Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,272 Imperial Royal Guard (Halloween Edition)

IMPERIAL ROYAL GUARD (Halloween Edition)
The Black Series 2025 Window Box Line Look Halloween Packaging, Target Exclusive
Item No.: No. G2780
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bogling as the Mothman, blaster, pike
Action Feature: Glows in the dark!
Retail: $24.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Celebrate the season with specially designed Star Wars figures from The Black Series! (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Holiday figures, like Standor of Eternia, exist as a sort of souvenir or a way to celebrate a thing that exists outside continuity. Some fans like it. Hardcore fans usually don't. Hasbro has made numerous Halloween and Christmas figures to the tune of hundreds of dollars, which you either loved or decided "not for me." While the entire 6-inch line slowly got to "not for me," we have a rare exception in this Imperial Royal Guard (Halloween Edition) that's a glow in the dark ghost. And this proves Hasbro's point - there are ways to sell people Star Wars who don't collect the line. I bought this figure to go with my other glowing toys - I have no real interest in Halloween or 6-inch figures. But a big guy made completely of glow in the dark bony green plastic? OK, you got my number.

Hasbro has generally stayed away from glow in the dark toys. Way back when, I asked Hasbro employee Andy Espenshade about some never-released Jurassic Park The Lost World Chaos Effect dinosaurs. The "Night Attack" line had a goofy glow-in-the-dark premise, and I non-ironically wanted them. I was told - this is not an exact quote, just a fuzzy memory from 25 summers ago - "usually when you see glow-in-the-dark, that means we're out of ideas." The line's star was fading, and that wasn't something people seemed too sad to see not get made. Glow figures were a staple in Kenner's 1990s toys, but in the 2000s they were decidedly less common. Other than some Toys R Us exclusive The Amazing Spider-Man kid figures and a quartet of Ghostbusters Plasma Series "slimed" figures, Hasbro has been super reluctant to do glow-in-the-dark items in recent years. 2025 has been a great year for glow, though. The Real Ghostbusters got a fully-glowing Ecto-Glow Ecto-1 and rereleases of the rare Ecto-Glow Heroes. Star Wars got this figure. And Transformers got a Target-exclusive Transformers EarthSpark Cyberglow Megatron. I've been asking for this kind of thing for years, so I'm kind of surprised we're getting a bunch all at once. It's a great time to collect glowing toys, if that's your thing. I assume this is a massive waste of a SKU for Star Wars fans.

And that's just the rambling prologue!

The figure itself is at least the fifth use of the mold, as Hasbro will absolutely milk its collector tooling for all its worth. The plain red Royal Guard has been done in Black, Blue (with new helmet), Carbonized, and Kir Kanos colors (in a Carnor Jax box, in one of the line's few nomenclature errors.) The mold is unchanged, and this is probably Hasbro's least-costly figure in the line thanks to deco. Specifically, the lack of deco. The glow plastic absorbs a lot of the sculpted detail, and it's molded all in a single color. Everything is pretty shiny and it looks just as good as the previous releases of the mold. If the mold is showing signs of wear, it's not obvious - glow plastic tends to do a good job of hiding imperfections. The figure has a holster under his cape for a blaster, but it's a little loose. I recommend having him hold the Biker Scout pistol in his hand.

The pike or staff is also cast in glow, which eats the visual details to my eyes. But this is what I want out of a glow figure - all glow plastic. No notes. Hasbro got it right.

The figure's only paint app is on the face. The visor on the head is painted black and augmented by a hint of a skull, that uses the glowing negative space under the eyes to make a pretty good "ghostly" pattern on the helmet. It's simple, and it's perfect. I would buy other Hasbro troopers that do some sort of glow spooky mask thing.

The only real change to the figure's physical being is the cape. The new pattern is more ghostly, very thin, and looks like any of a number of cheesecloth ghost crafting projects. It's great. I'm glad Hasbro made a new cape pattern for this one.

