Review – Star Wars “The Clone Wars” IG-86 Assassin Droid

“An IG-86 Assassin Droid lies deactivated in a Trandoshan trader’s cargo hold until a buyer can be found for the dangerous droid. But he is accidentally reactivated by a clumsy astromech droid, and the lives of everyone on board the ship are in peril.”
— from the back of the card

IG-88, as we all know, went from a few seconds of screen time in The Empire Strikes Back to immortality as one of the coolest bounty hunters in the Star Wars universe. In Kevin J Anderson’s 1996 short story, Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88 (in the very fun collection, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, we learn IG-88’s back story. That story has four IG-88 droids (designated as A, B, C, and D), and an IG-72 droid. It’s an entertaining story, and worth tracking down if you’re a fan of bad Star Wars fiction and droids.

None of that matters now, though, because we’re going to take a look at IG-86, a different droid in the Star Wars universe that looks a hell of a lot like our old pal, IG-88.

Packaging

Using the stock Clone Wars action figure packaging, IG-86’s display card is nothing to exciting. It’s nice that they die-cut the card in the shape of a clone trooper helmet, but after you’ve seen one of these cards then you’ve seen them all.

With the exception of IG-86, none of the other figures shown on the card back are all that exciting. I’m not sure what it is, but the figures in this series don’t interest me quite as much as the Legacy Collection line.

IG-86, An Assassin Droid We Can Love

Tall, thin, and menacing, IG-86 has a fantastic sculpt, with every detail of the figure — from the sensors on the face to the wires on the legs — crisp and clean. The droid isn’t an exact copy of his ancestor/descendant (depending on how you look at it), but it’s close enough to the classic IG-88 bounty hunter that there shouldn’t be a soul alive who doesn’t make the connection between the two figures.

IG-86’s sculpting is most detailed in the head, with several raised elements dotting his thin head. But as nice as the sculpting is, it’s the paint job that really makes the figure an outstanding-looking piece.

What Makes the Paint Job so Nice?

The weathering effects on IG-86’s body are better than I’ve ever seen on a Star Wars action figure. While not as nice as the weathered paint job on Ashley Wood’s Desert Bramble (reviewed here), IG-86’s paint proves to us that Hasbro has what it takes to create some simply amazing action figures. A dull gray paint, with lots of washes and a few red details, looks perfect on IG-86 and gives him that “lived in universe” style that helped make Star Wars feel so real when I was a kid.

Touches of rust-colored paint spot the figure here and there, and overall the paint job takes a good figure and makes it great. The only real paint flaw is the fact that his backpack isn’t painted. It’s unfortunate, but it’s only really noticeable when you look at the figure from behind. Display him face-out and the backpack isn’t an issue at all.

Two Guns, One Backpack

Back in the eighties, when Kenner ruled the toy aisle with their Star Wars line, the bounty hunter IG-88 came equipped with two different guns. Today, it’s nice to see that IG-86 was given two guns, even if it’s two identical blasters. These are short but bulky weapons that fit nicely in the droid’s hands — the fact that each hand is articulated and closes like a vise helps — and, when not in use, can be stored on his backpack.

Articulated Assassin

IG-86 has some pretty good articulation, with his shoulders and hips on hinged ball joints, his elbows and knees hinged, and twisty points at the head, feet, wrists, waist, and elbows. He’s got plenty of articulation to position him in a variety of poses, though it would have been nice if his thighs had a twist joint and if — my figure, at least, since this appears to be a factory flaw — his right leg’s ball-jointed hip actually worked; mine has a very limited range of movement and the plastic is kinda fused in place.

One problem with IG-86’s thin design combined with his articulation is the fact that he has serious balance issues. As with most 3.75-inch action figures he really needs a stand if you’re going to take full advantage of his articulation.

IG-86 Superior, IG-88 Inferior

At least, the 2008 IG-86 action figure is far superior to the 1980 IG-88 action figure. But then, almost thirty years separate the two figures so the newer figure would have to be an improvement. Still, it’s kinda fun to stand these two side-by-side (see the photo, above) and compare them. 3.75-inch action figures have come a long way since 1980.

Closing Thoughts

This is a fantastic 3.75-inch scale Star Wars action figure and really shows how far Hasbro has taken the line in recent years. He’s easily one of the best 3.75-inch figures I’ve seen in the last year — from any toy line — and everything about him just screams awesome toy! This is a highly recommended figure and one I think every 3.75-inch collector should grab. In a few years people are gonna look back at this guy and regret not picking one up; don’t let this be you!

For another look at IG-86 take a look at this review, by Clark, over at Articulated Discussion. Clark dives a lot deeper into the toy’s articulation and paint job than I did, but in the end he voices my own opinion on this figure when he says:

“Hasbro did a great job on this figure, and I think that the designers must have had some fun putting him together.”

Agreed, Clark. Someone over at Hasbro clearly loved working on this toy and that love shows through in the final product.

Philip Reed can’t wait for his IG Lancer Droid to setup with IG-86 and IG-88. After all, IG droids have gotta stick together!