Jabba’s Rancor (2009 Target Exclusive)

The “Jabba’s Rancor” set was a Target-exclusive, and is without a doubt the best Rancor figure to date. When you compare it to the vintage Kenner Rancor or even the Power of the Force 2 Rancor, you can see just how much toys have changed.

It’s quite a bit bigger than the original rancor (see this comparison shot) and it’s completely painted from head to toe. And the paint is pretty well done, which is something that you can’t say about a lot of factory painted toys. It’s a little rough if you look closely, but the overall effect is quite nice.

I should note, however, that the paint job on my boxed figure, which you see in the first photo above, is noticeably different from the one on my loose Rancor. It’s got a lot more dry-brushing, which lets you see the details more, but also makes it seem lighter in color.

The sculpt is quite impressive. I think it compares favorably to the AMT/ERTL model kit, which is one my favorite Rancor sculpts.

This was a Target exclusive figure, and originally sold for $40. Partway through, they raised the price to $50 and after passing it up at $40 I could never bring myself to buy it for the higher price. Luckily, exclusives like this often end up on clearance. I was never able to find it on clearance at my Target, but I was able to get it for a pretty good price on ebay because of all of the people buying them up to resell.

As you can see above, the mouth opens and closes, which is a nice touch that harkens back to the vintage figure. They even used real metal for the earring and chain on his wrist cuff. The back of the box says that he features “rancor grip” which I guess is true. He can hold a figure such as the included Jedi Luke, fairly well.