Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,204: Mother Aniseya (The Retro Collection)

MOTHER ANISEYA Figure Debut
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0386
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

 Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: As of my writing this, this is the only Mother Aniseya figure we've seen. Will there be another? I don't know - but I doubt it. Hasbro did a good job sculpting a figure that looks like a Kenner design, but Disney did a better job making a costume and make-up job that was designed for higher-definition televisions. If you watched the show, you'll have noticed incredibly ornate fabric patterns, incredible hair, and jewels galore. This level of detail is fundamentally incompatible with old Kenner designs, which is part of what makes it interesting - someone has to be an editor, and very carefully decide what the budget can carry. At $60, this 6-figure set was relatively cheap and given Ms. Aniseya lacks any accessories, you can see that Hasbro decided to put the budget into her hair pieces and paint.

Given the nature of the show, it makes sense. It's rare to hear me say this, but I think this figure would've been best in Vintage - she's the only "flashback" figure in the set, so she's kind of the odd one out as it is. Having said that, it's an interesting choice in that there aren't a lot of other figures like her. Most humans in the Kenner style have been white dudes, and almost all hair is short. Her design is not unlike Bib Fortuna, with long hair in the front and back featuring a hint of flexibility so it doesn't snap. Like Bib and the Emperor, her "gown" legs are split in the middle with no wavy fabric patterns underneath. Her purple gown is incredibly striking, but it lacks the intricate pattens from the show. The angled grid on her blue elements are closer to how Hasbro handled them on the Hoth figures of the 1980s, not quite raising the grid like on the show. But everything is more or less where it should be, with various jewels and ornamentation in the hair. It's clear Hasbro was working from good reference materials, giving us a figure that looks like something we could have had in the early 1980s.

If I was handed this figure with never having seen the show, I'd say "wow, this is cool!" She looks like she could fit in anywhere in Star Wars, and given her witchy tribe, young kids, or younger antagonistic Jedi will never be made in this format, that's handy. It's weird to have a figure like this that won't necessarily belong anywhere, and she's off-model enough that you could believe she could be hanging out with C-3PO or Mon Mothma or the Emperor. That shows that, at their core, the Disney designers more or less nailed the costume. Unfortunately they did such a good job making the face distinctive that she looks very little like her TV counterpart beyond the most superficial elements, like "has eyes." The figure downplays the distinctive make-up, with no chin or forehead ornamentation. The eyes are more defined on the show, but that's not the kind of thing Kenner would try to replicate. It would be great to have those silver markers there given how they stand out, but alas, it was not meant to be. Hasbro did a great job capturing the spirit of the costume and Kenner aesthetics here, which is more or less what I want out of this line. It doesn't have to be perfect - and goodness knows, it isn't - but at least it's different than the rest of this collection.

Given the figure's price, and how unique she is, I'd recommend picking her up even if you don't like the show. The three Aniseya family members seem to be the best in the collection, with distinctive costumes and unique hair - and if they show up at Ross I'm buying another set. Aspiring customizers will probably come up with great ways to improve her head paint, and if they do, I hope they share links with me. Also if you line up all your Kenner or Retro figures, this would probably be the first in the timeline.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,204: January 7, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,203: C1 (Penguin, Holiday Droid Factory)

C1 Penguin Droid
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Gift, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Articulated arms, removable wreath, opening claw arm, removable third leg
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a   

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This R1 (Penguin Droid riffs on the Chopper C1-10P body with the vibes of a rockhopper penguin wearing a scarf. It kind of works, it kind of doesn't, but what matters is that it's distinctive and not particularly holiday-ey. Nothing about it particularly reeks of Christmas, but there are penguin-inspired elements like the splashes of paint around the eyes, the central eye being painted kind of like a beak, and of course the yellow feet. It's not too overt, and the off-kilter scarf splash of red paint certainly evokes the idea of a winter garment without being overtly Earthy.

You've seen this mold many times before but there are some key changes, like the radar dish. Specifically, there is no radar dish on his dome. You do get a green wreath with red berries and a gold bow, and it has indentations to sit on his arms. You'll need to pry off the dome or the arms to get it seated, though. Aside from that, the plastic parts are pretty much the same as several other Disney C1 droids - and that's perfectly fine.

