By Julian H. Betancourt
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WAVE 5:

In mid 2003, continuing with the blend of trilogy and prequel characters, Unleashed made available Wave 5. It consisted of an all new, radically sculpted, three figure batch:

  1. A Jedi with a huge florescent swoosh.

  2. A second, but older Jedi and a pose inspired from a cut out scene.

  3. An evil character with immense amounts of powerful blue energy. 

As a contrast from previous waves, Wave 5 saw a larger production run and was spotted frequently. Despite its easy availability, none of the figures warmed the pegs too long. The characters made available were:

Darth Sidious: Greatly captured evil expression. Two sets of hands, one with huge amounts of blue energy.

Luke Skywalker Jedi: Battle pose. Lightsaber held a la baseball bat with large, fluorescent green swoosh. Flashy.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Saber held high, flowing cape and rocklike (cliff) stand. Beautifully sculpted figure from a cut out scene of the film. The scene presented Obi-wan fighting against a pack of massifs on the cliff sides of Geonosis.

WAVE 6:

In early October 2003 Wave 6 was given the green light and released into the market sporting an excellent design and detail. Definitely this wave offered some of the most elaborate pieces of Unleashed sculpting at the time, painstakingly crafted in the form of:
 

  1. The Galaxy's most feared Bounty Hunter, and a devouring monster. The detailed of this piece is incredible and doesn't stop to amaze me. It's visual impact is all for all, outstanding. 

  2. A diminutive Jedi Master captured in high action, which was also a much anticipated piece.

  3. A certain Corellian smuggler-turned hero rushing into the Millennium Falcon. 

Needless to say this Wave became a most-wanted amongst collectors lists. The three figures were:

Boba Fett: Fantastic detail. Sarlacc pit monster base with teeth and tentacles wrapping around a falling Fett.

Han Solo: Firing pose while rushing inside the "Steel Burger." Good likeness. Nicely detailed Falcon's gate base.

Yoda: One of the most action packed Yoda sculpts ever. Lightsaber in hand, mean expression, flying like pose.

WAVE 7:

What a better way to start a new year than with the release of a brand new bunch of superb Unleashed sculpts. That was the case in 2004. Slowly but surely another three sculpts started to make the rounds in mid February, first at Toys R Us and followed by Wal-Marts throughout the nation.

 This time around, Hasbro's offerings included:

  1. A well known Wookiee, presented in a very action-packed pose: legs apart, arms extended, Bowcaster ready to shoot.

  2. A new sculpt of everyone's favorite farm-boy turned Jedi. Now, sporting the Snowspeeder's orange flight suit, as seen in Hoth.

  3. A couple (one standing, one R.I.P.) of white armor troopers.

One more time, as it has become the norm, this wave received great acceptance. Yet, one of its characters had sparked diverse opinions, as we'll see. The characters are:

Clone Troopers: Great armor accuracy. Dirt stains not in excess. Meticulously crafted base with dead Clone.

Luke in Flight Suit: Highly and properly detailed helmet. Good transparency on the removable visor.

Now, the last figure from this wave requires a little bit of discussion, due to a difference of opinions ... 

Chewbacca: Certain areas of the sculpt, such as the Bowcaster, the bandolier and even the extreme pose were nicely accomplished and rendered. Even his left arm presents something never before seen within the Unleashed Line: a ball jointed shoulder, which gives it some play value.

The figure became very much a subject of discussion among collectors as likeness seemed truly to be a bit off. Perhaps it dealt with the way the flying hair was rendered, mainly around the eyes, giving the character a cartoonish appearance and earning the title of "Bug-eye Chew." The base of the sculpt also fueled some disappointment. It is just a flat, green chunk of ... swamp? grass? Hmmmmm ... hard to say. If you love the character, well, you'll accept it. If the Wookiee isn't one of your favorites, well, you are better off without it.

 

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