Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,365: Night Trooper (Gray Jaw, The Vintage Collection)

NIGHT TROOPER Gray Jaw
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: The Night Troopers were stormtroopers who served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on the extragalactic planet Peridea, comprising the majority of his forces. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: As I finish up reviewing the many (many) figures around my desk, which will never end, let's look at the third Night Trooper from 2024. This one has a gray jaw with a lot of red wrappings, and is the only trooper in the set to have an unwrapped chest. (Well, other than Enoch.) It's funny looking back on the set - and show - with a tinge of "Maybe George Lucas was right." In the 1990s, we got a lot of stories in comics and in video games, plus a few novels - there were no TV shows and only one single new movie. By keeping things tight, fans were always left wanting more and we were really never left wanting for a new monthly or bimonthly adventure of some sort since 1991. There was really no reason to compare the new stories to the old stuff, because the medium was different. Shadows of the Empire delighted a lot of new fans on their own terms, on a Nintendo 64 or PC, or at the book store, or comic shop. You could have a new story, and not have to worry too much about a budget or the potential of changing anyone's opinion on a legacy.

Ahsoka season one wrapped three years ago in October, and left me kind of cold. I liked the concepts, I liked the costume, I liked the toys. But Thrawn may be a better character for the page, and I can't help but think I might have had more fun swinging lightsabers at an Xbox or doing some sort of Jedi training under Ahsoka. As a passive observer we got an incomplete story, and it will have been nearly four years between seasons. The entire sequel trilogy wrapped in four years, and I may be alone in saying that while I appreciated visiting with Mon Mothma, C-3PO, Sabine, and of course Ahsoka, I get the same kind of warm fuzzies from a toy or a comic. No matter how good the show is, it makes more homework for new fans and Star Wars managed to do a lot with its coursework of three (or six) movies in terms of cultivating a massive, hungry fanbase.

But, like I said, we got some cool costumes. Hasbro mixed and matched its "mummy" Stormtrooper parts and pieces in this set, and it's a pity Enoch ate a slot - otherwise I might've bought a second to swap parts between figures. This one has a distinctive white helmet with gray jaw, plus lots of gold filler. The red wrapping exists on every limb, but not the upper torso. Some subtle red wrap exists above his belt, on both shins, on both forearms, on the upper left arm, and of course the upper right thigh. Hasbro did a nice job giving us an army builder set where no two figures are the exact same mold - but enough parts are mixed and matched that it's effectively two figures in unique configurations. I bet they could sell slightly different versions again, were they so inclined. The red wrap is nicely painted, and the gold looks good. I hope it lasts for the ages as some gold painted figures sort of molds with age, or at least, that's what I saw in Fisher-Price Adventure People's space lines.

This figure uses the same basic mold we've been getting for roughly a decade. It's the best super-articulated Stormtrooper we've had to date, with better bending elbows and crisp details - but it also has those older-style hip joints and I still hate those. They're bad for getting figures to sit, but they hold up well in a diorama. Which is more important? Well, I don't hear stories of kids buying figures and vehicles these days, so we're probably throttling what would've been a potential market with how the adult crew prefers things. Comparing this older mold to newer figures from competitors in the American market, Hasbro's figures are generally superior. (I can't speak to Hiya, I haven't been buying theirs.) I really love Mattel's daffy Jurassic World creations, but they're a little puffier. But, they're also cheaper and have great hip joints and wonderful vehicle compatibility. You can't have it all, I suppose.

I really like this set. Now that we're post-tariffs (I hope) it's worth noting that this is a good deal on the secondary market, often selling under $45 for four figures. Unless you demand cardbacks, this is actually a really good deal in the modern marketplace. I'd recommend picking one up this year before the show comes back and makes people go "Oh, I should buy that." That was how I did things in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it worked nicely for me.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the Amazon sponsored link.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,365: July 23, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,359: Ahsoka Tano (Peridea, The Vintage Collection)

AHSOKA TANO (Peridea)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F9798
Number: #338
Includes: Two lightsabers
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Ahsoka Tano's quest to stop Grand Admiral Thrawn brings her beyond the galaxy once more to the World Between Worlds, where she gains newfound wisdom. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: A good figure that people decided they didn't want, Ahsoka Tano (Peridea) is "Ahsoka the White," which makes her previous live-action costume her take on "Gandalf the Grey." Disney-era Star Wars seems intent on keeping people in the same clothes day after day after year, so a new costume (and new toys) can be pretty refreshing. Poor Fennec Shand wore the same armor since her The Bad Batch appearances, which is just kind of ridiculous - Ahsoka had numerous costume changes during The Clone Wars, so it's good she has yet another one. It shares parts with the previous The Mandalorian and Ahsoka live-action The Vintage Collection figures, with a new head, hew belt, and new boots.

