Bib Fortuna Kenner Review

 Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi is without a doubt one of the coolest parts of that movie! More aliens than the Mos Eisley Cantina from A New Hope, and all of them looking better thanks to a bigger budget and advances in technology, I promise I won't talk Special Edition upgrades (although some are quite good)! But besides Gamorrean Guards, the first character we saw was Bib Fortuna as he was the one to meet C-3PO and R2-D2. And everyone who saw him asked: What are those worms on his head for?! Well, they are called lekku and serve as a way to non-verbally communicate among many things. But what about his Kenner figure?!

Bib has the same standard 5 POA as all figures in this era have. But the level of sculpting and detail was definitely seen here. The bright colors used by Kenner in 1978 for the Cantina aliens is not seen here. Onscreen accuracy was something that Kenner began striving for at the tail end of The Empire Strikes Back line, and it pays off big time here! The level of detail on his head sculpt is excellent for 1983, even the fat folds on his chin are well captured. Even the detail on his bracelets and hands are well done, as his fingers are slightly larger than a normal human. He is a Twi'lek after all!

Bib comes with a removable cloth cloak, a new for Kenner as all other robes until 1983 had been those easily torn vinyl capes. He also has chest armor which many (including me) have lost over the years.  But his "weapon" is something we wouldn't see him use until his appearance in the Season 2 of The Mandalorian, and that is his staff. Later Bib figures had him with a small blaster, a knife or no weapon at all. I also lost my staff years ago, so all mine has is just his green outfit, so he was always the Emperor when I played because I didn't have Palpy!

Now, is he essential for your collection? Well, yes. Here's why: but only if you have Jabba the Hutt. If you don't, then you probably don't need him, unless you want to use him for a diorama scene. I'm no completist when it comes to the Kenner line, but I still have the Kenner Jabba, and this figure so there's that. He is a good figure, and can fit in any Kenner era vehicle, the Tattooine Skiff Mini Rig, if you have it wouldn't be a bad thing to have him ride in. It would explain his escape, wouldn't it?!

On the secondary market, pay about $5-$10 for a loose and incomplete one. You might get accessories like the cloak and vest and staff for $10-$15 a piece. On card, the graded prices run around $700, while an ungraded, on card runs anywhere from $100-$600, unpunched cards tend to run higher. But if you're buying, my advice is go loose and see what is there, he's affordable if you want him. Images from Galactic Figures.