Tusken Raider - TBSA - Six Inch Figures

Fearsome desert savages, Tusken Raiders are the foremost reason Tatooine colonists do not wander far from their isolated communities.

It’s fascinating to see what figures start climbing up high on the aftermarket ladder once they’re no longer available online or at brick and mortar. Out of nowhere, it seemed, The Black Series [Phase III] Tusken Raider (41) figure shot up in price, and most collectors that passed on it, because of The Black Series [Star Wars 40] Sand People release, seemed to develop a fear of missing out on it. Hasbro heard their cries, and they added it into The Black Series Archive line. The Black Series Archive line is a “greatest hits” assortment of 6-inch figures. Much like the original 3.75-inch Saga Legends lines, The Black Series Archive line offers an opportunity for Hasbro to get out some of their best past efforts, sometimes with a few upgrades, into the market once again to help meet demand. The Tusken Raider comes with all of the accessories of past releases but notable deco changes. Most of the time, the differences exist because Hasbro produced the figures at two different times, but this time appears to be intentional. Overall, Hasbro added more saturation in the colors used for this version of the figure. And the soft-goods cloak lacks the pleating of the original. You see the crinkling, but it’s noticeably reduced this time.

First released as The Black Series [Star Wars 40] Sand People 6” figure, Hasbro kept the Tusken Raider moniker and is now part of The Black Series Archive line. The high aftermarket value of the red and black-boxed The Black Series [Phase III] Tusken Raider (41) escaped us, and now Hasbro made collectors happy with its re-release in The Black Series Archive line. With a nice mix of molded parts and soft goods, this figure brings forth the very best features of these desert nomad species and gives collectors of this line something to be happy about here. There is so much good here that you’re probably not going to be able to digest it all in one sitting. As super-articulated 3.75” collectors, we hope and pray that Hasbro will reduce the digital files and give us a Tusken Raider/Sand People figure in The Vintage Collection. But who knows if that day ever arrives. Hasbro gave the figure a soft-goods cape/shawl, which is permanently attached. It cannot be removed without permanent damage (and least by our assessment). It’s very long and is worn like a shawl where his arms go through it like the sleeves on a shirt. This design keeps these soft goods hanging closely to the body when the arms are resting at the sides and can fan out when you open up its arms with a gaderffi stick while in attack mode.

Underneath is a fully molded figure – clothes and all. There is a split in the lower skirt to help with movement and utilization of the premium articulation. Still, it is also futile because it only allows a certain amount of movement anyway. And that is not ideal for what this character should be able to accomplish with the articulation system. With 28 points of articulation, this figure should be able to do it all. It can do a lot, but it can’t do it all, which we find ultimately disappointing. The paint operations are splendid, but there is a vigorous debate on the correct color scheme of a Tusken Raider’s clothing. In our opinion, we genuinely believe that Hasbro got it right here. The primary tan color looks great for the skirt and shirt, and the figure is accented with grayish/greenish tans, browns, and silvers to give the figure its definition. We’re confident that collectors will be thoroughly satisfied with this figure’s paint job, which is markedly enhanced for this re-release. Aliens are always easier for Hasbro to decorate, and the Tusken Raider is a perfect example of this. Hasbro brought the textures of the sculpt to life with even the simplest of paint operations. Hasbro added the standard gaderffi stick, but the base of the weapon is a separate piece. Then Hasbro gave us THREE (3) different attachments (all seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, by the way), which can be used for other display purposes as you desire. We hope that this character now meets demand.