With removable limbs and the usual series of joints, there's a lot to like here and not too many surprises. The bright white and golden yellow colors really pop against the black chassis, and at first glance it seems like it might be out of place in the dark, dusty, and otherwise corroded galaxy from which our toys hail. I wouldn't recommend getting the set solely for this figure, but it's a good figure in a pretty great set. If you're all-in for droid figures, Disney put some good variety into this box and you'd be well-served to pick it up on sale. At full price, it's not bad - but if you've got hundreds of droids and few to no playsets, your need for them may be pretty insignificant by now. I like it enough to say I'd love to also see orca, quail, or other creature-inspired droid recolors. With the pop-out arm and distinctive look, I'm not going to get rid of it or anything.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,203: January 2, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,202: KE4-N4 (The Vintage Collection)

KE4-N4 (E-Wing Fighter Pack-In Figure)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Pack-In Figure
Item No.: No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: A whole E-Wing Fighter
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $99.99
Availability: November 2024
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: Astromech droid KE4-N4 served alongside New Republic E-wing pilot Lieutenant Callahan on Lothal. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The KE4-N4 is the kind of thing that makes me happy. The little guy basically was nothing more than a cameo in a TV show, but it was memorable. It's a weird place we're in with entertainment, when the story isn't a complete thing what we remember is a cameo for applause - but if it's obscure, it's more of a subtle head-nod to a certain person. Since I am that person, I'll accept your pandering, Lucasfilm. I think it's great Hasbro made this figure. I think it's a weird decision to bundle him with the E-Wing (rather than the human pilot) because this droid could probably sell more units to customizers - but hopefully Hasbro will repaint him in R2-D2 colors for an exclusive for some handsome devil's online retail shop.

I like this figure, and I feel kind of like a dork for saying "it's not necessary." The ship on the TV show only showed a dome, and I don't know if there is a full prop or if Hasbro just made up a body. The body itself is a reuse of the build-a-droid mold that has been around since 2008, so you no doubt have several figures with this exact body. It differs from most of the droids Disney sells in a few ways, the most obvious of which are the visible wires on his feet. The body itself has a jointed dome, removable third leg, and rotating legs on the sides. It's nothing particularly new - it's also probably a cheap add-on (depending on the factory whims) for a $100 vehicle.

I would have bought the ship with or without the figure. I prefer figures sold separately so I can get extras, and the ship itself is pretty good - it doesn't feel like a $100 toy, and the deco is fine. It's big enough that you won't complain, but you're going to need very skinny humanoids to pilot it. (I started with the first figure on my desk, a Retro Clone Trooper, and it didn't fit - but the TVC X-Wing Luke body used for those Rebel Pilots 4-pack fits.) The droid fits in the droid socket, but you have to pop off a panel to fit him in there. There's even a little indentation so you don't have to remove his third leg - Hasbro did a good job here in terms of droid compatibility.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,202: December 31, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,201: Jango Fett (The Retro Collection)

JANGO FETT Kennerized
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0371
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #341
Includes: 2 blasters, another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: November 2024
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I'm a big fan of The Retro Collection, warts and all. Nobody's going back to 1984 to pump out more figures, but at least they're trying. Jango Fett is part of a six pack that's half Attack of the Clones and half Revenge of the Sith, with some sensible choices and some that are just going to make you mad that each prequel didn't get its own six pack. Jango Fett is probably tops of the list of characters to make in any format, and he's joined by two sensible choices - Padme Amidala and Mace Windu. (If it were up to me I'd throw in Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku.) What's particularly interesting about Jango is that Hasbro made a 5-jointed version of him roughly a decade ago, and they're somewhat similar. I also assume the number of people who are grown-up Kenner kids who are looking at these figures and going "well, actually" while opening them up and playing with them is a vanishingly small group, and people might not even take these guys out of the 6-pack box they got in the mail. Their loss! It's a good figure.

Hasbro once again opted to make a Jango that mixes his costumes. The dent-free helmet of Kamino is here with the second silver and blue jetpack we saw on Geonosis. It's not true to the movie figures we got in the 2000s (but matches the The Vintage Collection deluxe figure) and I feel like Hasbro has a blank check to make those kinds of decisions with The Retro Collection. If they want to make a figure based on incorrect concept art colors, or with the wrong blaster? They should be encouraged to do so. (For Vintage and Black Series, accuracy matters. As a kid, Bib Fortuna had a weird twisty cane and nobody complained.)