I don't know that her lekku are a big improvement, the stripes are a different layout and it's not a perfect match for the show. Does that matter? Good question, I'm glad I asked it - not really. Unless you hold this up to the TV screen, you won't notice - but in the era of $17 (now $20) figures, plus the fact that the figure lagged the show by a year, I think accuracy is fair to expect. The face is improved, with a better paint job and skin color to more accurately match the show with a darker, more saturated color. The white markings are very similar, and there's a new "hair band" to mask the transition from the face to the head tails. For the improved face, I would say this is the kind of thing that makes the purchase worth it.

The body is functionally the same as previous releases, which is good. Hasbro did a really great job with the pants. They're not quite as baggy as on TV, but that's good - if they were, the figure's legs couldn't swing forward. The ball joints let her sit well, so if we ever get vehicles for her? She's all set. The arms have the standard amount of movement, her wrists bend and swivel, and the knee joints are just superb. The knees are hidden in the pants! How great is that? The ankles rock, and that's good - but they're stiff, so you have to get it just right or she just might face-plant. The new belt has a separately sculpted braid - with paint! - that looks better than the previous one, and the painted metal ring also looks great. Her shins and forearms have armor, and the silver has a decent shine to it. Despite being a retool, I can't knock Hasbro for taking shortcuts. They improved her where it was needed to authenticity, mostly, and didn't fix what wasn't generally broken.

I would have liked hilts for her belt - we didn't get those. Instead she just has the same two milky-white lightsabers she's had before. There isn't anything wrong with them, but again, for $17? I'd like some hilts or removable blades. I assume a cloaked version of Ahsoka the White will come in 2027 for the show, unless Hasbro has decided it has tired of seeing this mold on markdown shelves. It's not a bad figure, but the edition size for the Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. She's sold out, and about $10 on the secondary market - get her before the show returns next year.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,359: July 2, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,349: Captain Enoch (The Vintage Collection)

CAPTAIN ENOCH Gold Face
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Enoch was Grand Admiral Thrawn's Captain of the Guard during his forces' exile from the galaxy on the planet Peridea. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the reasons to buy the Night Trooper set was to get Captain Enoch, a figure that I'm rather surprised wasn't sold on a standard cardback first/instead. The boxed set has three very good trooper repaints with a couple of remolded parts each - and this guy, who has a new skirt/belt, helmet, and torso. The character doesn't have a heck of a lot to do. Heck, a lot of Ahsoka seemed to be more about pageantry than characterization as we've been seeing a lot of stories relying more on recognition than novelty. But that's not why this is an interesting figure. Even if you have a rather blah story on a gray planet where you don't get a lot of personality, that's not entirely a problem for action figures. For over 48 years fans were fascinated by the vibes and the amazing work of the creature shops and costume departments. We're not collecting characters so much as we're hoarding scaled-down replicas of the craftsmanship from Hollywood's finest. And that's OK, this is a pretty neat riff on a Stormtrooper.

Enoch's limbs are the same as a standard Stormtrooper, with a newly-sculpted back piece featuring distinctive deco and greeblies that remind me a lot of the exterior of It's a Small World. It's mostly white with basic shapes and some gold, with little splashes of color - it seems to fit. I was delighted to see the gold patterns on the armor painted quite nicely, and the red fingers and body glove gave the figure a much different feel from an average trooper. Sure, the legs are mostly the same, but you have that whole new skirt which seems to riff on Jedi and bounty hunter elements. A working holster? With a new pistol? That's pretty exciting, too. The unique silhouette reminded me a bit of Captain Bacara (the Clone) too, but the gold keeps it fresh. Hopefully the gold paint ages well, because it looks really good now and you can see a lot of money was spent in painting this guy. And here we are, not even two years later, where one figure with as much (or less) paint costs us $19.99 when in 2024, this four pack was a mere $55.

