The Deluxe category within the Star Wars Black Series allows Hasbro to bring us larger characters in the 6-inch scale, but also to enhance standard characters with a wider range of accessories, weapons, or effects than the normal packaging allows. Boba Fett from Return of the Jedi is a prime example of this released in March 2021 and inclusive of a number of weapons and accessories as well as his iconic jet pack.
The Deluxe series figures remain part of the overall Galaxy Collection, and Boba Fett is number 6 in the green accented Return of the Jedi Collection, following on from Han Solo (Endor).
"With his customized Mandalorian armor, deadly weaponry, and silent demeanor, Boba Fett was one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy"
While Boba Fett has been part of the Black Series since 2013, this is not the same figure as originally released or repacked a number of times since - it is a brand new figure replicating his Return of the Jedi appearance but also taking on some improvements in the line in terms of articulation, sculpting and paint apps.
One of those recent changes is to cast helmeted figure heads as both a head and then a helmet, glueing the helmet over the head unless it is designed to be removed. This does mean that Boba Fett arrives in nearly all cases with a misshapen helmet. This is usually where the cheeks have been sucked in when they attached the helmet to the head - as you can see in the images below.
Thankfully the shape of the helmet is retained in the plastic 'memory', so putting the head in hot water for about 45 seconds will bring the helmet back to the correct, fuller shape.
The paint and sculpt improvements vs the original figure are striking when the figures are compared side by side. The green on the ROTJ Boba is crisper but with more damage and weathering. The undersuit remains the same grey, and could probably do with a weathering wash, while the gauntlets change from green to red. The various decals are applied to the chest left pauldron,and helmet and the dent in said helmet is now less pronounced.
The whole posture and proportions of Boba look better on the new figure, the old one being a little bow-legged thanks to the hip joints. The soft-goods cape has been lost and replaced with a better shaped and smaller green soft plastic option.
The first of Boba's add-ons is his jetpack which connects to the back of the body by way of three sockets - one central and two above corresponding into the sculpted straps. The fit on this is pretty poor as the chest piece has a rubber overcoat that means the holes don't quite line up - similar to what we saw with Mando and his slung rifle. Even when you do get the sockets lined up and engaged the jetpack is not a secure fit and will drop off too easily for my liking.
There has been some discussion over the colouring of the Jet Pack which is quite bright with blue and yellow tones. The actual colour of Fett's Jet Pack in Return of the Jedi is very much a point of opinion, depending on the shot and the lighting. This Hasbro figure has gone a little too bright on the blue and the yellow should be closer to the orange used on the pauldrons.
A neat addition to the Jet Pack this time round is the rocket which is an individual piece that slots in at the top of the pack. You also get two FX jet flame pieces that slot into the thrusters to simulate flight options. These are a little bit snug in their fit and with the thrusters themselves articulation and sitting on a relatively slim arm connecting to the main body of the pack you do need to be careful when inserting these.
Boba Fett looks great when added to an aftermarket flight stand, with and without the thruster effects.
Another flame FX piece is the flame thrower that is cast and shaped to slot on his left arm flame thrower barrell. The fit is well engineered and the piece has been sized appropriately so that Fett can hold it up when posed and that it isn't so big as to pull the figure over as we saw with some poses of the Incinerator Trooper.
Another wrist device is the grappling hook on the right arm. The early promo art showed this coming out of the wrist gauntlet itself. This has been dumbed down for the actual figure and is executed by way of a circular clip that goes over the wrist. This then leaves the soft goods rope loose trailing out of the back of the piece.
The only real option for display would be to connect the rope piece to a figure that Boba is capturing such as Luke, but in this instance, the rope is too short to be of any use. I'd have preferred the original option, even if that was a static plastic piece to recreate the moment it has was shot.
Boba comes with two versions of his EE-13 Blaster Rifle. The first of these is the full blaster which is one of the best weapons I've seen in the Black Series in terms of both the detail in the sculpt, but also the paint finish.
You are then provided with a second version that has been severed across the barrel by Luke's lightsaber. The two pieces do connect to a full weapon with some yellow paint around the cut to reflect the superheated metal.
Boba has a total articulation count of 22 points of articulation, including the dual joint neck and butterfly shoulders. It also has a new elbow combination that I have not noticed before with a single joint elbow that rotates, and a second shaped rotation just above to keep the arm cut more natural when you do bend the elbow. You even get an articulated range finder on the helmet.
Boba Fett's movement is wide-ranging and only restricted in a couple of places by his armour, most notably the shoulder armour. All the joints are secure and tight, and Boba Fett is easy to pose and articulate including some of his more iconic posing from Jabba's Palace and the Sail Barge battle.
An update to such an iconic Star Wars character as Boba Fett was long overdue, and to bring us the Return of the Jedi version was a no-brainer for Hasbro. The figure itself has very few flaws once you know how to resolve the warped helmet. There Jet Pack presents a few issues in the paint colour choice and how secure it is to the back of the figure - the engineering here could have been much better.
We then get into a question of value and if there is enough in the box to warrant the Deluxe price tag of circa £30 here in the UK. Had we got a standard ROTJ Boba with Jet Pack and Blaster Rifle, then I'd have been happy. The FX pieces added are OK, but not something I will likely use or display especially considering the way the grappling piece has been released. The gun could have been a single inclusion with the lightsaber cut effect, and the missile. I think the only thing the set is missing for me is a flight stand like the one included with the Marvel Legends Black Widow - that would have finished off the set nicely for me.
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, star wars, black series, boba fett, return of the jedi, galaxy collection, bounty hunter, deluxe