JTA Presents: Evolutions - Vizam

Welcome to another one of our JTA Presents: Evolutions features! Let’s check out how close or far we are from having an ideal Hasbro 3.75″ Vizam action figure. Have we arrived at definitive status yet? Weigh in and let us know what conclusion you’ll come to by clicking through and adding your two cents in the comments!

It’s not very often we receive a cool alien background character in Hasbro’s 3.75” line. They’re few and far between in the post-Disney Star Wars era. But things were never this way before the Disney takeover. Every year collectors could rely on Hasbro to provide them with an ample amount of aliens from either Jabba’s palace or Chalmun’s Cantina. Take for instance Vizam, a Nikto who helped defend the Khetanna from the Rebels preserving themselves from Jabba’s hive of scum and villainy. This colorful character was produced twice by Hasbro, and it was a welcomed upgrade. But is he now definitive in the modern line?

Nikto from 1999’s The Power Of The Force “2” [FlashBack/CommTech] Jabba’s Skiff Guards Cinema Scenes line.

The very first modern interpretation of Vizam arrived as part of the very popular <em>Cinema Scenes</em> format in The Power Of The Force “2” [FlashBack/CommTech] line. One of three figures from Jabba’s Skiff Guards, the simply named Nikto was based on the character Vizam seen during the Battle of Carkoon. The figure possessed a decent sculpt, adequate deco, but horrid articulation. And without his vibro ax, he looked silly. Collectors appreciated the effort of Hasbro/Kenner tooling a never-before-made Nikto alien, but more articulation would have helped this figure tremendously. The figure was released once again as a terrible repaint of the 2004 Star Wars “Saga” [Phase III] Toys R Us exclusive Skirmish At Carkoon multipack.

Vizam (#17) from 2013’s The Black Series [Phase I] line.

Collectors had to wait almost a decade and a half before Hasbro revisited Vizam with The Black Series [Phase I] Vizam (#17) figure, but the long wait brought us to an era where super-articulated was standard. The new iteration not only included a stellar articulation system, but also a removable helmet and beautifully tooled accessories, some of which we’d seen during The Vintage Collection a year previously. The figure also came with a screen-accurate cannon which was first released with 2009’s Legacy Collection Nikto Gunner (BD23) figure, but it fit Vizam much better since he fired it. Many collectors feel that Vizam cannot be bettered, but few would disagree that he’d look fantastic released as part of The Vintage Collection one day.

Vizam Group Shot

Questions for discussion:

1. In your opinion, do we have a definitive version of this figure?

2. If we don’t have a definitive version of this figure, should Hasbro tool a new figure from the ground up again, or should they tweak a current sculpt to perfect it instead?

3. If the figure ranks as definitive for you, do you want to see it repackaged in vintage Kenner packaging (The Vintage Collection) if it isn’t already?

4. Add any other points of note or interest in the comments about any of these versions of Vizam action figures.

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