This is a very interesting set.  First off, it’s merely called “Jabba’s Throne”.  The package indicates that it includes Jabba the Hutt almost as if it’s an afterthought.  So basically, we’re being sold a piece of furniture, and the action figure is merely an accessory.  Well, that might not be an unfair representation.

First off, the throne.  We’ve waited for 27 years to get an updated dais for our favorite crimelord.  The sculpting is detailed, and it has a nice paintwash.  The big thing is that we’ve made a trade in the “action” department.  Gone is the trap door feature from the vintage ROTJ version.  You would twist the gargoyle heads on the front, and the doors would swing upwards and open.  While the depth was too shallow to actually recreate the rancor pit, it was a neat “mini-rig” type concept, and you could store some crap in there.  Hasbro opted instead to go with a solid base.  The big thing is that it’s on wheels and can be moved forward and back.  This is cool because in the movie the throne rolls forward so Jabba can get a better look at the action, specifically on the Khetanna Sail Barge that Hasbro insists it isn’t making.  There’s some kind of grooved/zipper looking thing on the bottom of the throne, which seems, at this point to serve no purpose, unless it has something to do with a pre-planned interaction with the aforementioned Khetanna Sail Barge that Hasbro pretends is not being produced.  Anyway, the gargoyle heads are back, and are nicely sculpted.  None of them move, as they did when acting as door-openers in the original.  The water pipe/rail assembly is similar to the vintage version.  This does not snap into place on the throne in any way.  The set comes with a bunch of colored pillows and rags, which really adds character to the set.  Nice touch.

Jabba himself is, well, meh.  It’s a good sculpt.  He’s got ball jointed shoulders and elbows.  The neck swivels.  The head and arms are a harder plastic, while the body is essentially a flimsy rubber covering for the poseable thick wire tail inside.  The water pipe can fit in his mouth.  This is done well, because there isn’t a specific hole for it, it just kind of stays in place.  The only unfortunate thing is that the range of arm movement is limited so that he really doesn’t hold the pipe too well while it’s in his mouth.  Otherwise, he can hold it at the ready.  After getting my hands on this version of Jabba, I can see why the toy is billed as the throne, with a Jabba accessory.  There’s not that much to do with the character from an action perspective, other than maybe having some kind of moveable tongue.  Still, I feel that if Hasbro wanted to make an incredible Jabba, they could do better than this. Honestly, I feel this isn’t much better than the Episode I Jabba Glob figure, which I had been using for my Palace display.  So I have no problem keeping that (with the vintage throne), and then using this new one with the Khetanna Sail Barge that Hasbro refuses to admit is coming soon.

Oola is a really nice figure.  She’s superarticulated.  While the sculpted bare arms suffer a bit from the visible joints, the figure his highly poseable.  The face sculpt and paint are excellent.  The figure has a mesh dress, with a pleather thong.  She comes with a neck restraint, which is removeable, that is attached to a long string “chain”.  Finally, the set comes with a Salacious B. Crumb figure.  At first I thought this was an all new sculpt, but I was reminded that this is the same one that came with the TAC C-3PO.  It has swivel arms and neck, and ball jointed hips.  Nothing too crazy, but it does give some extra poseability options. 

The entire set makes for a great display.  As you can see from the pics, it looks mighty impressive when it takes its position of honor in your palace diorama.  This is a nice set.  While the Jabba itself isn’t particularly awesome, the set as a whole is a fantastic addition to anyone’s collection, and the $35 price is more than reasonable.  I advise you brave your nearest Wal*Mart and pick this up.

8/10 Bantha Skulls