Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with a second look…

Original Review:  Chris - 8/24/2014 7:27 AM

Hasbro we need a new skiff.  I’m going to selfishly dedicate part of every skiff guard review to this campaign until you relent. I don’t think you can handle the pressure. I’m tired of having to twist and contort my figures just to get them to stand in the narrow walkway between the center of the tiny skiff and the railing.  A process that usually results in at least one domino effect during the set up.  WE NEED A NEW SKIFF.  There.  I was about six there.  You don’t want to see me go to ten.  Get your act together.  Make my toy.

We once called this character Sergeant Doallyn because the helmet is identical to the character inside the palace known by that name who wears a dark jumpsuit.  Because of some continuity issues established under the “Legends” banner, it became necessary to differentiate the two characters, and the skiff guard in the white jumpsuit became Brock Starsher.  That should be the name of this figure, and perhaps if re-released in the future, we will see that designation.  For now Hasbro has sidestepped this bit of nomenclature confusion and simply titled the figure Jabba’s Skiff Guard.  Regardless, this is our first ever Brock Starsher figure ever and that is reason for joy.  Never made original trilogy figures, as in never ever not in even in the vintage Kenner line, are a rarity nowadays and something to celebrate.

Hasbro has done wonderful fan service with this figure.  The base stance is a perfectly neutral, which is perfect if you want to include him as a spectator in your palace display (and I don’t even care if he’s not on-screen in the palace).  The detail sculpted into the jumpsuit is a hall of fame sculpting effort.  I fear the photography lamps will mute all the crumples, folds and rolls that were sculpted into the fabric of the jumpsuit.  The sculptor was handed a rather bland subject in a white jumpsuit and managed to give it a dynamic and lifelike appearance.  The helmet gives the impression of being too small at first glance.  After looking at shots of the actual prop and the figure over and over, I think the sizing is well within an acceptable margin of error.  What may be giving an impression of width on the actual prop are the hoses connecting to the helmet itself.  They are floating and angle out just before turning back inward as they attached to the helmet.  On the figure, the hoses are not floating elements and are sculpted close to the helmet.  It’s my guess that his is what gives the impression of narrowness.

I am very grateful that this Brock Starsher figure did not fall victim to Hasbro’s recent cost cutting measures.  The vibro-ax is made out of sturdy plastic.  The hands are rubbery and that’s okay when the accessories are not equally as rubbery.  The combination works fine.  Also, despite my initial fears, the figure sports full super articulation.  The Toy Fair sample appeared to be missing the ankles.  Every figure needs ankles, but especially skiff guards. It’s critical in order to make interesting poses with the melee weapons they prefer for some reason.  Out of the package, the left hip of my figure had virtually no range of motion.  I though this was due to the belt sculpt blocking the leg and I was prepared to categorize this as a fatal flaw.  Post photography I realized that the belt was actually fused to the leg at the top of the hip.  Once freed, this left some unfortunate black plastic on the leg, but it can only be seen with the hip articulated forward.  With that issue resolved, all of the joints move freely and are a bit on the loose side, but not so much to become damming.

There are some minor gripes.  The DL-18 blaster pistol is sculpted with an enclosed trigger guard, but the figure does not have a floating trigger finger.  This is annoying when trying to get the figure to interact with the accessory.  The pistol essentially rests on top of the hand instead of in a normal grip.  To be fair, this figure was originally slated to include the twin blaster pistols similar to the Ree-Yees figure as seen in this official Hasbro Toy Fair image.  Those weapons do not have closed trigger guards and would have worked with the hands on this figure.  Brock Starsher used the SoroSuub BD-1 vibro-ax on-screen, so Hasbro made the right call in rethinking the accessories.  The exposed flesh of the neck is painted in a greenish tint.  It’s not overly distracting, but still noticeable.  Lastly the hoses of the helmet could have been sculpted a little closer the the attachment angle of the prop to give the necessary impression of width.  These minor gripes compel me to give this figure an 8 out 10.  Once again like the Ree-Yees figure, I will buy lots of these for no good reason.

Updated Review:  Bret - 11/22/2018 07:05 AM

In honor of Thanksgiving, we’re going to review this figure for reasons that are intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer.  For those of you living under a rock and unfamiliar with the connection, here you go.  Brock Starsher was employed as a skiff guard by Jabba the Hutt.  Being “employed” by Jabba basically meant he was Jabba’s slave for life.  During the Battle of the Pit of Carkoon, Luke Skywalker freed himself from the prisoner skiff and jumped to the second skiff, on which Starsher rode.  Luke quickly toppled Starsher off the skiff.  As he tumbled towards the gaping maw of the Sarlaac, Starsher knew his service to Jabba was finally over.  His last words as he fell into the pit were, “Wham bam shang a lang.”  This was later translated by C-3PO as “Thanks for giving me my freedom you murderous maniac!” And so, Thanksgiving was born.

Chris covered the figure perfectly in his review.  If you aren’t excited about all new, never before made backgrounders from the OT, then you are a terrible person.  Slowly…very slolwly…Hasbro was releasing new figures from the skiffs to help approach completion of that important subset.  We have 11 of the 17 figures from the 2 skiffs.  While a couple of them could use an update, we’ve gotten 7 of the 11 figures in the TVC or TBS lines.  Hasbro was practically on fire with this subset in recent years.  Now we just need 6 more new characters, and an update or two, and we’re good to go.  Oh, and Chris wants a newly designed skiff. 

The figure is sculpted incredibly well, painted impressively, and has the necessary articulation.  Chris correctly panned the blaster, but at least the all-important vibe-blade was included.  There are no weird mis-matched joint paint applications.  The helmet does seem to be a bit too small to me, but whatever.

My only real complaint is that Brock Starsher, one of the greatest names in all of Star Wars, is missing from the packaging.  Jabba’s Skiff Guard could be any number of characters.  We all deserve to have a Brock Starsher in our collection.  Hasbro has promised additional Jabba figures next year to help support the Barge, so perhaps they plan on re-releasing this figure on TVC packaging complete with a “Brock Starsher” name pill.  We could then all give thanks.

This figure looks great at the bow of the skiff, and is a must have for your collection.

Verdict: Re-issue (high priority) 

“Brock Starsher” goes for insane amounts on eBay, if you can find him.  It’s a great figure, it’s definitive, it’s related to the Barge, and it’s rare and in demand.  Everything points to a needed re-issue.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.