Boba Fett (ESB) — Star Wars The Black Series 40th Anniversary

Overview

Boba Fett at the ESB 40th Anniversary lineup is the Black Series tribute release of Jeremy Bulloch’s iconic Mandalorian-armoured bounty hunter — Boba Fett at the Empire Strikes Back era, the film that introduced the character and established his cult-following position in Star Wars culture. Released September/October 2020 single-carded in Hasbro’s 40th The Empire Strikes Back Collection on Kenner-style commemorative packaging. Mainline non-exclusive at $19.99. 22-joint articulation — high count for the line. Three accessories: jetpack, blaster, blaster rifle. Year imprint 2013 despite the 2020 release date — reflecting the figure’s status as a re-release of a much earlier sculpt rather than fresh tooling. The figure has been released numerous times over the years; this is one entry in a substantial production history.

The Multiple-Release Sculpt History

The Boba Fett body sculpt is one of the most-released Black Series figures in the entire Hasbro catalogue. The original release was the 2013 San Diego Comic Con exclusive Boba Fett (figure id=2065), which has subsequently been re-released numerous times across multiple packaging configurations and exclusive distributions. The ESB 40th Anniversary 2020 release is one entry in this multi-year re-release sequence, joining the Kenner Tribute SDCC 2019 exclusive at #P4-40A-BFSDCC and various other variant releases.

The year imprint 2013 stamped on the figure’s body is a structural give-away — the tooling itself dates to the 2013 SDCC release, and Hasbro has consistently re-used the same body engineering across the multi-year production runs without re-tooling. For collectors comparing the various Boba Fett releases, the year imprint is the easiest way to identify which production run a loose figure came from despite the actual release year being substantially later.

For Boba Fett completionists, the question across the various re-releases is whether the packaging variation alone justifies duplicate purchases. For collectors building the complete ESB 40th Anniversary commemorative set, this Boba Fett is essential despite duplicating the 2013 sculpt. For collectors evaluating per-figure value, the structural difference between the various re-releases is entirely in the packaging treatment.

The Three-Accessory Loadout

Three accessories: jetpack, blaster, blaster rifle. Standard Boba Fett loadout configuration that captures both the canonical sidearm-and-rifle combat options and the iconic jetpack-mounted display configuration. The figure is able to hold both weapons well in both hands — with patience the index finger can be placed onto the trigger which looks great. Same trigger-finger engineering detail that distinguishes the better Phase 3 releases applies here despite the 2013-era source tooling.

The basic blaster fits well into the holster — supporting the screen-accurate stowed-sidearm configuration alongside the deployed-combat options. For collectors who want both weapons accessible in different display states, the holster-stowage and hand-grip combinations provide flexibility within the figure’s accessory engineering.

The Permanent Cape and Costume

The soft-goods cape, the chest armour, the belt, and the pouches are not removable. Standard integrated-equipment design — the figure ships in a single configuration with the costume elements as fixed sculpted or permanently-bonded soft-goods rather than removable components. For collectors who want kitbashing flexibility, the integrated approach is restrictive. For collectors who want a screen-accurate Boba Fett at the canonical ESB-era costume configuration, the integrated approach is appropriate.

The soft-goods cape captures the screen-accurate fabric drape that defines Boba Fett’s iconic visual silhouette across the Empire Strikes Back’s multiple combat-and-conversation scenes.

The Helmet and Range-Finder

Boba’s helmet is not removable. The range-finder on the helmet is static. Standard Black Series Mandalorian-armour design choice — the figure ships in a single masked configuration without an unmasked Jango Fett-derived head sculpt for reveal-state display, and the iconic range-finder antenna is sculpted as a fixed component rather than an articulating piece.

For collectors who want the deployable range-finder pose (the up-versus-down configuration that appears in the source material’s targeting sequences), the static configuration is structurally restrictive. For collectors who want the canonical at-rest range-finder display, the static configuration captures the screen-accurate visual reading correctly.

The Jetpack

The jetpack plugs nicely into a hole in the back of the figure — clean integration through the body sculpt’s mounting hole. The jetpack is the figure’s primary structural accessory beyond the weapons. For collectors who want the screen-accurate flight-configuration display or the canonical bounty-hunter-with-equipment ground-stance display, the jetpack mounts reliably without requiring careful balancing.

A specific accessory engineering limitation: the rocket in the jetpack is not removable and it can’t be shot out. Some prior Boba Fett releases (notably the various Vintage Collection rocket-firing variants) have included projectile-launching engineering for the jetpack. The 2020 ESB 40th release commits to a static rocket configuration without the projectile feature. For collectors who valued the rocket-firing engineering on prior releases, this is a feature absence rather than a regression.

The Paint Application

The figure is well painted and the colour tone on the outfit mimics the movie counterpart very well. Specific paint commitment worth flagging: there is more dirt on the bottom of the pants and boots than further up on the outfit, and little scuffs and battle markings on the helmet and armour look great. This is a meaningful exception to the recurring Phase 3 paint critique — the figure ships with appropriate deployment-grime weathering distributed correctly across the costume, with heavier wear at the bottom (matching screen-accurate dirt accumulation patterns) and selective battle-damage marking on the armour pieces.