Given it's a trooper from an army builder set, I had low expectations - but that new back piece and the paint are capped off by an all-new helmet. There's a sculpted humanoid face in there. It's painted gold, with black eyes! It looks a lot like the TV show, so the sculptor or whoever scanned it and adapted it for figures did a great job. The paint choices were smart, but I think we're once again seeing some limitations in what you can do at the size. The prop on the show had a sort of faded quality, and a texture that you just can't replicate on a head the size of a grape. The helmet detail is a little fuzzy, with the Imperial cogs feeling a bit less sharp. The gray painted-in boxes on the back of the helmet are off by a couple of millimeters. If it was the front, it'd be a problem - but here, it's fine. The gold detailing looks good too. It also looks a little too fresh, which frequently happens with budgets for toys in this day and age. Wear and tear make Star Wars feel like Star Wars, and Hasbro did a great job including the patch jobs with the gold paint. But the grit, the texture, that wasn't replicated on this one. (I also assume it'd add $10 to the set if they did it.)

I still feel that if you get a figure (or figure set) for a price that feels fair, it's a good figure. This is a good figure. Figures were closer to $17 when the set came out, and I'd have happily paid it just for this one captain - the fact that he had there buddies makes it a better deal. While his skirt does get in the way of leg mobility, so do the older leg joints which just feel older and older after a dozen or so trooper figures. Hasbro has shown us they can do better, and hopefully they'll take the initiative to make new hips for the next new Stormtrooper variant because these aren't so great. In the context of this figure's release, they were good enough and we were charged accordingly. With just a few parts, Hasbro made an old mold feel like a new figure and that's the kind of smart budgeting that makes this line interesting and, as we seem to be treading water in a stream of trooper and droid repaints, kind of exhausting. But I would have made this same figure, this same way, were I given any sort of project management control at its time of release and I hope Hasbro brings it back to stores (key word: to stores) so fans can buy it when Ahsoka season two hits digital airwaves.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the ">Amazon sponsored link as the price was even more reasonable as I write this.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,349: May 28, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,324: Night Trooper (All-White Helmet, The Vintage Collection)

NIGHT TROOPER All-white helmet
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: The Night Troopers were stormtroopers who served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on the extragalactic planet Peridea, comprising the majority of his forces. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I looked at one of the Night Trooper in 2024 and have been meaning to get back to it. This seems like a good time! Ahsoka season two is allegedly coming this year, but I'd honestly expect them to kick it back a bit with Maul: Shadow Lord and a new movie on deck. I also haven't heard any whispers of merch yet, but things have been light on new series and/or secretive in general. But I digress, we're here to talk about this figure from a set that came out about 19 months ago. It's worth less than SRP now, which is a trend on a lot of items. It's not a bad item - Hasbro (and/or partners) just overestimated the market demand for what is actually a pretty decent set of troopers.

Thanks to Hasbro's rapid improvements of its 3 3/4-inch collector line, this guy hasn't aged well. The ball-and-socket jointed hips we've been getting on new figures are so good that it makes these awkward rotating hip joints that are built like a shoulder swivel seem old-hat. They're pretty sturdy, but they're not fun. You have to actively manipulate them to achieve a pose, and it requires a lot of fidgeting. I know a lot of you hate "old" Kenner figures, but their swivel legs went from "stand" to "sit" with no ambiguity without any actual thought. Hasbro continues to use the thighs on this Night Trooper with its 2025 Sandtrooper, and I'd very much like to see them go away.