The bulk of his costume feels like they put a typical modern design through a Kenner fun factory, with the various belts, holders, pads, vambraces, and so forth, toning down the musculature a bit and giving him a slightly more dynamic pose. What I found really odd were his holsters. Jango typically wears them with the leather straps over his thigh armor - this figure seems like they sculpted it digitally and accidentally pushed the straps behind the armor. It makes it look like his non-functional holsters are just kind of floating - you might not notice, but I did, and it's kind of weird. I almost feel like we got a figure that was near the final stage of development by accident - other than those holster straps, I think the decisions Hasbro made were really good. There aren't as many nifty details as on 1979 Boba - take a look at his quilted shoulders or the wrinkles on his arms and legs - but the armor seems right and the pose feels pretty good. His right gauntlet has recessed squares that seem deeper than the costume - those were shallower rectangles. The change is, well, "wrong" but who cares? It's Kenner, baby, getting a few details wrong is what makes them fun.

 Jango's helmet looks a lot like Boba Fett (Morak_ [FOTD #2,935], which is more or less what you want. It's a departure from the 1979 figure, but I think it fits in with the "story" Hasbro seems to be telling with these figures. Clearly Hasbro's interpretation of the future of Kenner would be that this is the new standard helmet, and I think it was probably the best choice. The sculpted details are all pretty much identical except for the dent in Boba's helmet, if you compare the backs they both have the same vent designs.

His backpack is really interesting and threw me for a bit of a loop. When I first saw it, I thought it was the original backpack with some modifications and the wrong coloring - but it's got to be the JT-12 with an elongated rocket. Sadly Hasbro dropped the vestigial retooled L/J-slot that we got on Boba Fett (Morak), but the proportions seem pretty close to what you'd have to get out of Kenner. I feel this was more of a "get it?" gag than how Kenner would have done it, but I'm probably overthinking things here. The little jets are melded with the figure's back - just like Boba - but this time they gave him some extra paint to set them apart. It's not quite right - but that's what makes it interesting.

The paint is the one place this figure really gives me pause, mostly because it's so good. Figures like Snaggletooth had duller silver paint back in the day, and this paint - while not vac-metal or a mirrored finish - is incredibly shiny. The quality of the materials is excellent, but - and I'm probably one of few fans to think this way - Hasbro should be allowed (no, encouraged) to cut corners. The original Kenner toys were dirt cheap back in the day, and it would be unusual for the company to cover the figure in so much paint, and so nicely too. The brown paint looks fine, the blue on the helmet looks good, and they did well.

Jango's twin blasters are, perhaps, a little too good - they look just like any typical modern WESTAR-34 blasters. I think most fans are going to love these, and they are the kind of thing I assume most Star Wars fanatics expect. Having said that, if they gave us gray Kea Moll/Squid Head blasters instead? I bet those would be just as easily accepted and would also be something Kenner Actual would have done.

Is he - and the set - worth it? Look, $10 per figure for six newly sculpted figures that vaguely resemble what I had as a child will always be worth it to me. Don't tell Hasbro, but I'd probably pay $15 for a new Retro figure as long as they were genuinely new without complaining. This is one of the better ones, and I will buy another if the set ever goes on sale.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,201: December 26, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,200: R2 (Gingerbread, Holiday Droid Factory)

R2 Gingerbread Droid
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Glasses are removable, rotating dispenser arm, tray harness looks cool, removable third leg
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a
Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This R2 (Gingerbread Droid is arguably the reason you will want to buy this set - it's too good to pack in a giant $80 blind box. I hope they consider releasing it individually in the future, mostly because it's so good, I bet there will be a big market for it. And if not R2, maybe R3 or R5 - there's a lot of paint here and the general premise is just so good, I can't knock it - even if it is primarily a holiday thing.

The R2 mold has been repainted and sold so many times I don't need to tell you about it. You've seen the drinking variants too - the harness is packed with glasses, this time filled with milk to go with the cookie droid. A dispenser sits on his hat hole, it's a little loose but it swivels nicely. The details are crisp on his harness, and I wonder how it will hold up in the long run. Today, at least, it looks excellent.

The droid itself hits all the major notes. The brown plastic looks like gingerbread, with a tremendous amount of white paint providing fully painted panel lines and full panels in "icing." Some "candy" panels are also painted, with red, green, and even black elements. Everything looks pretty sharp, and the level of white paint is thick enough where it doesn't seem like the brown plastic is in any danger of breaking through.