The Bogling has been released several times too. One came with the Werewolf Wookiee, another one came with a Holiday Sweater Mandalorian Warrior, one came with Kal Kestis in a multi-pack, another came in a creature set. This one is green with red eyes, white fangs, and a colorway no doubt inspired by the Mothman. (Cryptozoology fans, you know what's up.) It's a sturdy little sidekick figure and a nice bonus with decent sculpting that will most likely hang out on your desk during Spooky Season.

If I weren't into glowing toys, I would not have bought this set. If all you want are guys from the movies, games, and TV, you should not buy this. If you have a lot of Halloween decorations or just love things that glow, this is a must-buy figure. Hasbro did a nice job, and priced it well. I find it to be worth the asking price, mostly because I've paid about this for indie figures that aren't as fancy.

Glow Notes: Hasbro's glow plastic in 2025 is quite good. It's slower to charge than the Glyos/Onell Design glow, but it does glow brightly. If charged by the Sun it's easily one of the brightest figures I've picked up in quite some time. If you collect glow-in-the-dark toys and want something impressive, and don't care about the characters, you should buy this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. There was no pre-order.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,272 September 2, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,266: Imperial Officer (Generic Human Male in Gray, The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL OFFICERS Gray Generic Human from 4-pack
The Vintage Collection Shop Disney/Hasbro Pulse 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F8302
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #309
Includes: 4 figures, 6 blasters, 3 hats
Action Feature: Removable hat
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Imperial officers fought against Rebel forces in an effort to maintain the Empire’s stronghold over the galaxy. (Taken from the set's product copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I opened the Imperial Officers set in 2023, and this unnamed Imperial Captain now exists in our collections. Huzzah! On one hand, I'm happy this set exists with Motti and Piett and two other guys who can fill out scenes. But also, it would have been nice to have somebody from the movies or TV series. I'd love to know if this is a specific person, or just a face Hasbro sculpted. It looks specific enough to be somebody, probably an employee of the toy/entertainment complex, but his face is not known to me.

His black hair is super glossy, and fits under the naval cap. The cheek bones are sharp, with painted lips and eyebrows. The eyes are clear, and I can't fault Hasbro for putting out what looks to be a fine original character. I just couldn't tell you if it's accurate or not. Some day he'll stand around on a fancy Death Star or Star Destroyer playset, even if I have to 3D print it myself. But that would be a massive undertaking, and I'll probably hold off for a couple of years to see how HasLab projects shake out.

If you have a lot of officers, you'll recognize the gloved hands from their use with other figures like Krennic or the IBS officer. The right hand is good at gripping blasters. The left, less so. The holster can hold the smaller pistol, and the articulation is effectively the modern standard. Most of the joints tuck away nicely, and the range of movement is mostly only impeded by his tunic's skirt element. The hip joints were designed to have a wide range of motion, though, so it's about as good as this costume is likely to get at this scale with these materials.

If you specialize in Imperials, you need to get this set. But if not, maybe you'll be fine with your other officers. He's unique - nobody else has this face - so I'd steer you to adding him to your stash... just in case you'll need figures to fill seats later. I feel silly saying that 30 years after the modern line kicked off, because I would say that thinking has only paid off a couple of times. Boba Fett's Palace made good use of all the Jabba stooges and henches since 1997, and the upcoming Cantina also benefits from 1996 onward. I guess you could use these guys with the Imperial Light Cruiser diorama, but I'd sure as heck like to see a Star Destroyer bridge some day.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,266: August 12, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,262: Captain Gilad Pallaeon (The Vintage Collection)

CAPTAIN GILAD PALLAEON Novel! No wait, Live Action?
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1283
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #359
Includes: 3 figures with accessories, Pallaeon has a blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, etc.

Bio: The loyal Captain Pallaeon works as Thrawn's right-hand man to restore the Empire to its former glory. (Taken from the cardback bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This is a weird one. Captain Gilad Pallaeon has been around in our imaginations since 1991, most of the time portrayed as an old white guy with a white mustache. The look has some wiggle-room - the style of the facial hair sometimes changes, as do his nose or other features. That's what makes this one so weird. The figure's head doesn't look like the cardback painting - both look good, and both look right, but they're not the same. Interestingly, the figure looks a lot like Xander Berkeley - that's who played him on The Mandalorian. I was wondering if it was some casual "all old white guys look alike" thing, but the more I looked the more I'm not so sure. The slightly tanner skin, the very distinctive ears, and the face that looks pretty gosh darn close to an actual human being makes for a pretty good release. I'm not saying it was meant to be live action Xander Berkeley Pallaeon, but it looks closer to Pallaeon than a lot of Han Solo figures looks like Harrison Ford. If Hasbro never makes another version of the character, this should fit the bill as "good enough" regardless of which version you want.

