Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Figure of the Day: Day 1,255: Jake Farrell

JAKE FARRELL REBEL PILOTS III
The Legacy Collection Wal-Mart Exclusive Evolutions
Item No.:
Asst. 87874 No. 91508
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.96-$24.96
Availability: August 2009
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Rebel Alliance fighter pilots have a legacy of bravery that ultimately carries them to victory against the Imperial forces of the Galactic Empire. John D. Branon ("Red Four") flies in Red Squadron at the Battle of Yavin, losing his life in the attack on the Death Star. Shira Brie joins Rogue Squadron after the Battle of Hoth and gains the trust of her fellow pilots. Jake Farrell pilots an A-Wing at the Battle of Endor and celebrates the end of the evil empire. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's TV tray.

Commentary: While fans wanted a more authentic A-Wing pilot for a while, we didn't expect Hasbro to give us so many. With Jake Farrell, this pack of pilots is less a "who's who!" than it is a "who's that?" of the heroic elite fighting force. The figure itself borrows liberally from the 2007 Tycho Chelchu and the 2008 exclusive Arvel Crynyd, except it's way greener and has a new head. The coloring is a little more subtle, and nothing stands out as being particularly striking-- it's just a good, decent A-Wing pilot. He's very similar to the vintage 1984 and 1985 release, save for the helmet, which is still pretty slick. His straps are black rather than white or cream, and with him we now have three distinct modern A-Wing pilots made from the same super-articulated body. Will we get more? Well, hopefully only to go out of their way to replicate that vintage figure as perfectly as possible. Otherwise, it's kind of boring, and the outcry from fans for more pilots is starting to feel strained. After three Evolutions packs and numerous comic packs, it's starting to feel like we've had enough-- if not too many-- between 2008 and 2009.

Collector's Notes: The set sat, and may even be available still in your local stores. The entire wave of Evolutions exclusives had wildly variable pricing, and I saw prices in the range quoted above while others claim to have seen it for under $10. As such, it's OK to be cheap. Of the three Evolutions packs for Wal-Mart in Fall of 2009, this was probably the least popular.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,255: April 6, 2010

2 comments:

SlickMcFavorite said...

Fetts first saw these at Ross discount stores with the rest of the Walmart exclusives for $10.99. I have now seen them at my local Walmarts marked down to $9. Walmart clearancing its exclusives? It's a brave new world alright.

Unknown said...

I took a trip through the Wal-Mart clearance isle and found these stickered at $11, but rang up as $9. They also had Asajj Ventress Mighty Muggs for $3.