Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,030: Hunter (The Vintage Collection)

HUNTER The Bad Batch
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F7330
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #268
Includes: 2 blasters, knife, backpack, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: April 2023
Appearances: The Bad Batch
Bio: I think I'm a clone now. Every pair of genes is a hand-me-down. (There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth!   

Click here to buy it at Amazon!  

Click here to buy it at eBay!

Commentary: While there are some disappointing figures in this wave, Hunter is excellent. It you got The Black Series Hunter [FOTD #2,787] it seems it's pretty much the exact same design, with slightly different joints and it seems to be missing a couple of paint applications. The 6-inch figure had some red vertical tripes around his armor underoos, the 3 3/4-inch does not have them. Otherwise? Just as good.

My only real complaints about this figure are whiny. One, it took a couple of years to get this figure - he was on The Clone Wars before COVID, and he's the only member of the team we've had so far in this scale. Two, he's got more gear than he needs. You get the commando rifle, the tiny clone pistol, a helmet, and a knife - and there's still no holster for the pistol. There's also a swell backpack, and I wish it could pop open to store the blaster. Each of the accessories are good. The figure's paint job is good. The articulation is good. Presumably we'll see this mold used to get other clones, a new Delta Squad, and so on.

I love the sculpt - it's just like the big one, with an expressive face, a great helmet, but there's one big difference. His armor doesn't have sculpted dents - there are some silver painted scuffs, but the armor itself lacks teeny tiny dents. That's a good choice. The joints all move smoothly, with a great cut in the elbows so he can hold a blaster with both hands. The hips are greatly improved with an excellent and smooth range of motion. You can store the knife on his wrist, and he can hold the blasters. Most amazingly, though, the helmet fits really well - not too snug, not too lose. This feels like a figure engineered by someone who understands how a consumer will interact with it, and you should be able to make good use of him in vehicles, playsets, or even just on your desk. The grays and reds all look fantastic. His facial expression and painted detail look like a cross of the animation and real life. This is one of those figures that goes on your top 10 list of the year.

Unless you hate The Bad Batch you should buy this figure. It's great. I wouldn't be surprised to see Hasbro reissue it in a multipack at a later date, but if they don't, fans will be chasing him for years. Kids will want him, fans will want him, collectors of course will want him. He's a major character and one of the best-made figures in the size. Get it, it's worth it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,030: May 18, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,787: Hunter (The Black Series 6-Inch)

HUNTER 6-Inch Debut
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Dark Red Star Wars: The Bad Batch Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F1859
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Includes: Helmet, knife, pistol, blaster, backpack
Action Feature: Knife fits in sheath, helmet covers head, backpack is removable
Retail: $19.99
Availability: February 2021
Appearances: Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Bio: The Bad Batch technically known as Clone Force 99 is the result of Kaminoan experiments to create a specialist unit of clone commandos. Hunter, their leader, is a strong and stoic soldier with extraordinarily keen senses that give him an edge when tracking down his targets. (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!

Commentary: Effectively a mutant or part of Star Wars' own Fantastic 4, Billy - er, Hunter is star of an upcoming spin-off series that got its backdoor pilot on the final chunk of episodes of The Clone Wars. The figure shares pats with numerous other releases - the basic "new mold" Clone Trooper feet are obvious, plus other elements are shared with Crosshairs. And, undoubtedly, other figures - you can see parts and pieces here that could be used for Fixer, Boss, Sev, and Scorch too. This mold seems like a gift that's going to keep on giving, provided Hasbro set up the tooling with a lot of retools in mind. It's a good figure with lots of accessories. Hasbro did a bang-up job here, minus the banged-up parts.

When you first pick up this figure, you'll undoubtedly be impressed by the amount of paint on it - and then, after some scrutiny, disappointment will make you realize they missed a bunch of spots. While Asajj Ventress did dang near anything they needed to do, you'll see that Hunter comes close. The face has the marvelous expression, the long hair, the bandanna, even the unique markings on the face and armor. The sculptors did a dynamite job with big shoulder pauldrons, distinctive knees, new chest armor, and so many new elements that you'd wonder why they'd bother recycling anything from existing clones. The figure is loaded with sculpted scrapes and scuffs, adding wear and tear to the knees, shins, and elsewhere. These scuffs are not painted like the animation model - they're just pristine, and that's odd. Had they left the sculpted part flat and pristine as well it wouldn't be much of an issue, but it's something that stands out a little bit here and a lot on Crosshairs. Thankfully the grey clone also has a lot of red detail, some dark grey pieces, and the black body glove.

The figure's sculpting is as good as his brothers, with articulation that's typical for a modern release. The thigh armor doesn't prevent the legs from swinging forward, thanks to their ability to rotate a bit. He could sit in a chair if you had one handy, plus his arms have no problems holding his accessories. The backpack doesn't open to store spare gear, so you may need to designate a spot to store your extra blasters. It really feels like Hasbro's G.I. Joe design philosophy rubbed off when it came to the added accessories and improved articulation.

I love the head sculpt, and it reminds me a lot of Solid Snake from the Metal Gear games too. Now that we know Hasbro is prone to rerun old figures with improved paint, I am hesitant to recommend this - it's very good, but you can see so many parts where a little paint would do wonders to improve it. If in the far future there's never an improved paint job, I'd say buy this figure and love it - because it really is great. I'm just nervous that they'll make a better one later, in some future Archive wave, because you can see the spots for improvement. Fans of the cartoons or the video games will probably really enjoy this, just because it feels so much like some of the more interesting offshoots in the once and possibly future Expanded Universe. And it's interesting to look at. And it's really well-designed. If you see it for retail price, you're going to like it. And if you add some silver into the scuffs, you're going to like it more.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,787: March 15, 2021