Reviews of Kenner and Hasbro Star Wars action figures. Presented by Galactic Hunter.
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CAPTAIN PHASMAQuicksilver Baton Galaxy's Edge The Black Series 6-Inch Figure Disney Store (later Entertainment Earth) Exclusive Item No.: No. E2808 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:n/a Includes:Blaster, cape, extended baton, contracted baton Action Feature:n/a Retail:$19.99 Availability:Novemberish 2018 Appearances:The Last Jedi
Bio: Captain Phasma and a squad of elite First Order troopers capture Resistance heroes Finn and Rose, who have infiltrated Snoke's flagship, the Supremacy. Before Phasma can eliminate them, a series of unforeseen events leads to a dramatic battle between Phasma and Finn. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Commentary: It's an upgrade! Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton) is an upgrade of the Captain Phasma [FOTD #2,254] from 2015 - if you have it and like it, this one is a lot like it. The core body of the figure is the same, except there's a new head, a cloth cape replaces the plastic one, and the helmet is new. Also you get two batons. If you only have to get one Phasma figure I would argue this is the more interesting of the two, but the first release is much cheaper. This Quicksilver Baton version may also be on clearance at a Disney Store near you - you'll have to go check.
In terms of deco, Phasma now has awesome armor burns from the end of The Last Jedi, which I assume will forever be known as "the controversial one (without Ewoks)" to older fans. I like the burns - Hasbro did a wonderful job printing them on the armor, and what really sizzles is the new helmet with the crack revealing the face of Gwendoline Christie. The carefully fried-out lens has this amazing paint job around the edges, burned and shattered all at once. You can see a new-style-printing eye under there as part of the human flesh (plastic) head, but the helmet itself is glued down. You can't see anything outside the eye area without carving or prying it off, and I'm not about to do that. Even though it's basically "a new hat" figure, it's extremely impressive. Short of doing some silver vac-metal chrome on the figure, I'd have a hard time imagining something cooler you could have done to the existing mold to make it a worthwhile upgrade. This is fantastic.
To fight Finn, Phasma whips out a silver thing which magically blows up to a big ol' staff. Rather than try to make some fragile, telescoping accessory Hasbro opted to wisely just include two one-piece weapons. Each has little indentations in it and are painted silver. There's nothing particularly fancy in terms of deco here, and you could probably fudge these with toothpicks and silver paint from the Michael's down the street. I appreciate Hasbro included two of them, because I am lazy. Phasma has no problems holding these. She also includes the same blaster pistol from the 2015 release, which similarly plugs into her hip or can be held in her fists. The downer here is there's nowhere to safely stow the small or large baton, so you'll need to keep close tabs on those.
If you've had enough of the First Order and variations on armored people, you obviously have no need of this figure. However, if you want the very best Phasma at this size and price point, this may well be it - it's a nice counterpoint to the disguised Finn and the cloth cape is a lovely bonus. As I get older I wouldn't necessarily recommend you buy absolutely everything in all styles, but if you want a good Phasma this is a decent one. It's just not the cheapest one.
CAPTAIN PHASMAwith Finn (First Order Disguise) The Last Jedi Deluxe Action Figure 2-Packs Item No.: Asst. C1242 No. E0624 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:n/a Includes:Pistol, Riot Baton, Cape, Backpack, Rifle, Pike, Finn figure Action Feature:Force Link sounds Retail:$17.99 Availability:April 2018 Appearances:The Last Jedi
Bio: Phasma later ordered the death of Resistance members Finn and Rose Tico, when they were caught after being betrayed by their slicer DJ while attempting to infiltrate the Supremacy to disable a tracker. (Stolen from Wookieepedia. Packaging has no bio.)
Commentary: One of the more popular figures from the first few year of the Disney era, Captain Phasma has precious little she can change about her costume. Maybe we can get a vac-metal version, or perhaps the cracked helmet, but other than that all we really have are things like pose and articulation - and deco. This de facto Entertainment Earth exclusive changes the pose while keeping the same basic sculpt from the Rogue One version, which is crisper. What's really surprising is the improved deco, subtly improving an already good figure.