On TV, he has a specific symbol on his shoulder - this figure does not have that. Why? Probably because Hasbro continues to use the same good, but not distinctive, Imperial Officer body. Everybody looks pretty much the same in uniform, with the same odd gloved hand that can't hold a blaster on the left and a perfectly good right hand for blasting. He has a holster and a blaster that fits in there just fine. The gray looks great, both on his hair and uniform, so he'll fit in with your other officers fairly well. This is a character fans have had in the middle or maybe end of their wish lists since the 1990s, and it's great to finally have one that is yet another shining example of Hasbro doing a good job.

The head is incredible. The hat is molded to the head, and is a perfect fit. The paint on the silver ornamentation all looks good, and his face is dynamite. It never ceases to amaze me what Hasbro can do. To the human eye, Pallaeon has a little shine to his skin, perfectly good eyebrows, great sideburns, a wonderful mustache and eyes that have a slight twinkle. Even a crank like me who has been thinking "Why am I still collecting after all these years?" can look at a figure like this and go "Oh, that's why." Every few yers we see a big jump in terms of Hasbro's skill at making human heads the size of a peanut, with this being yet another reason why you should collect this line. Maybe every figure isn't for you, but if you quit collecting 10 years ago, I'd say this is a set worth returning to buy.

Again, I can't say it was Hasbro's intention to replicate Xander Berkeley because I don't know it for a fact. Maybe the figure looks a little like the character, and the man looks a little like the character, and the figure looks a little bit like everything, so you can't really say what it is or isn't - but I think it's good enough to make collectors pretty happy. I expect Hasbro may tweak this figure a bit to look more like the on-screen uniform at some point and rerelease it. I don't know that you'll need to buy it twice, but if you missed it? Get whatever version you can. (Also, if Hasbro ever made a Kenner-style 5-jointed one, I'd buy that too.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,262: July 29, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,259: Grand Admiral Thrawn (The Vintage Collection)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Epauletted
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1283
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #360
Includes: 3 figures with accessories, Thrawn has a blaster and ysalamiri
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, etc.

Bio: The last of the Empire's warlords, Grand Admiral Thrawn has made vital discoveries that could compromise the future of the New Republic. (Taken from the cardback bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Hasbro is master at getting me to buy things I don't want. I didn't want another Grand Admiral Thrawn unless he was either Retro Kenner style... or had epaulets, a Ysalamir, and a nutrient frame. I guess two out of three ain't bad. This is very similar to The Vintage Collection Rebels Thrawn [FOTD #3,167] from last year, which itself is almost identical to the Ahsoka live-action un-dad-bodded version. There are changes, and they are precariously close to being just different enough to make me mad - but they're actually what I wanted in the first place.

Since 1991 fans have wanted a Thrawn figure, and this is more or less what they wanted it to look like. The 1998 version had no gold epaulets. Neither did the comic pack version, or other subsequent versions - but they were on the book cover. They weren't in the comic. This figure is a mishmash of all the versions, giving you a Ysalamir like we saw in POTF2 and The Black Series (no nutrient frame), the head from the live-action Rebels version, the epaulets from the early 1990s art, and - surprisingly - the collar ornamentation from Rebels. We've never seen quite this particular mix of parts and pieces before, which mostly eschews the Dark Horse comic elements but trades heavily on the recognizable parts of the book jacket and streaming appearances.

