Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Bret - 6/25/10 04:52 PM

It’s tough to make sense of this figures.  Fans have been screaming for a new Han Bespin for five years now, yet Hasbro delivers a Solo figure that seemingly no one asked for.  Outfit choice aside, this figure generally misses the mark.  You already know much about this figure from the 2006 VTSC Endor Solo figure.  The arms and coat, which somewhat limits the range of motion of the legs, are new.  Speaking of the coat, Hasbro takes another whack at the debatable color of Solo’s Hoth garb.  This time it’s a very dark brown.  The head sculpt is okay if they were going for a confused Harrison Ford look alike.  The biggest problem with this figure is that it comes with accessories that it doesn’t interact well with.  The figure can hold the welding mask, but lacks the range of motion to hold it in front of its face. 

Updated Review: Bret - 5/16/18 07:05 AM

This figure, while greatly flawed, stands as an example of everything that was once great about the 3.75” line.  I very much appreciate Hasbro giving us a Han Solo wardrobe change that he wore for about 5 seconds on screen.  The scene in the last image of the gallery (which Chris contributed) where Han is welding the Falcon is the only time Han has an open Hoth parka.  Hasbro took this, and turned it into a figure so that this very short, but memorable scene could be recreated on your shelf.  As you can see from the second to last image, Han in Hoth Gear has been a very popular figure for Hasbro to release.  Due to many nuanced changes in the outfit’s look, Hasbro has tried to capture each one.  Never mind the whole brown vs. blue coat controversy, we’ve gotten open coat (with Bespin outfit underneat), and full hoth winter gear versions of Han with the hood up and hood down, goggles on or off, face mask on or off, hat on or off, snow covered or dry, and even a soft goods version to allow for easier TaunTaun riding.  All of them have some value, even if just to hit up the couple of frames of screen time properly.  The real draw here would be the welding tool and face shield, but unfortunately, due to some articulation limitations with the arms and wrists, Han has a hard time holding it close to his face, so it’s a bit of a disappointment.  My sample also has an unfortunate lean to his left.  Otherwise, it’s a decent, if not great figure.  It’s probably lucky we have this Han version, but while there is definitely room for improvement, I think we’re good calling this the definitive Han Solo (Open Coat, Echo Base Hangar, Safety Welding Repair Attempt, Falcon Explosion) figure. 

Not the greatest figure in The Vintage Collection, but a welcome addition to the line, nonetheless.  A reminder of the glory days when Hasbro had opportunity to attempt every wardrobe variation of the main characters.  Those days are probably long gone, but we can cross our fingers for the future.  The figure has a light to modest premium on Ebay.  If you’re into having a detailed and fully populated Echo Base Hangar setup, make sure to add this to your collection.  Otherwise, you can probably stand to live without it.  The figure can be left alone and not re-issued.

Updated Review (For PhotoReal release): Bret - 6/9/19 07:05 AM

In the Spring of 2019, Hasbro re-issued 4 TVC figures in a wave as an International exclusive, with online availability in the US.  Besides a second opportunity at some core characters, Hasbro also offered some deco updates to the figures, mostly centered around the application of PhotoReal technology.  For many long-time collectors that already own these figures, a decision would need to be made about whether or not these figures warrant a re-purchase. 

The choice of this particular Han figure as the recipient of the PhotoReal update is an odd one.  Han Solo wore this outfit for only a few seconds.  I love that it exists, but there is absolutely no reason to own more than one of these figures.  Is the update to the face worthwhile?  Check out the gallery.  I think it’s nice, but I actually thought the original face already had a reasonable resemblance to Harrison Ford.  Is it better?  Maybe.  The closeup photography perhaps gives you a bit too much of a hi-def look where you can see every tiny dot of the paint application.  Take that image and slowly zoom in on it.  Don’t you feel like Cameron Frye staring at A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte?  But if you look at it at normal viewing distance, it appears much better.

That’s pretty much it.  Any other perceived differences between the figures are probably the result of being manufactured almost a decade apart.  For those of you that are card aficionados, you may be disappointed to note that the bubble is quite a bit larger than the original release, and it infringes upon Han’s portrait.  It’s a strange design change, especially considering that physically, the figure and accessories are exactly the same across all releases.  For some reason Hasbro changed the accessory layout in the plastic tray, and the entire bubble combo is now larger.  One other curious change is in the name pill.  This releas drops “Outfit” from the figure subtitle.

Re-releasing almost any other TVC version of Han with PhotoReal would probably have been a better option than this figure with limited usefulness, but I would have probably picked VC50 (Bespin Outfit) as the best candidate, since it’s the closest to definitive.  This is still a decent figure, but think twice before purchasing if you already own it.  Hopefully the images above will help you decide.