Review by: Chris

Review date:

Carl painted and detailed the back of the piece. That part which will likely sit up against my wall never to be seen by human eyes. And yet he put in the effort to finish it off. I feel that’s all I need to say to indicate the level of detail on this diorama and let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

But I think you all know I’m going to keep talking. The aspect I think I love the most about the Jabba’s Main Hall diorama is how precisely the dais from the Shadows of the Darkside Jabba’s Throne set fits into the piece. This is an environment piece. Anyone suggesting that this is a playset deserves a switft kick in the yams. Despite that, the recess into which the dais can recede adds a very cool element of “play value”. It allows the throne to slide back and forward just as it did in Return of the Jedi so that Jabba, whose gluttony or slothfulness has left him non-ambulatory, can view the events of the Rancor pit.

I could go on and on about the detailing, but you can see it for yourself. The cracks, patches and wear perfectly convey a well worn adobe stucco desert structure. As with the Hero Booth, I am blown away at the distressing done at every right angle in the piece. The edge of each step is rounded and worn which gives the diorama instant age as does the grime around all the metal structures. Carl could have easily skipped what I’m going to call the stained glass in the walls and I wouldn’t have raised a single complaint. The fact that they are some of the most intricate aspects of the piece speaks volumes about the craftsmanship.

It may seem odd that I would take the time to call out the Jawa fan individually, but it deserves notice. I thought for sure that the Jawa would not be able to stand unassisted due to the weight of the fan pulling the figure over. But the fan accessory is feather light yet highly lifelike. In the pictures above, the Jawa figure is able to stand despite the accessory being held far to the figure’s left.

A lot of people say “I wish Hasbro would do something like this”. I don’t. Hasbro would make a toy and would be compelled to include play features that distract from the aesthetic, and the mass produced paint applications would never be so lifelike. This is what I want. I want a highly realistic environment that makes my action figures feel more like miniatures than toys.

If you would like to commission your own piece, you can contact Carl here. But please keep in mind that these are not toys or mass produced items. These are commissioned artworks, so please set your pricing expectations accordingly. If you would like to see more of Carl’s work, please visit his Flickr page.