Action Figures & Their Beers – Let’s Get Hammered!

by Beedo Sookcool
on 2026-02-25, 16:59:48

GREENE KING ABBOT RESERVE

Well, this is a nice little instance of serendipity! I’ve only managed two other Greene King ales in all these years of AF&TB, those being Greene King Very Special IPA back in 2012, which I liked quite a bit, and Rocking Rudolph, which I only just found in time for Christmas 2025, so I’m happy to have another tipple from their brewery to try.

This is the “Very Special” edition of their Abbot Ale, which I don’t recall ever drinking, probably just because I couldn’t think of an action figure to partner it up with, before. Abbot Reserve, according to the label around the neck, is a “Strong & Bold Full-Bodied Ale” at 6.5% ABV. Also, “Taste: full bodied, fruit cake & toffee character” and “Aroma: ripe fruit & fruit cake.” The main label on the front doesn’t have much to say, but the back says: “From the Master Brewers of Abbot Ale comes this super premium beer, Abbot Reserve. Brewed in limited quantities, this is an exceptional treat for that special occasion. Abbot Reserve is a distinctive, full bodied, smooth and mature beer, bursting with rich fruit cake and toffee flavour.” Sounds very promising! There’s no mention of any specific malts or hops used in this brew, just that it contains malted barley, as an allergy warning.

And yeah – I get the fruitcake aspect. The toffee component is more like cinder toffee, so it’s got a slightly burnt note. I’d even venture to say that there’s a slight dark chocolate tinge in there, as well. And while it’s deliciously malt-heavy and smooth to begin with, the bitter aftertaste kicks in after a bit. But it doesn’t last very long, leaving your mouth watering for another belt. I would absolutely buy more of this, as long as it’s available. But I only saw Greene King Very Special IPA once, and then it vanished from shelves, so while I’ll be on the lookout for more of this stuff, I’m not really optimistic about finding any more when I next go back to Sainsbury’s.

Now, an abbot is the head monk at an abbey, and Hammerhead is the exiled ex-head-priest / ecologist and leader of the Ithorian herd-city ship, Tafanda Bay. So that works out nicely, doesn’t it?

This is probably the strongest figure of the TVC Cantina Adventure Set. It’s based on the excellent and most recent mould of this character, so the sculpting and posing is as good as it’s going to get at this size. The colours are a close match for his 1979 counterpart (although there is a slight but noticeable variation in the shades of teal between his torso, limbs, and fabric skirt), and he’s even doing the left-looking side-eye of the old Kenner figure. He was even packed on the card with his head turned left, just like the original! And, true to form, he also has an Imperial BlasTech E-11 rifle. And although this is quite a small version of the rifle, he can still hold it decently in his large hands and gangly fingers, with his index finger through the trigger-guard. One the whole, it’s a darned good figure, in and of itself.

But I’d still have done it ever so slightly differently, if it were up to me. The main thing I think I’d’ve changed for this figure would be to tool up new bare thighs, bare upper arms, pistol-grip left hand, and a collar for him. The collar, purely to make a more accurate Vintage sculpt look for this guy. The left hand and proximal portions of the limbs, however, could not only make this guy look even more like the 1979 Kenner Hammerhead, but also be used for later TVC aliens. Heck, there are enough interesting Ithorians kicking about that you could get a good amount of re-use out of those limbs. Ignoring Roron Corobb, who could use standard Jedi limbs, new Ithorian upper arms could be used for Mayor Mok Shaiz, Dok-Ondar, and at least one of the bounty hunter brothers from The Clone Wars, Bulduga (if not Onca, as well). And then, of course, he could be sold at mass-market on a new card as the background Ithorian from The Clone Wars and Rebels that was, in turn, based on the 1979 Kenner figure. And now we’ve come full circle. Circle of Life, man. Momaw would approve.

Drink this if you also like: Rich ales, malty ales, real ales, red ales, fruity ales, dessert ales.