General Grievous - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (D1)

General Grievous was a brilliant Separatist military strategist and feared Jedi hunter, known for his ruthlessness and hacking cough. His body itself was a weapon, allowing him lightning quick strikes and devastating blows. But he was also quick to run from a fight, a tactic that worked until one final meeting with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

We broke the news of the impending figure years ago, and for one reason or another, it took Hasbro until 2019 to finally release The Black Series [Phase III] 6” General Grievous online exclusive figure. Part of a newly revised Deluxe format, General Grievous enters the line with a brand new numbering system, and he’s labeled as D1. While the figure isn’t markedly larger than the TARGET exclusive Gamorrean Guard or Moloch figures (in fact, the latter are significantly weightier and wider), General Grievous does come with a multitude of accessories which might be the sole reason the figure falls into a completely different format. But in our opinion, General Grievous should have easily been fit into the next basic figure waves, because there isn’t anything special about the way Hasbro designed him. And in all actuality, General Grievous disappoints more than it excites. To say that the General Grievous 6” figure is a bittersweet release is an understatement. He looks unfinished thanks to light paint operations and battle-damaged deco. And for us, doesn’t meet our expectations when trying to position him in a display. For $29.99, Hasbro should have ensured that everything was perfectly in place before this figure’s release. And we will never be able to understand why Hasbro feels flimsy plastic is acceptable for collectors’ action figures.

Imagine if you can a mixture of the 2005 Revenge Of The Sith General Grievous (1 of 4) Sneak Preview figure, mixed with the 2005 Revenge Of The Sith General Grievous (III 11) release with action figures then mixed with premium articulation. That’s about the best way we can describe the 6” General Grievous action figure. It feels that, in spirit, Hasbro attempted to make a quality version of this character in this scale, but the efforts have failed, much to our disappointment. The plastic cast to make him is rubbery and bendable. His head is notoriously pliable as are his arms, feet, and parts of his torso. General Grievous should possess a rigidity unlike any 6” figure before him. It’s necessary to display him, so he doesn’t fall over, and he needs some weightiness to stand unassisted when wearing his cape. All of this is possible of course, but not without you losing some patience. The articulation system is stunning but feels wasted on the weak plastic used. Hasbro loaded General Grievous with an astounding 40 points of premium and swivel articulation. Collectors will be happy about this detail, but it’s frustrating to utilize some of the areas of articulation thanks to the weak plastic utilized. Action figure plastic should not bend when trying to pose a joint or add an accessory.

Hasbro designed General Grievous at the correct height. That’s good news. But he is so limber that you have better success posing him slouched and creeping to give him a better center of gravity to prevent him from falling to the ground. The sculpt has some finely sculpted parts, but the torso, in particular, is a huge disappointment. You cannot see any of his organic innards through the skeletal structure protecting them. Even the Hasbro 3.75” action figures highlighted this detail on General Grievous. As a result, we’re thoroughly disappointed by this oversight too. General Grievous comes with a soft-goods cape, but it fits the figure terribly. With some time you can get the right drape to make it look as good as it can, but it’s almost like it wasn’t designed to fit on the figure. That’s how “off” it is for a fitted piece of clothing. He also comes with a four unique lightsaber hilts (and his cape has four pockets to house them when not in use), two blue lightsaber blades, two green lightsaber blades and a droid blaster that fits well in any of his four hands. When fully set up, General Grievous looks fantastic. The head sculpt is adequate, the paint job could be better overall, and the accessories are appreciated. But it’s our assessment that collectors won’t be entirely pleased with this release.