AHSOKA Season 3 Body, the packaging neglected to include "Tano"The Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 94736 No. 26373
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #CW44
Includes: 2 lightsabers, 2 hilts, display stand, game stuff
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: February 2011
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: Ahsoka grows in skill and experience as the war continues. Anakin's Padawan learns Jar'Kai, the challenging art of dueling with two lightsabers at the same time. Through hard work, Jedi training and battlefield experience, young Ahsoka enhances her combat abilities and her skill with the Force. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam's toy room, in front of the Millennium Falcon.
Commentary: Generally speaking, Star Wars character names get longer as time goes on. The Emperor became Emperor Palpatine. General Madine added a "Crix." But Ahsoka? Her last name "Tano" was pretty much obliterated from the current packaging completely, which I find odd because of the two names, that's the easiest one to spell. Slightly taler and much better-sculpted than her previous incarnations as toys, she has an all-new costume and a more doll-like appearance in her face.
This entirely new sculpt is a step sideways as figure engineering goes, as the 2008 Ahsoka figure has ankle joints and this one does not. However, the previous figures didn't have ball-jointed elbows, and the 2011 Ahsoka has these as well as the swivel forearms that help her to assume any of a number of combat poses. Her outfit was sculpted with sitting in mind, a cloth piece surrounds her midsection and twin belts have holes to plug in her lightsaber hilts. She has no difficulty holding on to her weapons, and so far, she seems to have no problem standing up. (Not like certain Aqua Droids.)
The attention to detail in the sculpt shows big signs of improvement over last time, as the head has a larger, more lively face that seems just a little less expressive. The head detail and enhanced "hair" shows the character's physical growth on the show, while her eyes are larger than before. They also lack the eyeliner on the 2008 release which, if you ask me, looks a little weird a couple of years out. While the proportions aren't identical to the cartoon model, as toys go, she looks great. If you only buy one Ahsoka, as of today, this is the best one overall. With extra lightsabers, better deco, and an improved face sculpt, what more could you ask for? (Answer: a snarkier expression and maybe ankle joints.)
Collector's Notes: The first Ahsoka figure shot up on the secondary market as kids realized they missed her, but subsequent (and consistent) releases helped to keep it down. So far, this figure has shot up slightly, most likely due to her being a new and also hard-to-find release. If Hasbro decides to pull her for a long period of time I'd wager we'll see history repeat itself. As such, go ahead and buy her now, but don't be surprised if you see her around for a while. (That'd be the sensible thing, after all.) And remember, if you buy her from the link below, you're helping us run this blog-- so feel free to buy her or anything. It's all good.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,541: May 11, 2011
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