Aside from that, the figure gets the job done. The joints are all basically as good as they get, with tilty ankles and bend-and-swivel wrists, plus that double barbell beck. Everything works fairly well - minus the hips - with tight joints that retail the pose pretty well. I haven't had a lot of problems with this guy's ankles, either. Things just more or less clicked in place, which I suppose is an overall win for a figure I will likely not play with very much. His destiny is to stand, or to be stored. Maybe that will change with the second season of Ahsoka, but I'm not so sure. I feel the rapid release of Star Wars programming has taken away any desire to play with (or even think about) most new stories after airing given product drops off fast and there might be multiple shows starting and ending before we get back to these guys again. To put things in perspective, Ahsoka wrapped in October of 2023 - how much time have you spent thinking about the show? That's not a knock against the show. We've also watched Andor season 2, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew since the Night Troopers returned to "our" galaxy with Grand Admiral Thrawn. And then we're told two new movies are coming, and cartoons too - so playing around with the toys from that show hasn't been on my mind much, even though they are pretty slick.

The sculpt shares parts with other troopers. Hasbro cleverly configured these troopers with different "wrapped" limbs, so the three in the set all look different. If you buy multiple sets, you can swap limbs (well, maybe with boiling water) and make up some new and unique designs. This one has no gray paint on their helmet, but he does have some gold filling in his cracks and some red ribbons. It's a nice figure, as a more or less immortal zombie of some sort. Hasbro really got a lot of mileage out of its new body parts, and could probably easily make another different crew with slightly different paint that we'd all happily buy. I do not expect this to happen, unless everybody is keeping super duper secret about new season toys. After the light showing for Andor season two, I'm not placing bets.

The trooper's paint and general vibes are good. It was nicely executed, and now you can get it on Amazon or eBay for less than it cost when I got mine. It's funny to see that often - not always, but often - collector product based on the new shows seems to struggle a bit. The recent Mos Eisley Set allegedly sold out, which either means Hasbro right-sized the run, or we're going to see some fun drama unfold later. Regardless, the Night Trooper is a good figure and the goodly gnomes at Hasbro ensured enough were made for you to build armies at a discount. If you liked the show - or at least its production design - I'd recommend the set. I just haven't opened them despite them sitting at my desk for nearly two years. I'll probably liberate the next trooper after we hear a release date for the next season for the show. Until then, take advantage of the market and get one.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the ">Amazon sponsored link.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,324: March 3, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,309: Ahsoka Tano (Force Masters / Epic World of Action)

AHSOKA TANO Force Masters Pack
Epic World of Action Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. G0363 No. G0778
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 2 lightsabers, 4 other figures with accessories
Action Feature: n/s
Retail: $34.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: Ahsoka, probably

Bio: Jedi Masters take on Sith Lord Darth Vader in this 5-pack of Star Wars action figures inspired by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Force Ghost Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, and Darth Vader. (Taken from the Target's web site. Package 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: While I'm incredibly fond of Epic Hero Series and Epic World of Action, I think I can safely say it's the best figure line with the worst sense of timing. None of the figures were on time to be "on shelf" when any of the streaming series were near their respective debuts, although SM-33 was just late enough to make you mad. They're popular characters, but last year's - and now this year's Ahsoka Tano came out when her show was too far away from being new or recent. This one has some minor deco changes, and will be most likely marked down and out of Target before the second season trailer for Ahsoka makes its debut. This is unfortunate, as the figure collection is decent for the money.

This 2025 release is similar to the 2024 Ahsoka Tano [FOTD #3,117] on a single card, but with some extra paint. The paint doesn't make a lot of sense, but it looks cool. The 5-jointed figure added some "Force lightning" crackles to her gloves, lightsaber hilts, and oddly lightsaber blades. It's actually kind of cool on the lightsabers - it looks like she's absorbing Sith lightning. This would look super cool if they could integrate this kind of deco on specific collector figures, too - but here it's just kind of a head-scratcher. It makes the figure look new and different if you pay attention to this sort of thing, but given how many were sitting on shelves in Q4 last year I think people just overlooked it. Individually carded figures are in short supply, and nobody is supporting the cheaper vehicles - so people are ignoring the gift sets.

They're missing out. Ahsoka still has great face paint with nice blue markings on her lekku. The sculpting of her outfit still looks great, and all the joints move smoothly. Her pose isn't too extreme, or too generic, so you can have some fun posing her or putting her in unrelated vehicles. She stands, she sits, and she can hold her gear well. There's a hole in her back for expansion accessories, but for whatever reason Hasbro didn't take advantage of their various pegs and holes.

