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Review of Figrin D'an Star Wars action figure
Sideshow Collectibles
Date Published: 2011-12-09
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5
out of 4
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Introduction
Sideshow has really hit up the Cantina this last year, giving us both the chairs and table where Greedo and Han discussed
life and death, as well as a very similar set where Hammerhead was hanging with his bro's. We also have Greedo and
Hammerhead of course, as well as Han, and later this year they are giving us a huge
diorama of the interior of the Cantina itself!
Sideshow showed off most of the band as part of their Cantina
display at SDCC last summer, and there is a retailer exclusive of Nalan
Cheel and Tedn D'hai. Dan comes with two different instruments, so if you pick up two of him you end up with four band
members. There's two more instruments that are unique, but those band members haven't yet been solicited, and in reality one
of those instruments is used by two members, so there's seven in total. It's probably that Sideshow will not sell all
separately, instead perhaps packing in the other two instruments with a fourth figure and expecting that you'll pick up a
couple extras. Confused yet? Yea, me too.
The single Dan runs $90 - $100, depending on the retailer. He's currently available as well, and hopefully Sideshow produced
enough to cover those of us crazies who want the full band.
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Packaging - ***1/2
When it comes to really great sixth scale packaging, Sideshow got the ball rolling with their Star Wars series. The first to
sport magnetic closures, the wrap around flap looks great and gives plenty of room for background text. The boxes remain
completely collector friendly, and while the general graphics and style are slightly dated at this point, I appreciate the
overall consistency of quality.
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Sculpt - ***1/2
This is one of the oddest looking aliens in the Star Wars universe, but he's also got many of the standard features we've
come to expect - big eyes, large cranium, claw-like hands. But with that mouth...there's simply nothing he could do but
become a horn player in a band.
The sculpt is extremely nice, with good detail work on the flap like skin, bulbous veins, and rough hands. The proportions
seem quite good as well, with the hands and head being properly over sized.
One negative is some flashing that's around the edges of the hands, fingers and nails. At this sort of price point, I'd
expect that to be cleaned up a bit more.
This guy is tall, standing at about 12 1/4" with that big bulbous head.
And just in case you were wondering, both the neck and forearms are sculpted with the funky skin texture, so you can roll
up the sleeves or roll down the collar if you prefer.
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Paint - ***1/2
While this isn't quite Hot Toys quality paint work, it is very good, and matches up well with your expectations at this
price point.
The skin has a nice gradation to the tone, and the jet black eyes are glossy and clean. There's just the right amount of
pink around the mouth and 'gills', but I do wish that the small warts or blemishes had a bit more color to them. He really
should have those looked at.
In photos, it's tougher to see the slight variation in the pinkish skin tone, but in hand it's actually pretty impressive.
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Articulation - ***
The underlying body is very good in some respects, but has a couple annoying quirks that pulled the score down for me.
I love the double ball jointed neck, and it can tilt and turn without impedance, taking very natural poses and adding a lot
of personality to the look of the figure.
It is a little loose though, and with this large of a melon, that can mean trouble. Mine isn't loose enough to cause
frustration, but it's worth noting.
The rest of the joints are tight, and all of them are very high quality. The arms can take poses close to the body, which
is key to getting a natural look.
The funky Sideshow hips tend to poof out the front of his pants in weird ways, which can get you in a lot of trouble in a
bar like Mos Eisley's. I'm not a huge fan of the design, but it's not an issue I see going away any time soon.
One of the areas that has plagued Sideshow in the past is the knees, which are often too loose. To get around this to some
degree, they've started using ratchet joints, which means the knee pops into a spot on a gear-like joint, rather than moving
smoothly. My knees do the same thing on cold mornings.
Some folks will really like this, and it does solve the problem of loose joints. They've also added quite a few notches,
which means you can adjust them in smaller increments than you may have seen with other bodies. Still, I'm not a huge fan.
It does impede your ability to get completely natural poses, and there are enough other sixth scale bodies on the market
that don't have to do this that still have tight joints. This is clearly going to be one of those YMMV sort of issues.
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Accessories - ***
He doesn't come with a ton of extras, but what's here makes sense.
There's a second set of hands in a relaxed pose. The ones he comes wearing are designed to hold the instruments, but these
relaxed hands can be put to good use as well. The hands swap easily with no fear of breakage.
There are two instruments included: the Kloo Horn and the Fanfar. He can hold either quite nicely, and you should be able
to pose him in a playing stance with no trouble at all.
Finally, he has the same basic black display stand that we've seen with the rest of the Star Wars series. While you don't
absolutely have to use it, for those that have used them with the other figures, the inclusion gives the display
consistency.
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Outfit - ***1/2
This is not a super complicated outfit, but that doesn't mean it can't be screwed up. Thankfully, Sideshow pulled it off
nicely.
That's not to say this is Hot Toys quality - but that sort of quality really doesn't translate to such a simple costume
anyway.
The boots are the best part, although they aren't quite as weathered and leathery looking as they were on the prototype
figures. The sculpt is great, and while I don't think we ever saw the feet of any of the band members, this sort of biker
boot fits in with the general 'scum and villainy' theme of Mos' perfectly.
He is wearing the Nehru-like black shirt over an undershirt, as well as the gray pants. The pants were lighter in color
than I had expected, but when I looked back at the few stills where you can actually see the pants on screen, they look to
be about the right shade.
Everything fits great, so kudos to the tailor. The quality of the stitching and material is top notch as well.
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Fun Factor - ***1/2
While $90 is a bit much to pay for a backyard action figure, it's nice to know that this is still a decent toy, and not just
a collectible. It takes and holds poses well, and the accessories, costume and accessories are all sturdy enough to hold up
to basic play, let alone simple handling.
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Value - **1/2
You can pick this guy up right now for about $90, which is about $60 less than the average Hot Toys figure these days. The
few sixth scale figures out there right now that are $100 or less aren't quite as nice as this figure, so I feel good giving
him an average rating.
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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
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Overall - ***1/2
You can pick this guy up right now for about $90, which is about $60 less than the average Hot Toys figure these days. The
few sixth scale figures out there right now that are $100 or less aren't quite as nice as this figure, so I feel good giving
him an average rating.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
-
has him in stock at $90.
-
has him in stock at $95.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
- and if you're a big fan of the D'an, Sideshow also has a lifesize
bust available. And don't forget the full sixth scale Cantina
Diorama!
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Related Links -
It's been awhile since I reviewed a Sideshow sixth scale Star Wars figure. Not because they haven't been producing plenty,
but most have been Troopers, and there's just so much you can say about Troopers. Still, I've had a ton of reviews over the
years:
- speaking of Troopers, there's the Sargent Clone
Trooper.
- just before that was the diminutive Jedi, Yoda.
- I also liked the recent Gammorean Guard.
- it was awhile before that for the previous review, Admiral
Thrawn and his command chair.
- prior to that was Lando Calrissian, and
the Shock Trooper.
- Darth Vader was perhaps Sideshow's best Star
Wars release.
- then there's the Utapau Trooper, the
Imperial Stormtrooper, and Captain
Antilles.
- if you're a Dan Fan, then check out the mini-bust
from Gentle Giant.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page to find
even more, earlier reviews of other Sideshow Star Wars figures and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this
one was published.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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