Zuckuss - SW [S - P1] - 12 Inch Figures

Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance continues the fight against the Imperial forces and suffers a defeat on the ice planet Hoth. Luke Skywalker journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, the evil Sith Lord, Darth Vader, lures Luke into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with Vader, Luke faces the startling revelation that the Sith Lord is in fact his father, Anakin Skywalker.

The bounty hunter Zuckuss uses the mystic religious rituals of findsman traditions dating back centuries on his gaseous homeworld of Gand. His uncanny abilities make other bounty hunters uneasy. Zuckuss is a tireless tracker and weirdly effective.

By the time we arrived at the launch of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, Hasbro already produced a rich line of 12 Inch Figures. Because Hasbro released so many fantastic characters between 1995 and 2001, the pool of remaining character choices began drying up. It’s not that Star Wars doesn’t have an almost infinite list of Star Wars characters from which to choose, but in a large 12 Inch Figure scales, some would be a complete risk. So Hasbro had to carefully balance fan request with what made the most sense in the line, while still showing favor to the new Star Wars film, Attack Of The Clones. They had a lot to juggle, but it appears they organized everything perfectly because we received a brilliant assortment of 12 inch Figures for the entire three runs of the Star Wars “Saga” line looks. There aren’t as many collectors for the 12 Inch Figures as there are for the 3.75” scale line, but there are enough to keep the line going. And Hasbro had a responsibility to those collectors to finish the “themes” they started. Most notably, collectors of the line became desperate to see the bounty hunters finished. So, Hasbro ensured they added both Dengar and Zuckuss to the line, completing the set of six bounty hunters from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. That is a joy purely unto itself.

One of the better 12 Inch Figures Hasbro produced, Zuckuss exemplifies what Hasbro can achieve in the 12 Inch Figures line. Hasbro procured a figure that is screen-accurate, color-specific, and accessorized well, and the final product brings these pieces together seamlessly. Now, Zuckuss isn’t necessarily perfect by any means, but he’s unequivocally one of the nicest looking 12 Inch Figures we’ve seen in the Hasbro Star Wars toy line to date. The problem with most of the Star Wars 12 inch Figures stems from the bucks Hasbro utilizes. Intended for bulky and macho GI Joe characters, sometimes body proportions look too thick for many Star Wars characters. And to a degree, this afflicts Zuckuss a bit. Zuckuss also comes with a larger than expected portrait. Also, it’s heavy and has difficulty standing upright on the neck joint. It also throws off the figure’s center of gravity. It may serve you best to get a “doll” stand to ensure the figure won’t topple over other 12 inch Figures around it. Zuckuss also comes with standard articulation, but the thick cloak prevents most of the lower body movement. This approach doesn’t bother us necessarily, but it does force the figure to remain static on a display shelf more than perhaps you’d like to see. Also, they sewed the cloak closed, so you can’t open it to give the figure more room to move unless you cut the stitches holding it together.

Zuckuss only comes with the signature blaster rifle accessory. The figure has other parts, too, including the cloak and the boots. It also has pants and a shirt. The blaster rifle looks to scale with the figure, and Hasbro molded his hands to accommodate it nicely. Another great feature with Zuckuss is that you can have the Gand bounty hunter hold the blaster rifle with one hand or both hands. We always appreciate it when the latter is possible with 12 Inch Figures (as well as action figures). It gives the characters an inordinate amount of realism. Zuckuss has a stunningly designed head sculpt. The likeness is astounding, and more importantly, they painted it beautifully. With an array of colors including browns, tans, blacks, dark browns, and silver, Hasbro gave Zuckuss “the works” when it comes to the figure’s head deco. The cloak is also marvelously done. Zuckuss’ cloak is made from a synthetic material and has the color, texture, design, and puffiness of the onscreen prop. It also indirectly pays homage to the vintage Kenner 1982 ESB 4-LOM figure. In short, hopefully, you can feel out affection for the 12 Inch Figure, even if it isn’t a perfect release. We’re delighted to see the bounty hunters completed now. Some may need upgrades at this stage of the game, but for now, it’s more important to have all six represented in the same scale finally. Regardless, Zuckuss is a highlight of the 12 Inch Figures line.