Let's start with deco. Most Phasma figures have silver paint on the helmet and torso, but swirly silver molded arms and legs. This one paints the whole darned thing, with crisper helmet detailing which stays within the lines. The cape is pretty much the same, but you'll probably appreciate how the black paint stays where it should and doesn't get at all blobby. Subtle textures on the mouth and shoulders remain, and if you didn't get the Rogue One line's 2-pack the improved sculpting bits here are going to be new to you.
The legs are posed similarly to previous figures, but the arms are new. I'm kind of surprised how well they work - you can use them to double-grip her rifle, and if you move them a bit she can also grip her pike with two hands. I assumed she'd need wrist or elbow movements, but it turns out she can just hold everything. I would not have guessed. Leg articulation is slightly hindered by the belt, but as she has no ship in which to sit yet I'm not going to throw a fit over it. It's fine, it's good enough - but seeing how they engineered the arms, we know Hasbro is capable of doing some pretty great things with only five joints.
She has no problem holding her rifle or pike. The rifle can plug in to her thigh like a holster, and she has a bonus Force Link accessory - a backpack. It makes cool noises, but if they dropped it and cut the price by a buck you'd not have missed it. It also looks a lot like a rocket launcher, but there's no projectile and it doesn't actually shoot anything. It's acceptable but surplus to requirements.
As 5-jointed Phasma figures go, this is the unquestioned champ. The super-articulated one has more movement, but the bonus accessories and paint job here are about as good as we've seen so far. Maybe Hasbro will come up with something better, but even if they don't it's enough of an improvement that I can recommend it without feeling like a shill. (The Finn helps a bunch, though.) Get her if you see this set at a price you like.
Exclusive Notes: This item was not produced for the North American - and perhaps Global - market. The item was effectively rescued from oblivion by Entertainment Earth, a story I am not at liberty to discuss at this time but hey, maybe some day.
Force Link Notes: "On my command." "Report to my division at once." "Move to your ships now." (The "Move to" is a little muffled and sounds kind of like a sexy moan. Or maybe I'm just a pervert.) "Fire!" And a bunch of dueling buzzing pike noises. I assume that's what they are, anyway.
CAPTAIN PHASMATitan Guardians-Esque The Last Jedi "Dollar Store" 6-Inch Figure Item No.: Asst. B3946 No. C2715 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:n/a Includes:n/a Action Feature:n/a Retail:$6.99 Availability:September 2017 Appearances:The Force Awakens
Bio: Clad in a distinctive metallic armor, Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legion of troopers. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Commentary: And now, the discount version of Captain Phasma! This 6-inch discount channel action figure has a blaster in her fist, and it doesn't come out. The cape is on her back, and the silver paint makes her look just as good as a The Black Series action figure at a fraction of the price. Her bodysuit isn't painted on the back - you won't know, the cape covers it - and a few of her pouches are unpainted. Oh, so are the soles of her boots. Other than that? She's pretty much as good-looking as the $20ish figure.
If you need a cheap Phasma, this is a good one. She stands well and has articulated shoulders joining a neck and a waist. It just plain works - she stands and looks cool. I love the silver finish, and the blaster lacks the black painted detail of the other counterparts. She's a little taller than other figures in this segment, and by my count is only the 12th figure in the line so far. (Hit the tags here to see the rest of them.) While not a little short for a Stormtrooper, she is short compared to the 6-inch The Black Series figure released in 2015. Like, a full head and change shorter.
This is the kind of figure I would expect a normal kid - and by that, I mean one that doesn't grow up to be me - would get and really enjoy. Phasma is a simple figure that just plain works. Her blaster wrist is jointed, too! The sculpt looks the same as other larger figures, with deco that's pretty close to the other bigger Phasmas. It's good. You should get one given the low price and high quality. I suspect that you won't, but this is a subline I hope goes on forever with 3-5 new figures per year. My vote for the next entries - Boba Fett, R2-D2, Princess Leia, and Jyn Erso.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walgreens. This assortment's previous waves hit in the USA at Dollar General, Big Lots, and Family Dollar - I do not know if it will be a de facto exclusive at Walgreens.
