Vintage Collection

VCBASIC

Grand Moff Tarkin

Info and Stats
Number:  
VC98
Year:  
2012
MSRP:  
$9.99
Grade:  
5/10 Bantha Skulls
 
* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
Review by: Bret
Review date: 09/12/2018

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

Original Review:  Chris - 8/26/2012 1:17 AM

To quote Ms. Piggy’s inamorato, “It ain’t easy being green,” so one must take pity on the Death Star’s administrator.  The uniform on the figure came out particularly green and not the gray it appears in the film.  Now this is when a better nerd than I says something like “But Lunchbox, the screen used costume in the Lucas Film archives is actually green” or “But Lunchbox, it been established that Grand Moff uniforms are gr…”  SHUDDUP!  I don’t care.  It looks gray in the movie.  I’m gonna call it gray.

This was too important of a release for Hasbro to screw up.  Grand Moff Tarkin.  Dr. Evazan.  Garindan.  These are all Episode IV figures that felt like they should have been in the actual vintage lineup.  Hasbro made up for the omission of Dr. Evazan with a brilliant Vintage Collection release.  Unfortunately they could not repeat that performance with Grand Moff Tarkin.

Aside from the jarringly green uniform, the next thing that jumps out at you is the soft goods lower tunic.  The weave of the fabric is very coarse and obvious.  Some fans have taken to likening the appearance to a bath towel.  Even though it’s imperfect in terms of range of motion, I think most fans would have preferred a plastic lower tunic with a slit on the side that gives the hip joints the ability to move.  This is the method employed on previous imperial officers, and while it takes some effort to get the figure to sit, it’s the best blend of aesthetics and function.

The last thing I’m going to whine about is the curious brown highlights in the figure’s hair.  The paint appears to be coarsely applied which hardly gives a salt and pepper appearance that I assume was the intent.  Instead it looks like someone smeared peanut butter in the Grand Moff’s hair.  He’s clearly not having a good day.

So with these things aside, the figure has the standard modern 14 points of articulation.  The General Patton pants are nicely captured in the sculpt.  Some have complained about the head sculpt, but I personally like it. Some better (and added) paint apps would really make it something.  If the hair was solid gray and some ruddiness was added under the eyes, I think it would really take on a film like appearance.  But the negatives are simply too glaring.  5 out of 10.  Oh, and the figure comes with a Mouse Droid that I forgot to photograph…D’OH!

Updated Review:  Bret - 9/12/2018 07:05 AM

Chris nailed this review again.  The coloring is jarring, even if some say it is accurate.  I watched the briefing scene (below this review for your convenience), and I can’t tell the difference between Tarkin’s uniform and those of Motti or Tagge.  So while an officer like Colonel Yularen stands out because of his cool white uniform, Tarkin stands out because of his weird green uniform.  It isn’t as jarring if you don’t have other officers displayed nearby, but where’s the fun in that?  I’ve got issues seeing colors properly, but this immediately jumps out as a big fail. 

The other negatives that Chris pointed out are also disappointing.  The soft goods “skirt” (lower tunic)  is executed very poorly and is frankly unnecessary.  And I agree with Chris that the hair is also painted erroneously. 

I’ll only add something about the Mouse Droid.  This is actually the real winner in the package.  Amazingly, Hasbro had opted to make the special miniature cardback for the Mouse Droid in the Death Star SDCC set, and then only about a year later, they released this brand new, and far superior version.  It is quite a bit smaller, and therefore scaled more appropriately.  The sculpt is a bit sharper and slightly more detailed, and comes with silver details and weathering.  Most significantly, the wheels will actually spin, so you can roll the droid across a flat surface, like Peyton Manning’s forehead.  It’s interesting that Hasbro developed this mold after the release of the POTF2-era version in the SDCC set.  There was enough of an uproar from collectors over that whole issue, and in the end, we don’t even have the best Mouse Droid on that card.

It wouldn’t have taken much to make this figure amazing.  it’s still pretty good, and this figure probably would normally rate a 6 or 7, but I’m going to land with Chris on the tough grade of a 5, because this was a figure that just needed to be close to perfect, and it is annoyingly far from it.  Ditch the cloth skirt and replace with the modern soft and pliable plastic.  Paint the hair gray and white.  And absolutely make the uniform grey like most of the other key officers, and we have an instant winner.  This can not, unfortunately, be declared the definitive Tarkin.  We’ll reserve that for some improved future release.

Verdict: Re-sculpt (Medium Priority) 

A rare miss in TVC.  Granted, it’s not a bad figure, it’s just a bad Tarkin.  It loses extra point due to the subjective nature of the importance of this character in the TVC line.  Fix the color, the soft goods, and the hair, and you probably have the definitive version.  But after all this negativity, this figure goes for pretty insane prices, probably around $100, on eBay.  It’s possible the fan community just disagrees with Chris and I, and the majority of collectors actually love this figure.  I think it’s just that fans have been begging for this character to be immortalized on this style of card since they were kids, and will take what they can get.  All things considered, it’s still the best Tarkin out there, but if you don’t have this figure, I would personally recommend trying to pickup an earlier release at a fraction of the price, and then hold out for a re-sculpt down the line.

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.

* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
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