Jawa - Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures

When the Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures line was announced, speculation instantly ran rampant and collectors wondered how Gentle Giant Ltd.. would deal with the running changes from the classic Kenner line. They wasted little time exploring candidates that fit this bill and quickly issued both the vinyl cape Jawa and cloth cape Jawa (the former is a PGM exclusive). Collectors knew that they were in store from some serious homage paying in this line and we continue to wait with bated breath to see just how far Gentle Giant Ltd. plans to take this very exciting high-end collectibles line. (It seems as if there is no limit in sight.) The Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures line is not for everyone. But we’re surprised by the lack of interest from old-school collectors who grew up with these characters in 3.75” scale. Yes, they are astronomically priced and take up a great deal of space, but their tug of collectors’ heartstrings seems to be the driver that makes us cave.

Gentle Giant Ltd cleverly killed two birds with one stone when it came to the Jawa. Both the Jawa [Vinyl Cape] and the standard Jawa with the soft-goods cape were released at the same time with the vinyl cape flavor a special option for Premier Guild Members. We have to admit that we’re especially partial to the version with the soft-goods. The vintage Jawa action figure (with the brown woven material cape) still holds up incredibly well. It’s so good that it some argue it’s still the best version of a Jawa we have. We have to echo the spirit of that. Obviously better sculpting has come into play with the modern line, but the clever marriage of cloth and plastic makes this Jawa a prized possession. And we’re all waiting for Hasbro to top it. Each Hasbro succession gets better and better, but they haven’t released a definitive version of this classic action figure. So we continue to wait for it.

The Jumbo Jawa looks pretty much like the 1978 vintage action figure but there is one exception. The soft-goods cloak on the Jumbo figure is extremely soft to the touch, almost like jersey material. This of course is quite different from the much coarser material use for the vintage Kenner figure. In the end it works and it fits the body of the Jawa like a glove. Even the hood rests atop his point head like a charm. The Jawa also comes with his ionization blaster. We found it a bit difficult to get his right had to hold it. Because there are reported instances of breakages in this line, we didn’t want to force it and endanger it in that way. Just like the figure from the late seventies, the Jawa comes with only four points of articulation: two swivel shoulders and two swivel hips. Could you imagine if Gentle Giant decides to get really aggressive and make a Jumbo Vintage Sandcrawler? How exciting would that be? For now, we’ll just enjoy these figures because they alone are something we never expected to see in our lifetime.