Bio: Finn's conscience and desperation to escape his stormtrooper past propel him down a heroic and dangerous path when he faces off against the formidable Captain Phasma and the First Order's legions of troopers during a devastating night raid on Jakku. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Commentary: If you're an accessory completist, Captain Phasma may be your biggest source of frustration. Last year, Hasbro packaged the same figure with a buzzsaw, a 7-pack of Stormtroopers, and a pair of high-priced armor-up helmets. The figures are virtually identical, but each had a unique accessory (or accessories) that you couldn't get anywhere else - when you factor in the super-articulated Black Series Walmart Phasma, you've already got four Phasmas in your collection. And now you're gonna get five, because this 2-pack figure is made from a different mold in a different factory in Vietnam. To your average fan, you won't notice the difference - you'll probably deem them identical. Hasbro made new tooling in Vietnam, because moving tooling is expensive, made from the same design as the last one - but as with the First Order Snowtrooper, there are minor differences that are going to make variation hunters buy this one.
First up: the blaster. The 2015 China versions are a little paler gold. The 2016 Vietnam version has a more saturated gold, and also slightly cleaner paint applications. This 2016 Vietnam blaster is also a little smaller, with slightly sharper details and a smaller hand grip.
The capes are basically the same. The 2015 China versions are a tiny bit blacker, while the 2016 Vietnam one is a teensy bit sharper in the details - it could just vary from sample to sample. I'm grasping for differences here, they look basically the same with the same red trim.
The figures are very similar - but there are differences if you squint. The chest and inner forearms have sculpted details that differ ever-so-slightly. The Vietnamese version from this 2-pack is barely better, just a tiny bit sharper on small details. The bank of lines on the right side of her chest and the forearms are better on the Vietnamese version, but the area directly under the palm of the hands is better on the Chinese version - barely. Both have five points of articulation, but the leg joints are cut slightly differently and the Vietnamese one can swing forward more.
When comparing the helmets, the Vietnamese version seems to have more paint and a smidgen more detail in the black areas. The various sculpted pinstripes are a bit cleaner on the Vietnamese version as well.
Deco between the two is close enough for jazz. A pouch on the single release is black, while it's silver on the 2-pack here. I'd give a slight edge to this 2-pack version overall - she even stands a couple of millimeters taller! It's unfortunate that Hasbro spent money making new tooling in another factory for what are going to be viewed by fans as mere repacks - repacks that come five per case, even - but here we are.
The centerpiece of this boxed set is the shoulder-mounted rocket launcher which is so big, it prevents her from standing upright. It looks a little goofy and is unbalanced, but the handgrip was well-designed. The backpack connects to a jointed arm, which itself has a jointed grip. Hasbro made sure Phasma - and maybe even other figures - can use this weapon. The launcher piece pegs right on, and each rocket is fired from a separate button. They go a few feet, with powerful springs that I would rate as good by modern standards.
Look, I'm not going to lie to you - unless you collect variants, you should skip this 2-pack. If you don't have Finn and/or Phasma yet, it's a good set. If you need deco, sculpt, and accessory variants that absolutely nobody would notice with the naked eye sans comparison, you need this. However, it's packed five per case - when it shows up, it's probably going to hit hard. If it sells fast, it could be a success as Finn is largely off the market and so is Phasma. I'm guessing a glut may be incoming, though so get it if you see it. And hopefully next time Hasbro just puts out a trooper two-pack instead when they need an (I assume) final wave set.
CAPTAIN PHASMAThe Force Awakens The Force Awakens The Black Series - Walmart Exclusive Item No.: Asst. B4054 No. B7758 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:n/a Includes:Blaster Action Feature:n/a Retail:$12.96 Availability:May 2016 Appearances:Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Bio: Clad in a distinctive metallic armor, Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legion of troopers. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Commentary: And here's one you won't see - she always seems to go first. Captain Phasma came out as a basic figure, an Armor Up figure at Toys R Us, part of an Amazon set, and you've probably had your fill of that figure - so here's the new better one. She has 26 points of articulation which, somehow, became the bare minimum for a super-articulated trooper. There are no double-jointed elbows or knees but they are the classic ball-ish movement we've all accepted as normal, and they all work quite well. She stands just fine, was painted well, and can hold her weapon. It's a good one... but it doesn't so much more than that.
