Review – Kano’s Boba DEF

I first posted about this toy back around San Diego Comic Con when I was convinced that there was no possible way I would get one of these. A limited run, a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, and the sheer level of awesome wrapped up in one rotocast vinyl toy has me completely convinced that I would never get one. Imagine my surprise when these didn’t sell out at SDCC.

Well, I’ve got one now and all I really need to say is: This is the best vinyl toy of 2009. Review finished. Nothing more to see here.

Well, maybe a little more. Keep reading to find out why I’m calling this the best vinyl toy of 2009.

Packaging

As near as I can determine this is the generic box that Toyqube is using for all of the colorways in this series. The Hidef box is clean, attractive, and functional, but it’s not a very exciting design. It’s practical, has a few nice elements — window boxes are always great for those freaks who choose to leave toys in the boxes — and is overall fairly standard for designer toys. Nothing to complain about but also nothing to praise.

The box works for what it was designed for. As the box itself says on the side: “The outer package is just a protection against damage, we can not replace this package even if it’s damaged.”

Into the trash with you, box!

The Cutest Boba You’ll Ever See

Boba DEF, in case you haven’t already figured it out, is an homage to the greatest Star Wars bounty hunter of all time, Boba Fett. This roughly 9.5-inch tall vinyl toy comes with articulated head — ball joint — swivel arms, wrists, and feet, and a cloth jacket that keeps him warm in the coolest of environments. And cool environments this guy will visit, since he’s so cool a design that he no doubt brings the cool right along with him. From his green and brown tennies to his over-sized headphones everything about this guy screams street; Boba DEF is either ready to take down his target or rock all night long.

Boba DEF, besides having an awesome color design, has excellent paint aps. There are no rough edges or lines, and even if large chunks of his coloring come from the cast plastic there are enough different paint details here to show that the manufacturer put a lot of time and money into getting the paint just right. The most impressive paint detail has to be the silver weathering on the helmet and arms (clearly visible in the photo, below, in which I’ve removed Boba DEF’s jacket). Yes, designer toys are expensive (this guy was $75), but when the company puts this much effort into creating a flawless piece I don’t get upset about the price. A run of 150 pieces of this quality for $75 is a bargain . . . if you’re a collector of toys as art, that is.

And Boba DEF isn’t just a chunky plastic art object. He’s fairly durable with just enough articulation to make him fun. I don’t recommend every purposefully dropping a designer toy, but I’m clumsy enough that I’m pretty much gonna drop everything that I own at least once (my Blackberry has taken enough spills that the skin on it is looking a little worn) and I’m pleased to report that Boba DEF has withstood even my slippery fingers. I know the box says “15+” on it, but I wouldn’t be too worried about letting a 7 or 8 year old (responsible) kid play with this guy. He may not be as tough as Combat-R Zero (reviewed here), but Boba DEF is plenty sturdy.

Accessories

Boba DEF comes with a total of three accessories — a cloth jacket and two “records” — and all three pieces really add to the toy’s style. The jacket is well-crafted, with strong stitches and a color that beautifully complements the toy’s paint job, while the records help drive home the DJ aspect of the toy’s design. The records are little more than painted chunks of plastic — you cannot remove the albums from the sleeves — but they work. All that would have made these even cooler would be in the toy had included stickers so that you could label the records.

The jacket would have been improved with some patches. In fact, there’s little reason that a talented person couldn’t stitch a small patch to the back of the cloth jacket. I’ll have to think about that.

Without Jacket

The photo above shows Boba DEF without his jacket. Notice the straps for his backpack, which is molded to the toy, and how it really helps drive home the street look. I wish the backpack had been a removable element that could be worn over the jacket, but now that’s just me trying to find something to complain about. A removable backpack would have really boosted the awesome-level of this toy, but it’s completely unnecessary. Still, I can dream.

My Star Wars Homage Collection Grows

Adding Boba DEF to my toy collection now gives me two different Star Wars-influenced designer toys. Above you can see Boba DEF with my one-of-a-kind Squaretrooper resin toy (more Squarehead toys are over at Gruff House); I need to start tracking down some droid-inspired designer toys and customs.

Closing Thoughts

A tall, durable, fun toy with a paint job that pushes it over the top, Boba DEF is the perfect addition to any Star Wars fan toy collection. I know that many of the people following battlegrip.com never buy designer toys because of the price, but if you encounter one of these I strongly recommend grabbing it. This is a piece you can enjoy for years to come and, in a few more years, this will be one of those prizes that Boba Fett fans are tripping over themselves to buy.

Don’t miss out, guys. I think this is the designer toy that every Star Wars fan must own. Too bad there aren’t enough of them for all of us.

It’s not that Philip Reed admits that a lot of what he loves about this toy is the Boba Fett-inspired color and look, but the actual design of the toy itself is also cute, durable, and an excellent example of a great designer toy. It’s gonna take something truly amazing to knock this out of the “Best Vinyl Toy of 2009” category that Phil has dropped this in.