If you got last year's figure, you're probably a completist and will want this one too. It seems silly to buy another copy of a figure that Walmart blew out under $3, but it's well-made and I don't mind a weird deco variant if it's interesting. This one is barely interesting - skippable for some, but Hasbro rarely does energy deco on its figures. It's kind of a shame we don't see more of it, because Quantum Surges or Emperor's Wrath lightning can look really good as two-dimensional paint applications rather than blue twigs or boogers. Ahsoka's a good figure, and this set is interesting enough at its regular price that I would certainly recommend it at a discount. I just don't expect the line to have much of a future, so go get the set and backfill the line while you still can.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target on sale for $24.49. If I didn't overpay for Walmart's exclusives last year, I probably would've bought this one at full price and not complain. I needed that karmic price adjustment.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,309: January 8, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,293: Anakin Skywalker (Epic World of Action)

ANAKIN SKYWALKER 2025 Kids Line
Epic World of Action "Power the Force" Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G1156
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: The Clone Wars... or Ahsoka 

Bio: Discovered as a young boy on Tatooine by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker had the potential to become one of the most powerful Jedi ever. (Taken from the packaging)

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'm a fan of this format, but I'd say Epic World of Action Anakin Skywalker is almost good. The packaging gives up how this figure was meant to look with a render on the cardback that's actually quite impressive, with a great head sculpt that looks like a digitally smoothed Hayden Christensen with that sandy brown hair to match. The final figure has odder eyebrows, a chin that feels like someone had a slider on the Morph software to skew it a bit toward Sebastian Shaw, and neck armor that plain doesn't work. You can see the cardback render illustrates a thinner piece of armor that lets you see Anakin's neck. The final figure does not have this. I'm not one to rate figures, typically, but this is probably a C- just because ambition didn't pay off.

The body is more or less fine, and it looks like this figure was designed - like Obi-Wan - to pull double-duty as a Revenge of the Sith and a The Clone Wars figure. You can see where they tried to stretch the budget, because everything else seems pretty good. Hasbro did a nice job sculpting the costume with the Jedi gloves and straps and everything you might have wanted for a possible retool. The legs move well, even with the rubbery skirt piece. The arms have a good range of movement, and have the armor sculpted on. Sadly the chest doesn't - the torso is great, but not with the armor bib. That can't be a thick, floating piece you can swivel around here. It just doesn't look right. It comes very close, and I'm willing to bet we're maybe 1-2mm away from it actually working as designed. I could praise the figure's costume all day long, but one silly piece is enough to disrupt the look and feel of the figure. So far I haven't seen it in stores, so I can't really say it hurt sales. Something has to be available for you to not buy it.

Like a lot of Anakin heads, it's really not bad. It's just that the materials and paint aren't doing it any favors. In the right light you can see the chin and cheeks don't look terrible, but something about the material scatters the light in such a way where the skin doesn't look good. And the eyebrow paint masks aren't great. The eyes seem fine, but not quite as intense as the render on the packaging. It's annoyingly close to being really good, which just stings on a kid figure line like this one. The marketing and presentation seem to stack the deck against this surprisingly satisfying line, so when you have somebody like Anakin that doesn't quite match either the animated illustration nor the live-action-inspired render you might lose a customer. Emphasis on "might," because again, I haven't seen him on a peg anywhere.

The lightsaber is fine - you get a silver hilt and that blue energy crackle for the "Power the Force" sub-theme Disney enacted that fans are not at all aware was a thing this year. I love the concept here - doing a live-action Ahsoka Anakin that might also appeal to The Clone Wars kids was a great idea, but it looks like the factory fumbled this one near the end. With two The Vintage Collection figures based on this outfit, older collectors have no need of this particular figure - and it's not like kids will find it on pegs. Keep an eye on clearance stores for this one, because as an under-$5 clearance oddity I'd give it a strong "buy." The engineering is good, the Jedi symbol on the shoulder was nicely done, and I bet Hasbro could probably make a couple of minor deco changes and improve it to a B- or a B on a rerun or in a gift set. It's not the worst Skywalker we've ever got. That would be Target's exclusive Luke Skywalker (Battle at the Sarlacc Pit) [FOTD #1,508] from 2008. This Anakin is merely average, whereas that Luke was trash in 2008 and somehow even worse 17 years later. Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,293: November 13, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,290: Clone Captain Rex (Epic World of Action)

