I've written what I consider to be an objective and fair review/observation, using the MCW format, without grades. It's long. The word Medicom is used once
I omitted talking much about the vest or the braids, since we've been over them plenty, already.
But this is my favorite character. Read it if you have a few minutes.
Packaging-
The box is wonderful. The stock is very thick, glossy, and showcases some wonderful pictures and details about the figure and the character. This is my first SideShow figure, and I believe that they have this level of quality for all of their packaging. It’s very large and very impressive.
Sculpting-
I am disappointed in the work of the sculpting. Firstly, SideShow has chosen to use a very brittle plastic for the hard parts. With a character like Boba Fett, whose most famous and iconic poses involve holding/cradling his rifle with both hands, it is important that the armor be as non-limiting as possible. In order to do that, and with the design of his chest armor, that means that all four plates will need to be scrunched together. Unfortunately, owing to both the rigidity of the armor pieces and the curious inclusion of a stiff, clear plastic backing on the armor vest, Boba Fett is not able to get his arms across his chest in any way that looks natural and easy. The gauntlets are a bit on the narrow/thin side, as well. Besides that choice of material used, I am disappointed with the level of accuracy of some of the armor parts themselves. The four plates of his chest armor don't appear to be a good match to movies stills, for example.
The centerpiece of any rendition of Boba Fett is always the helmet, and the overall accuracy with SideShow’s version is, in my opinion, lacking. The screen-used Star Wars helmets are notoriously asymmetrical, from Darth Vader to Stormtroopers to, of course, Boba Fett. SideShow’s Fett helmet, like many interpretations in this or any scale, is just a bit ‘off’. Serious Boba Fett fans will spot it immediately. It’s not that it’s terrible, but for some reason, it just doesn’t look quite right. When compared to screen shots or pictures of the actual helmet, the differences are quite noticeable. Even more perplexing is that from certain angles (most notably straight-on, with the chin tucked to the chest), the helmet looks quite good, yet from others, it’s poor (especially from a three-quarter angle).
All is not lost, however, since SideShow has included some outstanding details never seen before on any Boba Fett sixth-scale figure. For example, the infamous T-visor of Fett’s helmet is actually a high-gloss plastic insert, which reflects light in a beautiful way, just as the screen-used helmet did. There are little knobs and switches present on the underside of the jetpack, tiny details on the underside of the rangefinder stalk and meticulously-detailed symbols on the helmet, jetpack, gauntlets and chest armor that perfectly recreate details from the full-size armor. Fett even has very fine tread on the soles of his boots! It is very obvious that SideShow put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure that this figure had every detail included. That’s why it’s so puzzling that certain parts of the armor do not appear to be sculpted with much screen accuracy. It conflicts with the amount of quality and effort put into other parts of the figure.
Of course, in addition to the weapons built into the suit itself, Boba Fett never leaves home without his trusty EE-3 blaster rifle. Again, the detailing here is awesome, with each knob and greebly perfectly recreated. The rifle features a screen-accurate shoulder sling as well. Everything about his rifle has been captured wonderfully. Fett also has a sidearm pistol, which, although never seen in his hands on screen, has been faithfully recreated, and is holstered at his side, with a small magnet-equipped closure strap.
Paint-
With a character like Boba Fett, probably the best example of George Lucas’ ‘lived-in universe’, a crucial component of his look is the paint. The scratches, scrapes, dents and dings are a major component of the mystery of the character, and any incarnation of Boba Fett can’t be complete without them. Perhaps the biggest strength of SideShow’s Boba Fett is the paint applications. We saw how outstanding the prototype figure’s paint work was, and hoped that it would translate faithfully to the production version. Thankfully, it has. Not only is the weathering of this figure the best of any Boba Fett to date, I think it’s safe to say that it’s the finest work SideShow has ever produced at this scale.
But like many other aspects of this figure, there is a tradeoff. While the weathering is superb, the main colors used leave something to be desired. The number of different ‘greens’ used for the helmet, chest armor and gauntlets have too bright a tone, to the point that they almost look cartoonish. In fairness, Fett’s armor looked a bit different from shot to shot in the film, but I would have thought that SideShow would have had access to reference material that would have been more color-accurate than the palette they settled on.
Articulation-
As I said before, this is my first SideShow figure. I have quite a few bodies in my collection (Medicom, Hot Toys, TTL), and I find this to be the most lacking feature of the figure. The joints vary between being snug and overly tight, the shoulders seem to lack forward range, and the hips are a mile wide, which is an especially poor match to the waist, which is extremely thin. The arms are a little on the short side and the legs are a little on the long side. This combination makes the figure look a bit awkward, as if the upper and lower bodies belong to two different figures. Owing to the size and fit of the gauntlets, the ball-jointed wrists are limited in their range of motion, making certain Fett-famous poses (for example, aiming the rifle forward with both hands) overly difficult and/or not very natural-looking. Because of these things, it is difficult for the figure to be posed in ways that look like a man in a suit in any pose other than standing straight up. After spending a few minutes posing this figure, my first thought is to purchase a more natural-looking body (Hot Toys), and swap the armor over. I feel like that would really help the figure to shine.
