Kenner Endor Han Solo Review

 It took a lot of tries by Kenner to get Han Solo right, and while I have noted the missed opportunities by Kenner since the line started with the little head, then big head Han Solo, to the wrong color hair on Bespin Han, to the "Bull Neck" Carbonite Han, Kenner gets it right for Endor Han! Maybe that was the problem: trying. As Master Yoda says "Do or do not. There is no try!" Kenner went and did it, they made an incredible figure of Han Solo, and this is definitely one you want to own.

Now, he is currently available in the Retro Return of the Jedi line, I will try to find some pictures to compare between this and the classic Kenner version. I will not be covering those figures since it was revealed they take away from Vintage Collection and Black Series tooling budgets. That's not to say I'm not grateful for the Retro Mandalorian figures, they got me into it. But, I'm done collecting them, and honestly, with some rare exceptions the Kenner ones look better! But back to the review.

Endor Han actually follows Jedi Luke as having a major mid production run change, and it involves his trench coat. In the first picture you can clearly see the camouflage isn't on his lapels. Kenner then in the 2nd run made his entire coat all camouflage. Typically, the first version runs for a higher price if it's on card, although the 2nd version has lately caught up to it, so it's a wash out as far as which version you want, they run about the same on card. A good, loose and complete version runs $85-$125. You might be able to get a decent version though from anywhere from $40-$75. So if you want this version, that's what you'll have to spend.

As you can see in the Retro Collection card, that version has the full camouflage trench coat, and zooming in, appears to be faithful to the classic Kenner face sculpt. But, if you want it, it's at the better price. The Kenner version has the same basic 5 articulation points, and can hold his blaster in his right hand, sadly no holster for the weapon so if you keep it loose you will need a small bag or box to store it in. The paint job on Han is fairly well done! The only thing missing is his yellow pants stripes, and honestly this isn't a big deal to me as this feature was also skipped for Endor Leia (my next Kenner Review, by the way!). He has a white shirt, black vest, black boots and brown belt and pants. He does look how he looked onscreen, for 1983 standards anyway!

But what this particular Han Solo figure means to me is, when I decided back in 2009 to fill out my Kenner Star Wars figures (back then I had Madine, Chewie, Bespin Luke, Nikto, Gamorrean Guard, and Bib Fortuna) I wanted this figure since it was the absolute BEST KENNER HAN SOLO! He's the best as far as the head sculpt, outfit and overall look. And I found him at a cheap price back then! When I started on The Black Series (6 inch line) I also went for ROTJ looks for the main heroes (Luke, Han, Leia, Lando) as I did for the Kenner figures. My point is, if you only get one Kenner Era Han Solo, make sure it's this one! But if you want the Retro Endor Han, by all means buy it! It doesn't look to different than the Kenner version, and is much lighter on your wallet! Images from Galactic Figures, Retro images from eBay.