HasLab Project 2 Proposal #5:  The Ebon Hawk

As a refresher, here are the ideas coverd so far:

1. Death Star
2. Mechanized AT-AT
3. The Ghost
4. Rebel Transport / Echo Base playset

Among the vile trash heap that is the old discarded EU, few efforts have had the continuing popularity of the Knights of the Old Republic video game. Not only was this game a hit with Star Wars fans, but its open-world and multi-dimensional characters earned rave reviews and a bevy of awards. In the action figure world, the franchise has produced multiple “fans' choice” winners, and some very high prices on the secondary market. What better source for the next HasLab project? In the scope of big expensive vehicles that wouldn’t work at regular retail, the choice is obvious: The Ebon Hawk.

Officially, The Ebon Hawk, a Dynamic-class Freighter, is about 2/3 the length and width of the Falcon, but I think the target here should be about the same size as the BMF (which is technically underscaled): about 30 inches side to side and front to back. That should leave enough room for a functional cockpit with at least two seats and some interior space. Obviously, some concessions would need to be made in terms of the rooms. The communications room could probably be compressed to a console station behind the pilots. A nice main hold with the cool holotable is a must, and a combined garage/cargo-hold could contain some nice details. The side dormitories probably wouldn’t work at that scale, but they're not the most exciting feature of the ship.



The exterior is not super exciting, and that’s probably the biggest argument against this. It’s very square. Not in a 1950’s way, but more of an early 2000’s computer graphics way. From the outside the windshield looks like it’s about 6 inches high and at knee-level. Some liberties should be taken there.



Where this project really has the potential to shine is with the pack-ins. KOTOR, and to a lesser extent KOTOR II, gave us some really great characters that are dying to be immortalized in plastic. While the nature of the main playable character poses some challenges, filling out the crew would make this worth the price. We're going to focus on the main party of the first game here.



That would include 2 already made (HK-47 and Bastilla Shan), with 7 to go. They are:
-Carth Onassi- OK, not the most visually interesting character ever, but he fits well with the Star Wars aesthetic, and plays a role in the game. Even if that role is a Han Solo stand-in.
-Canderous Ordo- One of the few to return in the sequel, Canderous is a Mandalorian, but he dresses like a biker instead of Boba Fett. Figuring out a way to incorporate his Mandalore outfit would be a bonus.
-Mission Vao- Before Hera Syndulla proved that female Twi’Leks don’t have to dress like hussies, Mission was a plucky teen with a troubled past and a Wookiee sidekick.
-Zaalbar- He’s a Wookiee. With suspenders. The suspenders hold up his belt. The belt keep his suspenders on. We need more Wookiee figures.
-Jolee Bindo- If you cross Obi-Wan Kenobi with Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon, you get Jolee Bindo. He’s getting too old for this sh-
-Juhani- Possibly the least popular party member, Juhani would be an opportunity to get a Cathar figure. She’s a slightly better choice than Myhr Rho from the holiday special.
-T3-M4- Many people will say that HK-47 is the best droid from KOTOR, but those people are too easily distracted by his sarcasm and cynicism to see how awesome T3-M4 is. He’s like a droid dog. Who wouldn’t want a droid dog?



An additional possibility for a pack-in here is the swoop bike. Now, I’m not a huge fan of the Swoop designs from the game, but swoop racing plays a significant role in the plot, and it would make a nice addition to the package without busting the price. That being said, if Hasbro wanted to polish the toyetics a little, I think that would be fine.

So, to sum up, a BMF-sized Ebon Hawk, plus 9 figures and a swoop. If they needed to cut down on the figures to make it work, I’d be fine with leaving Bastilla out (she’s been released twice), and maybe cutting Jolee Bindo and/or Juhani. They're nobody’s favorites.

What say ye? Would you pledge $500 for something like this? Surely it's a better idea than that ridiculous walking AT-AT, right?

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