Jawas - 1:6 Scale Figures

"Utinni!"

A curious species, bands of greedy merchant Jawas scour the deserts of Tatooine for discarded droids and scrap machinery to repair, trade, and resell. Never seen traveling alone, the Sideshow Collectibles Jawa Sixth Scale Set includes two fully articulated individuals, each packed with personality and the ability to pose in an endless variety of positions for display. Mysteriously concealed in their traditional brown robes and bandoliers, bright LED-illuminated yellow eyes peer out from beneath the dark folds of their peaked hoods. Ready to peddle their hastily refurbished finds, the Jawas are equipped with an impressive cache of weapons and accessories, including a space thermos, welder, droid caller, magnetic restraining bolt, a blaster pistol which fits neatly in a belt holster, and a droid-stunning Ion Blaster for difficult acquisitions. Scum, villainy, and moisture farmers alike will be hard-pressed to find a better selection anywhere else!

The Jawas was a long-awaited character that Sideshow fans had been dying to see made in the 1:6 Scale Figures line. Sure, Hasbro made a couple when they had their own 12” line active (not the current “Shampoo bottles” mind you – real action figures), but we wanted to see a Jawa loaded with articulation, special features and a wealth of accessories. Medicom Toy made a pretty awesome Jawa one-sixth scale figure but it lacked the articulation we have come to expect. Thankfully the Jawa was on Sideshow’s “short list” this year and not only did we get this character, we received “two for the price of one” (so to speak). Clearly we’re still paying over $200 to get them, but at least this time we get two distinctly sized and uniquely original Jawa figures in this two-pack. Sideshow Collectibles decided to make a two-pack due to their smaller stature and size. But in order to do this, they needed to tool two different body bucks to make these two figures as they’re different heights. Granted, they share quite a few parts between them, but you do get two truly new figures in this pretty nice Jawas 1:6 Scale Figure set. However, not everything is perfect with this release as we’ll address shortly. It seems that every time Sideshow is required to tool a new body buck there is a learning curve. Similar issues exist with the Jawas that did when they released their first Stormtrooper and Clone Trooper bucks. We’ll explain.

You’ll find almost immediately that although the aesthetics of the Jawas are pretty much dead to rights, the joints are weak and loose, and they have a difficult time standing without falling to the ground. Their legs are frustratingly loose, which make posing them dynamically very problematic. These figure do come with a hefty amount of articulation, but what’s the point if they will only hold their poses a few short moments before plummeting to the ground? We just cannot understand how this isn’t a primary concern for Sideshow Collectibles. They have been in this business a very long time and this should be one of the most important things they should be checking from a quality control standpoint. Included in the Jawas set are a short Jawa and a tall Jawa. Each have unique costuming and accessories. For example, the shorter Jawa comes with a droid caller. The taller Jawa comes with an ionization blaster, holster and vest. They even come with different types of hoods which is a pretty cool detail they caught from the film or Lucasfilm Archives. These Jawas certainly bring diversity to this species. We wonder if they have plans for additional variations sometime down the pike. Sideshow Collectibles didn’t really provide a wealth of accessories here, but there are certainly enough as well as a nice selection of interchangeable hands that are intended to be shared between the two of them. All of the sculpting and detail is sublime. It is a shame that they have such a major flaw as loose joints.

Totally exclusive to Sideshow Collectibles, this set of Jawas will not be available in the mainstream marketplace at any time. Maybe Sideshow Collectibles wants to test the waters and see if there is a market now like there used to be for Original Trilogy 1:6 Scale Figures. Or maybe they have plans to release additional variants as another type of exclusive or general release in the future. There are certainly plenty of different Jawa types in the film. We hope they do make more, after fixing the issues of course. We do have to wonder however if there will be enough OT collectors at that point to make it worthwhile however. In our opinion, the original Star Wars collector fan base is dying out very quickly because of years of lackluster products. We’re addressing collecting as a whole and not pinpointing any one licensee to be clear. We hope that this is a small sign or ray of hope that the Original Trilogy will continue to remain a focus with the major licensees, including Sideshow Collectibles. It seems to be the only saving power for Star Wars merchandise. But back on track, the Jawas are indeed a nice release. It’s hard to score them high when their legs do them a disservice, so we’re going to be a little harder on this set than say another figure or figures. We applaud Sideshow Collectible for going out bravely and desiging an all-new sculpt. They just have to refine their processes a little bit more before we jump up and down with glee.