Normally I'd say "well of course the collar was left like Rebels, did you think Hasbro would retool it?" But here's the funny thing - Hasbro changed the mold! The torso has canals for the gold epaulets, which are (for now) flexible gold plastic. I think they may become brittle with age, so be super careful 10-20 years from now. Since Hasbro remolded the figure, I'm surprised they didn't remold the collar too - I assume this was an editorial decision and I really wonder why the decision was made. If this were the first figure we got, the pastiche of multiple versions is precisely what I would want too - cover a lot of bases, nobody's going to be 100% happy, nobody's going to be 100% disappointed. For a book specific set, it's an unusual choice and I bet there's a story we don't know yet.

The blaster is the same as the Rebels release - gray, fits in the holster - but the critter buddy is unique. It's flexible, but not too rubbery, and he hangs over Thrawn's shoulders with no added assistance. Hasbro did a better job than I would have - you get four tiny black painted eyes, and a white painted belly. (I'd have left it unpainted, you'd never know.) It seems to be derived from the same sculpt as The Black Series release that came with Luke, making it about as good as we should reasonably expect given the resources at hand. The leathery skin looks cool, with tons of little folds and ridges. It's very detailed for a tiny creature sidekick, and is far better looking than necessary to make me happy. Hasbro deserves a pat on the back for this one.

As the lesser of the three figures in this set - or at least the most redundant - Hasbro did a good job here. They added elements to this figure which we don't always get, and Thrawn is still a popular fellow despite being kind of a dud in Ahsoka. Maybe Hasbro will come up with a way to do another figure in Ahsoka season 2, but at this point I don't think I need another 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection release. I will, however, happily buy Heir to the Empire figures for The Retro Collection if Hasbro ever does them. If you can make me happy you made something I was grousing about, you're doing a great job. I hope Hasbro cranks out more of this set since fans seemed to miss it in spots.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,259: July 17, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,255: Joruus C'baoth (The Vintage Collection)

JORUUS C'BAOTH Debut At This Size
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1283
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 figures with accessories, including a hilt, a lightsaber, and a lightning hand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, etc.

Bio: A dark Jedi clone of Palpatine's creation, Joruus C'baoth allies with Grand Admiral Thrawn to end the New Republic - and ultimately plans to take over the Empire himself. (Taken from the cardback bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: We got a figure of him in The Black Series recently and it looked a lot like this one. The very first take on Joruus C'baoth at 3 3/4-inches is... decent. It's very similar to the big guy, with two key differences. One, this figure has a lit saber plus a hilt by itself. Two, this one has only one lightning hand and not two. I think that's probably a mistake. The right number is probably 2, or 0. Having only one makes it look incomplete - but maybe that's not for me to say, they only pay me here to play.

This figure of Alan Moore Moses Disco Rip van Winkle Joruus, a clone of a dead Jedi from the 1991 book Heir to the Empire, took surprisingly long to get here. Those books were a huge deal in the early 1990s, and his image was plastered on the cover. Kenner never got to him, nor Palleon. It took them until 1998 to get us Mara Jade and Thrawn, too. I'm kind of surprised we didn't get him in the Comic Packs as a retool of a shirtless Maul - and that's what I thought this figure would be. I honestly am struggling to identify the parts. I'm sure they're retooled from something, but I can't easily tell who or what. The sleeves and plastic robe bits seem new (or new enough), with a bare buff chest and sandals that are actually boots with pants. With the gaudy medallion, this makes the figure significantly weirder or more interesting. Sandal boots certainly evoke "yeah, this guy's been stranded in a warehouse and may be seeking his marbles."

The face looks great. The medallion is nifty. He's tall, hairy, and has some great circles around his eyes that make him look like he's going to cause some problems.

His hands - all three, including the lightning one - are very similar to Count Dooku's. I can't help but wonder if they were developed at the same time, but it does make you think - could C'boath been replaced with a clone Dooku and performed pretty much the exact same function? It seems like it. I was expecting the Jedi clone to show up in The Bad Batch after we saw Mount Tantiss, but maybe they're holding him and/or Mara Jade for the second season of Ahsoka or some future show. I can't imagine seeing Pallaeon in The Mandalorian was just for funsies.

