DAVISH KRAIL Pops / Gold 5, Yavin Pilot PackDiscover the Force Toys R Us Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. A0790 No. A0792
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Packaged with red Jek Porkins, Tiree, Mauler Mithel, and R5-D8 figures
Action Feature: Removable helmet, blaster fits in holster
Retail: $39.99
Availability: August 2012
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: The Battle of Yavin is a decisive battle in the fight to free the galaxy. The Rebels achieve an important victory when they destroy the Death Star. The pilots of Red Squadron and Gold Squadron, supported by their trusty Astromech Droids, take on the menacing Imperial pilots in a ferocious space dogfight around the battle station. (Taken from the set's box.)
Image: Adam's photo hole.
Commentary: Gotta have my Pops! I confess that the name Davish Krail did not immediately bring to mind Pops, one of the few pilots from the original Star Wars to be name-checked in print before the 1990s and 2000s. (I think I missed out on his trading card in the 1990s. Pops I know. Krail, not so much.) As one of the pilots with lines in the movie, it makes sense that he would get a figure, I guess, eventually. It took about 35 years, but here he is! And was he worth it? Ehhhh... sort of.
Familiarity breeds contempt, particularly when I'm familiar with this same arguably incorrect body type from previous pilot releases. Pops probably shouldn't be using the shorter Luke body, particularly with the lightsaber hole, for yet another release. There are other pilot bodies, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this was an error on the part of Hasbro's factory yet again. The packaging photography for this figure and Tiree both show the use of an alternate torso, so it's a safe bet this shorter pilot, who seems to be lacking in the neck department, was not Hasbro's intent. Considering that this figure is a pilot and arguably should spend his life in a vehicle, it shouldn't matter... but it's a little upsetting when the figure's development is arguably quite easy. Just slap a new head and repainted helmet on an existing body, and you're done. When you have the wrong body, it's a little less exciting... although I could make an argument that pretty much any orange-suited Rebel pilot is now well beyond the point of being either fresh or interesting due to the fact we have... how many do we have now? We have to be close to 30, many of which used the Luke body when the early press photos and prototypes did not. Even Vintage Wedge had the wrong body. Argh.
Because it's a new character and part of a set with other new characters and some decent upgrades, I begrudgingly give it a "buy." It is not great in and of itself, but new characters are far and few between, so you're basically buying this one because there's no better version yet and the last decade or so has shown us that unless you're Luke, Wedge, or Biggs, you aren't likely to get a same-character, same-outfit rerelease.
Collector's Notes: Toys R Us exclusives tend to stick around a while, and this one defied expectations (or maybe fell right into them) by selling slower than its equally-weighted counterpart, an Ewok gift set. The Ewoks were shorter, but they were more diverse and interesting with better upgrades and even more exciting all-new figures. Both are worthwhile purchases, but if you had to pick just one only a crazy person would pick the pilots over the Ewoks. And yes, I am calling you crazy. I've already got a good, comically portly Porkins so the Ewok set with the multi-Teebo and Kneesaa were more exciting from where I sat.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,018: March 8, 2013
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