Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,152: Kanan Jarrus (The Vintage Collection)

KANAN JARRUS Season 1 Look
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. F9977
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #318
Includes: Lightsaber, Hilt, Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster, lightsaber plugs in belt
Retail: $16.99
Availability: May 2024
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: Once known by the name Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus survived the Emperor's purge, going underground for years. Leading up to the Galactic Civil War, he was a leader among the Ghost crew. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

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Commentary: Because I'm old, I sometimes wonder "why don't I feel as excited about this stuff?" And looking at the wave that came with Kanan Jarrus, it got to be pretty obvious - the assortment comes with a Cal Kestis, a Mandalorian Judge, and an Ezra Bridger. None of the figures look bad, but they're all Disney-era stuff - any connections to the original six movies are diminished, and none are characters that existed when I was a kid, or a teen, or even in my 20s. Hopefully there's a rabid market of new fans for this stuff, but I assume it's probably not as much as it would be for the big movies, and because we're so far away from the original movies, those might not be as big, either. As such Kanan is a pretty good choice - a major player, with lots of recognition, and the figure is pretty good too.

From the neck down, this figure is 100% what you want. From the neck up, it's up to interpretation - the figure's head is a tiny bit rounder, while the cartoon character is a bit taller and longer. You want exaggeration in animation, but that sort of look may not necessarily translate to a real person or a toy. Hasbro seems to have done a good job taking Ezra's Adventures in McQuarrieland and translating them to something realistic, and that's a tough thing to do with floating knee pads and a very specific kind of upper chest accoutrements. The contrast isn't as cartoony, and while it isn't as natural as some of the original trilogy costumes it does look like it could be something you might see off-camera in a movie. The costume retains all of the animation model's important landmarks like the vertical ribs in the shirt, the shoulder pad, the gloves, and the boots. The colors all look right, and all of the joints move nicely. The holster only gets in the way a tiny bit, and the legs have a good enough range of motion to fit in the Ghost which we're all still expecting to receive this fall.

I don't think the head looks like any one specific person, and depending on the angle it's absolutely perfect or just a little weird. The beard is right, the nose is pretty good, the hair is pulled back, and who can argue about the sideburns? The eyes are good and the hair is painted nicely, making this a pretty good portrait for a person that does not actually exist. I assume Hasbro created it, and they deserve a pat on the back for cranking out something that doesn't seem too cartoony and doesn't seem too grounded in reality. I couldn't hit that target if I were trying to create something like this.

He has three accessories - a hilt, a lit lightsaber, and a blaster. The hilt plugs in the holster easily, and the blaster fits in just as well. A lit lightsaber also can be held in his hands, making this a figure that does a pretty good job delivering exactly what you need with only a tiny bit of excess. (I would prefer a removable blade lightsaber, but hey, this is the same kind of thing.) I don't feel Hasbro shorted us anything, which is important at $16.99 - there's nothing that feels like a slight or a cost-cutting move. The ankles tilt, the wrists swivel and bend, and the bandolier is sculpted to the chest (and I prefer it that way.)

From where I sit, Rebels was a good show and was basically the connective tissue between the Disney era and the Lucas era - it had some problems, but it was mostly good. This figure is entirely good, and I hope we can get other characters from the show's first season in this style over time. Heck, given shared tooling with the Ghost crew figures, it might be inevitable. If you have a crack at this figure for a fair price, I recommend it if you like the character. The detail and personality are great, and it's weird to think I have a Caleb Dune figure that's probably better than any Han, Luke, or Leia in my collection right now. Hopefully, that will change.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,152: July 9, 2024