STAR WARS Force Link Rathtar & Bala-TIK Figure

legs do not snap in easy

Bought as a gift for my grandson who is obsessed with rathtars. This product is disappointing. The tentacles/arms are not attached and you're expected to "snap" them onto the body. However, they do not actually "snap". Even with significant force applied they barely connect and fall off when touched. Tried two different ones, both had same issue.

I bought 3 of these,was a bit worried, as so many said they had issues getting tentacles on.I had no such issues. Very well detailed Bala is a bit basic, but Rathtar in amazing.

The Rathtar looks great, but it's a hassle to assemble--there are 12 unique tentacles that need to be attached, and if you don't plug them in just right, they'll fall off real easily. They're also surprisingly hard to attach correctly in the first place--the tolerances are very unforgiving, and since the body is kind of flexible, you can't easily force them in. Once they're in, they'll stay, but it's frustrating to get to that point. You can stick a figure in its mouth, but the figure won't fit all the way in. The jaw doesn't hinge or anything. It looks great, but isn't a lot of "fun" to play with.Bala-Tik is OK, but a little dull. His outfit is pure black--glossy black in some parts, and matte in others. His face seems a little too cartoony. He's only got 5 points of articulation. He isn't bad at all, but he's a little boring--he's mostly just food for the Rathtar.Both figures are Force Link enabled for sound effects, but you need a Force Link gauntlet to utilize this. Collectors probably won't care about that.NOTE: This set was re-released as part of the Solo assortment with Force Link 2.0 compatibility, giving both figures more sound effects. Also, the tentacles on the Rathtar were supposed to be much easier to attach. I'd suggest looking for this version instead of the original.

Oh man my son loves this Rathtar. He's so so about Bala Tik, but is ape over this mutant tentacled potato with puce eyes all over it. One thing about the tentacles, save yourself a lot of time and frustration, put some super glue(just a dot or so) in the sockets for the tentacles and PUSH THE TENTACLES HARD to make them snap into the sockets. Otherwise they don't stay in, which is surprising considering how hard you have to push to get them to snap in. After the glue we've had none come out again and its still very playwithable. If your Monster loves monsters then they'll love this Rathtar.Oh yeah it can eat Balal Tik too.

The number one peeve from other reviewers is the difficulty of assembling the tentacles. I agree most people would be frustrated, but a few tips to make it not so bad (see my pics):1)Sort out and label each tentacle with easy-off tape. Trust me it will make installation easier.2) Warm the insertion areas of Rathtar body with a hair dryer. This will make the soft plastic more flexible.3)Push tentacles in while twisting cw and ccw directions, like you're "drilling" the pieces in. If you just try to push in without twisting, it will not go in all the way.Each tentacle joint has a flange or nipple that has to be fully inserted in order to lock in. The tentacles will pop out easy if it's not locked in.4)Adjust position of tentacles, keeping the tan painted areas to the ventral(bottom) side.5)After tentacles are fully inserted, let Rathtar sit for about 30min, so plastic can settle in.6)Finally, I recommend using a glue like CA (cyanoacrylate), but must be rated for polypropylene plastic. It is a good idea to use a primer before the glue. Btw, I realize this is a lot of extra work if you're not a hobbyist, but it will keep the Rathtar in one piece.I love displaying the Rathtar with my Hasbro Hero Series Millennium Falcon I custom painted. He kind of reminds me of a Sarlacc with legs.The included 3.75" Bala TIK action figure was nothing special, but nice as an extra. But almost any 3.75 action figure will fit in Rathtar's mouth.Check out my pics. Let me know if any questions, and please "like" if my review helped.

Twist each leg while pushing it in hard. You may need to push the leg hole outward from inside the body at the same time. Make sure you are using the correct letter leg in each hole, each leg is marked with a letter and goes in a specific hole. If you cannot rotate the leg without it falling out, it's not fully in. I have not had any legs fall out once fully in on mine. This is a great toy and at $20 for a creature and a figure it's a decent value.

After disappointing my kid with this garbage, I resolved to put this thing together and make it right. After using a magnifying glass and guessing through elimination what letter codes were on each leg. I organized them, and then began assembly. But no, not a single one fit where it was supposed to, not one ball joint fit at all even with the force of pliers. It took some swearing, painters tape, and epoxy to get this nonsense together. Day two saw 11 of 12 legs attached, and on the second night a complete product.There was a reason this was on sale, they should have burned the stock at the warehouse and written it off as a loss instead of passing this ill will on to unsuspecting customers. Shame on you for letting this out of the idea room and into manufacturing. It would have been more fun as a hard foam ball with pipe cleaners and some imagination.