The Khetanna : Jabba The Hutt’s Sailbarge

In 2018 Hasbro announced a special division of their toy making empire would be devoted to something unusual.  Haslabs was created to offer toy fans something that normally could not exist.  A gigantic replica of Jabba The Hutt’s Sailbarge from Return Of The Jedi, The Khetanna.

A toy of this scale is simply not feasible for normal retail distribution.  The freight costs, the shelf space, and the unit price would turn off all but the bravest of stores.  The answer was to offer this luxury creation directly to the hardcore toy fans via a Kickstarter type model.

Haslabs first offering stalled halfway to the goal, needing 5000 backers to enter production.  At the last minute after widespread support from the toy community, the backers rolled in.  Ultimately 8810 people put down their money to own a piece of toy history, The Khetanna.

Initially offered only to continental U.S.A, the rest of the world looked set to miss out on this once in a lifetime item.  Enter U.K. toy retailer Dark Side Toys with their exclusive deal to supply Sailbarges to Europe.  It is thanks to this ballsy move that I am now the proud owner of one of these beautiful slug buses.

The Khetanna

Weighing 33 pounds in the box, and 4.5 feet long.  It’s big, heavy, and utterly impractical.  Decorated inside and out to an extremely high standard, and packed with gorgeous detailing and action features, The Khetanna is as luxurious as the fictional ship it represents.

Removable panels with weathering and detailing reveal the interior play space, including opening porthole covers along both sides.  Every surface is loaded with rust, panelling, pipes and faux metal artwork.  The cockpit features ornate chairs and steering mechanisms and thankfully the many stickers are already applied flawlessly.

The central area features a jail containing a dead prisoner, and a trapdoor from the main deck for anyone causing too much trouble. Next to the prison is the galley, surely a health and safety breach.  Oddly the kitchen is being run by a fastidious chef, everything is spotless and clean.  Not what you would expect for someone of Jabba’s tastes.

On to Jabbas armoury, there are several ladders leading to the top deck via sliding hatches to recreate the ruckus caused by Lukes leap from the skiff.  Lastly we have Jabba himself seated on a giant fluffy pillow.  A beautifully detailed slimy piece of worm ridden filth, reclining in a space large enough to accommodate a good selection of his retinue.  More artwork adorns the walls of this chamber, and fake glass inserts decorate the booths to the rear of the barge.

As you know I don’t do points for reviews, I’m just going to sum it up like this.

The Light Side

• Extremely rare.  A treasure in every sense.
• Excellently designed and detailed from box to Barge itself, inside and out.
• An absolute dream for collectors, and any kid lucky enough to be allowed within ten feet of it.
• Dripping quality from bow to stern, and created with playability as well as display in mind.
• Includes Yak Face and beautifully painted Jabba figures.

The Dark Side

• It’s huge – and will dominate your display space.
• It’s not cheap, especially in the aftermarket.
• The sails seem likely to break eventually when the plastic or fabric weakens.
• Hasbro’s eBay offering has now closed, 400 sold in under ten minutes.  The Khetanna has sailed.
• The main deck gun is impeded by the mast from turning a full circle (ok, that’s just picky).
• No electronics.  Would have been great if The Khetanna played ‘barge music’ or had some quotes from the Sarlacc pit scene but you can’t have everything I guess.

Do Or Do Not?

The light side absolutely overwhelms the dark on this one, there is literally no competition here.  You either own The Khetanna, or want to own it, and that’s the bottom line.  If you get the chance to pick one up, I strongly recommend you make every effort.  It’s what Jabba would have wanted.

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