Han Solo (Bespin Capture) - POTJ - Basic

A smuggler before he joined the Rebel Alliance, the daring Han Solo stayed alive by keeping his guard up and his blaster ready. Unfortunately, when he arrived on Cloud City with Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO, Solo had no idea he was walking right into a trap... and a fateful confrontation with Darth Vader.

While it was exciting that a modern Star Wars action figure line was in effect, The Power Of The Force “2” line left collectors with quite a bit to be desired. Between the bulky frames and rough likenesses, it seemed that the mid to late 90s would be rough weather for the collecting community. Thankfully, the advent of the Power Of The Jedi line approached basic action figure making in new and exciting ways. The steroidal appearances of the figures and their weapons vanished and Hasbro journeyed down new roads to bring Star Wars fans the most accurate and iconic representations of the characters we saw in the films. One figure, Han Solo in his Bespin gear, had collectors desperate. When would Hasbro update one of the most favorite vintage Kenner figures we had as children? The decision to bring Han Solo (Bespin Capture) into the basic figure line again not only elated collectors, but it set a new precedent for articulation. Han Solo (Bespin Capture) comes with ball-jointed shoulders and swivel elbows which gives the figure unbelievable movement and Hasbro included extra accessories for more value. This was an action figure which exceeded expectations on so many levels it isn’t funny.

Han Solo (Bespin Capture) comes with eight points of articulation. The points include a swivel head, two ball-jointed shoulders, two swivel elbows, a swivel waist and two swivel hips. Obviously his lower body articulation isn’t much different than what Hasbro has provided for us in the past, but it’s his upper body that brings collectors something new. Han Solo (Bespin Capture) can tie his hands behind his back or out in front of him. He can also pose his blaster in an infinite amount of ways than a figure that only comes with swivel shoulder articulation. Han Solo (Bespin Capture) comes with better proportions than ever before, but he may still be a little too thick in general even still. Don’t worry, the extra “weight” isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just slightly noticeable is all. He has a functioning holster molded to his right leg. In it is a newly tooled blaster pistol which looks incredible, and has been cast in gray plastic for this release. Compared to the POTF2 styled guns, it looks like a gun designed for an infant, but you should know it’s proportionate and looks awesome either in Han’s holster or hand. The costume looks great as well. He is wearing a navy blue jacket (to which the shell portion is removable) and his brown pants have the appropriate yellow blood stripe running down his outer seams.

Han Solo (Bespin Capture) also comes with binders, so you can recreate his capture on Bespin when Lando Calrissian betrayed him to Darth Vader and Boba Fett. They’re a little bit tricky to get onto his wrists, but with a little patience this is quite possible. Han Solo’s head sculpt is a nice update as well, although we still think that Hasbro is having a little bit of difficulty matching the likeness of Harrison Ford in the neo-classic era. Still, it’s hard to not develop some affection for this action figure especially since it’s years newer than the 1997 first we first received. Han Solo (Bespin Capture) definitely has a modernized appearance and we believe that collectors will enjoy this action figure immensely. Still a distance away from perfection, this action figure will suffice for the time being. The newly enhanced shoulder articulation is exciting to see. This will open the doors for future action figures. And with the new and improved attention given to the scale of the action figures, the Power Of The Jedi line is showing Star Wars collectors that Hasbro is very serious about recreating the most accurate representations of all the characters we love in the Star Wars saga. Han Solo (Bespin Capture) is a breath of fresh air, but it can be bettered.