Dack Ralter - TVC - Basic (VC07)

Do you believe it has been eight years since we received a brand new (and super-articulated) Dack Ralter action figure? The first (and last until now) figure was a pack-in to the 2002 Power Of The Jedi Luke Skywalker’s Snowspeeder Walmart exclusive. (And this vehicle also came with a Luke Skywalker figure too.) With the announcement of the large scaled AT-AT vehicle and to help celebrate 30 years of The Empire Strikes Back, Hasbro ensured that 2010 would be filled with many updates (as well as first time available characters) sourced to this fan-favorite film. When the 2009 LC Luke Skywalker (BD51) figure was released, fans knew that they needed an updated Dack Ralter as well. Six months later, Hasbro delivers an update to Dack Ralter and while the final product is pretty much what we would have expected, it is nonetheless a welcomed addition to the line. If you have purchased the Evolutions Rebel Pilot Legacy, Rebel Pilot Legacy Series II or Rebel Pilot Legacy Series III sets then you know what you will be expecting from Dack Ralter. This is a great body mold for a Rebel snowspeeder pilot and since it he is super-articulated, it is the perfect convention for a figure that pilots a vehicle. And this marks the first time that Dack Ralter has been packaged in the vintage line look in The Vintage Collection. It is so cool to see never before available figures in this packaging and we are thoroughly impressed. It does seem that packaging will indeed play a part in the success of this line.

Dack Ralter has 14 points of articulation. His flight suit is not as bright as the other snowspeeder pilots in the Evolutions sets and the muted color is a benefit here. It looks a little more authentic in our opinion. Dack Ralter’s head sculpt is a little too far from perfect than we would like to see. But to be fair, it is definitely hard to get likenesses exact on this small scale. But we think Hasbro would have scored higher points with us if they didn’t give him such a bewildered look. Dack did have a “squinty” look throughout his scenes in The Empire Strikes Back, so we think that would have been the best approach for his action figure. But the final version is what it is and you will either think it’s OK or not like it. The good news is that he has a removable pilot’s helmet that will cover his portrait if you aren’t crazy about it. We are really digging all of the pilot’s skullcaps. It really makes all the pilots extremely authentic to what we saw in Episode V and it solidifies the idea that it was pretty cold on Hoth. There are some soft and rubbery spots on his uniform. In particular, the lower portion of his jacket below the waist joint and the flight suit straps are extremely pliable so they should not interfere that much (if at all) when placing him in a snowspeeder so he can serve as Luke’s tow cable gunner. We aren’t too crazy about Dack Ralter’s wide stance. But because he is just simple a retool of an already established action figure mold, there is not much more or new Hasbro can do to remedy it at this point.

The Vintage Collection is proving very early on that we are going to be getting some impressive super-articulated and excellently sculpted action figures in the line. So we suppose it makes sense why this line may charge us $1 extra (or more) for these well made figures and premium packaging. The vintage line look is spectacular, but the actual card backs are a little too thin for our liking. We suspect that there are going to be a plethora of very unhappy mint-on-card collectors. While we don’t want to use an adjective like flimsy to describe the cards, they are definitely thinner than previous lines. And since no sample has come un-punched, it looks like this line may cause angst when it should be just making people thrilled to be Star Wars collectors. We aren’t affected by the quality of the packaging because we play with our Star Wars figures, but we understand how this may be an issue in a more global sense. But one thing is for sure. The Vintage Collection is including some great main characters as well as some important background characters. And since Dack Ralter has lines in the film where Dengar, 4-LOM and Zuckuss do not, it certainly makes sense that he finally gets included in the basic figure line. Dack Ralter is an awesome addition to The Vintage Collection. We hope that more and more Rebel pilots continue to be considered for release in this line. The Star Wars line simply wouldn’t be the same without them. And a focus on The Empire Strikes Back just wouldn’t be the same without the important Rebel hero, Dack Ralter.