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Star Wars The Black Series Archive Han Solo (Hoth)
By Hervé St-Louis
July 18, 2021 - 15:25
Han Solo who was part of the rebel’s force on planet Hoth went out to find his lost friend Luke Skywalker. This action figure is based on how Han Solo looked on planet Hoth in
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It is also a re-release of the original Hoth Han Solo action figure originally released in 2015. The difference between this and the original action figure is the colour of the parka he wears that went from marine blue to dark brown. The original also came with a tauntaun mount.
There have been many other Hoth Han Solo from different manufacturers over the years. Some from the classic Kenner line a 3 ¾ scale, and some from more deluxe toy lines. The Hasbro Black Series is a good compromise in terms of build, articulation, price, and availability.
Likeness
The action figure is a straight representation of Hoth Han Solo down to almost every detail. Slight omissions is balaclava mouth piece just above the grey scarf. It feels like the sculptor meld these two parts in one so if there is a balaclava, it is not visible. The huge binoculars are there and of course, Solo’s classic laser riffle can be inserted in a holster on his right thigh.
Sculpt
The sculpt is great but it does show its age as a 2015 product. First, the parka’s hood does not sit fully on Solo’s head and leaves a huge gap at the base of the neck. The scarf that is sculpted there should have been longer to hide the gap. It can be a bit difficult to see Solo’s eyes when he wears his parka’s hood. Without the hood, the head feels too small for the action figure’s body. The balaclava he wears is tight on his head. The googles can be removed and added to his face but keeping them on as he wears his hood can be tricky. It takes patience to align and hold them well, so they stay on inside of the hood.
The legs are fine and surprisingly, they do not reuse the
Hoth rebel trooper’s legs nor the Hoth Luke Skywalker’s. The forearms are the weakest part of the build. They look clunky next to the rest of the figure. It is not easy to have a Hoth Han Solo’s whose parka flap (or skirt) are aligned correctly. The flaps are neither aligned perfectly in the front nor at the back.
Paint
There is paint application on his shins, and uniform detailing on his parka. His forearms have paint on them to cover the light grey plastic used for his hands. Han Solo’s face has digital face painting which adds more dimension to the character when compared with the initial release of this toy. The quality of the paint application is not great with many spills.
Scale
The Hoth Han Solo action figure is one of the tallest Star Wars Black Series characters on the side of the rebels. He towers over other versions of his self by a significant margin. He is much taller than the Hoth rebels and almost a head taller than the Hoth Luke Skywalker. Because he is wearing heavy winter gear, it makes sense. However, he is on the shorter side when put next to G.I. Joe Classified action figures. I mention this as the Hoth Han Solo is a perfect base for Snow Job custom action figure.
Stability
The Hoth Han Solo will topple. His feet have little grasp on the ground and his rather top=heavy chest can easily see him fall. You will need to adjust his ballpoint waist articulation to fully balance his out. He could probably use some wider and longer feet.
Articulations
The articulations on Black Series are not strengths. We see this with the weird forearm articulations that were used instead of classic wrist articulations. This was probably done by Hasbro to easily mould the hands and the wrists as one piece instead of fully separated forearms. Hans Solo’s head is on a ball joint that has some movement, but the full range is not easy to see because of the hood on his head. His neck can bend up and down.
Shoulder articulations are stiff and can barely do a butterfly. He has the typical rotating elbow bend that barely reaches a 90 degrees bend. The best articulation is the ballpoint waist that allows Han Solo to bend a bit forward, backward, and side to side. His waist can also spin. Because he wears a huge parka, this is acceptable. His legs can bend at the waist, but the articulations are so tight that I don't dare push them. I don’t want to break him. He has thigh curls and double knees.
Although his shins are glued to the lower the upper shins just below the knees, he does not have shin/calf curls. His ankles can bend up, down and pivot on a rocker.
Plastic
The base plastic is used for most of the figure’s parts such as his feet, his legs, thighs, torso and arms. The head’s face is glued on to the balaclava base while the cap is added on top. The colour of peach joint in his neck is surprisingly a different shade than the one used for his face and neck. It does not look good. The plastic is ABS for the chest, and PVC for the legs and arms. The flaps and the hoodie are in rubber-like plastic.
Props
Han Solo comes with his huge binoculars which are moulded with a strap that he can wear across his chest and shoulders. The googles are not transparent plastic that can show his face. He comes with his classic DL-44 blaster pistol which attaches to a holster and strap to his thigh and waist. There is some nice detailing on the blaster.
Packaging
Because I bought an archive version of the Black Series, the Hoth Han Solo comes in a card back with a plastic bubble. On the back, there is a short biography on the character in several language, explaining how he stuck with the Rebel Alliance. The package celebrates the 50th anniversary of Lucas Film and shows significant dates of the major film releases on a timeline.
Cost
Hasbro Pulse lists this action figure for $19.99 USD although you may find it at retail or online for a few dollars more. In Canada, I paid $32.99 CAD for this toy.
Availability
As a re-release, this toy should be easy to find everywhere as of now. It is a cool piece but not a must have for most fans. Many collectors already have the 2015 version of this toy. The version of Han Solo is available in so many scales from different manufacturers that there is nothing special or making it hard to find. If you want this toy, chances are that you will be able to find it in the next few months. Within the Black Series, there are better versions of Han Solo who, along with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Imperial Troops, are some of the most reproduced toys from the Star Wars franchise.
Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12
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