I am thrilled.  Thrilled thrilled thrilled that this figure was ever made.  I just wish I was thrilled about it a decade later.  This figure is locked into 2002 Power of the Jedi-ness like it’s getting paid to do so.  What makes matters worse is that the odds of getting BoShek updated are about as good as me never having to read “would of” on social media ever again.  Well, now I feel like I’m being a judgey grammarian.  There’s a chance that the English-speaking world has finally gotten its act together, and from this day forward, it’s a new era of syntactical correctness.  Never again shall anyone make that homophonic mistake when contracting “have” in written form.  I shall now check Twi….yeah, we’re never going to get an update to BoShek.

I’ve always wanted a figure of BoShek, and I almost mean that literally.  As a husky little idiot in the late seventies, I could never figure out why Snaggletooth rated a figure, and the quartet of Garindan, Grand Moff Tarkin, Dannik Jerriko and BoShek did not.  The inconsistencies inherent in the determination of which charaacters earned enshrinement as action figures were very confusing to the young and the obsessive compulsive.  Little did I know that a man of singular toy instincts, a man I would come to later admire greatly, insisted that any toy Kenner released had play value.  A human pilot with nary a speaking line would never have cut it back then.  Fast forward fourteen years, and people of equal instincts (no sarcasm), would realize those young, obsessive compulsives had grown up and would want an action figure of every single blessed character they could see on screen.  Thus, BoShek was made in 2002.  And then when they had exhausted all those figures, we’d they’d want a figure of every single character you have to “pause and seek” to find.  Not understanding this concept is tantamount to Khaleesi having no understanding of what motivates the Dothraki.  People will bend the knee if you show you understand what makes them tick.  If anyone from the Star Wars Brand Team is reading this, this is our way of saying it’s a [expletive] sin that the Vintage Collection was reintroduced in 2018, and nearly two years later, we do not have a single [expletive] cantina character in the packaging that is basically a testament to the cantina.  This is soullessness!

The first thing to notice about this figure is that it includes a spaceman helmet, but we never see the character with such an accessory on-screen.  Oh, but aye, he do be havin’ a spaceman helmet:

(click for the full sized image)

When Hasbro uses its exclusive and privileged access to reference material so that they may bring us such things, it can be a good thing, so long as it does not violate the integrity of what we see on screen.  The helmet is removable, so that seems to satisfy that requirement.  Unfortunately the figure’s right arm is purpose built to cradle that helmet right down to a slightly cocked wrist.  The arm even has an extra point of articulation, via an upper arm swivel, to further facilitate this.  The problem comes when you want to pose the figure while not holding the helmet.  It looks like it’s either making an obscene gesture or thumbing a ride.  This is unwelcome news.  This is most unwelcome news.

In addition to the right arm, there are some additional “byproduct of its time” problems with Bo Shek.  The pilot flight straps are sculpted onto the body, as opposed to being a floating element as we see today.  In and of itself, that is not a mortal sin, but it does stand out when posed with more modern samples.  The stance is sculpted so that the left foot is rotated outward.  This type of predetermined posing is the devil, Bobby Boucher.  It can sit, but only in the silly “weeeeee” pose endemic of figures with minimal POA (points of articulation).

On the plus side, the head sculpt does a respectable job of capturing Frances Alfred Basil Tomlin’s sardonic glare toward the crazy, old wizard.  Again I can’t express enough how happy I am that we have a BoShek figure.  It’s hardly perfect, but tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.  The latter is the only option in today’s barren landscape.  By the way, that’s the second time I have referenced Tennyson (and a third is coming soon), and you all ignore it.  Meanwhile, nomad quoted Beat It in a review and you all acted like it was literary genius.  I don’t care.  I like me. [Editor’s Note:  I have no idea what Chris is talking about, but It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right.]

I would elevate this figure to a 5 score, but the “it can only do one thing” right arm precludes me from doing so.  It’s a 4 out of 10.  While I would be happy with an update, I can’t call for one WHEN I DON’T EVEN HAVE AN ARLEIL [EXPLETIVE] SCHOUS!