Thursday, August 15, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,163: Kai Brightstar (Jedi Pilot, Young Jedi Adventures)

KAI BRIGHTSTAR Jedi Pilot / Starfighter Pack-in
Young Jedi Adventures Vehicle Pilot
Item No.:
Asst. F7981 No. F8014
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Jedi Vector Jr., Lightsaber
Action Feature: Wings pop open of ship
Retail: $24.99
Availability: August 2023
Appearances: Young Jedi Adventures   

Bio: Kai Brightstar was a human male Jedi youngling sent to the forest planet Tenoo for training during the High Republic Era. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I was all set to skip this line until my friend Seth sent me a picture of Kai Brightstar (Jedi Pilot) - or rather, his vehicle, with Clawtron sitting in it. That may not be a huge rec for the figure, but the figure is actually pretty good. Complete with a giant head with cool, non-removable green helmet, the figure is basically a 4-inch Imaginext-style release. The legs are connected and swing forward together. Each wrist swivels. The neck has a ball joint. Each shoulder rotates and has lateral movement outward. For a kid figure, it's remarkable - and I wish Hasbro would've adopted the same basic articulation for some of the current kid figures for the movie and streaming series line. (Admittedly, with "normal" proportions.)

These are toys for little kids - so they're durable, colorful, and look like they can hold up to rough play. He has no problems standing, sitting, or fitting in his ship. There's a roomy seat in there, so it can hold a wider figure. It's also worth noting this figure shares tooling with other Kai Brightstar releases, of which there are a few - and they're all pretty good. I admire the clean paint on the face, the simple paint on the helmet, and the gold on his robes. It's striking, it's unlike other figures from Hasbro, but that's both good and bad. An entirely new generation could enjoy these figures without the baggage of our entire toy hobby lives! But that also means a lot of collectors with said baggage have no interest in trying something new, myself included, be it because "it's a baby toy" or "it's a new continuity" or "it's not compatible with the stuff I already bought." Or at least, that's the perception.

Because I have way too many toys I likely won't backfill the collection, but the vehicle is a pretty good toy. It's mostly white plastic with some green and clear smokey glass, with a big green button you can push and the wings sweep out. The cannons look a little bit like a Snowspeeder, and it can seat one 3 3/4-inch scale figure. If you want to use these with your other figures, you can! There are no stickers, and it's probably the simplest ship you're likely to see. It also makes me a little sad that Hasbro isn't making more simple toys like this for other shows, or at least, not yet. They did a good job with it, and given that it includes a figure it's a pretty good deal. On clearance, it's a steal - for $10 or less I recommend it highly.

There is absolutely no reason to start a new collection,  but I had a lot of fun with this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart. It was on clearance for a shockingly low $6.19.
--Adam Pawlus



Day 3,163: August 15, 2024

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