Review – Medicom 12″ Boba Fett

Here’s a figure taking after an interesting character out of Star Wars. Everyone knows Boba Fett – whether by name or by his distinctive armour. But no one on the original Star Wars movie set could guess that a character with such little screen time would be so enormously popular with movie-goers… or fans of Star Wars.

Amassing only 4 lines of dialogue in Empire Strikes Back(ESB) and a scream in Return of the Jedi(ROTJ), this bounty hunter rivaled the popularity of Darth Vader and almost surely eclipsed the status of the movies’ lead – Luke Skywalker. But the thing is, all these happened outside the Original Trilogy. It’s rather interesting that the character of Boba Fett was only expanded in other mediums such as comic books, books and games.

He fought numerous battles(without dying so easily), showed the deft and skill he was reputed to have, crawled out of the Sarlacc pit – all these happened in stories outside the movies.

Nevertheless, in the movies, his mysterious aura in the movies is preserved for eternity.

So what’s the appeal of Boba Fett? I must say that it is first the armour, then the precious 4 lines said from within the dented bucket. At least when we first saw ESB in the theatres, no comic books about Boba Fett was out. No one expounded on his origins yet. At least as a kid then, I wanted Boba’s Sprite(or was it 7-Up?) collectible cards so badly because his gear was so cool and his lack of dialogue created a mystery about him.

Now that Lucasfilm has released information of the evolution of the Boba Fett armour design prior to the final version, I was so glad someone continued to make refinements till the design we now distinctly recognise as Boba Fett. It would be terrible if it was one of those Cylon-like designs.

Nevertheless, for the Star Wars fan in me, it’s celebration time when I break out a Boba Fett figure! Even Darth Maul doesn’t get me this excited.

On to the review!

Bottomline:

Don’t be put off by the number of ‘What could be better’ notes below. Medicom’s Boba Fett has what it takes to beat the current seat warmer for the best 1/6 Boba Fett figure from Marmit. It possesses fantastic sculpting work, accurate paintwork and beautiful overall construction. Although it comes in the smaller Medicom scale, it is a must buy even more if you have not landed the Marmit version!

What’s good:

• Collector friendly box.
• Good overall sculpt of Boba Fett armour.
• Nice weathering on the armour.
• Accurate details.
• Finally a proportionate helmet.
• No hairdryer required!

What could be better:

• Boba’s crotch armour restricts articulation at the hips.
• The rifle trigger hand does not hold the pistol firmly.
• Velcro on the underside of the backpack detaches rather easily.
• Velcro on the underside of the collar-bone armour is easily visible.
• Not too stable.
• Medicom’s smaller scale.
• Have a Temura Morrison head would be good?

Review Details

Packaging

Medicom’s packaging for Boba Fett is collector friendly. No twist ties and only one adhesive tape to slit to release the display stand package. The Boba Fett figure rests safely between protective trays with his pistol and blaster laid out nicely around him. I’m not a particular fan of the Star Wars 30th anniversary box design. It’s rather boring after a slew of them. I guess black is chosen as it is an enduring colour one can hardly find fault. Safe… but boring.

I do appreciate the credits at the back of the box which reveals the sculptors – Perfect Studios. They really did a great job!

Headsculpt/Resemblance

Since no Temura Morrison head is included, the headsculpt here is the famous dented bucket. And I believe it is currently the best 1/6 take of Boba Fett’s helmet. I’ve always preferred the ESB colour version of the helmet but this Medicom version has swung my vote onto the ROTJ paintwork.

The weathering effects are really good as well. I would not want Boba Fett’s helmet to have any less scratches. They’re one of the challenges Boba Fett costumers take on when they make a new 1:1 bucket. So these signature paint scrapes are perfect for me!

 

Quality of Product

Medicom seems to have gotten just about everything right with this Boba Fett figure. The sculpting is spot-on, paintwork is great and the proportions look good. This bounty hunter just looks absolutely splendid! The smaller Medicom scale should not be a reason to overlook this gem. My personal take is that it looks better than the Marmit.

I would think that the Medicom is more accurate to the movies’ take on Boba Fett. For one, the front armour pieces are really attached to a fabric suit. Marmit had a full body armour with mock rigidly sculpted folds to mimic the real thing on fabric. In this area, I find the Medicom implementation more accurate. The 2 breastplates are more angular as a result as well.