This figure hits the important notes - nice plastic cape, good blaster, decent deco, and Hasbro goes above and beyond the call of duty by ensuring she has a good silver paint job, at least on parts. Some are molded in silver. The match is largely good, so you may not immediately notice some are swirly silver and some are cleanly painted. I'd rather it be consistent, but it still looks pretty good.
This is the go-to 3 3/4-inch Phasma. I assume you'll see another one some day - maybe even a reissue - but if her outfit doesn't change I assume Hasbro won't or can't do much to improve on it. It'd be interesting if they did, of course. As it stands the sculpt doesn't seem to improve too much on previous iterations, it just adds more articulation while keeping that wonderful thigh-plug to store the blaster. It's good! It won't surprise you, but it delivers what you've come to expect from this size around this price point.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart thanks to help from a pal. Be back Friday as we kick off the Rogue One line.
CAPTAIN PHASMAYour Mom Will Say "Phantasma" The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. B3840 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:06 Includes:Pistol, cape Action Feature:n/a Retail:$19.99 Availability:September 2015 Appearances:The Force Awakens
Bio:
Imperial Sandtroopers carry out the will of the Emperor in the harsh,
arid environments of the galaxy's desert worlds. (Taken from the
figure's packaging.)
Commentary: The world is changing! One of the most sought-after figures in the line - despite knowing nothing about her - is Captain Phasma.
She might only be in the movie for 30 seconds, but nobody cares -
chrome stormtrooper? Yes, please! This is the kind of thing that gets
people excited, plus it's another entry to the positively tiny club of
women in Star Wars that have a speaking role. Granted, some
will argue "it doesn't count!" because she's covered in armor but I
disagree - adding women to the stable of armored badasses in the series
is a good thing for all involved. Nobody goes around saying Metroid's Samus Aran doesn't count because she's dressed like a cyborg.
Phasma
is, basically, a very tall Stormtrooper painted in a shiny - but not
reflective - finish. It looks pretty good, and it won't show a
reflection if you in your underpants taking a picture for your figure
review site. The nuts and bolts are very similar to the Stormtrooper,
but the tube connector is missing from the helmet and the shoes are more
boot like with higher heels. I don't know if the intent was to play on
one's mother wearing combat boots, or high heels, or just a new design
entirely but given how similar the figure is to the rest of the
troopers, a change here was certainly a curious surprise. She stands
fairly well, but the elbows suffer like her squadmates - the black body
glove oddly covers the lower elbow, restricting movement and preventing a
good bend. Thankfully the wrists are great with bend-and-swivel
articulation, but bum elbows on a 6-inch figure really hurt how you're
going to pose this figure on your desk. (Let's not be coy. Nobody is
really "playing" with this scale.)
Her blaster fits
securely in her hand or plugs in to her thigh, and the red-trimmed black
cape looks pretty snazzy. Hasbro did a bang-up job delivering a figure
that's absolutely gorgeous in the packaging, but once you open it it
offers little new and isn't as good as it could be in terms of
articulation. If you're making a small, cheap figure articulation is
arguably less important - but at this scale, and the audience of older
collectors, it'd be nice if she could easily and non-awkwardly carry her
blaster in two hands. None of this matters, of course, because people
are running out to buy her, overpaying on Amazon, and ultimately this
is a toy that will sell no matter what. Fans love new armored dudes -
and now dudettes - so odds are Phasma's ability to sell will continue
for years to come.
CAPTAIN PHASMA Basic Figure, Caped The Force Awakens Jungle and Space Figures Item No.: Asst. B3445 No. B3447 Manufacturer:Hasbro Number:n/a Includes:Blaster, non-removable cape, some sort of buzz saw hedge trimmer Action Feature:Blaster pegs in to thigh Retail:$7.99 Availability:September 2015 Appearances:The Force Awakens
Bio: Clad in distinctive metallic armor, Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legion of troopers. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Commentary: I assume this isn't a "spoiler" since it's in the press, but Captain Phasma is huge. She's also a she - taller than Kylo Ren, a towering silver chromed warrior and... we don't know too much else. We're in an era that seems interested in subverting and changing expectations as to gender roles, and I'm sure as a storytelling corporation Disney is going to make this interesting for us - particularly since women are largely ignored in Star Wars as characters. Or even scenery, really - it's a boy's club. With two women in the first wave, The Force Awakens has really done wonders. Well, that's a half-truth - we had a few for the prequels, but often the same character in new outfits or background characters with few or no lines.