I don't know if it will work in a non-holiday scenario, but it's such a charming design that I don't think it matters. It's a neat idea, it proves there are some opportunities left in the concept. You may not see this set as worth $80 - if it weren't for the stackable coupons, I'd have skipped this set this year. The concepts are mostly good, but the piles of holiday droids are stacking up - with nowhere to go.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,200: December 24, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,199: R1 (Holiday Droid Factory)

R1 Holiday Bell
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Sits on clear stand, dome and "foot" end removable
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a   

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Many of the figures in this box make sense - some, so much sense I'm surprised they weren't sold individually on cardbacks! This R-1 mashes up a couple of concepts, giving you a figure on a clear display stand. It's a redeco of The Mandalorian R1 [FOTD #2,912] from a few years ago, and it's pretty clever. Weird, sure. The barber shop candy can body with a knob at the end and a bell on the top makes for a lot of easy jokes, but I'll leave those to you at home.

The figure requires some assembly. It's worth noting the dome pops off, as does the bottom tip, were you so inclined to trade them with other releases. The figure is fairly light on deco, and the holiday colors seem like they might not be too out of place in a vintage cartoon, or in the background of a scene where they're some kind of safety droid. The vaguely golden bell more or less works, the pole on which it sits works too, but I can't say that the bottom element is working for me in all white. Maybe it would look better in gold - it does have a series of subtle gold dots painted facing the stand, and it's not terribly easy to see them without picking it up and examining them up close. The greeblies mostly fade in to the design with minimal deco, but they're there, and I'm sure a customizer could add some weathering and make things really pop nicely.

If sold outside the context of a Star Wars Christmas collection I don't know that this toy would work. If sold individually, it might be confusing given how it departs from the 1977 R1 design and shape. It's a clever reuse of the mold. A Festivus pole might be a better fit if they decide to do a third colorway of the mold, but that's not what we got. Maybe this candy bell would look good as another addition to a diorama of the droid customs line at the starport on Annoo. I don't really have a place for it, but I'm sure I'll find one.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,199: December 19, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,198: Mandalorian Warrior (Amazon Exclusive 3-Pack, Epic Hero Series)

MANDALORIAN WARRIOR Unite the Clans
Epic Hero Series Amazon Exclusive Figure 3-Pack
Item No.: No. G0311
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Mandalorian Warrior, Paz Vizsla, 2 blasters, fire gauntlet, blade gauntlet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.9
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: These Star Wars toys feature design and detail inspired by The Mandalorian live-action series on Disney+. (Taken from the Amazon description.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Unite the Clans Mandalorian Warrior is one of very few figures in Epic Hero Series that's only in Epic Hero Series. She's a redeco of Bo-Katan Kryze, but on the show she had a mix of her armor and some Stormtrooper bits, and a cape, and possibly other changes. There aren't many great pictures and I don't even think she has an actual name, but you can see her hanging around the Children of the Watch caves in season three of The Mandalorian. She is also the reason you should buy this set.

The figure is not a perfect match for the show, but it looks pretty good. Heck, for all I know there's another, similar costume and I missed it - but there is a costume with a gold chest (the figure is yellow), a green left shoulder pad (figure is also yellow), and a very similar helmet and similarly colored boots - but differently shaped - with the same new blaster, and a cape. I would not necessarily say this figure is good enough that Hasbro shouldn't do a Vintage or Retro one, but it's definitely better than nothing and more brightly colored than almost any other figure in the line. Star Wars toys typically come in muted tones, so a red, yellow, green, white, and gray trooper really pops on a shelf of toys. If Hasbro just made up this figure from the ground up, I'd say she's great and a must-have. Because she doesn't quite match the show, I assume a lot of you will just shrug and wait for something better... and I don't know if something better is guaranteed to be coming anymore.

Since she's made from the body of a good figure, she is also a good figure. She stands and sits, the arms and legs all swivel well, and her ball-jointed head works great. The hands can hold the all-new blaster, and the Sabine Wren knifey gauntlet - now cast in red - fits perfectly well on her arm. You may poo-poo the colors, but the engineering is perfectly executed. Nothing falls off and nothing is stuck. These are low bars to pass, but that was normal in the 1980s and 1990s - action figures were simple, but they just worked. You got your 5 (and sometimes more) joints, and if they didn't move you cried and threw it at the cashier. Well, OK, maybe nobody did that but there was also none of this "use boiling water or a hair dryer so your figure's arm moves" that's more or less accepted these days.

