“There are many different Tusken tribes. Since the oceans dried, we have stayed hidden. Other tribes have survived by killing”
The Mandalorian has already featured several Tusken Raider appearances as the Sand People begin to carve out a larger role in the Star Wars Universe. The Book of Boba Fett expanded that even further with Fett living with the Tuskens for some time after escaping the Sarlac Pitt. This Tribe featured some particularly striking looks compared to the traditional Tusken’s seen across the Saga introducing bolder colours into their robes. Their Chieftain featured robes of deep burgundy and he was the first (and hopefully not last) of the Tribe to get a Black Series release.
The Tusken Chieftain was part of the four-figure Wave 16 of the Galaxy Collection, a wave made up entirely of The Book of Boba Fett figures. The Boba Fett releases all featured a return to the window boxes and the deep green colour scheme and artwork established a couple of years prior with the Fennec Shand and Boba Fett releases. The Tusken Chieftain is number 06 in the Boba Fett series, following on from Cad Bane and preceding the Pyke Syndicate Soldier.
While the new Tusken Chieftain looks and feels very different to the original release of the Sand People, several elements are taken directly from the original figure, and under the soft goods and rubberised skirt we have re-used legs and groin section and a pair of re-used arms with hands. Connecting them is a new torso section, and then over this sits a new softer plastic skirt section. All of the base parts are cast in very similar dark brown finishes but with contrasting parts such as forearms vs hands. We then also get a level of darker wash on the skirt section to give wear and weathering to the garment. The skirt also features a darker-painted belt with pouches, a hanging trophy of sorts and a bronze metallic fastening.
The soft goods are similar to the original Tusken’s but in a much darker fabric and with a two-tone finish that sees rich burgundy stripes running next to the darker brown. The burgundy is painted or printed onto the brown and these areas are tougher and not as easy to fold or pose. The arms are stretched roughly under the armpits to hold the robes in place and further stitches sit to either side to hold the robes in against the body. The material needs a bit of manipulation to sit correctly for display. It is also delicate in places, probably intentionally to give a frayed look rather than neat stitching to finish an edge as we might see on a Jedi robe or similar.
The head is new but follows the established Tusken Raider look with a breather mask, protruding eye pieces, head spikes and a wrapped rear segment. The same red and brown tones run through the mask with another patch of metallic bronze used for the breathing vent. The Chieftain’s look is finished with a complex neck piece which is made up of rope-like strands, a teeth necklace and a silver ornate pendant hanging at the base. Also caught up in this decor are the other parts of the rebreather and these sit a little off-centre on my figure.
There is a solitary staff accessory that mimics the prop used in the show and also carries features of the Tuken’s gaderffi sticks with one end using the club-like end of the standard weapon. The bottom end is much more simple in its design with a single cap piece picked out in gunmetal.
Articulation is 19 points in total with the Tusken Chieftain not only benefitting from the older double-jointed knees but also the newer butterfly shoulders worked into the new torso. The lower skirt puts pay to quite a bit of leg movement, but the arms have a good breadth of movement with the soft goods moving with them into a variety of posing options with or without his staff.
The new Black Series Tusken Cheiftain is an accurate replication of the unnamed Chieftain we see during the early parts of The Book of Boba Fett. Re-used parts are not obvious, hidden beneath the new robes and skirt piece, and the articulation has been enhanced vs the older figure with the newer butterfly shoulders. The accessory is again accurate to the show, but I feel the Chieftain is missing something else like a black Melon or even some alternative hands to mimic the language of the Tuskens. With the Chieftain’s release, fans of the BOBF will be hoping more of the Tribe will see themselves in figure form with the Tusken Warrior a definite must and even some variant Tusken’s using the older figure in its entirety but with darker robes & colour scheme.
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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...