Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,446: BB-9E (The Last Jedi Line Look)

BB-9E with Rose (First Order Disguise) and BB-8
The Last Jedi Deluxe Action Figure 2-Packs
Item No.: Asst. C1242 No. C3530
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 3-piece rifle, blaster, 2 extra figures
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $14.99
Availability: November 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: BB-9E was a black-plated BB-series astromech droid in the service of the First Order. Unlike BB-8, a BB unit in the service of the Resistance, the droid featured a squarer domed head and red-colored sensor  (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  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!

Commentary:  Teased early and mysterious, it turned out BB-9E was a super-cool non-entity in the movie.  Its eye moved menacingly, and that's about it.  The toy makes pretty standard BB-8 noises when used with a Force Link band, and it's a bit smaller than the Disney Droid Factory BB-9E [FOTD #2,437].   Each version does different things well - the Hasbro one is smaller, a single figure, and has better neck articulation.  The Disney one is bigger, a little brighter, and arguably looks a bit more like the photo - but some elements just aren't perfect.

The small droid is hollow, a little light, and has two joints.  The head and the body are connected by a bar piece, so it can move at either place.  You can get a little personality out of the figure with head tilts, but the droid on-screen was pretty mechanical.    The dark grey "hub caps" around the silver "vents" is presented here nicely, but it also highlights some of the limitations of the 3 3/4-inch scale figure - at this budget - when the actual prop has lights coming from within.  I doubt Hasbro would want to sell a $8 figure with a light, but for all I know it would have done fine.   The silver and grey markings on the head are significantly darker than the movie, as are the eye and blue lights, which is a pity because you'd want to exaggerate those kinds of details at a smaller size.   Most action figures have brighter skin and eyes, bigger hands and heads, and other slight enhancements to counter the diminutive scale of these things.   Humans tend to be a little paler, although there are exceptions.

Given the darker deco and smaller build than the Disney counterpart, I'm currently torn on what to suggest.  As of today, Disney's Droid Factory line offers more BB-series droids making that the definitive scale to collect - but if you want First Order Rose, you'll wind up with this figure.  If you just want the droids, Disney's 4-pack for The Last Jedi should be more than sufficient - but Hasbro completists are going to want this one, particularly if you own one or more of the Force Link band accessories.   I would be very interested to see if either maker does a better, more feature-laden version some day but I am assuming the 3 3/4-inch action figure format has peaked and we're just watching it slide into obscurity.  Unless it has a weird, high-end comeback with fancy $30 figures in 10 years.  Hey, that's basically what happened with 1:6 scale figures, so don't knock it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,446: January 15, 2017