Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) - TVC - Basic (VC144)

Celebrate the legacy of Star Wars, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this collection of premium, highly-detailed 3.75-inch scale figures and vehicles. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)

The announcement of “Star Wars: The Complete Saga” on Blu-ray was an announcement heard around the world. While not the picture-perfect release for all collectors, it created enough reverberation within the Star Wars community to create new excitement for the first six Star Wars films again. The announcement arrived in the middle of the peak of Hasbro’s The Vintage Collection line. And at the time, little did we know that they began work on five “Deleted Scenes” figures from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi that would hit retail the beginning of the next year. One of the figures part of that “Blu-ray Deleted Scene Figure” wave, the third in The Vintage Collection’s original run, was Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit). While excited for the release of this “first-time offered” action figure, most collectors were thrilled to see the long-awaited and super-articulated release of Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard Disguise) which hid beneath of the poncho and other gear that dressed him up inside of the packaging. However, once removed from the plastic bubble, collectors immediately realized the action figure was much too short, his skin color much too pale, and the final aesthetic of the figure concluded with the notion that collectors were already waiting for a redo. That revisiting has finally taken place, seven years later in The Vintage Collection’s second coming. And now we have a truly definitive version of Lando Calrissian in his deceptive skiff guard disguise. Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard), a Walmart exclusive this time around, is a gift from Hasbro and an answer to prayer. It’s, by far, superior to the 2011 TVC Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) (VC89) figure and fixes everything wrong into a beautiful new take of the beloved Star Wars hero.

With corrected darker skin color, new “photorealistic” technology applied to the head sculpt, and all-new legs which now give Lando his correct height, most collectors should find the release of Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) extremely satisfying (from a sculpting and deco perspective). Also of importance, Hasbro updated the paint operations throughout the rest of the action figure (from head to toe) by fixing improperly colored areas of the action figures to as close to screen-accuracy as possible. Simply put, the brown colors on the old figure are now tanner, and the silver is more golden. Again, visually, this action figure is the definitive version of Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) money can now buy. Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) comes with 22 points of articulation across 14 areas. The action figure can achieve most poses you want to see easily, but in all honesty, he looks best holding his staff looking like a wallflower within the seedy corners of Jabba’s palace. The ball-jointed articulation is quite fluid and makes posing him a straightforward task. He comes with fewer accessories this time around, but Hasbro managed to include the removable helmet and vibro-ax, both of which received extensive paint operation updates as well. The removable helmet and vibro-ax are phenomenally sculpted, and function wonderfully in his sculpted hands. They possess rigidity and won’t bend over time. We’re thankful Hasbro makes quality accessories once again for 3.75” scaled action figures. Whether you’re setting Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) up on the skiff, or your new Jabba’s Sail Barge (The Khetanna), the action figure offers charm to your Star Wars collection. We wanted the Lando Calrissian (Sandstorm Outfit) (VC89) figure to come in the original 1983 ROTJ Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard Disguise) packaging from the 80s, and now we have that opportunity. That’s a gift for us.

Throughout the years, Lando Calrissian in the skiff guard disguise outfit has been a regular version of Lando Calrissian that Hasbro often focuses on for consistent release in the basic figure line. The first modern version, 1997’s POTF2 [FF/TKC] Lando Calrissian (As Skiff Guard), was too bulky. 2004’s SW [S - P3] Lando Calrissian (Jabba’s Sail Barge) (’04 #07) and 2004’s OTC Lando Calrissian (OTC #32) (and also utilized for various Battle Packs) were too limiting – although they both had the same fantastic sculpt). 2015’s R Lando Calrissian (SL23) figure reverted back to the vintage Kenner style approach, but with horrid paint operations. And now we’ve come back full circle to the super-articulated approach with Hasbro taking the best parts available to them and updating them to be the best they can for a definitive action figure. So, with all of this praise, we’re giving this action figure, what could be left to criticize. There are a few major notes of critique we need to post. First, Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) doesn’t come with the signature skiff guard blaster even though he has a functioning holster for it. Omitting this necessary accessory was a hugely unacceptable oversight by Hasbro. The skiff guard blaster is not a superfluous weapon. It’s a part of his outfit seen in Return Of The Jedi. So how did they confuse including here for re-release? Also, Hasbro’s graphic design team needs to study the vintage Kenner card backs a little more closely. While the bubble for Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) looks better than many other recently released The Vintage Collection action figures, the card back still has other problems, most notably the name pill. In our opinion, Hasbro should be able to replicate the shape and style of the name pills from 1983 without issue, but it seems to be their greatest struggle. Other than that, we’re thrilled to see Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) released.