FENNEC SHAND In all the sizes
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8565
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Removable helmet, 785MK Firepuncher-X sniper rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
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: One of the figures I was the most excited to get in
The Retro Collection somehow escaped my review log. I don't know how -
Fennec Shand was on my wish list way back since I heard they were doing Kenner-ized
The Mandalorian figures a very long time ago. A warrior since - and probably before -
The Clone Wars, she's seemingly immortal and also never changes her clothes. Truly, the Fran Lebowitz of
Star Wars, with a gun.
I know there are people who don't like what Hasbro is doing with this line, and prefer a $40 fan-made figure. Well, I like a $10-$12 figure, and this one turned out pretty well. It doesn't suffer from Bespin Luke Pose-ism, with her arms sticking out a little bit - the left hand on my sample can hold the rifle very well, while the right one will sometimes drop it. Figures by Kenner-actual tended to not have longer coats, so the squared-off butt that's revealed when her legs swing forward always weirds me out a bit. But other figures had this too. It's OK, it won't hurt us. The cut in the hips is very good, so her legs can move forward enough that she can sit in one of your vehicles. Or stand in it, if it's a Slave I or equivalent Firespray-class gunship. My requirements for good figure engineering are usually "can stand," "can sit," "can use their accessories," and other than some weirdness with the right hand, she's functionally perfect.
Kenner figures from 1979-1985 usually came in two flavors. There were ones where Kenner had good source material, and ones where they fudged it. Whoever saw Chewbacca clearly had a grasp of the costume. Walrus Man took more creative liberties. Fennec is more of the former - this is a simplified (but not by much) take on her costume, which is lighter on texture but still has the major milestones. he belt, the red triangles on her coat, the red band around her hair - and also her hair. If Kenner made this figure in the 1980s, you wouldn't get the separately-molded braid. They'd just lop it off. She has her red elbow pad, and while all the matching color bands in her boots and gloves are absent, that's fine. Kenner would have (and frequently did) leave that kind of thing unpainted.
The only place the figure's head and deco comes up a little short is the head. Ming-Na Wen had a pretty intense braid thing going on top of her head, and the figure's slightly smoother details downplay this a bit. Her face is a bit lacking compared to early press renders, which had slightly darker skin with no hint of translucency, plus slightly sharper (thinner) paint for her eyes that made them seem a little more realistic. I guess the final figure almost feels truer to what Kenner may have done, but she could just stand to be
slightly more opaque. And if you don't like it, Hasbro has a solution - there's a rubbery helmet. It's great. It feels just like the Boushh helmet from 1983, with a slice so she can look out of it. It's not too big, and it's not too small. I'm really impressed with it, especially since Hasbro just opted for swappable heads for
The Vintage Collection version.
Even though I forgot to review her earlier, you shouldn't skip this one. This figure never showed up at Target or Walmart, may have shown up at FYE near you, and was mostly an online (and later Ross) exclusive. If you didn't enjoy the character in
The Mandalorian or
The Book of Boba Fett, if you don't like Kenner toys, you probably don't want this figure. But I very much like these things, so even with a few shortcomings she's still pretty much as good as anything I had from the 1970s or 1980s. For those of you who may have had real Kenner toys as a kid, there's something magical about putting her next to a Luke or a Han as part of some greater toy universe. Also she might be around five bucks if you find her at a markdown store, and she's worth at least twice that.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,219: February 27, 2025
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