AHSOKA TANO (Second Release Kenner Style, with Hood)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F6874
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Cape, Lightsabers
Retail: $11.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka
Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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! Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: I dragged my feet opening the second version of
Ahoka Tano from late 2023, because I thought - incorrectly - that this was just 2022's
Retro Ahsoka Tano [FOTD #2,943] on a (barely) new cardback with a new cloak accessory. That's certainly how it looks - and that's kind of a problem for consumers and collectors. Hasbro put out some very nice
The Vintage Collection and
The Retro Collection Ahsoka Tano figures for
The Mandalorian and what was especially funny is both showed up at Ross for $3.99 a pop at the same time - I put them side by side and realized that Hasbro had two packaged toys that, at a quick glance, were identical but one was originally $17 and one was originally $10. You and I are savvy enough to know the difference, but not everybody is - and now with this second at-bat for retro Kenner Ahsoka, with a new logo and different photo, the figure still looks the same as last time. She's packaged with one new accessory behind her, and she had her hands fixed, but that is not at all obvious from the packaging. Also, the previous figure was at Ross before the cloaked version came out, so a lot of fans probably would have left her on the pegs had she appeared in stores more than once or twice, if that.
American brick and mortar retailers by and large skipped
The Retro Collection late in 2023. Target got a little bit of the
Ahsoka wave, and nobody big seemed to stock
The Book of Boba Fett on pegs - but you could get them online. (Or now, for some, at Ross.) And I hate to say it - Kenner fans will want this figure. The base figure looks identical but it turns out Hasbro actually fixed her hands so they can grip the lightsabers more easily. The 2022 figure had a very loose grip, and she dropped her weapons when I picked her up off my shelf. I can shake the 2023 figure around and she holds them tightly. If you can only pick one version of the figure, obviously, get this one because she has an added accessory and is visually identical.
She stands and sits just as well as one might hope, and the cloth cloak rests well on her head. Hasbro always had a habit of making very large hoods, and in this case, it's a good choice - it fits! It looks and feels a lot like the old
Return of the Jedi Luke cloak, and easily slips over her body. There are cuts so she can raise her arms a little, but she doesn't look good with both arms up - it's best to display her with her cloak on and arms down. You don't get to see the painted robe detail, but if you're a completist you've got the other figure already and can see that one. At least this way, it looks like you have two "different" figures.
Depending on your perspective she's just different enough to make you mad, but I'll throw down a few bucks for a Kenner figure with new gear and improved functionality. The hands work better - that's a reason to throw down a few bucks. If/when she shows up at Ross or Ollie's for $3.99, I would recommend you buy her even if you have the other one. If you actually open and handle these things, you'll be pleased with the improvements. Also, $3.99 isn't real money when it comes to retro-style figures. If Hasbro could make more figures from other lines in this format - not unlike Marvel - at lower prices, I'll get money. I can skip meals if I don't have money. I hope we get a few more of these guys before they finally decide this line's audience is too old, but let's be honest - if they could actually get the original trilogy guys on actual store shelves (even/especially reissues), they'd be selling. Unless they're The Emperor and it would be just as cheap to buy an actual 1984 figure instead.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,188: November 12, 2024
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