Accessories-
On the one hand, Fett’s armor is loaded to the gills with weapons, tiny bits, and hidden features. On the other, He is known for only having one thing in his hands at any given time – his rifle. That said, SideShow has given Boba Fett a perfectly realized version of his sawed-off Blastech EE-3 blaster rifle. As mentioned above, the rifle is a beautifully sculpted, crafted, and painted accessory. He also has his sidearm pistol, which fits snugly at his side in its holster.
Fett’s jetpack has a different attachment method than other recent Boba Fett figures, which is much closer to the actual method used in the films. There are two hooks on the back of the jetpack, and two buckles on the backside of his armor, which hook together to suspend the pack. During posing, this can be a bit annoying, since the pack tends to unhook and fall off, but in terms of accuracy, this suspension method is as close to the movies as it gets.
Fett has a variety of sculpted hands in useful positions, such as open-palmed relaxed, closed fists, and hands for holding his rifle and pistol (both left and right sides). He also comes with some goofy hands, such as ‘thumbs up’, one finger pointing, and two-fingers pointing. A few of them will never find themselves on my figure, but one can’t argue with their inclusion. He also comes with two interchangeable feet that are bent forward so that he can achieve action poses, but I don’t think I’ll be getting much use out of them either. His belts are removable (and finely crafted), one of his gauntlets includes a ‘feeder’ hose, the thrusters on his jetpack are movable, and his cape is wired, allowing it to appear to flap in the wind. All of these details have been executed wonderfully.
I purchased the SideShow Exclusive version, which has a custom figure stand that features a variant paintjob, depicting the wreath symbol from Fett’s armor. Since Boba Fett has such few accessories and add-ons that weren’t already included, I guess this is the best additional part they could come up with. It’s a neat stand, although I imagine most SideShow collectors would probably opt for the standard black stand for uniformity.
The real bonus here, as far as accessories, isn’t something that really has anything to do with Boba Fett. SideShow has included their new Empire Strikes Back-themed Carbon Freezing Chamber stand, previously available with their IG-88 figure. This stand is an absolute home run, as it is tastefully and beautifully designed. The stand lights up with orange and blue LED lights, and it is a sensational addition. As an added bonus, SideShow has even included batteries (are you listening, Hot Toys?) to boot. Again, it is apparent that SideShow really swung for the fences on this one.
Outfit-
Boba Fett not only has the most weathered and battle-damaged costume in the Star Wars universe, he has one of the most intricate costumes, as well. It is a complex combination of fabric, fiberglass, leather, hair, plastic, metal and vinyl. As such, the more detailed a sixth-scale figure you wish to create, the more daunting a task it becomes. Considering that there have been some pretty amazing Boba Fett figures in the past, SideShow’s version really needed to step it up. In some ways, they nailed it; in others, it’s a mixed bag. The outfit is another example of the mixed bag thing. Certain aspects are outstanding, such as the separate neck wrap, the filling in the pockets of the jumpsuit and ammo belt, and the fabric lining under the chin of the helmet. However, the fit of certain areas is not quite what I was hoping for. For example, the cut of the armor vest causes the belly area to billow out in an unflattering way. Additionally, the jumpsuit itself is somewhat awkwardly tailored, as the arms of the suit fit quite snug (despite the fact that the arms are quite thin), and the legs of the suit are quite baggy. Again, I think that this is mostly due to the body that SideShow used, but as a lifelong Boba Fett fanatic, it creates an overall look to me that is just a bit off. Personally, I’m hoping that this can be remedied by swapping bodies at some point in the future. But at this newer, significantly higher SideShow price point, I don’t feel that upgrading as fundamental a part as a body should be necessary.
Value-
Gone are the days of the sixty-dollar SideShow figure. Over the past few years, their prices have caught up to the higher-end manufacturers like Hot Toys and Enterbay. Fortunately, quality has followed closely with this increase. Boba Fett has a cult following, and consistently ranks as one of the most popular and beloved characters in the entire Star Wars universe. This figure is available from SideShow at $174.99, making it one of their most expensive figures to date. Collecting one-sixth figures is an expensive hobby!
This version of Boba Fett is a fine addition to any collection, and most will be thrilled to see him on their shelf. The level of detail, accuracy and love that went into his creation is immediately apparent, and for the most part, has been executed very well. However, now that SideShow has moved into the Hot Toys price range, I just feel that there is still something to be desired with SieShow's Boba Fett. Personally, I think that most of the problems that I have with the figure stem from the body that was used. I’ve photographed other (non-SideShow) figures that were able to achieve such relaxed, natural poses that the eye could be tricked into believing that it was a movie studio's costume test. This is not one of those figures. I applaud SideShow’s attention to detail and desire to nail this character, but I am just left with the feeling that they might have been a little too ambitious at this time. If the figure was in the $125-$150 range, I would be much more satisfied. That said, I am proud to own this figure, and I look forward to continuing to tweak mine until I get it to the level that I think it should have been when it left the factory.
As for your Dengar, he already looks amazing and fits right in 
