I’ll be honest – once Sideshow started producing their sixth scale armored Star Wars figures, I drifted away from Medicom. I have a bunch of their troopers, but with the Sideshow figures being in scale with most of my 12″ collection, and with the cheaper prices for similar quality, it was a no brainer for me.
But Medicom is also producing some things that it’s unlikely we’ll see from anyone else. The latest figure in that category is their ‘vinyl collectible doll’ or VCD version of the Jawa. While these are marketed under their VCD line, at about 6″ tall they fit right in with the sixth scale figures. Well, at least Medicom’s sixth scale figures.
I picked this guy up a few weeks ago for about $80. Last year, Medicom released an Ewok in the same style, which I reviewed earlier right here. If you have any questions or comments, you can drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or visit my site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy for lots more reviews just like this one.
By the way, I’ll be at San Diego Comic Con this week, so I might be a little slower than usual at replying to emails. And if you’ll be at the con, let me know!
Medicom VCD Jawa
The Jawas are like the ugly, rude cousins of the Ewoks. Oh, they’re both short and the color brown is their predominate look, but that’s abotu where the similarity ends. Where the Ewoks are cute, the Jawas are deformed. Where the Ewoks are sweet, the Jawas are nasty. I suspect this has a lot to do with why I like Jawas so much more than Ewoks.
Packaging – **1/2
The boxes remain as dull as they have been for several years now. This isn’t entirely Medicom’s fault, as this color scheme and basic design is largely driven by Lucas Film, but I think Medicom could have tried to push the envelope a bit, since other licensors have done it.
However, the box does fulfill the prime directive – the interior trays keep the figure safe and cozy, and it’s completely collector friendly, requiring you to damage not a thing in removing the figure.
Sculpting – ***
One of my big gripes with the Ewok they produced was his small statue, coming in at only 5″. The Jawa is an improvement, standing almost 6″ tall, and fitting in much better with other 12″ figures, even those from Sideshow. I’ve got him pictured with Vader, and he seems extra small there, but that’s because Vader is a whopping 14″ tall, and actually too large for sixth scale by about a half inch. I thought it made for an amusing photo, but take my word for it that he does fit in better – although not perfectly – with the regular Medicom and Sideshow Star Wars figures.
So yes, I’m happier with the height. He can still seem a bit dimunative due to the lack of volume that he takes up, but he’s still more in scale than his previous cousin, Wicket. He also stands great on his own, always a plus.
The sculpting of the feet, hands and head is decent, solid work, but nothing outstanding. It reminds me of Hasbro work when they shoot for the collector’s, rather than kid’s, market, and the level of detail and realism isn’t too far above most current mass market work. Last time I checked, the head was supposed to look wrapped, but here the sculpting makes it appear to be a carved hunk of stone, lacking the kind of detail you’d really like to see.
The eyes are applied to the head as separate, reflective pieces. They are glued in place fairly straight, at about the right distance apart, but the smooth craft store style lack much personality. They do the job, but they aren’t the sort of high quality eyes you’d expect, and let’s be honest – at this price point they really should light up, rather than merely be reflective.
Paint – ***
Again, decent enough for the character, but not a category that’s going to win them any awards. The head is pretty much a solid gray, without any drybrushing or wash. It’s not like a Jawa has much detail work on his face that you can highlight with paint, but there’s nothing here that’s surprising or unique.
The saving grace in this category is the reflective nature of the eyes. While the back coating is a little inconsistent, it reflects the light much better than I had anticipated, giving him a more of a ‘light up’ look. Hey, I’m still not happy that they don’t light up, but for some folks the reflective quality will be sufficient.
Articulation – ***
This was kind of the surprise here, since most of the VCD figures aren’t very articulated. However, Medciom gave this guy a terrific ball jointed neck, as well as cut shoulders and pin/post wrists. There’s no leg articulation, but the sculpted action pose works well enough that the arm and neck articulation is sufficient.
It’s too bad that the head is generally covered up by the hood, since you can get a lot of personality out of the neck joint. The arms work well with the included accessories, and you can work with the basic sculpted pose and make it your own.
Outfit – **1/2
The outfit is made up of several pieces. There’s the removable hood, the attached cloak, and a pair of belts slung across his shoulders.
The belts and cloak are glued in place, making it pretty much impossible to adjust them without damage. Adding in some wires to allow you to pose the cloak close to the body would have been a much better solution. Do you remember when you used to decoupage cloth to an elementary school project? That’s what this cloak reminds me of.
The hood fits over the head, but is fairly thick and bulky. At least here you can play around with it a bit, and I’m thinking that a hit from the iron wouldn’t be a bad idea. The hood isn’t too deep, so you’ll be able to see the Jawa’s eyes in most poses, but a wire in the edge would have made posing it a bit easier.
The best part of the outfit is the paint and sculpt work done on the various pouches on the belts. While the belts themselves are basic pleather, the pouches have a nice detailed sculpt, and a worn, aged paint job that sets them apart.
Accessories – ***
Another surprise, since the single accessory included with their Wicket was fairly dull.
Here we get not one but two extras – a blaster that fits perfectly in his sculpted right hand, and a droid caller that fits perfectly in his left. The sculpt and paint are solid on both, and they compliment the action pose nicely.
Fun Factor – ***
Oddly enough, this is more toy than collectible. It might not seem that way from the price tag, but as I said, this really reminds me of Hasbro on steroids.
Value – *1/2
If you’re looking to complain about prices, then you need to look at this kind of collectible. At $80, you’re getting a very small figure, with a couple accessories and nothing particularly high quality or unique. At this price point, we really needed to see the eyes light up to feel like we were getting something comparable to even Sideshow. No doubt that prices have risen in the last couple years (which is why I’m not docking him quite as much as I did the Ewok, even though the Ewok was cheaper), but this is still far too much for what is a fairly basic action figure.
Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. I wouldn’t go rearranging the cloak with too much energy, since it’s glued in place to give it the jus so look.
Overall – **1/2
This figure is clearly an improvement over the Ewok they did, at least in terms of scale and extras. He’s still pretty much B grade work, but if you can get him at a reasonable price (say, $40 – $50) he’s adequate.
The big problem is the extreme price. At $80, he’ll run you as much as many high end sixth scale figures, without the complexity, articulation, size or accessories. Even the Ewok, which came out about a year ago, was a full twenty bucks less than this guy, and he’s still available at the Sideshow site. On sale, no less.
This is a guy that’s begging for a sale price, and I recommend that’s how you track him down. Pick him up in that under $50 category, and you can add another half star to this overall.
Scoring Recap –
Packaging – **1/2
Sculpting – ***
Paint – ***
Articulation – ***
Outfit – ***
Accessories – ***
Fun Factor – ***
Value – *1/2
Overall – **1/2
Where to Buy –
Sideshow has them in stock at $80, and I suspect they will be for awhile. Perhaps this would be a good Gift Card item?
– Alter Ego Comics has him for $72.
– CornerStoreComics also has him for $72.
– UK collectors can pick him up at Forbidden Planet for 50 GBP.
Related Links –
Other Medicom Star Wars reviews include:
– the Clone Trooper Captain, Wicket, Darth Maul, the 501st Clone Trooper, Jango Fett, the Sandtrooper, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, the regular Stormtrooper, and Clonetrooper and Blackhole Trooper.
