Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) - SW [S - P3] - Basic (’03 #08)

Part of the entourage accompanying Jabbe the Hutt to the Pit of Carkoon to watch the execution of Han Solo, the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett leaps into battle to save his life after Jabba's sail barge is attacked by Han's rescuers. As Solo is freed from the carbonite but still suffering from blindness, he swings a vibro-axe into Fett's jetpack, forcing him into flight and out of control.

Any new Boba Fett figure in any give basic figure line is a wonderful and interesting addition, right? That may not be the full sentiment for Hasbro’s 2003 Star Wars “Saga” interpretation however. Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) comes with a few too many special features that not only affect the integrity of the sculpt, but also prove to be completely unnecessary. At this stage of the game, when Hasbro revisits a classic character like this, all that adult collectors want to see is a solid sculpt with as much meaningful articulation as possible added. Sadly, Hasbro had more kids in mind for this release and while we have to commend Hasbro for keeping a pretty well-hidden action feature, it is impossible to completely forget it is there. What you’re left with is more of a fun-and-games styled Boba Fett that you can make look good on a display shelf. As far as play value is concerned however, you’re truly limited to what you can do with him. Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) does have a few redeeming qualities and we’ll address them all, but you may walk away from this action figure thinking why would Hasbro attempt a long-awaited update to the most famous bounty hunter of all time like this. And then again, maybe you’ll enjoy it for what it is. We remain on the fence with this version of Boba Fett and we imagine we won’t be alone on this side of the assessment. With a nice amount of articulation and some cool accessories, there should be something for everyone here. But you’ll probably just have to forget about referring to this figure as a definitive version, because it doesn't come close to reaching that status.

There is no denying that Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) looks very nice as a display piece. That much is true. His helmet is in perfect proportion to his body and even his arms, which are ridden with action features, fit in well with the rest of sculpt. He is decently articulated. Boba Fett comes with a swivel head (with a bonus swivel rangefinder), two swivel shoulders, two swivel elbows, a swivel waist, two swivel hips, a hinge-jointed right knee and a ball-jointed left ankle. That’s an impressive 12 total points of articulation that don’t obstruct the continuity of the sculpt or really affect its aesthetics in any meaningful way. Sure, we haven’t forgotten about the action feature, but that is activated by his jetpack. So as far as Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) looks from the front, you should have very little to complain about in this regard. As a re-release in the Star Wars "Saga" [Phase III] lineup, Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) has been given a more authentic paint job. The first version was painted a little too brightly in blue. Still, although this figure has been released in two distinct paint jobs, we feel that both of of them are technically incorrect as far as we’re concerned. This revised version sports a mint green colored jumpsuit and different shades of highlighting color, like red for example. Again, both are not accurate as he really wore a jumpsuit that was colored gray. Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) was released in both Phase II and Phase III of the Star Wars “Saga” line look and both versions of the figure can be found in both styles of packaging. For those keeping track, that means you have to buy this figure four times if you want to secure each paint variation on each card back style.

This action figure is meant to be played so we have to remember that this is meant to be for kids. Maybe accuracy is not paramount here. Maybe we're just plain wrong about that. But there are certainly enough things for collectors to enjoy about it too. Not all is lost. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is the environmental display base. A large “flame” action figure stand has been included. What makes this especially nice is that the rockets on Boba Fett’s jet pack plug in beautifully to the “flame posts” that make up the highest portion of the “flames” and the figure can be perched on top of it to help make up a pretty sweet display. This is why we feel that when this action figure is displayed on a shelf that this should resonate with collectors…. even if just a little bit. Between the excellently sculpted proportions to the included accessories, there is something here to be appreciated by most. Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) also comes with a blaster rifle and blast effect. These accessories are less enthralling, but they help to complete his character and therefore they’re appreciated. You really do get a nice amount of plastic with this basic figure release, and it’s quite amazing that Hasbro is able to cost it all out for less than five dollars. Will Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) be the consummate Boba Fett action figure? We would have to claim absolutely not. But you have to appreciate it from a completely different angle. This is a kids’ toy and it’s a fun one. Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) may not be the action figure you expected, but there is no denying that it looks good, from a certain point of view, and has been made in a way to appeal to both kids and collectors of the Star Wars basic figure line.