Review: Star Wars Black Series Droids retro-carded Boba Fett
- Mephitsu
- 53 minutes ago
- 6 min read
"Have no fear, Sise Fromm. I owe you a favor. I shall do as you ask."
Star Wars: Droids (The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO) was one of two animated spin-offs from the original Star Wars trilogy, airing in 1985 across a solitary 13-episode season that explored the adventures of Artoo and Threepio before they found themselves on the Tantive IV in A New Hope. Kenner’s action figure line also continued into the Droids series, with a selection of Droids-themed 3.75-inch figures released in 1985, an extension of the final Power of the Force figures from the original movies, and including a collector coin alongside the figure.
Marking 40 years since the end of Droids in 1986 and some of the final Kenner figures, Hasbro has returned to the Droids series for a wave of Star Wars Black Series Fan Channel carded figures for late Summer 2026. Each figure is carded, paying homage to the original Kenner designs, and comes with a collector's coin scaled up to the 6-inch figure.
Boba Fett, who appeared in just one episode of Droids, was originally simply repacked by Kenner onto the Droids cards. Hasbro has gone one step further with their Black Series release and repainted Boba Fett to replicate the style and colour scheme we see in Episode 4, A Race to the Finish. This Droids Boba Fett figure was released previously in 2022 as a Target US release (Fan Channel in the UK), but that one was boxed and a standalone release.
These new Droids cards are scaled up for the 6-inch line, but use the colours and artwork of the original Kenner line, with a blue header with the Droids logo, with the rest of the card turned over to an animation still from the series focusing on the character. The bubble, including an extension for the coin, sits to the right, and the card area behind the bubble is a coloured panel as per all of the Kenner cardbacks from the 1980s. Like the other carded Kenner homage figures from Hasbro, the card front foregoes the Hasbro logo, and instead carries the original Kenner logo next to the age warning sign.
Round the back, the entire cardback is coloured the same blue as the header on the front, with a pictorial checklist of the full 4-figure wave at the top. Under this is the short background text we get on most Black Series releases, talking about the encounter on the planet Boonta where our Droids cross paths with Boba Fett. As a carded figure, there is no way to open the blister without some level of damage.
Boba Fett utilises the now very dated 2013 Empire Strikes Back Boba Fett body as a base. This is fully recoloured into the pastel shades the Nelvana animation team used for Boba in Episode 4. The undersuit elements are a cream colour, with the chest armour a brighter yellow, with dark blue over the shoulders and onto both pauldrons. The knee pads are a mustard yellow, with sky blue on the feet and both wrist bracers. The main costume concludes with a light brown, softer plastic belt and holster, with the Wookiee braids in the same colour draped over the right shoulder.
Boba’s Mandalorian helmet uses the same sky blue as the wrists and feet, with a jet black colour for the visor. It retains that signature dent at the top, and the rangefinder to the side in silver. This isn’t articulated like some newer Mando figures and is also quite soft, which means it can arrive warped out of the bubble.
Over Boba’s left shoulder is his cape, a soft goods folded triangular piece in dark brown, with a rusty brown trim around the bottom edge. Over this is inserted Boba’s jet pack, coloured in mustard yellow with the sky blue used on the boosters top and bottom. The upper missile has a white central segment and is not removable, as we get on other Boba releases.
vs the 2022 Target release (right)
When you compare this 2026 release to the original 2022 figure, the colouring choice is much bolder on the newer release, whereas the original figure took the Droids colour scheme but muted it heavily. This new figure is unashamedly in-your-face with its colour choice.
Boba comes with two weapons, the same as included in the 2022 release as well as all the prior Boba figures as far back as 2013 that use this same sculpt. Up first is Boba’s hand blaster that slots into the provided holster. This is cast in black with no other specific detailing; it can be wielded in either hand with both right and left grips, including a flexible trigger finger.
The longer EE-3 blaster carbine carries more sculpted detail but also lacks any paintwork over the base black used again here. It too fits in either hand, or both hands for two-handed weapon posing - be aware that some of the two-handed posing positions will see the Blaster Carbine start to warp at the central point if held too long.
As this is based entirely on a very early Black Series release body, the Droids Boba Fett brings with it the older articulation configuration with 16 points of articulation overall, including double-joint knees. While not as extensive as a more modern figure - and a little awkward to pose in places - Boba does have sufficient motion for slinging his weapons, posing with his various wrist weaponry, or taking flight with the jet pack.
The other accessory is the collector coin. The original 1985 Droids figures used aluminium. These modern replications are simply plastic, but mirror the gold colour and the design of the original coins, with a picture of Boba Fett with his blaster rifle set against a backdrop of the Khetanna sail barge. The words ‘Boba Fett’ sit above the image, and the words ‘Bounty Hunter’ sit underneath. Around the back is some embossed text that talks about Boba as “the most notorious bounty hunter in the Galaxy,” with the POTF Star Wars logo above it, and the wording ‘May the Force Be With You’ underneath. Like the original Kenner figures, there is no stand or display feature for the coin, but these do sit nicely into most 40mm coin stands for display if - like me - you’ve ripped your Boba figure off the cardback.
The 2026 Droids release of Boba Fett is a significant enhancement in bold colouring vs the original release, and is in keeping with the corresponding figures from the wave. The cardback is lovely, and these will most likely remain carded and hung on display in many collections. It is a slight shame that Hasbro didn’t see what the newer Boba Fett figure from Return of the Jedi might have looked like in this colour scheme, but using the older body was more consistent with the timeframe that the Droids episodes are set even if the animated style provided quite a considerable level of ‘interpretation’ to bring these to life as Black Series live-action proportioned figures, but with an animated paint job.
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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...
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