VC Lobot Review

 So I scanned my blog and my last VC review was in March. That was the Rebel Fleet Troop Builder Pack. Which is an outstanding battle pack, so please order it, and read my review of the pack before you order! But since I'm covering Kenner era Empire Strikes Back figures I thought it would be time to cover one of the most recent new figures made from The Empire Strikes Back, Lando Calrissian's partner and friend, Lobot!

At first glance you would assume Lobot is a brand new sculpt head to toe. And you'd be correct. But unlike the Kenner Lobot, POTF2 Lobot and the OTC Lobot, this figure is loaded with 17 POA. He does have the ball joint hips, but for some reason on my sample I had to give the legs a 180 degree turn to get them to work properly. But like the older versions he has the puffy pirate shirt that Jerry Seinfeld would be envious of. But this time his arms can bend, and twist thanks to ball jointed shoulders and elbows. His wrists can swivel as well. This figure does have the ball jointed hips, but on my sample I did have to move them around 180 degrees to get them to work. They act more like the ball socket hip joints but it's easy to move and getting Lobot to sit down is no effort at all. In fact, the thigh swivel joints, which I liked with the ball socket hip joints Hasbro has used up until this year, don't compliment Lobot very well. Hopefully this is a feature Hasbro drops on future new sculpted figures which can save tool costs which means Hasbro can hopefully make more new VC figures.

There are no issues with the paint apps. In the past some figures looked like they got spray painted while on the assembly line. Lobot doesn't have a colorful outfit, but when you get to his cranial implants there are some different colors, and on my sample they are clean. Very clean. It's something nice to see from Hasbro. Even with some older figures getting repacked, like AOTC Obi-Wan I can see better paint applications not just on the head but all over the figure. This is just an important a job helping sell the figure to fans and collectors, with paint applications being a big part in the prices of figures in a wave. The higher the paint app cost, the fewer figures per wave or a couple figures just have 1 or 2 color apps.

Now the head sculpt is simply amazing! Hasbro has been utilizing the barbell style head and neck articulation which gives a more accurate head movement to these figures. Removing his head is easy enough if you want to do it. In the OTC version of Lobot his cranial implant was a removable piece and I can speak from personal experience that it is an accessory that is very easy to lose. For the VC Lobot, it is part of the head sculpt and happily will not fall out. But unlike the OTC Lobot, he doesn't come with a laptop but instead a Stormtrooper blaster, which he can fit easily into his right hand. So it isn't an accurate accessory to his 1980 Kenner release but the card matches his 1980 Kenner counterpart. Now finally the big question: Is he essential? Well, yes. I always had Lando and Lobot hanging out, just like I have Bacardi with my Cola. Remember those commercials? Well, they get the job done. If you have Bespin Lando, you need Lobot. It's like not adding ice to a daiquiri. You need it. Now here are a couple images of Lobot for you to look over while I pour a cold adult beverage.