CLONE CAPTAIN REX 2025 Kids Line
Epic World of Action "Power the Force" Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G1152
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Two blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: The Clone Wars 

Bio: Rex served the Republic on the front lines during th Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. (Taken from the packaging)

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: We probably got this figure because Clone Captain Rex showed up for some mystical flashback sequences in Ahsoka back in 2023. So you know, it's timely. There's no anniversary or any particular reason to do this particular figure in the kid line right now, which pretty much sums up Epic World of Action. It's neat, but why this? And why now? It's a very nice figure but if you're trying to appeal to younger fans, the increasingly disjointed line just doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean I wouldn't time something with Andor season two, but it doesn't seem to serve a purpose of the show promoting the toys and the toys promoting the show. And the funny thing is, this probably exists because the licensor thinks - rightfully so - that kids liked Rex.

It's kind of a shame that this line didn't pick a pony and stick with it - because a full wave of The Clone Wars with Obi-Wan, Cody, and maybe an antagonist of your choosing would be a lot of fun. As it is, you get a Kenobi bike (which no stores carry yet), Anakin, and a Yoda which should be phased out when this guy ships. It's kind of funny, the kid line is actually more difficult to piece together than a lot of the collector line. But I digress. You're here because you want to know if the figure is worth the eight bucks and I'm here to say that it's a very good figure given inflation. And it only took two rambly paragraphs.

The figure meets the expectations of a happy kid from the 1980s. You've got joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, and hips - so other than a lack of a waist joint it's as good as an o-ring G.I. Joe figure. He stands very well, and is easy to pose. Heck, his knees have little ratchety joints. The legs swing forward nicely, and the holster... well, they tried. One blaster has a big blue bulb at the end which looks cool, but is functionally blocking the pouches on the skirt. That's no good. But both are functional, and Hasbro was clearly trying. I assume this was an 11th hour change for their "Power the Force" branding that basically went unseen by many fans. The blasters are clear blue, and stand out. Either you're going to see them as ice sculptures or as some sort of energy blast lighting up the weapon, and either way, it works for me.

The rangefinder is painted, but not articulated - color me surprised. Considering the last Captain Rex for kids at this scale had only 5 joints, and was around $6, it's a massive improvement. Just think about it - in 2013, we got this figure with similar market needs and now we have something with roughly twice the joints for $2 more, 12 years later.

The off-white armor is a nice substitute for dirt, and while I miss the various marks on his armor I don't miss them all that much. It's Rex! He looks like Rex! He has a lot of articulation and the sculpt is a slightly stylized version of the cartoon costume. Sure it's super clean, but at this price point you can't have it all. The soles aren't painted, but the knees are, and you get the shoulder stripes. Hasbro seemed to determine the most effective places to paint and made sure that you had a figure that's satisfying. I think a kid into the show and characters would be very happy to get this, if they could find it.

I like the figure for what it is. It's not as skinny as the cartoon versions were, and if it were just a smidgen shorter I'd recommend to pretty much everybody. I really do believe Hasbro could have a successful line of figures for almost all ages if it were a little more focused on either the new hotness or a single legacy source at a time. If Hasbro had a 2025 focused on The Clone Wars and no distractions, that'd be awesome. What we got is good, but you have to be able to appreciate this figure in a void. I don't think it's unreasonable to say less isn't more - Star Trek has had a few lines that stopped at 2-3 characters per series and fans wisely stayed away. If a toy line has no future, it is not something collectors or even savvy kids will want. And they're missing out - Hasbro did a really good job here and whoever engineered the joints and budgeted the deco deserves praise for putting something out this good, in this economy, especially when you compare it to what $4.99 got us in 1995.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,290: November 4, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,285: Darth Vader (The Journey of Anakin Skywalker - The Vintage Collection)