I like this figure - he's the reason I bought the set. If this is the one and only version we ever get in this size, Hasbro did a good job with a better-than-average range of articulation and a lot of cloth bits. He stands, he sits, and maybe some day we'll get a storehouse set for him to lord over. Until then, be glad Hasbro is still digging back to the dead zones of Star Wars for characters like this one. It sold through (and came back) pretty quickly, so if you see it around for $50 I'd say the three-pack is probably worth buying.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,255: July 3, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,251: Human Male Rebel Pilot (Rebel Pilots set, The Vintage Collection)

X-WING PILOT (Human Male)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 Pilot figures with 3 Rebel Blasters like the Troopers and 3 Rebel Blasters like Luke's Pilot blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $54.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: ???

Bio: Who imagine I'm not human
And my heart is made of stone
I never had no problems
And my toilet's trimmed with chrome
I'm a man, yes I am (Taken from The Spencer Davis Group.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The X-Wing Pilots this Human Male! At last, we have a human male Rebel pilot. Unprecedented! The same Luke body returns once more, and this time it's a pretty simple head transplant. The all-new head has painted lips, clear eyes, and some forehead wrinkles that say "why yes, I was old enough to vote for Reagan." I have no idea who this was meant to represent, but each detail is impressive - the eyelids, the ears, the hair, everything looks like Hasbro spent countless hours getting it just right. Or, maybe they scanned it, and it took about an hour. The hair texture is excellent, and it looks like a real person. Probably. Maybe it's like a police sketch made up of various parts of Hasbro's accounting department - we'll probably never know. (That would be a great Q&A with Hasbro. I'll just bring a box of figures and ask "Who is this?")

Hasbro used the best mold available to them at the time, which isn't great in 2025. I've said this before, but one of the things that irks me about collector figures - rather than toy figures - is the amount of fidgeting you have to do just to get him to sit down. The hip joints Hasbro used for figures from the back chunk of the 2010s had a good range of motion, but you had to very carefully rotate the upper thigh and with the straps? It's a slog. It's better than the 1970s-style swivel joints in terms of getting a figure to look cool standing up, but I vastly prefer the modern ball-jointed hips in most circumstances. Granted, I really love the Kenner figures because you could just slide those suckers right into a cockpit with no fidgeting at all.

If you're looking for a figure to fill your shelves, this is it. At this point you've got dozens of pilots and starfighters, but Hasbro hasn't delivered a lot of Rebel bases for these guys to populate. Or New Republic, for that matter - the helmet here seems more in line with the 21st century Ahsoka and The Mandalorian designs. I'd rather "filler" troopers be cheaper, lower-articulated figures - but that's me. It's good for what it is, but I also feel that a lot of the lines are a little less "special" due to the repetition and randos. It's a special treat to get a new Star Wars figure, so when it's an anonymous nobody, sometimes you have to ask "why?" If we ever get a hint as to who this is, it might be a little more special.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,251: June 19, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,194: X-Wing Pilot (Human Woman, The Vintage Collection)

X-WING PILOT (Human Female)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 Pilot figures with 3 Rebel Blasters like the Troopers and 3 Rebel Blasters like Luke's Pilot blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $54.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: ???

Bio: Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Listen to me people she's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa whoa she's a lady
Talkin' about the little lady
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
She's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa lord, she's a lady.
I can't live without that
She's a lady
Ooh ooh she's a lady. (Taken from Tom Jones.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The X-Wing Pilots continue with a representative of the Human contingent! I was ready to roll my eyes and grouse about how we're getting an old mold again with a new head of an (as far as I can tell) anonymous extra or Hasbro employee... but she turned out pretty well. Maybe it's the bright lights bringing out her best, maybe it was the pizza I had at dinner, but the figure is fine. Your socks may not be knocked off, but for whatever reason tonight I was impressed, even by the imperfections. The unpainted silver greeblies in her sleeves are sharply sculpted, and even in orange they show Hasbro did some nice work. Molded separately in color, the white vest looks sharp. The panels on her chest look great, the buttons are nicely painted, and the suit is mostly orange with black gloves and boots. The separately molded hoses and straps look far superior to the unpainted, tightly-sculpted ones we got in 1979 and other than the old, outdated hip joints the body is still pretty decent.

