Power of the Force 2 Rancor by Kenner

Released in 1998, this was the second rancor figure to be produced, coming after the vintage rancor from the 80s, but before the “Jabba’s Rancor” that came out just last year.

From what I understand, Hasbro Kenner originally considered re-using the vintage figure (perhaps with a better paint job), and even went so far as to make some test prototypes with the original molds before deciding to start from scratch.

While the vintage rancor was made of hard plastic parts made in two-part molds, this appears to be made of rotocast parts (with the exception of the hands). They’re made of a pretty hard material though, and have very little give even if you try to squeeze them.

It’s fairly well done, but there’s just something about it that I’m not crazy about. They sculpt is good, even though the jowl area of the face looks too big, so I think it must be the paint job, which seems almost cartoony — overly contrasty and exaggerated. I mean, did the rancor really have stripes?

He also doesn’t have any kind of action feature, unlike the other two versions (no opening mouth, etc.). For me, it’s definitely my least favorite of the three rancors. While it’s a lot more accurate than the vintage rancor, the vintage figure has nostalgia going for it. And if it’s accuracy you want, you’re really better off going for the “Jabba’s Rancor” figure anyway.

Still, it’s an inexpensive option if you just want one for kids to play with. It originally came with a Jedi Luke figure and a bone to stick in his mouth. I have one loose rancor out of the box and one still in the box, but no loose Luke so I can’t provide closeups of that figure.