There are bad ass bounty hunters (Boba Fett) and ridiculous bounty hunters (Dog). And someplace in between, there’s Zuckuss.

Originally from the plant Gand, he looks an awful lot like the original Fly from the 1958 film, and is really one of the less original designs from Empire Strikes Back. But we all know how much kids love a good bounty hunter, and even without any lines in the film, his action figures have always been popular.

Gentle Giant has just added him to their extremely extensive line of mini-busts, with a limited edition release of 5000. You can pick up Zuckuss for around $45, and I have some excellent suggestions of online retailers at the end of the review.

“Zuckuss mini-bust”

Did you know Zuckuss was played by a woman? Neither did I. I guess you really do learn something new every day, whether you wanted to learn it or not.

Packaging – ***
When Gentle Giant uses the window boxes, they make me happy. I like to be able to see the bust before I open it. Of course, this really only helps if you’re buying in person at a store, but it’s better than nothing. The graphics are dull as dishwater, with the same angular black and gray design that we’ve seen on the Medicom sixth scale boxes. It’s consistent, but still consistently dull.

Sculpting – ****
When Gentle Giant does it right, they do it oh so right. Zuckuss looks amazing, with a very detailed sculpt all around. They’ve even added some light texturing to the robe, something missing from most of their Star Wars busts.

The head and body proportions do seem a little off to me, with the head being a bit bigger in proportion to the body than I remember in the film. It’s not so much that the head is too large, but rather that the body is too small. I seem to recall an on screen character that looked more like a fly that’s been hitting the twinkies way too hard. This Zuckuss is a tad more trim and slim, which is probably causing the discrepency.

The eyes are particularly well done, with a lot of depth and sharpness to the cuts. There’s a distinct difference in the texture and style of the character’s flesh and the clothing and equipment, adding a nice realism to the bust.

Paint – ***1/2
Another very strong area, although there are a couple minor issues here and there. One of the nice features of a oddball character like Zuckuss is the wider range of colors, and all of them are quite bright and clean, giving him more pizzazz than you’d expect.

There’s a little slop here and there, but it’s minor enough that I suspect most folks won’t mind. The robes are also a tad more glossy than I like, but this is more a personal preference than a serious quality issue. Finally, the bronze pieces of the costume are a little inconsistent in coverage and thickness, but that’s fairly common with this type of metallic color.

Design – ***1/2
Zuckuss is holding his blaster pointed to his left, while he looks over his right shoulder. The pose and design are extremely strong, with enough dynamic feel to make him interesting without making him silly.

I really like the large ‘rope twist’ black wire on his back, which looks quite realistic but is actually polyresin as well. The bronze pieces of his costume also add a nice touch, and this is one of the cleaner designs of the series.

Value – **1/2
He’s running the same $40 – $45 as the rest of the line, but lacks any special features that would boost his value above average. you won’t mind spending the money though, so this category is really a wash.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. From what I’ve seen, the paint seems pretty consistent for this line, so you should be good to go. And short of dropping him on a concrete floor, you should have no issues with breakage.

Overall – ***1/2
Zuckuss is another strong offering in the Star Wars mini-bust series. Unfortunately, Gentle Giant continues to pump out far too many exclusives in this line, making it harder and harder for their fans to get the busts they want. I haven’t actually counted them up yet, but I honestly believe that they’ll be doing MORE exclusives in the Star Wars line up than regular releases this year, and there’s really no excuse for that.

But if you’re like me, you’ll be trying to get the busts you want for your collection, playing right into their hands. I suppose we get exactly what we deserve.

Where to Buy –
I recommend any of these online options:

– Hero Hunt has an excellent price at just $40, and he’s in stock.

– Fireside Collectibles has him at an excellent price – $40 – but he doesn’t appear to be in stock yet. You might want to give them a call to see when he’ll ship.

– Andrew’s Toyz carries all kinds of great Star Wars merchandise, and has Zuckuss on pre-order at just $41.

– Dark Shadow Collectibles has him at just $42.

– Alter Ego Comics has him for $42.50.

– Amazing Toyz and CornerStoreComics have him in stock at $44.

– and for the U.K. readers, Forbidden Planet has him for 29 pounds.

Related Links –
Other Star Wars mini-busts I’ve covered include Chewbacca and Darth Maul, Jedi Luke, Qui-Gon Jinn, Palpatine and Skiff Lando.

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