The 6 inch Basic Hero Han Solo action figure was originally released in 2018 in the US along with a Chewbacca from the movie Solo : A Star Wars Story. Like most of these 6 inch basic figures, the line did not translate to a UK release immediately. In 2019 Chewbacca was released into Lidl stores in a revised box - but no Han Solo. Han eventually showed up at Smyths Toy Superstores in the UK in March 2020, retaining the original white box with yellow logo and card back.
These 6 inch basic figures have been a side collection of mine for a while. You can checkout all of them at this page for other Star Wars Action Figures.
Packaging 3/5
Like the figures, the packaging for the budget line is basic. It is an enclosed box with a small window at the front to show off the figure torso and head. For Han, the Star Wars logo is in yellow - but makes no direct reference to this being Han from Solo : A Star Wars Story.
While one side spine carries a bunch of safety and copyright info, the other has a nice image of Alden Ehrenreich as Han. The back of the box also carries a short piece of background text, the same text as used on the Black Series release of the figure
"Han Solo reinvents himself after leaving behind his old life, growing comfortable travelling with law-benders and scoundrels."
When you unpack Han, the figure is attached directly to the card back with ties - there is no inner tray. The box would be resealable if you were careful with the ties that can be stretched out to release Han, or to put him back after taking a look at him.
These budget figures are made to a fixed 6 inch size and not a 6 inch scale. That means every figure is the same height, which does look odd - look how Han shapes up next to Chewbacca.
While some figures (Rey and Luke Jedi Knight) can fit in with the Black Series, Han is a touch too small as seen against his Black Series equivalent.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
The sculpt on these figures has, in the main, been pretty impressive for their price point and Han does have a decent likeness to Alden Ehrenreich. Paint is however basic, and glossy, with simply painted eyes and eyebrows and one tone for the hair.
The costume is not a bad representation and we get the black panels on the jacket and silver and red badge on the left hand side. The trousers get the red Corellian blood stripe and the holster with double thigh straps. The belt buckle is painted silver.
The figure is made of a very light weight, hollow plastic.
Accessories 2/5
Han does come with his blaster. However, this is not a loose accessory and is instead cast as part of the figure and is permanently fixed into the right hand. The shape and details of the blaster are not the best, with obvious warping and bending of the barrel and sights.
Articulation 3/5
The articulation on these budget figures has always been around the 4 or 5 point mark, and Han has a total of 4 joints.
Head : ball joint neck
Arms : rotating pinned shoulder
Body : waist swivel
Legs : N/A
The head is very mobile on the ball joint and is the most versatile of the joints. The arms simply rotate at the shoulder while the legs are fixed completely. There is a rotation joint in the waist which does allow for some slight variation of poses.
For what they are, the joints all work well and are tight and hold their positions. Han is no trouble to stand with the static legs sculpted to be flat to the floor.
Summary
These figures are clearly made for the budget end of the market, and Solo was priced at just £5 at Smyths Toys when I picked him up. I have taken this price point into account when scoring him through this review - rather than making a direct comparison to the Black Series for example.
For your £5 you get a well sculpted figure, with basic but neat paint apps and a couple of joints to vary your posing. The packaging is compact, but still designed with thought and includes images of the figure and the short character bio we see on other lines.
Of course the fixed accessory and the scale issues wont be to everyones liking. I personally have been picking these up as a side collection over the years - and I am pleased to get Han, which completed my set for now.
I score the 6 inch Budget Han Solo from Solo : A Star Wars Story a 3 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, hasbro, basic, hero, 6 inch, smyths toys, han solo, solo a star wars story, hasbro, chewbacca