Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Action Figure Review: Moloch from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

     Solo is probably my favorite Star Wars film of the Disney era (although I really like Rogue One as well, but I kind of have to be in the mood to watch it) and part of that is because of the strong costume and creature designs. Moloch and his fellow Grindalids, including the terrifyingly huge crime boss Lady Proxima, are some really cool character designs that easily feel like classic Star Wars characters. While they play a small (but vital) role in the plot of Solo (Moloch also shows up in the Han Solo novel Most Wanted, which is a pretty good read) Hasbro has added Moloch into the Black Series as one of the "deluxe" Target exclusives figures. Like the Gamorrean Guard, Moloch is another figure that would be too large to fit in a standard Black Series box and thus gets a larger box and a higher price tag. I managed to find my Moloch over the weekend and a nice Target associate pulled it out of the stock room for me, which was awesome. Ready to check out Moloch? Then join me after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge and balljointed shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Mask, blaster, and staff.

Non-Scalper Price: $30 dollars
 The Positives:

* Moloch is a pretty big dude and he looks massive, weathered, and complex. There's a lot more going on here than you might initially think. He's a great character design and Hasbro has done a rather impressive job of translating him into the Black Series. Having more of these larger figures gives me hope that we'll continue to see more unusually sized characters in the future. There is a lot of nice dry-brushing and weathering on the figure to give it that classic Star Wars look. Coronet City is a pretty rough place and Moloch definitely is believable as someone who lives in its sewers.

* Moloch is a Grindalid and, if you know anything about Grindalids, you know that Grindalids are very sensitive to sunlight. Since Moloch was pretty influential in running operations for the White Worms he had to be out and about, thus he is really a worm-like creature in sealed armor. The helmet is made of multiple different pieces (more on that in a moment) and looks pretty cool with lots of various metal looking pieces.

* Underneath the mask Moloch's true face is revealed. I love it! He's really creepy looking, kind of like the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal. The visor of the mask is removable while the lower mask pulls out and folds down. It's pretty well designed and makes for a much more interactive figure.


* Here's the removable visor, just for the record.

* Moloch is kind of what we used to call a "salt and pepper shaker" figure because there isn't any leg articulation. That term doesn't fully apply to him, though, for reasons we'll see shortly. I will say that his upper body articulation is pretty solid. His shoulders have a balljoint in the torso and a swivel/ hinge joint at the arm to allow for better motion and his head is balljointed within his massive helmet.

 * Remember that underneath his robe Moloch is actually a worm like creature so that's what Hasbro sculpted. Yes, underneath Moloch's robe is his wormy body. Again, no legs, but it is pretty weird looking and has some cool sculpting. I'd be curious to see what this fully looks like but you'd probably have to cut off the full costume to see it (and it only goes up to the waist).

* Moloch carries a staff that is supposed to depict a head covered in writhing scrumrats. Hasbro showed off the digital model of the staff at SDCC 2018 and while it's tough to see the detail here due to the size it is definitely pretty crazy looking with some decent paint applications on the head.


 * Another fantastic blaster pistol from the film Solo is Moloch's "snubble" pistol. It's a really cool double barreled, snub nose design with great paintwork. I love the offset scope, too. This is just such a great design, isn't it?



 * To carry his blaster Moloch has a holster on his belt. The "snubble" blaster fits right in and looks pretty slick.
 The Negatives:

* Again, you're not getting any lower body articulation here. While this is somewhat true to the character design I do think some sort of segmented lower body might have been a good idea to help balance the figure a bit more.



* Moloch has a belt and some tubes on his chest. They look OK but the paintwork is a bit messy.












   I really like Moloch and I'm glad that Hasbro continues to build the Solo line. Moloch is an incredible looking figure and while he has some issues (and might be a tad too expensive) he's a great addition to a Star Wars collection. Whether you're using him as Moloch or just want some cool background aliens, Moloch is a winner. He's a Great addition to the Black Series and another solid Target exclusive. I'm really hoping that Hasbro delivers us a prologue version of Han and Lady Proxima at some point, too, although who knows how feasible that is.



This is the first action figure of Moloch I've reviewed. For more figures from Star Wars: The Black Series, check out the following:
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
4-LOM
Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Baze Malbus
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Leia Organa
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Hera Syndulla
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (Throne Room) 
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Maz Kanata 
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016)
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Porgs 
Princess Leia (Bespin Escape)
Princess Leia Organa 
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Rebel Trooper
Red Squadron (R2-D2, R5-D8, and R2-X2)
Resistance Tech Rose
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Island Journey)
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Jedi Training)- Crait
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Rey's Speeder (Jakku)
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 
 


4 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed Solo (but Rogue 1 is my favourite :P). Getting the figures has been super frustrating though. Thanks to a postal strike, it's coming up for 3 months since my BBTS package with Han, Lando, and the Range Trooper arrived in-country, but has yet to get to me. I did at least manage to get Chewie (how cool are those goggles!) and I have Tobias Beckett in my Pile of Loot.

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    1. Chewie is an amazing figure. I love the goggles, too. Heck, even here in the states the Black Series figures are hard to come by due to the overwhelming number of exclusives. I really think 2018 is going to have almost as many exclusives as standard releases. It's going to be close.

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  2. Seeing as how Moloch and his kind are worm-like in appearance, I wonder if they're related to the Hutts in some way?

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    Replies
    1. They're pretty different looking, so I doubt it. I don't think we know the Grindalid homworld yet, though.

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