DARTH VADER (Or, Anakin Skywalker)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch The Journey of Anakin Skwaylker set, Shop Disney/Hasbro Pulse
Item No.: No. G1282
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: 3 lightsabers, 3 hilts, 2 alternate hands, Sith lightning wrap
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka
Bio: A hero of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker was a caring and compassionate Jedi. But his deep fear of loss led him to become Sith Lord Darth Vader, who spearheaded the Empire’s eradication of the Jedi Order. (Taken from packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I don't read a lot of fan forums, mostly because the postings are from people who might not have the scars of having bought every last Anakin Skywalker - or Darth Vader - for the past 40-something years. I guess it's perception - from 2005-2011, there were tons of variations on the Revenge of the Sith Anakin figure. From the movie, from deleted scenes, it was almost a guarantee you'd get at least one new figure per year of this very costume. Each one has a new twist. This one has the most modern articulation, with the base figure mostly inspired by the various Force visions on the streaming series Ahsoka.

In the show, a 40-something Hayden Christensen is digitally swabbed and physically wigged to look like he did around 2005. The effect on the show is fine, but it works well as a figure. Plastic smooths over a lot of rough edges. The face sculpt is excellent, with Sithly eyeshadow and what seems to be very very small yellow eyes. What's funny is I'm unsure if the actual head sculpt is based on a 2005 head scan, or something more recent. His The Clone Wars counterpart seems younger, as very subtle marks between his eyebrows and around "Darth Vader"'s mouth makes him seem like it might be from a more recent scan. It's hard to tell - it might be my imagination, but his skin seems slightly more tanned too. The lips are painted perfectly and the eyes seem as good as technology will allow. It's remarkable. The wig is glued down and generally looks good enough, but hair is a challenging thing to represent well at this size. Or in this material. I don't doubt Hasbro will refine their manufacturing to get us an even better portrait later, but by then my eyes will likely be so bad I won't notice. This is great.

The body is also good. It takes the costume you recognize and adds in bending wrists, rocker ankles, and those great new hip joints. This would be a perfect figure to put in a vehicle, if Hasbro still made Jedi Starfighters. The texture on the sleeves and outer vest are amazing, and the soft goods are as perfect as we're likely to see at this scale. Those darker brown robes are separately molded, too. I'm wondering if this was a cost issue or a "premium" feature as getting paint hits down no doubt lowers the cost... but molds aren't free. The belt looks great, too. The right hand has painted silver clips so he can hide his cybernetic hand.

Speaking of hands, he has an alternate one. The left hand pops off and can be replaced by a Force-push/Thing from Addams Family extremity. It's silly to ask if you've ever really taken a look at your hands, but it is clear Hasbro has. The undersides of his fingers look like they have a little bit of that puffy give that our real hands do, and you can see signs of sculpted fingernails. This is super impressive, especially when you consider that Hasbro was just starting to figure out how to make fingers that can be splayed apart and not snap off around 2000/2001. We've come a long way.

Anivader also has two lightsabers, one lit and one not. They're good. Neither is the revised Vader hilt, but you get a red blade. A lot of 2005 figures were conceived of this way too, supposedly as a result of deleted scenes or editing that resulted in some changes during duels. Regardless, it's a match for what we saw on Ahsoka and it's good.

This is a very good figure. While you might not need the armored Vader or Clone Wars (with cape!) Anakin, this figure might be essential for your collecting well-being. Technically a streaming show figure, it'll fit in well with your prequel shelf and there are a lot of little details showing Hasbro's ever-improving capabilities. I'm not saying it can't be better... but at this price, at this point in time? You won't find much better than this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse. And apparently it was sitting around for months until I cracked it open. New characters tend to get priority here.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,285: October 16, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,284: C1-10P (Ahsoka show redeco, Droid Factory)

C1-10P or Chopper if you're nasty
Star Tours Droid Factory Ahsoka Set
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droids
Action Feature: Pops apart, jointed arms
Retail: $49.99
Availability: January 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka 

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These four are featured in Star Wars: Ahsoka. May the Force be with you.... and your Droids! (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab. 

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I took a while to open Chopper, or C1-10P on the box. The reason I was in no rush is because Hasbro hade more coming, and Disney made several, and also I was more curious about how the set woudl look in the distant future of 22 months later. And here we are! The mold for this 2024 figure comes from 2017 C1-10p "Chopper" [FOTD #2,385] and that mold has been reused a few times for holiday, pride, Mickey, and other purposes. It's a good design and before Hasbro did their The Vintage Collection version, arguably the best you could get at this size. Today, I'd say it's acceptable.

