HERA SYNDULLA and Stormtrooper Commander
Star Wars Rebels Mission Series
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. B1385
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS19
Includes: Blaster, Stormtrooper blaster, Stormtrooper figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: March 2015
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels
Bio: Hera is the ace pilot aboard the
Ghost starship and supports any mission that undermines the authority of the Empire's Stormtrooper Commanders. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
Commentary: It took three waves but we got
Hera Syndulla action figures! Hasbro made an interesting editorial decision to include Stormtroopers - otherwise known as an easy sale - with their lady figures in the 2-packs, which makes me assume it was a form of insurance policy. If you won't buy the set for Hera, you're definitely going to buy it for a Stormtrooper Commander. As the show's most competent, least jerky character Hera didn't get enough screentime this year, and so far this seems to be her only other than a LEGO figure. This is a pretty neat figure, and best of all Hasbro made sure she can fit in the vehicle. They weren't too generous with paint, but there are some clever workarounds for that here.
Many of the figures in this line have molded parts inserted in their limbs, rather than paint. For example, the Leia we looked at has flesh plastic hands glued into white plastic arms with no paint. If the glue holds, this is great - that way paint won't wear off the hands. Hera's boots are brown plastic, inserted into unpainted orange plastic legs. Playmobil is king of this, using multiple colors of injected plastic instead of paint to save money and improve longevity. Her right boot has a holster molded into it, but it's too small for a gun and wasn't designed for interaction with a weapon. The gloves are painted, as are the belt, shoulder pads, and a few other bits and pieces. The hands have no real problem holding the weapons, and the paint works. The straps on the legs were left unpainted, unfortunately, but such is the future if trying to make toys cheap. Similarly, the paint on the lekku is a little on the whiter side so it doesn't quite look as natural as the animation model.
The face is pretty good. We got lips, eyes, eyebrows, goggles, and the flight cap decorated with most of the attention to detail centered on this part of the toy. They didn't seem to cut any corners here, which is good, because this is where you really notice things going wrong. The head turns nicely and the figure's design doesn't hurt its ability to fit in the driver's seat of most of your vehicles. The head coloring contrasts a bit more than I'd like, but it works - you can tell who it is, and make out facial features without having to squint. Leia's coloring may have been too subtle for the size, or at least the lips don't quite "pop" at this size.
If you're in the market for Hera, get this one. Don't wait for a perfect super-articulated one - there may not be another in this costume. And if there is, show Hasbro there's a market for more aliens by buying this one. If you're buying figures from the cartoons, this should probably be at the top of your list. She's not the first green-skinned, orange flight suited Twi'lek with anti-Empire leanings but she's the first one to appear on TV and as such is a worthwhile purchase. If you have Cesi Elrriss - and even if you don't - go try and get a Hera figure.
Collector's Notes: I got this from Entertainment Earth. This set started appearing in stores late in March
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,142: April 10, 2015
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