Review - Star Wars The Black Series Tusken Raider 6" Figure by Hasbro

This year marked the 40th anniversary of Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, a little film that changed the way we look at movies. The impact of Star Wars cannot be understated in both film history, and pop culture. Way back in 1977 a small independent toy company named Kenner produced the now legendary first twelve 3.75" action figures for Star Wars. The line quickly expanded, and defined the childhood of an entire generation. To commemorate this monumental event, Hasbro released The Black Series 40th Anniversary Collection, recreating those original 12 figures. One of those figures was the fearsome Tusken Raider and today we'll be taking a look at him in 6" form.

Originally known only as Sand People, this Tusken Raider comes carded on a recreation of the original vintage style PACKAGING. I'm still not sure how I feel about the 6 inch figures on vintage style cards, but Hasbro announced the return of The Vintage Collection next year so it does make it easier to swallow. The packaging itself though is beautiful, and shows off the figure and accessories well. The back of the card is attractive also, with nice bright colors and images of the other figures of in the series.

Both the SCULPTING and PAINT on this figure are fantastic. The wrapping and metal part on the head look top notch, and there is some really great detail on all the pouches on his torso. The paint is really what sells it though, with some fantastic washes really making the costume look desert worn. There's also a really nice texture to the inner robe, so it doesn't stand out as much when compared to the soft goods. Speaking of which, the soft goods here are exceptional. They really heighten this figure, and look excellent when paired with the Tatooine Luke and Ben figures.

The ARTICULATION here is also really good. You can get a surprising amount of movement out of the ball jointed neck which I thought was going to be restricted by the moisture trap. Once you get the arms sorted out underneath the soft goods robe, the elbows actually have a decent range of motion for ball joints. The soft goods robe is really lose and doesn't really restrict any of the upper arm articulation. The legs however are pretty restricted by the plastic under robe, but all the articulation you would want is there. There is a slit in the robe right up to his waste so you can get in there and finagle them into position.

Hasbro really out did themselves with the ACCESSORIES here. Giving you not one, not two, but three alternate heads for the gaffi stick. They all slide into the heavy end of the stick really nicely, and have some nice different finishes. They also included the Cycler rifle from Episode I. It looks great, but he can only hold it in a handful of positions. It could also work as a nice stand in for Luke's long rifle from A New Hope.

OVERALL, this is one of Hasbro's best offerings from The Black Series 6" line. Everything here works together to make one excellent figure, but I'll always be a 3.75" collector at heart. I've always thought of The Black Series as a nice addition to the 3.75" line, and with The Vintage Collection making a return next year I couldn't be happier to have both.