The figure is pretty good - by now you know it has 5 points of articulation, with swivel limbs and a ball-jointed neck which can easily pop off so you can remove her cape or, more likely, add some weird snap-on armor bib later. The deco on this one is surprising - the torso and limbs aren't the same silver. The torso is painted, the limbs and head appear to be silver swirly plastic. Interestingly, the armor itself just seems to be a bigger Stormtrooper with different shoes. You can see hints of "high heels" on her boots, but aside from that it's basically just a taller, silver Stormtrooper. The original trilogy was weak in supplying a leader for the troops outside Darth Vader, and if the bio is any indicator this one will lead troops in at least one battle. That's pretty interesting from where I sit, and it's consistent with The Clone Wars' toys.
Detailing is rpretty good - not too rough, a few interesting details are worthy of mentioning. She has added grooves over her eyes, and they seem not unlike those around Kylo Ren's eye opening. Interesting! Her helmet is missing a dongle on the chin of the regular trooper, plus her mouth helmet also has some added texture on it in the "beard" area on the sides of her face. She also has two dents in her codpiece - this seems consistent with the costume in stills we've seen so far. As the figure is not vac-metal silver, I suspect someone will be getting a variant of this or another mold sooner or later.
Her cape is rubbery, and her painted silver blaster has some black markings. It pegs in to her thigh, but not without a fight - she has a big belt that sort of gets in the way. As such, it's a wonky feature and could work better. Due to the position of the blaster on her leg, her arm can be posed like it's about to grab the grip and remove it - this, I appreciate. If the figure stopped here she'd be pretty good, as the arms swivel nicely until they hit the cape. The legs swing forward, but not the full 90 degrees - so getting her in vehicles may prove difficult, even if her size weren't an issue. I expect more versions of her are coming, and this one is not unlike the wonderful 2002 "Sneak Preview" Jango Fett. It looks good, it doesn't cost too much, and it stands on your desk without looking dorky. As long as you keep her combining weapon away.
The nameless weapon is a metal detector with a green blade on it. It's ridiculous. This is the kind of thing I'll probably write wistfully about down the road, but right now it bugs me. She can't stand with it raised, and it goes high enough to "decapitate" other figures. Given the proliferation of ball joints, this might be kind o fun - but the weapon itself feels untrue to the Star Wars "feel" and the coloring is inconsistent with the franchise. And I don't know what to call it. It's not terrible, but it does not add to the figure.
Since we already talked about the combined mode, let's just say it's a good figure with an accessory that doesn't really add to the line in any meaningful way. Back in 1995 I saw the giant secondary weapons as a decent extra - a second gun in a $5 figure was nice to have, particularly with troopers. Due to the fact that it's a cool silver armored figure, you're going to want to get it no matter what I write about it. Hasbro did a nice job, and oddly the painted torso mixed with unpainted limbs doesn't come off as distracting. Let's see how she looks in a few years - but for now, this is the best (only) Captain Phasma.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. I assume this is sold out by now, as I wrote it before today, but you can go looking for it in a local store - where it will also be sold out.
In terms of deco, Phasma now has awesome armor burns from the end of The Last Jedi, which I assume will forever be known as "the controversial one (without Ewoks)" to older fans. I like the burns - Hasbro did a wonderful job printing them on the armor, and what really sizzles is the new helmet with the crack revealing the face of Gwendoline Christie. The carefully fried-out lens has this amazing paint job around the edges, burned and shattered all at once. You can see a new-style-printing eye under there as part of the human flesh (plastic) head, but the helmet itself is glued down. You can't see anything outside the eye area without carving or prying it off, and I'm not about to do that. Even though it's basically "a new hat" figure, it's extremely impressive. Short of doing some silver vac-metal chrome on the figure, I'd have a hard time imagining something cooler you could have done to the existing mold to make it a worthwhile upgrade. This is fantastic.
