Jango Fett

Wait, isn't the idea behind these black-carded Vintage Collection figures that they're supposed to be better than the normal releases? There's no biographical info on the back of the packaging, but it does imply that this figure is meant to be an update of "Sneak Preview" Jango Fett, the ridiculously pre-posed one from 2002 (which is the same line that TVC Zam Wesell credited with being her inspiration). And no, we're not saying that this figure is worse than that one - that would be crazy. We're just saying that in the decade-long history of Jangos Fett, this is not the be-all and end-all of the assortment. This figure is, in fact, a minor reworking of the Jango that was included in the "Fett Legacy" Evolutions three-pack from 2008 - you know, the one that people only bought because it came with Mandalore? Or alternately, the one people (i.e., "me") didn't buy because they didn't want a so-so Jango Fett and yet another Boba Fett. "Hasbro should have released Mandalore by himself" I guess is the gist of all this. Vintage Jango does correct one problem the three-pack figure had: he's the right color. For whatever reason, the old toy's jumpsuit was painted purple rather than blue, and Hasbro never made a running change to fix it. This one's much better! His armor is all sculpted on, sadly. Given the promise of an "ultimate" Jango Fett, it seemed like removable armor would be part of the deal. But no, the 2007 figure is still the only one that can do that. [Good thing you've already got one then, yo - or did you forget you had reviewed it? --ed.] His belt and holsters have the texture of leather, he's got thick-soled boots, and hoses run past his elbows (probably to feed the flamethrowers in his gauntlets). Another change made to the mold for this release concerns those gauntlets. Remember in the scene on Kamino where Jango and Obi-Wan are fighting in the rain, they fall off the side of the platform, and Jango stops his slide with a series of hooks that pop out of his armor? This figure gets those hooks. Of course, they're permanently sticking out, with no way to retract them or remove them short of cutting them off. Yes, it's nice to get a feature that's never been done on a toy before, but not when it gets in the way of the toy itself. Jango's helmet is removable, at least. The face beneath is sculpted well, but the likeness to Temuera Morrison isn't up to Hasbro's usual standards. He looks younger than he should - like a halfway step between teenage Boba and adult Jango. Maybe it's because they had to reduce the size of his head, to fit it inside the helmet? At least the nose doesn't distend the faceplate this time. Once the helmet is off, you can give him the headgear he wore while piloting Slave I. It's just a padded headband with covering for the ears and a microphone coming down near the chin, but it looks like exactly the sort of thing WWII pilots would have worn - considering the real-world inspirations for many Star Wars props, that may well be the case. The figure is armed with his guns, of course, and they fit in the holsters hanging from his belt. This is far from the first Jango toy to have that feature, but that doesn't make it unwelcome. He also gets one of his two trademark jetpacks: not the Merr-Sonn JT-12 most Jangos have come with, but the Mitrinomon Z-6 that is closer to the style Boba Fett uses. It even has a bit of a rocket-firing feature! The missile is a separate piece, and the peg that holds it in place in the backpack is sculpted like exhaust flames. It doesn't launch, but it looks like it does. How clever! Finally, he comes with a big blue poncho, which he's wearing in the package. It barely fits over the arm-hooks, and one side is specifically stitched together to bunch up on the shoulder. Why? No idea, but it's odd that they'd make that choice. The biggest disappointment with this figure is the articulation. Most of the joints are good - the balljointed head and torso, the swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles - but the ones that are bad are egregious. For instance, this "high end" figure has a plain T-crotch, the same joints Kenner's Star Wars toys had in 1978. Like the Vintage Boba Fett mold, the elbow-tubes attach to a ring at the bottom of the biceps to allow them to turn; meh. The forearms swivel at the tops of the gloves, but the figure has no wrists - so if you want to turn his hand, you have to turn his entire forearm, moving the tubes and the bicep-ring along with it. That's not just disappointing, it's a design flaw that should never have been approved - especially since this Jango has the grappling hooks on his arms. Hooks that you can't even reposition properly because of the lack of adequate joints. Temuera Morrison is 5'7". Mark Hamill is 5'9". Since Temuera (by way of Jango) is the prototype for the clone army, that means Luke was actually a little tall for a Stormtrooper. If I hadn't found this figure for only $5, I would have felt shortchanged. He's good, and he's got features no Jango's had before, but he's not the ultimate representation of the character I want when I buy a Vintage Collection toy. -- 07/07/13

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