Zaalbar - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (GG04)

You alone determine the destiny of the entire galaxy in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, featuring iconic Star Wars locations and original characters, like Zaalbar, a Wookiee who aids Revan in their [sic] quest.

Collectors of The Black Series 6-inch line have been wondering for years now when Hasbro would take the tooling for Chewbacca and begin developing more of the species for different characters. Hasbro did make us wait a while, but the first non-Chewbacca Wookiee is part of The Black Series [Phase IV] lineup thanks to Zaalbar, a Wookiee who assists Darth Revan in the Star Wars: The Knights Of The Old Republic video game. Hasbro designed an all-new portrait for the figure, and they also tinkered with the torso, removing a layer that helps the aesthetics greatly. They’ve also tooled an all-new harness that fits snuggly around the revised torso and over the figure’s shoulders. Now that Hasbro created a new harness for the Wookiee body, they’re prepared to develop various Wookiee Warriors from the Battle of Kashyyyk in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. Zaalbar is an enjoyable Star Wars character. It looks like a Warrior but also has some Jedi-like qualities as well. It’s an odd addition to the Gaming Greats line, mainly since Hasbro never produced the character in a 3.75-inch scale. There are more important characters to get to, it seems.

Zaalbar comes with a decent amount of accessories, including a gold and silver bowcaster. It’s the same tooling Hasbro used multiple times previously, but the new color is attractive. It breaks down into two parts and easily fits into Zaalbar’s hand. Hasbro figured out a way to soften the plastic used for the figure’s hands, so they have more “give” to place accessories in them. Also included is a long and colorful sword. The styling of it is pretty medieval in appearance. You’ll find red and fold, and then a bright silver blade. It fits into both of the figure’s hands well too. What’s more, Hasbro tooled a spot on the back of the red harness to secure the sword when not in use. It takes a moment to figure out how to install the blade on the figure’s back, but it works well when you get it situated. Thankfully, the figure’s articulation isn’t burdened by the harness, and you’re able to pose Zaalbar in a variety of ways. The all-new portrait is good but not perfect. Hasbro hasn’t perfected the Photo Real process for characters with deep set-in eyes, so Zaalbar’s eyes look a little uneven, in our opinion. But overall, the figure has an excellent paint job otherwise.

Zaalbar has a beautiful sculpt. And you know we’re impressed with the figure’s paint job. We noticed some inconsistencies in the colors throughout the fu. You’ll find the legs are darker than the tors, as well as some other minor issues. We believe that Hasbro did justice to the tooling, and it’s obvious they made a concerted effort to draw out more of the texture of the fur. There are plenty of instances of contrast that work hard to bring out this extra texture. We still take some issues with how they tried to hide the joints, however. Hasbro sculpted hanging fur to cover the joints. It’s an admirable effort, but it doesn’t look accurate. It also limits the premium joints’ full articulation capability to give Zaalbar the broadest range of movement possible. Zaalbar does possess a great range of motion regardless of the limitations, so it shouldn’t be an issue for you. It appears Hasbro will continue to pick random characters to produce for The Gaming Greats sub-line in The Black Series 6-inch range. Their choices will continue to be based on the tooling they have available. Zaalbar doesn’t break much ground, but it’s a good-looking action figure nevertheless.