Tusken Raider - Unleashed

Nothing makes the blood run cold in a Tatooine colonist's veins as does the glimpse of a Tusken Raider. Also known by the deceptively benign name of Sand People, the Tusken Raiders are fearsome desert savages who attack with little or no provocation. Their menacing mystique is rendered even more chilling by garments that completely cover them from head to foot, giving them an eerie anonymity. Nomads wrapped in rags, Tusken Raiders can disappear into the desert landscape, only to burst from nowhere brandishing a gaderffii stick or rifle, both of which they use with lethal skill. The last horrifying sight for more than one unfortunate colonist was a Tusken's bizarre mask and the bladed "gaffi" stick swinging down to deliver a deadly blow. Roaming the harsh Jundland Wastes, the Tusken Raiders remain a mysterious peril, as few who encounter them live to tell of their experience.

Hasbro wasted no time proverbially getting their feet wet with the Star Wars: Unleashed line by adding characters from across the Star Wars saga into it. Because the line made its debut during the Attack Of The Clones era, many of the original offerings were based on Episode II. But even back then classic Original Trilogy characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia were anything but on the backburner. A few successful years into the line however, Hasbro became a little more adventurous and began releasing characters that some may feel fall into the “riskier” spectrum of collecting. The best example we can think of is the Tusken Raider. There is no doubt that these are hugely popular character from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. But they also made a cameo appearance in Episode I and had a major role in beginning Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side in Episode II when he slaughtered an entire camp responsible for his mother’s death. Because of their prominence in multiple films, we feel that the Unleashed Tusken Raider figure is anything but risky. There exists both classic and modern support for this character and Hasbro had done a fine job marrying the two eras of film into this wonderful seven-inch scaled figure. As usual, the sculpting and the deco are nothing short of exceptional. And the additional interchangeable arm with weapon just brings this to a “hit it out of the park” home run level of success.

There were a few figures in the Unleashed line where Hasbro included interchangeable parts. They once again added this extra to the Tusken Raider. The standard gaderffi stick has been included here. But then another interchangeable right arm holding a blaster rifle has been thrown in for alternate display. We love this flexibility, but the gaderffi stick is obviously the screen accurate choice here. The Tusken Raider is based on the scene where it attacks Luke Skywalker in the Jundland Wastes and initially startles him by raising the gaderffi stick up and down over his head. (For those of you that do not know, this was a slight of hand trick by reversing the film and then play it forwards again.) While we love the screen accuracy of the pose, it too is very limiting. This figure will always have his hands over his head. This is really alright because that is the whole purpose of the Unleashed line. They are meant to freeze frame a specific moment of time in the Star Wars films and that’s exactly what the Tusken Raider does. You can tell from the sculpt that the Tusken Raider is posturing vigorously at his target. His aggression is palpable and his demeanor is threatening. Hasbro did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of this character and the sculpting and the paint operations provide the collector with a truly dazzling interpretation of this vicious creature.

Hasbro has shown an incredible level of aptitude in their tooling in recent years, especially in the Unleashed line. But if you look at the Tusken Raider, it will astound you with how much detail they etched into this figure. As you know, the Tusken Raider’s costume mimics the texture and pattern of burlap. They’ve actually recreated this texture beautifully on the Unleashed version. You can see and feel the scoring marks and beaded surfaces on this figure. It’s quite an accomplishment. Plus, the flowing robes have been expertly crafted to look as real as they are gorgeous. They’ve even tooled screen accurate leg wrappings just like in the film. The bandolier is a separately sculpted piece as well. Although, it isn’t removable due to the way the figure has been glued/molded together. And then you move onto the various paint operations and see just how impressive they are. Hasbro has talent and figures lie this prove it over and over again. The Tusken Raider also comes with a simple yet beautiful Jundland Wastes rock base. The orange-brown color of the rocks is simply perfect and it is layered to the point where each of his feet are on different levels of it. The Tusken Raider may not have the notoriety of a Stormtrooper and Boba Fett or the popularity of Luke Skywalker of Princess Leia, but that doesn’t mean that an ounce less of effort went into the piece. We’re thankful Hasbro has branched out in the line. It’s what the Unleashed line clearly derserved.

As a bonus feature to this review, we have provided the original artwork created for this Star Wars: Unleashed figure. Click the thumbnail to the left to see the amazing illustration.