This Medicom Real Action Hero Han Solo action figure sample was graciously donated to Bantha Skull by the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles!  This item is currently still available in limited quantities directly from Sideshow.  Check it out here!

I didn’t know what to expect from it, as I only own one other figure in the line, the 501st Clone Trooper.  Although I love that figure, I didn’t really expect much from the human sculpting and fabric accessories.  We decided that a good idea would be to review this figure from the perspective of a long-time Hasbro collector who is certainly no expert in these Medicom or similar competing lines.  Basically, I want to know:  will getting a close look at this figure compel me to start collecting this line?

First off, I dig the box.  Simple and sleek.  This is something that is common with all any Sideshow item I’ve purchased.  I opened the package and took a look at everything.  Without a doubt the very first thing I noticed was the head sculpt.  It is quite amazing.  It’s the best likeness to 1977 Harrison Ford I have ever seen in a toy of any scale.  From any angle, the resemblance is striking.  The eyes are well done, as is the skin coloring.  The eyebrows have a slight texture, and the hair is perfect, including a few loose “strands” over his forehead.  Believe it or not, there’s even Ford’s chin scar.  Amazing work here.

The figure itself is a bit heftier than I expected, which is good.  Purely for research purposes, I removed all the accessories and clothing.  As you may agree from the pictures, he’s much better off with his clothes on!  Again, not being too familiar with the design of these human forms, I can only assume the head and hands are oversized when compared to the rest of the body because the clothing has to look right when on.  The clothing, of course, is very thick/heavy when in this scale.  Anyway, while his nude appearance may be a bit jarring, you can see that this figure has 1, 2, 3….yep, 459 points of articulation.  Or something close to that.  It’s quite amazing, and allows you to pose the figure in a tremendous variety of ways.  Anyway, the pictures show all the joints, so have fun counting them all!

Well, putting the clothes back on was a bit challenging, (so I don’t recommend taken them off in the first place) but it allowed me to get a good look at all the pieces of the outfit.  The shirt has a V-neck collar which suits the character pretty well, although Harrison Ford seems to have worn it more open.  It’s better to keep it closed on this figure, so as to hide the neck joint.  The sleeves are also a bit longer than the movie character, but again, this hides the wrist joints better.  The vest is nice, althought the pockets on the front might be a bit on the bulky side.  The pants fit nicely and have a little velcro closure. 

The boots are very well done for a couple of reasons.  First, they are just wide enough to allow the pants to be tucked in without causing them to be bunched up too much.  They are also soft and flexible, and allow for positioning of the feet and toes, even inside the boots.  The only real downside to the boots is that the copyright information is printed is bright white letters, easily seen when you pose Han in any position that exposes the bottom of his boots, such as the iconic cross-legged pose in the cantina confrontation with Greedo.

Now, the belt is interesting.  At first glance, it looked like it had a metal buckle, complete with the, um…stick..thingie…(To the the Google…!) prongs.  Yeah, prongs.  But actually, it’s just molded soft plastic.  It’s tricky to get on and off, so again, I recommend leaving it alone.  It looks nice, with a lot of little leathery details.  Perhaps the best of the accessories is the two-piece pistol belt and holster.  It looks great, fits Han perfectly, and holds the pistol snugly.  It even has a small strap that snaps in place to hold the pistol, which Han unsnapped just prior to being shot at by Greedo.  Right?  I think that’s how it happened.  Well anyway, it’s got lots of great details, both painted and sculpted.  The metal parts look like metal.  There is a clasp for Han’s communicator/droid caller, which he can hold with one of his swappable hands.  It fits surprisingly well in the clasp, but perhaps not as well as it could in Han’s hand.  Han’s signature blaster pistol is a small work of art.  Great sculpting, and a few silver and bronze highlights really bring it to life.  It fits perfectly in the holster as well as Han’s hands.  Finally, it comes with a stand, that allows you to display the figure in a variety of action poses.

There are a couple of things that I would nitpick on this figure.  First off, it is expensive, especially from the perspective of a Hasbro collector.  This retails for something around $180.  Because of that, I might expect more in the way of accessories.  Perhaps a Falcon headset, an extra set of gloved hands, and maybe even a stormtrooper belt.  Those are just some items I can think of off hand.  I found the exposed joint/pegs a bit off-putting, specifically the metal pins in the wrists.  I think these could have been plugged with some flesh colored pieces of plastic.  Regarding the interchangeable hands, I felt nervous pulling them out to switch them.  I got the feeling that the plastic pins that insert into the wrist could snap.  I didn’t want to mess around with the hands to much for fear of this happening. 

Overall, I’m very impressed with this figure.  Other than a lack of accessories, the negatives are very minor.  This particular figure has a high pricetag, while others in the line, such as the 501st Clonetrooper that I own, are less than this price. Other 12” Han Solo figures (of varying quality) can be found for significantly lower prices as well.

So would this Hasbro Collector be compelled to start buying Real Action Hero figures by Medicom?  Maybe.  If there was a particular character I was into (like the 501st), I would probably go for it.  This Han Solo gives me great confidence that the line is high quality with regards to the body, facial sculpt, paint apps, clothing, and detailing.  I will say this:  If you are considering collecting 1/6 scale figures, this one is fantastic.  Personally, I’m not able to branch out too far from my Hasbro roots, but like I said, I would absolutely pick up the occasional character, and have no concerns that I would be purchasing a quality piece.

Some combination of more accessories or lower price would probably give this a 9 or a 10.  As such, I rate this Medicom Real Action Hero Han Solo:

8/10 Bantha Skulls.