Villain Set (Sand People/Boba Fett/Snaggletooth) - TVC - Special Action Figure Sets

Added: July 14th 2012
Category: Vintage Collection, The
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2]
Collection: The Vintage Collection
Number: N/A (Exclusive)
Source: A New Hope/The Empire Strikes Back
Availability: July 2012
License: Hasbro

Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain01 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain02 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain03 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain04
Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain05 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain06 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain07 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain08
Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain09 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain10 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain11 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain12
Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain13 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain14 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain15 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain16
Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain17 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain18 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain19 Review_SpecialActionFigureSetVillain20

This band of evil enforcers tries to crush the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.

Really?! We bet you didn't know that the Sand People and Snaggletooth were in cohoots with Boba Fett to crush the Rebellion, did you? (More on that in a few moments.) The Special Action Figure Set exclusive program by Hasbro is totally heading in a direction that elates us. And now that it’s kicked into high gear, we hope Hasbro keeps the momentum strong and finishes the remaining yet-to-be-made sets in the same manner. Promised by Hasbro in June 2011 (through a Jedi Temple Archives Q&A session), the first sets packed with something truly “new” didn’t come until July 2012, but it has been completely worth the wait. The Special Action Figure Set (Droid Set) brings us an all-new Power Droid and now the Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2] brings us an all-new Snaggletooth figure. (Editor’s Note: The [Version 2] is used her to differentiate the first Villain Set released in 2011.) The character is actually Takeel who made his debut in the Hasbro toy line in 1999’s POTF Cantina Aliens Cinema Scenes multipack. There is a longstanding debate about what modern action figure best represents the 1979 vintage Kenner Snaggletooth. The 1979 Snaggletooth is a hybrid of two characters. He clearly is wearing the suit of Zutton, the character from The Star Wars Holiday Special, but he also comes with the unmistakable likeness of Takeel from Chalmun’s Cantina in A New Hope. So how can any one modern figure be the consummate update to the vintage figure? Obviously it cannot. So it’s not necessarily incorrect for any modern action figure iteration of either Takeel and Zutton to be the the definitive update to the classic Snaggletooth. (And we won’t even bother getting into a discussion about the Blue Snaggletooth. Some things need to be kept simple.)

Without question, the reason you’ll want to pick up the Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2] is for the Snaggletooth figure. This all-new figure is a stunning work of art. And we’d love to personally shake the hand of the sculptor that designed him. Loaded with 14 points of articulation, Snaggletooth is excellently designed for the most part but we have to ask why his joints are so mismatched to the rest of his body. His knee and ankle joints are glaringly opposite in color to his pants and boots. Why Hasbro still cannot master this is mind-boggling at best. They need to get this under control because it’s really becoming problematic. It’s likely that many modern characters won’t see a rerelease at this stage of the game so Hasbro needs to ensure that they are the best they can be at the quality control stage of an action figure’s manufacturing. Or, they’re going to have to add additional paint operations to hide the badly clashing points of articulation. Snaggletooth (or Takeel to be more accurate) is just excellent aside from this issue. And quite frankly we really wished Hasbro would have saved him for The Vintage Collection basic figure line. He it totally worthy of a place in that collector-favorite line. He doesn’t come with a bar glass from the cantina, but he does come with a unique blaster pistol and a “secret” hiding place on his posterior where it can be stored when not in use. This is a long-awaited update to a cool character. It’s figures like these that keep reminding us why we collect the Star Wars line as virulently as we do.

The other two figures, Sand People and Boba Fett has very slight differences from their original releases. Sand People is a straight repack of the updated 2012 SW [TPM 3D] Tusken Raider (11 of 12) Discover The Force figure. This figure is different because it comes with an all-new paint job and soft-goods manufactured in a different fabric. Interestingly, it seems that the original soft-goods from the 2006 VTSC Sand People figure was dug out of Hasbro’s archives and used here again for the Villain Set [Version 2]. (We don’t know this for a fact. They just look similar is all.) Sand People comes with a gaderffi stick and blaster rifle. Unfortunately, Hasbro didn’t update the swivel elbows so the figure is as frustrating as previous versions. Boba Fett is the head scratcher of the set. This figure has gone through a plethora of metamorphoses already, yet Hasbro decided to do a few more small tweaks again. Most notably, there is new helmet detail and the color of his belt has changed. But it’s nearly identical to the running change variant of 2010’s TVC Boba Fett (VC09) figure (The Empire Strikes Back version). Quite a motley crew, it’s unlikely that any three of these characters would have any interaction as a group in the Star Wars universe, but that’s what separates collectors who grew up with the vintage Kenner toy line versus the modern generation trying to play catch up. (That sounds like an insult but it isn’t.) The Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2] is worth your hard earned cash for the Snaggletooth figure. Get it. You know you want it!

Collector Notes

Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2]

Assortment Number: 39752/32976

UPC: 653569706717

Retail: $24.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

Sand People

Status: Sand People is a repack of 2012's SW [TPM 3D] Tusken Raider (11 of 12) Discover The Force figure which features a new paint job and revised soft-goods. Interestingly, the soft-goods on this figure are more similar to 2006's VTSC Sand People figure instead of the 2012 Discover The Force figure this time around.

Articulation Count: 14 points

Articulation Details: ball-socket head, 2 ball-jointed shoulders, 2 swivel elbows, 2 swivel wrists, swivel waist, 2 swivel hips, 2 ball-jointed knees, 2 ball-jointed ankles

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: removable soft-goods cloak, gaderffi stick, blaster rifle

Date Stamp: 2005

Boba Fett

Status: Boba Fett is a slight repaint of the running change 2010 TVC Boba Fett (VC09) figure with the revised paint job. There are some further paint operation enhancements made to the helmet and belt, specifically. The differences are negligible but evident.

Articulation Count: 14 points

Articulation Details: ball-socket head, 2 ball-jointed shoulders, 2 ball-jointed elbows, 2 swivel forearms, swivel waist, 2 swivel hips, 2 ball-jointed knees, 2 ball-jointed ankles

Accessory Count: 4

Accessory Details: removable helmet, blaster rifle, blaster pistol, removable jetpack

Date Stamp: 2008

Snaggletooth

Status: Snaggletooth is an all-new figure.

Articulation Count: 14 points

Articulation Details: ball-socket head, 2 ball-jointed shoulders, 2 ball-jointed elbows, 2 swivel wrists, swivel waist, 2 swivel hips, 2 ball-jointed knees, 2 ball-jointed ankles

Accessory Count: 1

Accessory Details: blaster pistol

Date Stamp: 2012





 

The Vintage Collection Special Action Figure Sets Wave 1
Special Action Figure Set

The Vintage Collection Special Action Figure Sets Wave 2
Special Action Figure Set (Hero Set)
Special Action Figure Set (Rebel Set)

Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set)

The Vintage Collection Special Action Figure Sets Wave 3
Special Action Figure Set (Android Set)
Special Action Figure Set (Imperial Forces Set)

Special Action Figure Set (Imperial Set)

The Vintage Collection Special Action Figure Sets Wave 4
Special Action Figure Set (Droid Set)
Special Action Figure Set (Villain Set) [Version 2]

 


This review comes from Jedi Temple Archives
www.JediTempleArchives.com

The URL for this review is:
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=JReviews&rop=showcontent&id=1148