For collectors comparing the figure against the broader Black Series Boba Fett release history, the paint commitment on this version is solid. The screen-accurate Empire Strikes Back-era weathering is captured cleanly without the over-cleaned configuration that affects many Phase 3 releases.

Articulation

22 joints. Ball-jointed neck, swivel-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, right swivel biceps (note: only the right bicep has the swivel — asymmetric tooling), ball-jointed elbows, swivel forearms, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed upper body, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel joints above the knees, swivel joints below the knees, ball-jointed ankles. High joint count for the line — substantially above the standard 17-joint baseline. The dual-axis arm articulation and dual-axis knee articulation provide strong dynamic-pose flexibility for the figure’s combat configurations.

The asymmetric right-bicep swivel is a specific tooling quirk worth noting — the left arm doesn’t have the matching swivel joint. This is the kind of legacy 2013-era engineering compromise that contemporary tooling would address with symmetric articulation. For most display configurations, the asymmetry isn’t visible; for collectors who care about exact articulation parity across the body, the asymmetry is structurally noticeable.

The Boba Fett figure reviewed here had stiff joints which allowed for it to be displayed in dynamic battle poses. Boba stands well on display without falling over — the stiff-joint engineering supports reliable standing display across multiple combat-pose configurations.

Distribution and the Bounty Hunter Lineup

Standard mainline ESB 40th Anniversary release at $19.99 through wide retail channels — Target, Walmart, Amazon, hobby shops. The mainline distribution and the standard pricing make this Boba Fett accessible. Aftermarket pricing on the secondary market has remained reasonable due to broad initial availability and the multiple re-release production history that has kept the sculpt in circulation across multiple years.

Boba Fett sits in the broader ESB 40th Anniversary lineup as one of the line’s headline character releases — joining the broader ESB-era ensemble (Han Solo Bespin at #P4-40A-HB3, Luke Skywalker Bespin at #P4-40A-LB3, Darth Vader ESB at #P4-40A-DV3, and the various Hoth-era figures) for the complete Empire Strikes Back commemorative configuration. The figure also pairs specifically with the 4-LOM & Zuckuss 2-pack at #P4-40A-4LZ for the Executor bridge bounty hunter ensemble display.

Other Boba Fett Figures

Boba Fett has been one of the most-released characters in the entire Hasbro Star Wars catalogue. Other notable releases include the Power of the Force 2 Return Of The Jedi version (figure id=137), the Shadows Of The Empire 2-pack with IG-88 (figure id=204), the Legacy Collection animated Droid Factory 2-Pack (figure id=240), the Legacy Collection ESB-era release (figure id=352), the Clone Wars Rise Of Boba Fett youth version (figure id=518), and the Vintage Collection Rocket Firing variant (figure id=585). The ESB 40th Anniversary release is one entry in this substantial multi-decade production history.

Secondary Market

Single-carded mainline release on Kenner-style commemorative cardback, September/October 2020. Available at MSRP through standard retail and the secondary market with broad availability. Verify the jetpack, the basic blaster, and the blaster rifle are all included. The smaller blaster is the most easily lost component during transit. No production variants documented beyond the long re-release production history of the 2013-source body sculpt across multiple packaging configurations.

Verdict

Boba Fett at the 2020 ESB 40th Anniversary line is one of the line’s flagship character releases — the iconic Mandalorian-armoured bounty hunter at the Empire Strikes Back era captured through the well-established 2013-source body sculpt. The 22-joint articulation count is high for the line, the trigger-finger blaster grip engineering supports screen-accurate combat-pose display, the screen-accurate weathering paint commitment captures the bottom-heavy dirt distribution and selective armour scuffs cleanly, the holster-stowage configuration supports dual-state weapon display, and the figure stands reliably on display.

The asymmetric right-bicep swivel is a specific 2013-era tooling quirk worth noting. The static range-finder limits dynamic targeting-pose configurations. The non-removable rocket in the jetpack drops the projectile-firing feature that some prior Boba Fett releases carried. The 2013 year imprint reveals the figure’s status as a re-release of much older tooling rather than fresh engineering — collectors with prior Black Series Boba Fett figures are buying repeat tooling for the packaging variation.

Buy this figure if you collect the ESB 40th Anniversary line as a complete set, if you build bounty hunter ensemble displays, if you appreciate the Kenner-style commemorative cardback packaging, or if you want a well-painted Boba Fett at standard mainline pricing. The strong paint commitment and the trigger-finger blaster grip engineering make this one of the better Phase 3-era Boba Fett releases despite the 2013-source tooling.

The iconic ESB-era bounty hunter with the year-2013 imprint. The figure with the static range-finder and the well-distributed weathering paint. The 2013 sculpt brought back for the 2020 ESB commemorative line. Mainline distribution, September/October 2020.

---

Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 40th Anniversary Collection. Related: Boba Fett (SDCC ESB) P4-40A-BFSDCC | 4-LOM & Zuckuss 2-Pack P4-40A-4LZ | Han Solo (Bespin) P4-40A-HB3.