The Chopper model on TV has changed a bit since the cartoon, with panel sizes altered a bit and their placements changed. An off-center tilted square is corrected on Ahsoka, but is still askew on this mold. The colors are good, with different panel coloring than the cartoon models. They're more in line with the TV show, but not as good as Hasbro's nor are they perfect. You don't get the weathering, and the metallic bits are more of a matte finish. The wires are more subtle, and the articulation isn't as good. But it's a lot cheaper - SRP on this set was a mere $12.50 a figure, versus Hasbro's $16.99 per. It's even cheaper on eBay now, because it didn't sell through at full price.

This Disney Chopper has a mismatched left foot, which doesn't match the show. But it does have a brown box painted in front of the right leg, which Hasbro left off. It's interesting to see which designers keep and lose various details, because neither is 100% correct. There are many nits to pick. This mold is also larger than Haasbro's, so I assume you'll probably just want to get theirs for the superior paint and extra accessories. Heck, Hasbro's got a dome that can tilt like it does on the show, while Disney's only swivels. Unlike Huyang, there's a clear winner - and this probably isn't it. It's not a bad figure. I like the jointed dome arms, and the flip-out claw in the chest. It's just an old mold that has since been supplanted. You will most likely get one as part of the 4-pack, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a Chopper completist.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Store.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,284: October 14, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,278: Clone Trooper Lieutenant (Teth, The Vintage Collection)

CLONE TROOPER LIEUTENANT (Teth)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0907
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #348
Includes: Two clone rifles
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: January 2025
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Traveling through the World Between Worlds, Ahoka Tano recollects the perils of the Clone Wars and fighting alongside the brave clone troopers of the Galactic Republic. (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!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The Clone Trooper Lieutenant (Teth) mold is good! Hasbro keeps tweaking the Clone design since the 2003 debut of the very first super-articulated Clone Trooper, which was shiny and corpulent. We got a very skinny one around 2010, and now we've got this one which has been used for some other figures too. It's thoroughly modern, with bend-and-swivel wrists and hidden shoulder joints. Ball-jointed hips mean you have lots of mobility for vehicles, and that goes well with thigh swivels and rocker ankles. He has no problem holding his unpainted blasters, and getting him to stand with all that articulation is easy. The joints are smooth, and Hasbro did a good job with the mold. The plain white armor has some shiny new pre-distressed stripes, which is admittedly a little odd.

We haven't had many Phase I clones with blue markings on the armor and none of the rank dots on the chest, and fewer still sans the "OII" markings on the back. I'm still waiting for one that says "OOIOO" on it, but that's probably just getting esoteric to the point where only I will be pleased. And what's wrong with that? It looks like what we saw on the screen, minus the red tint and the budget-hiding fog of war from the streaming series.

We did indeed get a super-articulated $8 cartoon version of this figure as an exclusive back in 2008. He even had a rocket launcher with spring-loaded fun in there. Remember those days? Well, they're over and you're old now. You can have mature navel-gazing flashbacks now! This figure would probably be pretty exciting stuff if it were easier to troop build... and maybe if vehicles were around to buy... or droids or Separatists to fight. Basically this figure is a lot of fun if you already have a big toy collection. And if you have a big toy collection, you might soon realize you own over 300 different figures based on the Clone Trooper genome, and how the only other category that is in that general orbit are astromechs. While I like clones, it's also a category I could probably live without revisiting just because we got so many. I did a full month of clone reviews early on and it was the only time I've ever had people write in asking me to review literally anything else because it got boring. I laughed, I thought that was funny, but they were right. After a while, enough is probably enough, so you know. Good thing the 2026 focus is Geonosis.

In a vacuum this is a great figure. It's well-made, nicely decorated, and meets my expectations for a modern figure. There's no removable helmet, but that's OK, I don't need more parts to lose. For kids who didn't get the old ones, this is a great figure today. For those of you who have been here for the long haul, we'll review a non-Clone on Thursday. I promise.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,278: September 23, 2025