geek with curves: Review: Captain Han Solo Sixth Scale Figure by Sideshow Collectibles

My strong feelings about Hoth make no sense. I don't like winter or piles of snow. The white stuff covered the ground for nearly a solid month where I live and I'm just starting to see muddy grass again. Even with my dislike of frigid temperatures though, I adore Hoth. It's my favorite Star Wars planet, and it's featured in my favorite Star Wars movies. I think tauntauns are the cutest, and Echo Base looks like a cozy place to get away from it all. Or at least it did before the Rebel Alliance moved in.

All the best original trilogy outfits show up on Hoth, too. Hoth Leia is the most awesome Leia look as far as I'm concerned, and I feel similarly about Hoth Han. Sideshow Collectibles has a new sixth scale Captain Han Solo - Hoth figure that features Han in his outdoor gear, and I wish I had an entire Hoth diorama to pose him in. The figure is so detailed that it wouldn't be hard to pose him and make it look like a still from The Empire Strikes Back. I thought about taking the Han figure into real snow for a second, but I didn't want to ruin his clothes. Look how handsome this guy is:

Packaging: The box Han Solo arrived in isn't quite like other boxes I've received for sixth scale figures. Not that I recall anyway. It folds open into two different sections and as usual, every piece of the figure had a secure place. There were indentations that perfectly fit Han's blaster, all the extra hands, the binoculars, etc. It took practically no time at all to extract all the parts and to put them away later. I did take a picture before removing all the accessories but for once, I didn't need to reference that picture to figure out where everything went when it was time to put Han Solo away (only until I find the right place for him on my shelves!).

Sculpt/likeness/paint: Because Han is dressed for the very chilly surface of Hoth, not much of his skin is showing. All his hand accessories are gloved, and he's covered from head to toe. His face is visible, and the sculpt is pretty darn close to matching Harrison Ford. The scar is on the chin, the lines of the face match - not that I've spent much time studying Han's face. It's a little off from the match that Hot Toys usually achieves with their figures but only a little. Aside from how much the sculpt looks like Ford as Han Solo, please notice the details. You can see blood vessels on his eyes.

The paint job on the bit of skin we do see is great but shines more on the props and accessories that come with the figure. The scanner and binoculars look appropriately weathered, and the tiny DL-44 blaster is just right.

Clothes: Designing Han's Hoth outfit had to be tricky. You need to match the on-screen look and give heft to the clothes so they have the right weight, but it shouldn't be so bulky that it obscures the figure. Han's clothing is so well done that I want to enlarge it to have on hand for next winter. The jacket material is thick and feels quilted and padded, and the hood is soft. I have a hunch it's cozy. Under the jacket, Han is wearing the white fold-over shirt, the navy blue jacket, and a jaunty scarf. It's all about layers. It's actually enough material that snapping up the jacket takes a couple of seconds. From the jacket to the quilted pants to the boots - everything is weathered and looks like it's been well loved rather than pulled straight off the racks at Echo Base... Not that such racks existed.

Accessories: I've said it before, but the accessories that come with these figures are sometimes my favorite parts. I really like miniatures, and I appreciate when they're done well. Han comes with his blaster, the holster, goggles, binoculars, the life scanner and antennae, a droid caller, a stand that features some sculpted snow, and extra hands. General thoughts: the joints on the hands make them a breeze to exchange. I prefer this type of joint to the round ball joints on Hot Toys figures. I was able to change out Han's hands in a couple of seconds instead of struggling for minutes.

The straps on the life scanner and binoculars are perfectly aged and made. It's such a small detail, but I love that the cloth strap on the scanner looks dirty. The holster is probably the least impressive accessory and maybe least impressive part of the entire costume. The blaster goes in easily and can be secured with a magnetic loop, but the leg portion of the holster doesn't fit well and ends up looking a little sloppy. You can twist the holster to improve the look though. The blaster itself, as mentioned earlier, is basically perfect.

You can purchase a sixth scale Captain Han Solo at Sideshow Collectibles for $199.99. Payment plans are available if you'd rather break the cost into smaller amounts. Han Solo is expected to ship between April and May.

Here's a handy list of what comes in the box:

Detailed Portrait with Headgear and goggles

Detailed Hooded Brown Parka with rank badge

Detailed Cold Weather garments

Two scarves

Belt with pistol holster and detachable droid caller

Two part sculpted boots

Binoculars with fabric strap

Life scanner with both retracted and extended antennae

DL-44 Blaster (Han Version)

Right Trigger Hand

Right C-Grip Hand