IG-88

The imperial army may not need their kind of scum, but we here at CollectionDX love Bounty Hunters. In fact, we have a special page devoted just to the Bounty Hunters of the Star Wars universe.

As part of their Scum and Villainy line, Sideshow has released one of my favorite assassin droids – IG-88. While appearing only briefly in The Empire Strikes Back, IG-88 has become a fan favorite and has had plenty of toys made in its likeness.

None are as glorious as this release.

The 1/6 scale IG-88 comes packaged in the typical Sideshow 1/6 box. It’s black on all sides with product photography with a magnetic flap cover. Inside you get a little story about the line and then a window that lets you see the figure. It’s a nice presentation, but nothing like what you get with say a Hot Toys release. However, I don’t mind this – I actually prefer it. I prefer knowing that the budget was spent on the TOY and not on the BOX.

IG-88 is tall – 13.75″ to be exact. He towers over your other 1/6 scale figures as he would in real life. He features over 20 points of articulation and a bunch of accessories, but we will over each in detail a bit later.

The finish on this figure is flawless, and the level of detail is amazing. It feels like every little tube and circuit is shown in detail on the body. Several parts are additionally molded and connected items and not just part of the body. The figure feels multi layered and refined. This will be a bitch to dust, so keep it behind glass.

The details are what make this figure, and we’ll start at the top. The head is on a ball joint but has a minimal amount of movement to the design. It can rotate freely, but tilt is limited. Several sections of the head are independently movable in addition to the light up feature.  Remove the top of the head by turning it and insert three LR-41 watch batteries (included) and replace the top. Whenever you press down on the top, the inside will illuminate. It’s a fantastic feature, but there is a little light leakage where the button section meets the head.

The shoulders move but are initially so tight that you think they don’t. The inside of the shoulder moves on a ball joint. The outside of the shoulder is exposed, giving a good range of motion out to the side

The elbows have clicky joints covered in a rubber sheath, and then the hands end in pincer claws. While the claws themselves open and close, they do not have enough strength to hold any kind of weapon. Because of this, sideshow created holes in the arms to secure the pegs of weapons into. The system works well.

The body is impressively detailed but fairly limited in movement. There is technically a waist joint, but it is held in place by various working pistons and hoses, so movement is minimal. A cloth bandolier is included that you can drape across the figure.

On the front side of the bandolier are two removable pins (detonators?) and on the back there are embedded magnets. This allows you to connect the holster for the smaller pistol as well as three mines, which have metal in them to stick to the magnets. The connections are strong and secure.

The legs are connected to the body by ball joints, but again movement is limited.  The outer armor is a separate piece that rotates easily so be sure to position it correctly when posing. The knee bends and rotates, and the feet both tilt and swivel. The lower legs can extend about an inch, but I don’t know why. 

In short – there’s articulation, but not a lot you can do with it due to the character design.  IG-88 is not known as a dynamic character, so this is acceptable in this particular toy.

I mentioned some of the accessories before, but here are some details:

• Fabric Bandolier with magnetic attachment capabilities
• BlasTech DLT-20A Blaster Rifle
• BlasTech E11 Blaster Rifle
• E-11 Blaster bandolier holster
• Three Mines
• Two Instrument pins
• Illuminated Display Base

The base is actually very cool with this figure. It requires  batteries (which are included) and the switch and battery cover is on the bottom.  Once activated, lights on the floor of the base and the back light up. It’s stunning to see them all illuminated, but It’s unfortunate that the switch isn’t on the top or side. The stand also features a support arm, which I recommend using as the figure can be a little top-heavy.

If you are looking for the definitive version of IG-88, this is it. I’m very happy with it overall.

Sideshow released two versions of this toy – the regular release and the limited version for people who preorder early. The limited version includes a vibro axe accessory. The axe stores in the holster when not in use. I have to say something about this bugs me a little. I have no problem with people getting something extra with a pre-order, but this feels more like something was taken away from the regular release. The loops to hold the axe are still in the holder, and the character is usually depicted with it. How about instead of taking away a vital accessory for regular customers, you ADD something for your limited edition? Seems a bit odd to me.

That being said, I still really like this figure a lot.