In 2019 a number of multi-pack Star Wars Black Series sets were released and sold solely at the brand new Galaxy's Edge sectors of the US Disney Parks. These sets contained a lot of repacks, but also new figures of DJ R-3X, Hondo Ohnaka, Commander Pyre and a First Order Mountain Trooper.
In 2020 it was announced that Target in the US had struck a deal with Disney to sell Galaxy's Edge merchandise exclusively in their stores, and this would include single pack Black Series figures from the Galaxy's Edge park. The first batch of four saw one new figure in the shape of Captain Cardinal and the other three taken from the multi-packs that came before them with the release of DJ-R3X, Hondo Ohnaka and The Mountain Trooper. These were available outside of the US via the Fan Channel and into Specialist Retailers.
Packaging 3.5
The Galaxy's Edge figures were obviously designed before the release of the new Phase 4 angled side packaging, so remain in what is essentially a Phase 3 box. This remains gloss black in base colour with the silvery Star Wars Black Series logo atop the window. Like other exclusives, such as the Carbonized line or Gaming Greats, an insert is now cut into the window that carries the Galaxy's Edge logo.
The accent colours on the packaging is an earthy brown and this is used on the character name. The left hand side spine is redesigned fully with the brown Galaxy's edge box at the top with white text and a hatched line underneath. There is then an actual dirt design down the rest of the spine which carries the character name and a faction logo at the base. For the Hondo I am reviewing here, this is for The First Order which is an odd choice? It seems there may be boxed variances for the figures with Resistance logo's present also.
The box uses Gregory Titus artwork of Hondo both front and back, and also has the usual background text on the reverse.
"At the infamous Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, Hondo Ohnaka started Ohnaka Transport Solutions to run contraband throughout the galaxy"
Whie the accent colour is brown, this has not been used on the backing card behind the figure. This is a very dark gloss black with thin lines running through the design. Hondo is very lost in the packaging and would have looked much better against a more contrasting background colour like the brown.
Paint & Sculpt 3.5
Hondo is based on his Galaxy's Edge animatronic appearance, enhancing the visitors experience. In the Star Wars timeline, this is some time after Clone Wars and Rebels making this a much older Hondo than we have seen on screen.
The head sculpt is detailed with the leathery skin tone of a Weequay build into the sculpt along with the facial appendages on the chin, which are much longer on the Galaxy's Edge era Hondo. While the detail is good, paint is lacking and the face is in need of a lighter base tone and much darker washes to accentuate the leathery texture - while the facial horns are too bright and clean.
Moving up and Hondo is sculpted wearing his goggles - these are fixed in place - with a translucent green lens and the eyes visible behind. The helmet is ornate with a shell effect on top and also not removable. The braided hair extends from the helmet and not the head and are painted so similarly they look like part of the same piece. They should be more of a brown texture not grey.
The Outfit is a good match in design to the costume seen at Galaxy's Edge, but the red of the coat is far too dark - and not brash and bold enough for Hondo. It looks to be based off the earlier Concept Art Disney Released and when it hit the Parks the colours have been enhanced. It is similar enough to outfits seen in The Clone Wars or Rebels for him to be displayed with characters from these shows if you wish. Each element of the outfit is neat and tidy and cast in its base colour with limited paint other than the belt section. The only weathering is on the wrist sections. The shape of the coat on the left includes a swept out section near the holster to accommodate the blaster as we will see shortly.
Accessories 3.5
Hondo is armed with a single blaster which is pretty detailed and painted silver with gold trim. It fits into either hand, but is designed to be wielded left handed as this is where the trigger finger is sculpted. Like a lot of more recent figures in 2020, the fit is quite tight as Hasbro seem to have increased the density or quality of the plastic used for their figure hands.
Hondo in the Clone Wars and Rebels is generally shown as being right handed, so having this as a left handed Hondo is a little odd. Again, it looks like it was based on the Concept Art where the holster and blaster were on the left hand side. By the time the Animatronic was made, they switched back to the right.
When not in use the blaster slips into a holster on Hondo's waist. It is shaped so the blaster fits in with the barrel all the way through and the scope in a shaped slot. The fit is snug and now the blaster is in place, the sweep of the coat on that side has been shaped for the blaster handle.
If this is the only Hondo we are getting, I would have liked to see his Kowakian Monkey Lizard as another accessory. This is not see at Galaxy's Edge, but was a big part of his Clone Wars appearances (yes I am greedy).
Articulation 4.0
Hondo has a total of 17 points of articulation, with the new neck piece in use that articulated at the base and where it connects to the head.
Head : ball joint neck base, ball joint neck top
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knee, ankle rocker
The arms work fine, but the elbows don't quite bend enough for Hondo to touch his own face and recreate some of his expressions we see on screen when he is considering a deal for example. The legs work fine, but posing is held back by the long coat.
All the joints are secure and tight and Hondo stands perfectly on his own.
Summary
Hondo is one of many characters never seen on the big screen who are popular with fandom due to their small screen exploits. Hondo moved from The Clone Wars and into Rebels and is now a key part of the Smugglers Run experience at Galaxy's Edge. The figure is based of this latest edition, but for now Hondo will sit quite comfortably in a display that can span from The Clone Wars right through to the Sequel era.
The figure is a good one, and there is a great one trying to get out. All the elements are there, it is just decor and attention to detail that lets it down. The jacket is too dark and the hair painted the wrong colour and looks too similar to the helmet. Lighten the skin tone slightly, add a wash and add some definition to the facial horns and this would enhance the looks significantly. The blaster holster also needs swapping to the other leg so it makes sense and matches the Galaxy's Edge look.
I remain unconvinced by the packaging, particularly as Hondo is a very dark figure on a dark backdrop and is lost when displayed in the box. I score the Exclusive Mountain Trooper from Galaxy's Edge an above average 3.5
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, hasbro, galaxy's edge, hondo ohnaka, mountain trooper, captain cardinal, batuu, black spire, target, exclusive