Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Ronin Boba Fett

Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Ronin Boba Fett

Okay. I’m not going to lie to you: I’m just fine with the Black Series figures that Hasbro is putting out. Yeah, the Figuarts stuff is pretty. It’s really nice. Yeah, the Black Series stuff can be a pain to find sometimes and the paint can be a little thick or just not very good. But they’re really hitting the right notes for me in terms of character selection, price, and overall compatibility. They look good together.

So for my main Star Wars collection, I’m just fine sticking the Hasbro stuff.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to branch out and give new things a try. And what better way to make something new than by making it old?

Bandai Tamashii Nations Movie Realization line does just that: throwing characters from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away into something that seems pretty close to feudal Japan. Three releases in and we’ve got a Storm Trooper, Darth Vader and this beautiful bastard, Boba Fett.

Presented as a ronin, obvs, Boba Fett is a really perfect representation of what this line should be. It hits all the familiar notes with the t-style visor, the blue/green armor, the pouches on his belt, the wookie-hair braid hanging from his armor and even his jet pack. Anyone even vaguely familiar with Star Wars should be able to look at him and say, “Hey! That’s Boba Fett!”

As any ronin should, he comes armed to the teeth with a short sword, an update of his signature blaster that looks appropriately old-fashioned and seven throwing daggers stashed on his shin guards and forearm. He also comes with a number of hands to give you plenty of posing options.

Boba’s sculpt is really, really gorgeous and the paintwork brings it to life with vibrant colors. Where Hasbro’s Black series Boba is muted grays, greens and yellows, Bandai throws sea green, marigold yellow and deep reds at us. Boba stands out from the crowd in the best ways possible. His armor has dings, dents and maybe even bullet holes hiding in it—Jango’s boy looks like he’s been in a battle or two.

Bandai didn’t bother trying to hide his articulation and that’s fine. It’s a figure that you want to pose and put in as many crazy positions as possible. He practically begs for it. The articulation generally works well, too. Considering his thick skirt, he gets a surprising amount of movement out of his legs. I wouldn’t say that you’re going to have him doing splits any time soon but he’s definitely not going to be standing all vanilla on your shelf. Unless that’s your thing, I guess. Which begs the question, “WHY?”

My only real nitpicks are his throwing knives. They’re small and they feel fragile as hell. They don’t snap easily into their respective sockets and I was petrified I was going to snap them. The one on his forearm also doesn’t like to stay in there and I ended up picking it up numerous times while taking photos for this review.

For something a little different from your normal Star Wars collection, this hits the mark perfectly. He’s unique but familiar. He looks awesome on a shelf and when he’s standing next to his friends, he looks even better. At $80-115 he’s not cheap, but I think he’s well worth the scratch if you’ve got it.

While this figure is sold out, you do have a chance to score other characters from this line. Click on over to BBTS and get your geek on!