I preferred the simplicity of this Medicom figure which do not require any assembly of the armour unlike the Marmit version. I would not be too thrilled about manipulating plastic with a hairdryer on a Boba Fett figure that I spent Medicom-prices on. I’m thankful everything is nicely put in place for me here.

Marmit’s helmet was also not proportionate. It’s size was more like the head of a 1/6 figure. Medicom’s proportions are good here and it’s bigger just like in the movies. They did try to fit a real 1/6 head under the helmet afterall. It’s unfortunate that they could not make a Temura Morrison sculpt at least as an interchangeable head.

The rangefinder on Boba Fett’s helmet is also movable.

The details on Medicom Boba Fett are excellent as well. Mandalorian insignias, weathering on the body armour and equipment details on the gauntlet are all well implemented. It’s really hard to find fault given all these excellent work by the sculptors.

I find the 2 braids of Boba Fett’s wookie scalp more proportionate to the figure than the Marmit. The wookie scalp for the Marmit was rather big and looked more like a belt than a braid of hair.

Unfortunately, I have some gripes that ought to be highlighted and they are related to the velcro used on this figure. The armour around the neck is held in place by velcro. While this in itself is good, the velcro tends to peek out from under the armour which is too visible for realism. Another velcro issue is between the jetpack and the back armour. Yes, velcro is hold them as well.

My incessant fiddling of the figure saw my fingers going between the armour and the jetpack like a wedge. And the velcro gave way pretty easily. What’s worse was that it turned out that the velcro did its job to hold fast but its non-velcro other side became detached from the jetpack rendering it useless. So be careful, the velcro there seems ‘glued’ to the underside of the jetpack.

One other disappointment of this figure is in the only trigger hand included with it. While it is adept at holding the baster rifle, it is unable to hold the pistol firmly. Actually, it is nowhere near firm. You will have to adjust the pistol because it squirms out of position while being grasped by the trigger hand. It really isn’t designed to hold both weapons. When you get the pistol in perfect position in the hand, the trigger finger is nowhere near the trigger. When you maneuver the finger onto the trigger, the pistol is not pointing straight.

Stability

Despite getting Medicom Boba Fett to stand successfully for several poses during the photoshoot, I am unconvinced of its stability. It’s a flat sole under Boba’s boots and this usually doesn’t speak well of a figure’s stability. I find boots with defined heels much better in this area. And with a backpack behind, there will definitely be balance issues and these flat soles aren’t helping the collector to find the CG easily. Go with the display stand for display purposes.

I find the crotch armour restricts articulation at the hips. The armour is really more like a pair of rigid shorts than say… Superman’s elastic spandex. Moving Boba’s knee ninety degrees to the body itself is a challenge. You can force it but some places on the armour will be stressed. As you may have expected, it prevents this figure from easily making squatting or kneeling positions. Poseability takes a hit here.

 

Accessories

Here are the accessories that comes with Medicom Boba Fett:

• EE-3 Carbine rifle (ESB Version)
• Blaster pistol
• Survival Knife
• Sonic Beam Weapon
• Anti Security Blade
• Jetpack Adjustment Tool
• Jetpack rocket
• 1 set of extra hands

Let’s start with the EE-3 Carbine rifle. Although the paintwork on Boba Fett’s armour is the Return of the Jedi(ROTJ) version, the Carbine rifle is actually the Empire Strikes Back(ESB) version. Notable difference is the pipe-like slender barrel of the ESB rifle as compared to the ROTJ’s thicker barrel. To see the difference, you can refer to this review of the Gentle Giant Boba Fett statue. I’m not too sure if Boba Fett had this ESB version of the Carbine rifle with the ROTJ armour paintwork in the movies.

 

The blaster pistol can be slotted into its faux leather holster at Boba’s side. The way the holster holds the pistol in place would probably not be secure in real life. Imagine Boba escaping from enemies, all the movement from running and flying would definitely have dislodged the pistol from the holster. An additional strap to hold down the grip would be a better design.

The jetpack rocket is packed separately in the packaging and has to be fixed onto the jetpack.

The four tools(survival knife, sonic beam weapon, anti security blade and jetpack adjustment tool) at Boba’s shins comes slotted in their respective pouches but like the Marmit version, are removable. No complains regarding the quality of their molding.

The extra set of hands include the trigger hand and a grasping hand which seems most suitable for hold a thermal detonator.