Her helmet is the same basic template as the entire set, which borrows a look from the Ahsoka series. Two stripes run down her helmet, one of which is super wide. The colors don't necessarily correspond to a specific show character that I noticed, but perhaps your eyes are more eagle than me at my old and increasingly impatient age. I seem to recall Hasbro saying these are original pilots. There's no weathering or damage deco, but for a made-up figure that's fine. I can add some if I want.

I don't recognize the face, which may prove awkward down the line. I've met a lot of people from various companies involved with these toys and I look at a wonderfully tight hair cut, sharply painted eyes and lips, and excellent eyebrows... and I also hope she isn't reading this and going "dude, we met at the party with the Jenga thing remember?" Hasbro's ability to make a human head seem eerily real yet small enough to shoot out of your nose is incredible, and also, not recommended. But I can say that whoever this is, I hope she's happy with the results because I absolutely believe that this is an actual person somewhere.

Given Hasbro's anxieties about SKUs and tooling budgets, I'm genuinely curious why we got an anonymous pilot in an era where vehicle play isn't really a thing anymore. It's a very nice figure - a magnificent demonstration of Hasbro's capabilities in head sculpting and facial detailing that, at this size, is unbeaten in the business. But given the sprawling franchise, the split focus between "classic" and "new," and a massive lack of support of new entries in the series, it seems like an odd choice. If you can get this set for a fair price I think you'll be pleased and impressed if you're looking to add new Rebel pilots to your collection, and of course to see Hasbro prove that they could make more amazing characters from the original trilogy were they so inclined.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,194: December 3, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,186: X-Wing Pilot (Duros, The Vintage Collection)

X-WING PILOT (Duros)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 Pilot figures with 3 Rebel Blasters like the Troopers and 3 Rebel Blasters like Luke's Pilot blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $54.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: ???   

Bio: The Duros were a humanoid species common in the galaxy native to the planet Duro. (Taken from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The X-Wing Pilots continue with a representative of the Duros! Kenner skipped these guys completely - we got the first one, Ellors Madak, as the very first Fan's Choice figure over 20 years ago. We also had a few others like Cad Bane and Mouse. We haven't yet gotten the rest from the Cantina, despite a new Cantina being just around the corner, it seems like something of an oversight - we saw a pair talking, yet after nearly five decades we have only one. Who will make the other one first - Hasbro, Stan Solo, or The Next 17? For now, all I know is that there is a very good chance that this nameless figure is going to be going into my HasLab Cantina as a stand-in for Baniss Keeg, or for the people who prefer the New Testament names, Chachi De Maal. The figure has the head down, at least, so it'll be a good enough diorama filler.

The body is once again the same old Luke body, with a helmet that looks more or less like any of several helmets - the coloring is kind of like Dak's, the layout is kind of like a typical Ahsoka helmet, but as far as I know it doesn't belong to anyone in particular. The flight suit is the same as we've been getting, but the head and hands? Those are new.

This time around the hands have fingerless gloves - something unusual for pilot figures - with shiny blue fingers poking through. The finish on the glove part of each bend-and-swivel hand is decidedly not as glossy as the glove part on the forearm, so you may see that as disjointed depending on how (or if) you display the figures. If you don't open them, obviously, you will never notice. I wish it was more consistent, but it's good enough. If we lived in a world where we got more vehicles, I'd say you could just put him in an X-Wing and you'd never even notice, but there hasn't been one on-shelf for a while now. Having said that, the blue fingers are more visible than the lack of gloss, so odds are most fans will like this figure just fine. Or if you throw him in the Cantina, he works as a smuggler in a slightly-off disguise. It is also worth noting the new fingers fit in the blaster perfectly.

The head is really good. Hasbro has done so few new aliens from the original three movies - or indeed, any of the movies - for a while, so a noggin like this shows what we're missing. The blue molded plastic alien head looks like a small rubber mask, and that's what we want. The sculpted ridges are all very good, with big red eyes and that familiar dour mouth and gaunt cheeks. It's really great - but Hasbro wasn't content to cast it in blue with red eyes. The various wrinkles and smile lines seem to all have a little extra paint, bringing out the detail. It looks really good to my eyes, giving him a little more life and personality that somehow shines through even in lower-light situations. Hasbro did a great job here.

