Admiral Piett in the matter of minutes in The Empire Strikes Back. But that didn’t stop Kenner/Hasbro from naming the action figure based on his first role in The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame line. Ah, the figure is bit of a conundrum for us. And by that we mean we have no clue if this looks exactly like or nothing like the actor who portrayed the character in Episode V. It’s that murky for us. We see some key features in the face, like the bags under the eyes for example, that the onscreen character possesses, and if we stare at the head sculpt long enough we some similarities, but overall we’re not so sure how this likeness stacks up. Captain Piett isn’t a figure we like. However, it’s a figure we appreciate. Kenner/Hasbro is thinking outside of the box to produce background and “B” characters for the basic figure line and that is wonderful. But we think that the approach of these figures should be taking a different route because ultimately these figures really aren’t scratching collectors where they itch.

So, Captain Piett has an “unknown” likeness. Fine. But what’s up with the action pose? These Imperials are at attention, professional and pretty much had stiff postures. Unless they’re running from an impending crash or attack, they’re not seen running around for the heck of it. Yet Captain Piett has been positioned in a way that makes it look like he is running. This in and of itself makes us not favor this action figure. Captain Piett’s proportions and features look good for the most part; he doesn’t seem overly chunky or anything like that. And his cap is part of the head sculpt so there isn’t a removable feature added to this sculpt. The deco on Captain Piett is simple. The uniform is gray, although the actual color in the film is closer to green than gray. His ranking badge has blue and red and for the most part has been cleanly applied. In short, the deco of this figure is better than average, but the figure as a whole just doesn’t meet expectations. You however, may feel differently about this.

Captain Piett comes with a ridiculously size baton, an accessory he didn’t even have in The Empire Strikes Back. The other accessory, a more realistic blaster pistol, seems much more appropriate and can be held in his hand quite nicely. Either way, Captain Piett can utilize either accessory nicely and they complement the figure nicely. The greatest thing about these accessories is that they’re cast from a heavy duty plastic and won’t bend easily which is something that irritates collectors. It’s nice to have accessories that keep their shape. Captain Piett comes with a Freeze Frame action slide. These pack-in premiums are a very nice addition to the basic figure line. But they also show you what the action figure should really look like. As a result, collectors may see just how off Captain Piett’s appearance is to the onscreen character. Or, it will be something that won’t bother you at all. It’s wonderful to get a never before made action figure. There is no doubt about this. But sometimes action figures need to be sculpted in a much simpler way. We feel that Captain Piett is a case in point example of this.