I bought this 3-pack because I wanted this figure. Right or wrong, she looks different than anything else I already own and that is sort of what I like about toy collecting. The set isn't bad for Amazon's $20 price, especially given some of us suckers paid $20 for Deluxe Wal Maul before they cut the price. Sure, she's a repaint - but she's wildly different than Bo-Katan and has a new (technically) blaster. If Hasbro wants to do more colorful Mandalorians, I'll buy one or two. Or several thousand. Goodness knows I've done it before.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,198: December 17, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,197: BB-8 (Holiday Droid Factory)

BB-8 Snowman
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Balances, dome and ball halves are removable
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Great concept, bad QC (on mine, at least.) The BB-8 (snowman) is a great design, but my sample can't keep it together. The bottom half of the droid slides right off - if you pick it up, it doesn't stay connected. If I swap out the core inner ball with another droid, the parts fit, there's just something about this one where it won't stay together. Your mileage may vary, of course.

This version of BB-8 - not a generic BB droid according to Disney's page - is left mostly white with subtle gray highlights you may not even notice. He has a tiny scarf and a new tiny top hat, which I think is going to be very fun for anyone who likes these kinds of props. One of his sensors has an orange carrot-like ring around it, his central black eye is super glossy, and there are three dots to represent some sort of coat buttons on the torso. It's incredibly simple, but it gets the job done and the BB ball body is perfect for a snowman. I'm kind of annoyed Disney didn't just sell this one carded because it would do well. Having said that, I still need to crack open R6-SN0, Disney's previous snowman robot.

In terms of escaping the trappings of the holiday, just turning around the head and leaving off the gear gives you a mostly plain white droid. It would look fine on any sequel-era display, or serve as great custom fodder. It's useful, it's cute, it more or less fits in - so it's a good design. I just hope yours holds together than mine.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,197: December 12, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,196: Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (The Retro Collection)

JEDI KNIGHT YORD FANDAR (The Kenner Republic)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0386
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, and another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Hey, it's Charlie Barnet! Yord Fandar was a character on The Acolyte who you were happy to see, and then died. He didn't get to do much - but since he was in the first couple of episodes of the show, we got him as a Retro figure. Because he's a good actor, it's fun to have him as a toy figure, but I can't say I'm thrilled by this set's character selection. It makes sense Hasbro made him - why wouldn't all these cool guys survive the show? Well, now we know, they don't. You get three Jedi in this set, but the thing that kind of stinks about pre-Original Trilogy Jedi figures is that they're all pretty similar. But if you don't have enough Jedi, you should get this one because it understands the premise.

While not a perfect match to the actor - or the costume - it does feel like a step closer to what fans want out of a new Kenner figure. The pose has some nice bends in the elbows, arms out just a bit, and a tiny bit of a curve to the neck. It's a bit more human, still a tiny bit stiff but it's nice to see another figure that just doesn't seem to be repeating the old Bespin Luke pose. Everything swivels nicely, but his center of gravity is a little off - you're going to want to use his cloak to prop him up, or tilt his arms (or torso) ever-so-slightly forward or he falls backward. I'm not crazy about that, I just want to stand them upright and have him stand.

The figure's sculpting is pretty good - a bit chunkier, a bit less elegant, with colors that probably aren't quite right and a head sculpt that's just a bit off. In other words - arguably, they nailed it. The gold armor is a bit more saturated than the other figures, with a face that seems a hair too tall (with tall hair that's fine and a face that can't capture Barnet's stare) and enough landmarks that show Hasbro had decent reference. The boots seem a little more wrapped than the other figure, but hey, at least it looks interesting. The belt has a lot of sculpted bits with no painted highlights - which is how Kenner would usually do it - and perfectly nice boots. There's nothing particularly special about the pose, and the colors seem a bit saturated - it feels like someone put him through a toy compression process, and there's just enough of a lack of the actor likeness to make it feel old. It's not perfect to what old Kenner would have done, but it's got the spirit right - by getting it a little wrong.

Hasbro made the hands rather tight, so he's in no danger of dropping his lightsaber. The robe fits pretty well, but we're back to a hood that's kind of hard to fold down - just like the old days. I don't think I'd have done things particularly differently were I asked to chime in, so I would rate the gear as a success.

I think Hasbro did a good job with the character, the format limitations, the deco budget, and what I assumed was no useful information as to the character's fate. If you told me I could pick only 100 figures to make (or reissue), Yord wouldn't be a top contender - but he turned out fine, I probably would have argued about Prune Face too. Now that these figures seem to be exclusively based on non-classic sources and sold only in boxed sets, Hasbro is really hitting their stride - I hope they consider bringing them back to physical stores some day, but for now, this guy is a fine shared online Fan Channel exclusive.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,196: December 10, 2024