Hasbro understood the assignment and nailed it. Sure, it wasn't something anybody was asking for, but it turned out well enough and I hope it serves as a reminder to Hasbro/Disney/Lucasfilm that a cool alien figure is worth doing, even if it's from nothing. Imagine how much cooler it would be if we got some more from the Cantina! I know I do. I think this was a good - if odd - choice for production, but if taken for what it is, it's pretty good. It would be nice if the map or code cylinders on the left arm were decorated, but they aren't, and that is something most fans are unlikely to notice as these remain in their boxes.

I'd say this set is worth getting if you've got a burning need for more figures - it's a lot more interesting than "trooper from game" or "another Darth Vader in 2024," but it isn't anything you couldn't have customized yourself 20 years ago. I appreciate the imagination and effort to give fans something new on a limited budget, but also, I'd appreciate something new with a full budget.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,186: November 5, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,113: Princess Kneesaa (Ewoks Cartoon, The Vintage Collection)

PRINCESS KNEESAA Cartoon Version
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Fan Channel 2-Pack
Item No.: No. F8300
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #283
Includes: Bola, bag, hood, coin
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $36.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Ewoks

Bio: Clever and courageous, Kneesaa embarks on adventures with her EWOK friends on Endor's forest moon. (Taken from the 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: Some of you are going "Wow, it's the first-ever Princess Kneesaa figure!" but it's worth noting Kenner made a few in its preschool line in the 1980s, plus this exact figure was sold as Kneesaa [FOTD #1,868] way back in 2012. But there was a twist - while this figure was in a 2-pack for $37, the original release was in a 5-pack with tons of accessories and newly tooled parts for the wallet-stomping price of *checks notes* $40. Call it inflation or just a bigger reach for wallet share, but this is basically the exact same figure - minus a "movie hood" - but adding a coin and a bag for more than twice the price. Hasbro sold figures with coins for $6.99 in 2007, so while inflation is real, this is another one of those things where fans have to ask if it's worth the price to buy it again. As that set sells for $150-$200 in the box, this is probably going to be your cheaper alternative assuming you don't want the other furballs.

Through gritted teeth, I recommend this to a certain kind of 80s kid who loves Saturday morning cartoons. Hasbro did a decent job painting an existing movie-style figure with cartoon-style deco, even if it means a higher price with far fewer paint ops, accessories, and figures from her previous release.

Kneesaa is essentially Wicket with a new head and a pink hood. This release keeps the same joints and body parts, but drops the dirty fur paint in favor of a cleaner (cheaper) deco and new added dark fur around the eyes. This brings her closer to her cartoon appearance. Hasbro doesn't bother to paint the stitch deco on the hood either, rather just giving us a weird blue line over the top of her head. The blue feathers are still painted, but the plastic is nice and pliable and it feels great. Hasbro also included a reuse of Wicket's bag, which was not originally sold with Kneesaa in 2012.

 She also has some ropes with rocks on them which she can wear. It's not a weapon per se, but it is a carry-over from the aforementioned gift set. I think this version of her does a good job replicating her cartoony fur colors, but it comes with a lot of cost-cutting. As far as I can tell the set sold out cleanly, but I sometimes see them at GameStop stores for roughly retail price. I hesitate to say it's worth $37 because compared to other Hasbro Star Wars product, you're not getting your money's worth. But if you want these characters, there aren't a lot of options on the market and the original releases of these figures will cost you more money. It's a far cry from 2 Ewoks and a Freeze Frame Action Slide for $5.99 in 1998, but it would seem the younger fan (or "child") market is no longer the goal here.

The one thing that may throw the whole price calculous out the window is old-school Kenner coin fans. For an all-new coin, right now, given there may never be another one, this is a hard proposition to poo-poo. I think collectors will probably be fine with this set for the price thanks to the brand-new Kneesaa coin. Since Kenner's original Kneesaa concept never got far enough along to get a prototype coin, we've never seen one of these before. The coin's artwork looked very familiar, and Hasbro, if you're reading - I'll even pay $20 for Kneesaa's coin again if you pack her with that Kenner-style prototype figure, finally produced for the mass market. For some fans money is no object, but it depends on the specific product - if you really like a format or want to add a specific piece to your collection, the one Ewok thing being sold to you from the cartoon series in decades (other than apparel) may be a "shut up and take my money" proposition for you. I had no problem throwing down a couple of Jacksons to get this set, but also, I assume that it is extremely unlikely we'll ever get more 1985 Ewoks or Droids toys before the 40th anniversary in 2025. And if not then, probably not before we die.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,113: March 5, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,081: Wicket W. Warrick (Ewoks Cartoon, The Vintage Collection)

WICKET W. WARRICK cartoon version
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Fan Channel 2-Pack
Item No.: No. F8300
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #283
Includes: Spear, bag, hood, coin
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $36.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Ewoks

Bio: Wicket's friendly, adventurous, and mischievous nature makes him a leader among the other young EWOKS. (Taken from the 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: There are a lot of things Hasbro makes where I don't know who the audience is going to be, but I do know that this Ewoks cartoon Wicket W. Warrick was made for me. If you were a kid in the 1980s, you may have watched these shows on Saturday mornings for a couple of years, and then saw them at Kay-Bee for a buck. What's interesting about Wicket is that he's a remake of a character from 1985, while Kneesaa never actually came out until now. (There's still hope!) Back in the early 1990s and late 1980s, nobody wanted those figures - I got them super cheap and their relative scarcity was in large part because nobody cared to sell them. As such, if you didn't have the then newly-sculpted cartoon-specific Ewoks, you can get these now.

This figure takes the 2010 The Vintage Collection movie mold - which also had a movie hood, and was only $10 - and adds the requisite collector tax mark-up, giving you a reissue of the coin (freebies in the $6.99 line in 2017) instead of a hood at what is basically a 85% mark-up. If you just had the orange hood, rather than the green hood, I'd probably say no - but since they gave you the season two hood first, this is interesting. On the actual cartoon, it was an orangey brown. On the old licensed merchandise and package art, Wicket's hood was usually a dirty yellow. The bright orange of the final figure is a rung below neon, and seems much more saturated and bright than the relatively muted product photography. The mold isn't new, but it's good - Hasbro is excellent at making the most of its existing tooling library, and gives you a handy pouch for sunberries on the side. This accessory is why I pre-ordered the figure, but I'd be lying if I said it turned out like I expected. The cartoon one was brown, while Kenner's preschool Wicket was that yellow color. As such, this is different enough where Hasbro has wiggle room to make another couple of cartoon Wicket figures if they really wanted to do so.

The spear is fine, and he can hold it with both hands since they did a good job designing him. Having said that, you won't feel you got your money's worth with swivel ankles, jointed hips and shoulders and ankles, and a jointed neck that won't move much. Combined, the two-pack has about as many parts as a modern full-size figure (give or take) so I'm sure Hasbro is making a good return on this mold investment - and it's a nice figure. The eyes are painted to be sort of like the movie while also being vaguely like the cartoon. The fur patterns are much cleaner than the movie version, and I actually kind of prefer it. You can move the legs so he can be posed standing without falling over quite nicely.

This figure is very much for a specific kind of fan. I'm sure completists will grouse, and even though this is something I very much want I do feel a little stung over the price tag. I assume we'll never see another Ewoks cartoon figure, but I like it enough to say that old Kenner kids might want to look into getting it. It's also worth noting the bonus coin feels a lot like the original, minus a sharper sculpt that seems a smidgen off from the real deal while paradoxically looking almost identical save for revised copyright markings. I bet it could pass for a genuine original if a fan wasn't intimately familiar with the years being stamped on the Kenner versions. Recommended if you like this sort of thing, and don't mind spending the equivalent of $18.50 for a repaint of a figure you may own already given the obscure nature of this release.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,081: November 14, 2023